Ducks Unlimited has named Jamie Rader as the next director of operations for DU’s 21-state Great Lakes/Atlantic Region.
Rader joined Ducks Unlimited in 2010 as a regional biologist and a manager of conservation programs in 2015 where he helped grow, diversify and implement conservation programs on private and public lands in DU’s Southern region.
In 2018, he was promoted to his current position of director of conservation programs where he oversees DU’s conservation efforts in the Southeast.
He will assume his new position on April 1 and will work out of DU's Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office in Dexter, Mich.
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Big gains in 2019
State-by-state reports
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From the Prairie Pothole Region to the North Atlantic, the Great Lakes to the Big Rivers, conservation staff in the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region impacted a diverse range of wetlands and grasslands in 2019, with huge accomplishments in all corners of the 21-state region. Below are state-by-state highlights, updates and looks ahead on wetlands and waterfowl projects.
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Delaware/Maryland/W. Virginia -
10 projects completed in Atlantic Flyway.
View report
Illinois
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3,200 acres across 14 project sites.
View report
Indiana
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Six-year, 2,600-acre project completed.
View report
Michigan -
$2.3 million invested, 2,100 acres conserved.
View report
Minnesota -
28,900 acres protected, enhanced, restored.
View report
Missouri -
2,800 acres conserved, $1.5 million invested.
View report
New England -
200-year-old cranberry bogs get new life.
View report
New Jersey/Pennsylvania -
900+ acres of coastal, freshwater conservation.
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New York -
$1 million invested, 894 acres conserved.
View report
Wisconsin -
Nearly 12,000 acres conserved in 2019.
View report
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Fly-In 2020
More than 75 members of Team DU, including state chairs, state policy chairs, senior volunteers and members of the DU Board of Directors, gathered in Washington on Feb. 25-27 to meet with members of Congress and advocate for legislation to protect and restore wetlands and migratory bird habitat. Meetings focused on passage of the bi-partisan America’s Conservation Enhancement Act and wildlife conservation programs including the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
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Great Lakes Days
Ducks Unlimited joined the Healing Our Waters coalition March 5 in Washington for Great Lakes Days, an annual gathering of more than 100 Great Lakes advocates to share stories with members of congress. State organizers in each Great Lakes state pull together individuals that collectively tell the story of restoration success, drinking water investment need and the importance of conservation action.
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Iowa governor supports conservation funding
Ducks Unlimited and its conservation partners applaud Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds encouraging legislators to improve water quality and soil health by fully funding the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. “Gov. Reynolds showed strong leadership in her desire to give our children and grandchildren healthier soils, waters and wildlife,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam.
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4,000 anglers raise $175,000 at DU ice fishing contest
Minnesota's Fishing for Ducks Ice Fishing Contest, the largest Ducks Unlimited attended event in the nation, drew more than 4,000 anglers for a successful day of ice fishing on Mille Lacs Lake on Feb. 15.
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Doublers live, act for conservation
Conserving natural habitats is a passion that begins in Dale and Linda Doubler’s Illinois home and continues through their strong support of Ducks Unlimited. “If there is a way to support DU, they do it. They have created a legacy that will benefit generations of future waterfowlers for years to come.”
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DU, Caterpillar Foundation unite to improve landscape
For more than five years, Ducks Unlimited and the Caterpillar Foundation have moved dirt and raised the bar on partnership-driven conservation to improve water quality, duck habitat and the quality of life for area residents.
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A contradiction for some groups: Fewer hunters, but solid revenue
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"On the one hand, hunter numbers are down ... Yet the success of certain national hunting organizations is up. Way up. Duck hunter numbers have declined but mission support hasn’t.”
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Ducks Unlimited invests money to conserve wetlands across Illinois
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"We are still above flood stage, and it's been almost a year of that. We lose the diversity of vegetation. When that happens, we see a decrease of waterfowl numbers in these areas."
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Erie Marsh to benefit from habitat investment
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“Michigan has lost 50 percent of its wetland habitats which filter rainwater before entering the Great Lakes. More wetlands mean cleaner water and less severe algae blooms and flood damage.”
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New tour highlights waterfowling heritage in central Illinois
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Interpretive signs are up for a new auto trail highlighting rich hunting, conservation heritage of Illinois River Valley. “What’s great about this trail is that it really connects the importance of conservation to the people around it."
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Seven young conservationists to watch
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Ducks Unlimited's Kassy Dumke and John Lindstrom highlighted. "The young biologists ... are highly qualified and as impassioned in their work as any previous generation of Minnesota conservationists."
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Notorious 'terminator weed' might be a climate change savior
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"If we can figure out how to use phragmites strategically, and there is a beneficial use ... but I would hope we would never sacrifice our native marsh and our native species for phragmites."
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Area Wildlife Manager honored by Ducks Unlimited
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Bill Schuna, area wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, was recognized earlier this month as Minnesota Conservation Partner of the Year by Ducks Unlimited.
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Keep in touch with news from across the country:
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