Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and Ducks Unlimited Canada have been integral partners, advocates, and leaders in the development of Joint Ventures from their inception. From the earliest days of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan through the advent of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Ducks Unlimited has invested enormous amounts of staff time and funding to the organization, administration, and operation of Joint Ventures. More specifically, DU has been a consistently active partner in Joint Venture planning, design, delivery, research, and monitoring, all of which are critically important to effective bird habitat conservation.
Whether working in the U.S. or in Canada, Ducks Unlimited has been an unwavering supporter of the Federal, State/Provincial, and private funding streams that fuel much of the work of Joint Ventures – funding that provides critical support to all JV partners. From the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, to the conservation provisions of the U.S. Farm Bill, to the support of private foundations, DU continues to be a leading advocate for maintaining and increasing funding sought by JV partners for meaningful and effective conservation action.
There are few Joint Ventures across the continent in which you will not find Ducks Unlimited staff completely engaged and hard at work as members of Management Boards and Technical Working Groups; preparing project proposals; developing and supporting partner networks; and involved in on-the-ground project delivery. The unprecedented success of JVs as we know them today is in no small part the result of the long-standing participation and dedication of Ducks Unlimited.
Over the past 25 years, the NAWMP partnership in the United States, Canada, and Mexico has played a vital role in bringing together agencies and organizations with a common objective of habitat conservation and has provided critical resources to accomplish that objective. For their participation in the visioning of a North American Waterfowl Management Plan from which emerged Joint Ventures; their commitment to growing these new and novel partnerships into models for cooperative conservation; and their continued support today, we are honored to present the 2012 North American Migratory Bird Joint Venture Conservation Champion Award for an NGO to Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
