Delta Waterfowl Foundation

Last updated
Delta Waterfowl Foundation
Founded1911
TypeHabitat Conservation and Hunting
FocusWaterfowl habitat conservation
Location
Area served
North America
Members
62,000
Key people
James Ford Bell, Aldo Leopold, Hans Albert Hochbaum
Volunteers
670
Website deltawaterfowl.org

Delta Waterfowl Foundation is a non-profit organization operating in both Canada and in the United States whose mission is to secure the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting. [1] [2] Charity Navigator has ranked it among the top 10 conservation groups promoting the protection of wildlife and game lands for hunters and fishermen. [3]

Contents

History

Barringer Slough in Iowa, a remnant of the extensive prairie wetlands that once covered the region Barringer-Arial.jpg
Barringer Slough in Iowa, a remnant of the extensive prairie wetlands that once covered the region

In the 1930s James Ford Bell, sportsman and founder of General Mills, purchased 5,000 acres (20 km²) of the Delta Marsh in Manitoba, Canada. For several years, Bell hunted waterfowl on the marsh in the fall and raised and released birds in the spring and summer from a privately owned hatchery.

In 1938, Bell approached Aldo Leopold, an early figure in modern Western wildlife management in the United States, about establishing a research station dedicated to waterfowl research at the Delta Marsh. Leopold agreed with Bell's idea and brought in his graduate student, Hans Albert Hochbaum, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They were early contributors to the study of breeding duck ecology and habitat research. [4]

Today

Delta Waterfowl Foundation has four mission pillars: duck production, habitat conservation, research, and hunteR3 (an initiative to encourage duck hunting). [5]

Delta Waterfowl supports graduate research on waterfowl and other programs that impact waterfowl populations and waterfowl hunting in North America. They engage in campus outreach to promote the roles that hunters play in environmental sciences, wildlife management, and conservation. [6] [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. "Delta Waterfowl expands conservation efforts in Great Lakes". Outdoornews. 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  2. Writer, Kristi K. Higgins, Staff. "Women find hunting just ducky". The Progress-Index. Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2019-12-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "The Highest Ranking Hunting and Fishing Conservation Organizations". fieldandstream.com. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  4. "Week 17. Delta Waterfowl: the Duck Hunter's Organization". 52weekseason.com. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. Waterfowl, Delta. "The Duck Hunters Organization". Delta Waterfowl. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  6. "Delta Waterfowl Is The Duck Hunters Organization". www.mossyoak.com. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  7. Williams, Wesley. "Pro Staff Graduate: Wesley's Inside Look at Delta Waterfowl". fieldandstream.com. Retrieved 5 January 2021.