Ducks Unlimited: A Good Cause That's Fun Too
By Teresa Ambord
Ducks Unlimited (DU) is not your ordinary environmental group. It is the world's largest private, non-profit organization for waterfowl and wetland conservation. And with more than a million supporters in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, it is one of the largest conservation/environmental groups in the world. Australia, New Zealand, and Europe also boast DU affiliates.
What does DU actually do? It works to conserve waterfowl habitat throughout North America. Since its beginning in 1937, it has successfully conserved more than 9.4 million acres, and raised almost $1.6 billion to achieve its goals.
But Ducks Unlimited is also a lot of fun for its members. DU invites family participation year round with golf-tournaments, target-shooting competitions, dinners, and an ongoing series of activities. Many children are just as active in DU as their parents.
Get the Kids Involved
DU has an entire division for children under 18, known as Greenwings. Children can belong to Greenwings on their own, at a special price. Children's activities include nature walks, duck identification, nest box building, special field trips for geese banding and wildlife photography. These events are great ways for children to donate time and money to a cause they care about, while they gain appreciation for wildlife.
Read More About Greenwings:
Unlike some environmental charities, Ducks Unlimited is not heavy-handed. One way they seek to improve life for waterfowl is by simple education. Here's a great example:
Please Don't Feed the Ducks!
DU does not recommend feeding wild waterfowl. Taking children to feed wild ducks is a popular family activity. This is especially true in winter when people suspect the ducks are suffering in the cold. Here are some compelling reasons why feeding them is harmful:
- The normal pattern for these birds is to fly south where they will find sufficient marsh and grassland plants. When you provide them with supplemental food, the ducks may not follow their migratory patterns.
- Feeding ducks white bread can be fatal. They have been known to choke on wads of bread. And when they are fed bread, they tend not to eat their natural diet, which has the elements they need to live.
- Hand feeding by humans causes ducks to lose their natural wariness of humans and they can as a result, become a nuisance.
- Interaction with humans makes them more susceptible to attack by dogs, and children who throw stones.
The bottom line is, DU asks that, if you love these animals, leave them alone.