I've hesitated to post this, though I've been thinking about it since the original question came up a few days ago.
Can anyone tell me why I should rejoin DU?
I am a lapsed member. I let my membership expire when DU stopped working hard on maintaining Clean Water Act jurisdiction over wetlands--an issue on which they were at one time a national leader. (Here's an example from 2012:
http://www.ducks.org/conservation/p...o-defund-clean-water-act-guidance?poe=related) I thought that was an important issue, and I was really angry when DU dropped its longstanding advocacy about it.
I've also been disappointed by their lack of advocacy for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act with Canada and Mexico--which for the past 100 years has probably done more to ensure protection of waterfowl and other migratory birds than any other policy. Here's a letter written by former Department of Interior and Fish and Wildlife Service senior leadership who served presidents from both parties on this issue.
https://defenders.org/publications/mbta-zinke.pdf As far as I can tell DU has been silent about it.
I think DU has been one of the most effective conservation advocates since its founding, and I recognize that not every organization can fight every battle, so I've been looking to see what DU is advocating in the public arena. Other than Farm Bill, NAWCA, and other federal funding, I don't see much on the "Conservation--Public Policy" section of DU's website:
http://www.ducks.org/conservation/public-policy And frankly, they're missing on some important battles on that front, too. Congress just let the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an important program that in my state is often used to conserve important salt marsh habitat, expire. I don't see that DU is among the voices calling for its re-authorization. They were active on this issue a few years ago, but I don't see anything recent from them about it.
http://www.ducks.org/conservation/p...tion-funding/land-and-water-conservation-fund They are not currently listed as as supporters of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition, although a lot of similar organizations are: Delta Waterfowl, the Nature Conservancy, Audubon, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wildlife Federation and literally hundreds of others.
I checked DU's "Press Release Archive", which has the header: "Current press releases that have been distributed to media outlets regarding Ducks Unlimited's wetlands conservation mission." It literally contains ZERO releases.
http://www.ducks.org/Press-Room/News-Releases There are a few more recent releases on the "press room" section of the website,(
http://www.ducks.org/press-room) but none of them are about any conservation advocacy that DU is doing. There is a single release about DU taking $1.8 million from NOAA (remediation money for the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill) and using it for salt marsh restoration in Texas. That's good work. I'd like to hear more. The rest of the releases include two about DU/Yeti partnerships, one about DU sponsorship of "National Hunting and Fishing Day", and the rest are about awards DU gave to its own staff.
I don't have a lot of money to donate, and I'm pretty selective about who I give to. I don't care about premiums or bumper stickers or magazines. I want my dollars spent to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat. For the last several years, I've given to other organizations: the National Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, two local land trusts who protect some of my favorite hunting and fishing areas near home, and Maine Audubon.
Please make the case for why I should once again add DU to that list. What important work is DU doing that needs my support? Specific examples, please.