Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 1

NortheasterN ohio to BeNefit from $1 millioN NaWCa GraNtIn 2011, Ducks Unlimited (DU) in partnership with six conservation organizations was awarded a $1,000,000 grant through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to conserve 1,909 acres of wetlands and associated habitats in northeastern Ohio. The project area includes five counties (Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, Lake, and Trumbull) and encompasses two premier Wildlife Areas (WA) managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife: the 7,400-acre Grand River WA and the 9,000-acre Mosquito Creek WA. Increased connectivity of wetland habitats and protected lands in this area will benefit wildlife, water quality, waterfowl hunters and other recreational users.

Several of Ohio’s largest and most pristine wetlands exist in the counties encompassed by this grant, however 43% of Ohio’s population lives in northeast Ohio, and over three million people reside within 35 miles of the project area. Agriculture and urban development dominate the landscape and continue to result in drained wetlands, fragmented forests, eroded stream banks, and excessive nutrient loads in streams. The work to be done under this grant will permanently protect emergent, forested, and scrub-shrub wetlands, riparian areas, and associated uplands on strategically identified land tracts to benefit waterfowl and other migratory birds, while restoring wetland habitats on private lands to provide connections to permanently protected areas.

The current partnership composed of DU, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Geauga Park District, Trumbull County MetroParks, Portage Park District, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, evolved from the 2005 Ohio Grand River Wetlands NAWCA project awarded to DU that resulted in the conservation of 2,038 acres of waterfowl habitat and demonstrated a clear need for increasing land conservation in this region.

Northeastern Ohio contains many large and biologically diverse wetlands that will be protected by DU and our partners.

2012 Conservation report • Celebrating DuCks unlimiteD’s 75th anniversary

OhioGreat Lakes / atLantIc reGIon

www.ducks.org2

DuCks uNlimiteD seCures aDDitioNal Glri fuNDs for ohio CoNservatioNDucks Unlimited (DU) continues to have tremendous success obtaining grant funds to conserve Ohio wetlands and wildlife habitats through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), receiving three awards in 2011 totaling $1.44 million. DU received two grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. The first grant in the amount of $313,500 will be used to acquire at least 166 acres of permanent conservation easements through DU’s Southwest Lake Erie Land Protection Program. The second grant in the amount of $80,804 will be used to restore 44 acres of forested wetland and upland habitats at the Lake La Su An Wildlife Area in Williams County for breeding and migrating waterfowl and the federally threatened copperbelly water snake.

Also, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), DU obtained a GLRI sub-award in the amount of $1.04 million for a 512-acre multi-phase project at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to enhance or restore a variety of wetland and upland habitats, restore Lake Erie hydrology and increase fish passage in coastal wetlands. TNC was awarded the primary grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program and has directed funding to DU for the topographic survey, engineering design, bidding, contracting and construction management services.

The total GLRI funds awarded to DU in the first two years of the initiative exceed $3.3 million, with more than $2.86 million designated for habitat projects; the remaining funds were secured by DU to update the National Wetlands Inventory for the Great Lakes watershed in Ohio and 3 other states (MI, IL, IN). Progress is well underway, and the immense significance of these projects and their cumulative benefits to regional wildlife populations, biodiversity, waterfowl and waterfowl hunters is highly apparent. Seasonally-flooded forested wetlands like this are important components of copperbelly water snake habitats and are essential for waterfowl as well. (Photo by A. Sheldon)

upDate oN Year 1 Glri projeCtsRestoRinG LAke eRie HyDRoLoGy to MiDDLe HARboRIn 2010, Ducks Unlimited (DU) was awarded a $643,000 Great Lakes restoration Initiative (GLrI) grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enhance 350 acres of Lake Erie coastal wetlands in East Harbor State Park on the Catawba Peninsula. In 2011, DU completed the topographic survey and engineering design for this project, and hired a contractor who began construction. The DU design includes a water control structure mounted in steel sheet piling that will be installed in an existing dike to provide the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) with a variety of water level management options that will ultimately provide for high quality wetland conditions that can be sustained over the long-term.

Middle Harbor currently has no water exchange with Lake Erie, sparse aquatic vegetation, poor water quality, and offers limited benefits to fish, wildlife and the public. Once the project is complete in 2012, ODNR will control water levels to reestablish native aquatic vegetation within the coastal wetland. Then, the water control structure can remain open to allow for daily and seasonal

fluctuations in lake levels and permit unrestricted fish passage. The restoration of 350 acres of coastal marsh on Lake Erie is anticipated to provide substantial benefits to fish and wildlife, and an intensive biological monitoring effort is being conducted to document the success of the project. The monitoring is part of a joint program funded by NOAA to concurrently evaluate a similar restoration at the 946-acre Erie Marsh Preserve, located 37 miles to the northwest in Michigan.

The unvegetated and turbid waters of Middle Harbor will be restored to emergent marsh with open access for Lake Erie fishes.

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Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 3

enHAnceMent of coAstAL WetLAnDs At MAGee MARsH WiLDLife AReAIn 2011, Ducks Unlimited (DU) began construction on a Great Lakes restoration Initiative (GLrI) funded project that will enhance 392 acres of wetlands at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Ottawa County. This project is being funded by a $150,013 grant to DU from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Upper Mississippi River & Great Lakes Region Joint Venture and $60,000 in matching funds from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Division of Wildlife (ODOW). Project funding will be used to replace three failing water control structures and repair more than 2,500 feet of eroded dike that is critical to the long-term viability of the water supply channel used to manage the coastal wetlands at Magee Marsh.

DU provided the topographic survey, engineering design, bidding, contracting and construction management services for the project. Water control structures were installed in three wetlands near Turtle Creek and restored the capacity to manage for desired aquatic plants and Lake Erie hydrology. In the fall, a dragline was used to begin repairing the east dike of the main water supply channel. This work is expected to be completed in early 2012 and will improve habitat conditions and provide substantial benefits for waterfowl and other wildlife, and ensure high-quality opportunities for public recreation at Magee Marsh.

Three new DU designed water control structures provide improved options for habitat management at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area.

soUtHWest LAke eRie LAnD PRotection stRAteGyIn 2011, Ducks Unlimited (DU) permanently protected 253 acres of wetlands and associated uplands in the southwest Lake Erie coastal region by establishing three conservation easements. These easements were made possible by two Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grants awarded to DU by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. Collectively, these two grants provided $943,600 to DU to purchase perpetual easements on at least 496 acres of habitat in the region.

As part of this effort, DU established its first conservation easement in Ohio, at Cornell Marsh in Ottawa County. The 101-acre Cornell Marsh unit will remain as waterfowl and wetland habitat in perpetuity while providing the same duck hunting opportunities and marsh management options prior to easement establishment. The protected marsh includes a mix of native marsh plants and agricultural crops and is a high-quality waterfowl and wetland habitat actively managed by a system of dikes, pumps and water level control structures.

A dense stand of smartweed, millet, and sedges provide natural food for migrating waterfowl at the 101-acre Cornell Marsh protected by DU’s first easement in Ohio.

DU, working with grant partner Black Swamp Conservancy, also used GLRI funds to acquire a permanent conservation easement that protects an 83-acre property at the headwaters of the Toussaint River. This property contains important forested wetlands and productive agricultural land that provides a protected buffer zone to nearby public wetlands while also providing waste-grain food resources for migrating waterfowl. Linking protected wetlands and buffer zones to increase habitat connectivity is a primary goal of the Southwest Lake Erie Land Protection Strategy.

An 83-acre parcel including forested wetlands draining to the Toussaint River was protected by a conservation easement in 2011.

The final easement completed by DU in 2011 protected the 69-acre Dusseau property along North Maumee Bay in Michigan, less than 2 miles north of the Ohio border. This coastal property was the proverbial “missing piece of the puzzle”, surrounded by over 6,000 acres of protected lands in a highly valuable coastal marsh complex that includes Erie State Game Area, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and The Nature Conservancy’s Erie Marsh Preserve.

DU’s Southwest Lake Erie Land Protection Strategy is on track to exceed the combined acreage goal of the two GLRI grants received by protecting more than 500 acres of private land over the next two years. Landowner interest in protecting their land through conservation easements is high and DU is working closely with our state and federal wildlife agency partners and Black Swamp Conservancy to identify properties within the coastal zone of Lake Erie that are a high priority for protection.

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H a b I t a t H a p p e n I n G s

the teNth aNNiversarY of the ohio partNership huNtthe ohio Division of Wildlife (oDoW) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ohio Partnership Hunt during October 25-27, 2011 in Port Clinton. This event originated to acknowledge and enhance the unique relationship between ODOW, DU, and the duck hunting clubs, marsh owners and outfitters in the region. The partnership has proved successful in many ways from promoting habitat projects to increasing communication and understanding among the partners. It also provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for DU supporters and volunteer leaders to experience waterfowling in Ohio’s historic Lake Erie marshes while learning more about DU and our conservation programs. The local duck club owners and guides that donate their time and provide the hunting opportunities are the foundation of this event, and DU greatly appreciates their contributions.

The dinner at Zink Calls and associated tour of their facility has become a highlight of the event. During this year’s Zink Calls dinner the ODOW presented a check to DU in the amount of $137,032 from the proceeds of Ohio’s Wetland Habitat Stamp. DU will match this amount and then leverage the pooled resources to secure federal dollars through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to conserve wetlands in Ontario, Canada that will provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat for waterfowl that migrate through Ohio. In the last five years more than 87,000 acres of habitat have been conserved in Ontario through the State Grant Program. ODOW staff then presented DU with a second check in the amount of $1,000,000 that represents their increased commitment over the next five years to the State Grant Program and habitat conservation in Ontario!

DU President John Newman (center) accepts a check from the Ohio Division of Wildlife representing their $1 million dollar commitment over a 5-year period for the State Grant Program and habitat conservation in Ontario, Canada.

seCoND flYWaY aCaDemY a huGe suCCessFollowing the success of the first Ducks Unlimited (DU) Flyway academy, the 2011 Flyway Academy again was based at Winous Point Shooting Club and included visits to Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Thirteen DU major donors and volunteer leaders assembled for two full days of classroom presentations and hands-on outdoor field activities

to learn about a variety of topics including waterfowl ecology, wetland management, and DU’s conservation programs in the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region. John Simpson, Director of the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy, presented an interesting historical summary and hosted a tour of the club and facilities. DU and Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) staff served as instructors for the group and entertained questions from the newly-invigorated attendees well through the evening cocktail hour. DU sincerely appreciates the efforts of the Winous Point and ODOW staff that made this event possible. After two years at a Mississippi Flyway venue, DU’s Flyway Academy is taking wing and will be held in the Atlantic Flyway on Virginia’s famous Chincoteague Island from March 8–11, 2012.

Get ohio priDe: puttiNG resourCes iNto DuCks everYWhereohio prIDe (putting resources Into Ducks everywhere) is a major gift program developed by Ducks Unlimited (DU) to secure Major Sponsors in support of habitat conservation and our waterfowling heritage in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with special emphasis on the Great Lakes and Big Rivers Initiatives. Through this program, donors can direct their dollars to fund wetland conservation in DU priority landscapes. In turn, PRIDE donors are recognized on a DU project located in Ohio. DU’s conservation staff leverages funds raised through the PRIDE program against other funding sources, effectively turning each PRIDE dollar into four or more for conservation!

Within Ohio DU targets its conservation activities in two priority areas (Lake Erie Watershed and Ohio Rivers) to effectively address waterfowl and wildlife habitat issues. For 74 years, with the support of our volunteers, members and donors, DU has been successful in turning grassroots dollars into habitat throughout North America. Your support as a major donor will leave a legacy on the landscape to be enjoyed by future generations and enhance our rich waterfowling heritage. To learn more about Ohio PRIDE, contact a DU Regional Director, Ohio’s Major Gift Chairman, or Director of Development Doug Gorby.

DU staff and the 2011 Flyway Academy attendees gather in front of the historic Winous Point Shooting Club.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 5

meet Your ohio CoNservatioN staff

13 completed projects

363 acres conserved

13,036 acres of technical assistance

$661,353 invested

2011AccoMPLisHMents

c o n s e r v a t I o n s U m m a r y

roy kroll has worked for Ducks Unlimited (DU) since 2008 and is responsible for the delivery of DU’s habitat conservation programs in Ohio, including the Lake Erie Land Protection Strategy. Prior to joining DU’s staff in the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, Roy was the Executive Director of the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy and the Managing Director of

Winous Point Shooting Club. Roy received both his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University.

contact:

Roy Kroll, Manager of Conservation Programsrkroll@ducks.org734-623-2000

DUcks UnLImIteDP R o j e c t s

completed featured

note: Project points may represent more than one project.

cornell marsh easementne ohio naWca Grant

middle Harbor

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North ameriCaN WetlaNDs CoNservatioN aCt iN 2012Ducks Unlimited has contributed a strong voice for wetlands conservation across North America for 75 years, and works as a voice for waterfowl protections in national and state public policy.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act is the most significant federal program that DU partners with to protect and conserve habitat for North America’s migratory bird populations. This program provides grants to partner groups—private landowners, local companies, conservation organizations, and more—who have matched the grant funds by raising money from non-federal sources. These funds are then used to impact wetlands that are in need of protection, and competition for these funds means the match is typically 2-3 times the grant amount.

2012 will be critical for NAWCA in two ways. First, NAWCA requires reauthorization every five years, with the current bill expiring in 2012. DU is seeking congressional support for bills in the Senate and the House that would reauthorize the program until 2017. This would allow the Congress to fund these wetland grants.

Second, federal budgets are lean this year and funding for programs such as NAWCA are at risk. NAWCA brings in more money to the federal treasury than it cost. It also creates thousands of jobs each year, and creates business for hotels, restaurants, plant nurseries, construction companies, and many others. This program is an incredibly valuable tool for natural resource protection in this country. It deserves strong, active support from DU supporters.

Please help by visiting www.ducks.org/nawca or by calling your senators and House member to express your support for nAWcA.

A gift of real estate is an excellent way to support Ducks Unlimited and take advantage of significant tax deductions. You have several options when donating real estate, each with unique benefits for both you and DU.

GivinG options:Outright gift of real estate. Real estate that you no• longer use or wish to own, but is owned outright and readily marketable can be gifted to DU. Gifts of habitat lands are especially important to our mission.

Gift of real estate with retained life use.• You may gift your principle residence to DU and retain the right to continue to live and use the property for the rest of your life. Such a gift is deductible in the year the gift is made, not at the end of the retained life interest.

Gift of real estate through CRT.• For landowners who wish to continue to gain income from their property, there is an option called a Charitable Remainder trust, or CRT. The owner transfers the property to the trust, the trust sells the property, usually avoiding capital gains taxes (check with your tax advisor) and then the proceeds of the sale are invested to provide income to the owner for their life. The owner should receive a tax deduction for the gift and DU receives the balance of the trust after their death. There are a number of options available, please visit DU’s gift planning website at: http://www.ducks.org/conservation/land-protection/donations-or-gifts-of-land

sUPPoRtinG tHe vision

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 7

CeleBratiNG 75 Years of CoNservatioN suCCessby Dale HallDucks Unlimited CEO

this year marks a very special time for Ducks Unlimited. On Jan. 29, 1937, the More Game Birds in America organization transitioned into what would become the greatest wetland and waterfowl habitat conservation organization in the world! Throughout this year, we will be celebrating our 75th anniversary, and we have a great deal to celebrate.

From our beginnings in Manitoba at Big Grass Marsh with a project that impacted 100,000 acres, to our current partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts to conserve 1 billion acres in the vast boreal forests, our work has been based on the simple principle of cooperation with others. During DU’s first years, struggling farmers were DU’s best partners; the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression were in full swing

and significant acres of wetlands were being converted to farmland. The partnership with farmers was based on “water on the ground, ducks in the air,” and immediately elevated DU’s status as a group of people who wanted to roll up their sleeves and solve problems.

The very first volunteers to answer the call were hunters. Hunters seemed to intuitively know that in order to have enough ducks to enjoy our passionate and recuperative pursuit, there had to be healthy habitats. In 1934, when the depression had more people in bread lines and westward caravans than were gainfully employed, duck hunters lobbied Congress to require them to pay to go hunting! This was followed in 1937 by another tax lobbied for by hunters, as well as the firearm and ammunition industries, to place a tax on these items to be used only for conservation. This law is still in place today and supports state fish and wildlife agencies. Also in 1937, Ducks Unlimited Incorporated and Ducks Unlimited Canada were born.

With DUC as the original mechanism to deliver projects on the ground in Canada, our partnership has been long and rich with science-based decisions and volunteer-driven passion. Until the 1980s, all work done by DU was in Canada. Then science began to unveil the importance of migratory and wintering habitat. DUI has continued its partnership with DUC to conserve valuable nesting grounds, but has expanded to include projects in all 50 states. We are rapidly closing in on 13 million acres conserved in Canada and the United States, with a target of 750 million to 1 billion more acres conserved in the boreal forests of Canada. What an accomplishment to celebrate!

But as we celebrate these great successes along with our numerous partners, we must not become complacent and think the job is done. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we are still losing more acres than we are able to conserve each year in the United States, and the pressures to convert valuable waterfowl habitat to other uses is greater than ever. In Canada and Mexico, those pressures are equally formidable.

Our challenges are great, but with the continued dedication of our volunteers, members and professional staff, Ducks Unlimited WILL NOT FAIL! I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over the next 12 months as we celebrate 75 years of phenomenal accomplishment. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DUCKS UNLIMITED!

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Neil krusChke, jr.the Ducks Unlimited (DU) family lost one of our own in 2011 when Neil Kruschke, Jr. of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, passed away on August 26 at his vacation home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He was just 44 years old. Neil had been active with DU since 1994 when he began attending the Geauga County DU dinner with his father. Over time, Neil came to more fully recognize the value of DU’s mission and the role it played in his own life and in the lives of his children. In 2002, Neil made his father, Neil Kruschke Sr., a posthumous Life Sponsor of Ducks Unlimited, and was in the process of securing a Life Sponsorship for his son when he passed away. Neil was a Diamond Life Sponsor and Feather Society member of DU, served on the national Conservation Programs Committee (CPC), and aspired to expand his leadership role with DU to help the organization fulfill its mission.

Neil believed strongly in the concept of the DU family. He commented frequently on the importance of DU in his life and in the life of his son, and they hunted frequently in Ohio and across the continent with friends they made through DU. His many friends in Ohio DU have stayed involved, making sure the DU family is forever part of Neil’s family.

Neil had served as Chief Executive Officer of Stopol Inc., a company he co-founded in 1990 with his brother Don and father Neil Sr., until 2009, when he sold the company to focus on other business interests and to spend time with his family.

Ducks Unlimited continues to accept contributions in Neil’s memory to support conservation programs in Ohio.

GarY massieGary massie is a well known outdoorsman and community supporter in Clinton County, Ohio and the greater Wilmington area. He has passionately given his time, energy and money to economic, social welfare, and environmental organizations, including Ducks Unlimited (DU). Beginning in 2007, Gary and his wife Robin worked hard to re-start the Clinton County DU committee after the area was economically devastated by the closing of DHL, a local shipping company. Gary’s passion for DU continued to grow and in 2008 he leveraged an extensive network of people to help underwrite a large portion of the event, increasing the chapter’s event fundraising by $10,000 from the previous year. Gary’s leadership led to sustained fund raising increases over three years that culminated in a fall 2011 banquet that set a new record for the Clinton County chapter, and earning an Ohio DU Gold Presidential Citation. Gary is also committed to youth involvement in the outdoors, and leads a Greenwing chapter that includes students from Wilmington Schools. Gary is a true ambassador for Ohio DU and takes every opportunity to share his passion for the mission. For these and many other reasons, he is truly a friend of the ducks!

F r I e n D s o F D U c k s U n L I m I t e D

Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and

manages wetlands and associated habitats for

north america’s waterfowl. these habitats also

benefit other wildlife and people.1220 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108

734.623.2000 • 734.623.2035 (Fax)