Ducks Unlimited Receives More Than $10 Million From California Conservation Agencies

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 2, 2010 - Thanks to the support of two California conservation grants agencies and numerous partners, Ducks Unlimited can mark May 27, 2010, as one of the largest single-day fundraising successes in its 73-year history, totaling $10.2 million in funds awarded

Dr. Rudy Rosen, director of DU's Western Regional Office in Sacramento, Calif., expressed his excitement over the grants. "This is another historic day in DU's fundraising in the west, in particular given the dire state of the economy in California. Such generous and sizeable grants will go a very long way as DU works to protect, conserve and restore wildlife habitat. We are very grateful to both the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) and the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) for their support."

At a recent meeting of the WCB - a group that administers a capital outlay program for wildlife conservation and related public recreation in the state ­- the WCB awarded DU approximately $9.2 million in grant funding for five restoration and conservation projects across the state. The grants break down as follows:

• $6.65 million to restore over 1,500 acres of tidal marsh on the Cullinan Ranch Unit of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge
• $1.55 million to enhance 1,680 acres of managed pond and to restore tidal marsh habitat on the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area
• $250,000 to install water pumps that will enhance 2,414 acres of wetlands on the Los Banos Wildlife Area
• $317,000 to restore riparian habitat and replace water pumps to improve habitat in Merced County
• $30,000 for work to enhance 177 acres of seasonal wetlands in the Sutter Bypass
• $408,000 for the Moss Landing Wildlife Area to provide better public access for hunting, fishing, observation and other wildlife-oriented recreation

Also, at a meeting of the SCC - a state agency that uses entrepreneurial techniques to purchase, protect, restore and enhance coastal resources - the SCC awarded DU a $1 million grant to construct a pedestrian bridge linking the Bay Trail to Bair Island, near San Francisco.

Sam Schuchat, executive director of the SCC, expressed the agency's expectations for the bridge project. "When the new bridge is in place, we expect Bair Island to become one of the best spots for people to observe the incredible variety of birds that can be found in San Francisco Bay," he said.

Notably, Cullinan Ranch is also a recent recipient of more than $1.65 million through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus grant, which is intended to restore habitat, create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.