Ducks Unlimited 75th anniversary: $41,000 raised at banquet

By Kathy Smith
Ducks Unlimited celebrates its 75th anniversary of conservation excellence this year.  The annual banquet dinner and live auction was held on March 15th, and brought in over $40,000.  Fundraising Manager for Northern BC, Ken Ferris, says, “It’s such a milestone for Ducks Unlimited in Canada, being that we’ve been this conservation organisation for 75 years.  It’s a pretty incredible feat.”
To commemorate, the organisation produced a book called ‘The Marsh Keeper’s Journey’.  Ferris, who affectionately refers to the organisation as ‘Ducks’, says the historical account of Ducks Unlimited in this country makes for a very interesting read.  In addition, Ducks Unlimited commissioned a painting by Robert Bateman specifically for its 75th anniversary, called ‘Tranquility’.  The public took part in a contest to name the painting, and the first entrant who submitted the winning name received a signed copy of Bateman’s print.
“It’s the year of the volunteer as well,” says Ferris; “When planning began this year there was a small group of about four volunteers in Fort Nelson, but that grew; Sylvia (Wiebe) really stepped up and brought people in.  I think we had about 15 volunteers.  A lot of these people had never been to a duck banquet, never helped at one, and they did great – everyone jumped in with both feet and made the event run very well.  They had a wonderful time and enjoyed the evening.  I think we got them hooked – I think next year they’re going to be that much more excited about helping out.  This year we had Olympic type medals made with the 75th anniversary on them, and we presented them to all the volunteers at the event.”
Approximately 145 attended, and dinner was catered by the Fort Nelson Hotel.  Having raised over $40,000, Ferris says, “It was a considerable difference from last year – the prices were really good in the auction and the raffles did really well.  For a brand new crew like that to put on an event with that much success, I think it was great!”
Whether acquiring or restoring wetlands, wetland conservation is the main focus of Ducks Unlimited.  “It doesn’t just benefit water fowl; it benefits all birds, wildlife, and our water as well.  You really meet some very dedicated people out there that believe in what the Ducks Unlimited mission is, and I really do adore working with the volunteers,” says Ferris.  All of the money raised in B.C. stays in B.C.  “The fundraising events bring in somewhere around a million dollars in the province, and we end up spending considerably more than what we actually raise, because we have critical habitat areas.  Ducks focusses on critical areas like the coast and Fraser Valley which are huge wintering areas for birds.  Peace River country and Cariboo-Chilkoot are also critical areas.  Several years ago Ducks undertook a water fowl survey in the Fort Nelson area to see what was in the boreal Forest.  There were over 20 species of water fowl nesting in the boreal.  They were really surprised at the number of birds they found there.  And it’s the perfect habitat – they don’t have to do anything with it or maintain it, it’s all natural.”
In his 11th year with Ducks Unlimited, Ferris gets a kick out of getting the crowd going.  For the ‘Big 13’ reverse draw, the 13 people who bought camp cots did so on the premise that they could win a major prize from the ‘getaway trips’, such as Rod and Reel, Fairmont San Francisco, Napa Valley, New Orleans, Kennedy Space Centre, or Indy Style Racing.  Ferris told the 13 on stage that the last person standing would win the trip of their choice, while the other 12 would go home with very expensive camp cots.

Follow

Comments

comments