Friday April 17
The Clinton county Chapter of Ducks Unlimited (DU) will host it’s 34th Annual Wetlands Conservation banquet on Friday April 17, 2015. The event will be at Smith Hall on the 4-H Fairgrounds in St Johns.
The mission of Ducks Unlimited is to preserve ecologically important wetlands, on both private and public lands across North America. The Clinton County Wetlands Conservation banquet is the way for our local community to help this important conservation program.
Chairman Chris Mikula extends an invitation to all conservation minded citizens to join him and his fellow committee volunteers for an evening of food and fun to help an important resource conservation program. The evening will include complimentary beverages and hors D’oeuvres and a catered dinner. There will be door prizes, a silent and live auction and raffle tables that will include limited edition art prints, wildlife sculptures, firearms, crafts, collectible items, decoy carvings and many other special DU and local craft items.
The local DU committee wants everyone to know that the Clinton County DU banquet is for the entire family. We encourage dads to bring their wives and youngsters. Ticket prices are the same as they have been for the past nine years.
For tickets, banquet information, or if you want to help on the local DU banquet planning committee, you can contact any of the following committee members: Joe Woodruff at 989-224-3392, Bob Bertoldi at 989-224-2856, Kurt Hebeler at 517-719-5148, Kurt Hufnagel at 989-224-2072,Craig Knight at 989-224-8687, Dr. Bob Jansen at 989-224-1441, Chris Mikula at 989-224-3654, Dale Rennells at 989-224-6632, Dennis Koenigsknecht at 989-224-4120 or Gale Bloomer at 989-224-8487.
Ducks Unlimited was organized during the major drought of the 1930’s when conservation minded citizens banded together to help reverse the impacts of drought and man’s impact on our wetlands ecosystem. Over the years, this concern by an ever growing number of dedicated men, women and youngsters, has resulted in over 4 billion dollars being raised, with these funds being dedicated to restoring or preserving over 13 million acres of wetlands across North America.
In Michigan, DU has invested 33.8 million dollars to restore and protect 76,178 acres of wetlands in 79 counties. The recent DU Matching Aid to Restore States Habitats program has pooled it’s resources with other conservation groups and agencies like the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pheasants Forever, and many other conservation groups and individuals. Working together has created greater natural resource benefits than would have happened working separately. The total joint investment, by all partners in wetlands habitat restoration and protection in Michigan exceeds 55 million dollars.
Local DU Chairman Chris Mikula notes that: “ecological data collected during the past 50 years clearly identifies wetlands as the most productive source of life on earth. No other resource, not even the tropical rainforests, provide as many benefits as do wetlands.”
Join with your friends and neighbors on April 17th as we celebrate the many conservation achievements of Ducks Unlimited, and to also help us continue this great conservation program.
For additional information about the local Clinton County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, or about the April 17th banquet, log onto the internet and check the organizations Facebook page at: Clinton County Michigan Chapter of Ducks Unlimited., or check out the DU main website at www/ducks.org.