On Friday, March 24 from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, Ducks Unlimited will be holding their 3rd annual banquet at Shelden Grill and Franklin Square Tap. Tickets are $25 and include the meal as well as membership to DU at Michigan Tech. DU is a non-profit organization that is devoted to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for the sake of waterfowl and other wildlife.
Founded in 1937, the organization has maintained a global membership of more than 700,000 people since 2013, and has a volunteer base of around 40,000 members. 85 percent of their funding goes directly toward waterfowl and wetlands conservation and education, and their methods are strongly grounded in research and the continued monitoring of the areas where DU focus their conservation efforts.
In addition to the work it does in managing these ecosystems by restoring watersheds and grasslands and replanting forests, Ducks Unlimited is heavily involved in establishing partnerships with landowners to improve the agricultural and recreational value of their land, making it more wildlife-friendly, as well as establishing easements for conservation and management. The methods employed for accomplishing watershed restoration include the protection of stream corridors to prevent degradation, which leads to nutrients and contaminants being washed downstream into wetlands. Buffer strips, which are areas of vegetated land, are used in these as well as many other conservation efforts, and are helpful in filtering silt and nutrients.
The focus of grassland restoration, on the other hand, has to do with the value of these dense, grassy areas and the successful establishment of nests for the waterfowl who will later inhabit nearby wetlands. The purpose of grassland restoration is to reduce the rate of predation on nests, and would ensure the improvement of nest success.
Additionally, waterfowl populations are impacted by the replanting of forests because of the ideal wintering habitat, which they can find in the forest environment. The hardwood forests, which are associated with overflowing riverbanks, have been reduced by 80 percent over the last 200 years. The rivers, which contribute to their occasional flooding, are a necessary component of the ecosystem and have been subdued by dams and levees. The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, once a 24.7 million acre, richly forested wetland area, has been reduced to a mere 20 percent of its original size. According to DU’s website, the natural flooding that occurs there has been reduced by approximately 50 – 90 percent.
If these efforts mean something to you, or you would simply like to enjoy a nice meal at Shelden’s Grill and Franklin Square Tap with members of Ducks Unlimited at Michigan Tech, it is not too late to buy tickets. Tickets are available online at www.ducks.org/michigan/events/45075/ michigan-tech-university-dinner, and can also be purchased through members of the organization. The banquet will include raffles for items such as merchandise and guns, as well as other exciting events.