DU Newsletter - A Call to Arms

[MSDukDog]

NAWCA PROGRAM IN JEOPARDY!

For additional information about DU visit our website at:
http://www.ducks.org

DU SUPPORTERS, HELP US RENEW IMPORTANT WETLANDS LEGISLATION NOW
We need your help to tell the U.S. Senate that the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) needs to be renewed before the adjournment of Congress. Make phone calls or send faxes to your two U.S. Senator’s offices to tell them that DU members in your state care about this important program and want the Senate to act NOW.

The bill is H.R. 3908. It is ready for immediate Senate floor action, but because of the rush to finish, only a few bills will make it through the process. We need your help to ensure this crucial bill makes it.

A list of your U.S. Senators along with their phone numbers can be found here. Please take three minutes to call each of the two Senators from your state and deliver this message. Since October 14 is Columbus Day offices will be closed so please make your calls starting on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and continuing through the week.

When you call, leave your message with whoever answers the phone. If they won’t take it, ask to leave it with the Legislative Assistant for Conservation/Wildlife issues.

Make these two points:

1. You are asking the Senator to do all he/she can to make sure that H.R. 3908, which is on the Senate Calendar, gets passed by the Senate as soon as possible.

2. Tell them your name and address so they will know you’re a constituent and tell them that the program has projects in your state. You can also add that it is bi-partisan and very successful, and it’s supported by business and state government along with sportsmen and other conservation groups.


Please visit http://www.ducks.org/conservation/nawca.asp and click on the “Take Action” button to find out more information, as well as how to automatically fax a prepared note on this issue to your Senators.

[dkman]

And while you are at it be sure and tell your congressman that want somebody else beside ducks unlimited to able to have access to federal funds to build and refurbish habitat. (which is impossible today because ducks unlimited has made sure of it)

Tell them that DU doesnt do work that should be considered above anyone elses, shouldbe be considered using our funds wisely because it isnt, and should be allowed to continue to do this without other non profit orgs (boy is that ever a joke with DU) to be able to compete against them to do work as well.

Tell them you want the funds available, but You want DU to sit down, shut up and stop making sure that nobody else in the consevation world has access to those funds.

(The reason you hear nobody else shouting a "call to arms" is because nobody else can touch the money.) It's a bottomless pit of Govt revenue and DU is standing dead under the flow and wont let anyone else touch it. Their delivery of winter habitat is inferior and gauranteed to fail so that they may return and again take the revenue out of the program in a Decade. There are men in powerful places in the Ms Delta who know this but cannot do anything about it. They are doing sub-standard work to ensure they can make the money again when the time comes, (to redo what they didnt do right the first time) at the expense of the quality and production of our wintering habitats. I have heard from sources in LA The WRP program in Louisiana was almost completely shut down due to extreme corruption within the system that was channeled directly through Ducks Unlimited for WRP fund qualification.

Tell them that you want those funds to be REQUIRED to be evenly distributed among conservation organizations who are capable of this type work that are STATE ORIENTED. Otherewise, let the funds go. DU's work isnt using our money or our resources wisely enough to take complete control of these funds. They need competition and they need it in a big way. DU isn't doing the Miss Duck Hunter any favors to the proportion that should be expected for the amount of WRP program funds that they siphon out of our economy, monies that could be used in the delta by other non profits to further add to the wintering habitat offerings in the area.

Tell your congressmena and senators you want the money but you do NOT want DU to be the exclusive developer of these projects, that you want it to be REQUIRED that STATE ORIENTED non profits to be able to legitamately compete for these funds. Dollar for dollar they will deliver FAR more wintering habitat than DU.

NO MORE DU MONEY TRAIN WITH YOUR TAX DOLLARS THAT PRODUCES INFEIROR WINTER HABITAT.

[sportsman450]

I agree with dkman . But I would take it a step further .
D.U. is an organization that has lost sight of its real purpose . They are more concerned with their image than they are with duck populations or habitat . Screw the complex in Memphis , screw executive salaries , SPEND THE MONEY ON THE DUCKS .
Every year , hundreds - maybe thousands - of volunteers work thier asses off for D.U. , and the money they raise is NOT going to the right places .
I don't want to get off on a rant here , but these guys suck !
All you had to do was watch thier old T.V. show to realize they were interested only in the MONEY !

[Wildfowler]

Dkman, you bring up a good point. But it's a point that I would like to learn more about. I don't know who else out there could or should have access to these funds besides DU? Are there other organizations that I should also be supporting that could also create and restore wildlife habitat in MS if they had access to these government funds? I didn't know there were any other choices besides DU and DW. Are there other organizations out there that are lobbying currently to try to keep this appropriation alive? These are the only two groups that I know about who should have my vested interests at heart. Could private individuals somehow have access to these funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to do as they see fit on their own personal property? And is DU keeping them from getting the money?

I guess what I am asking here is, if DU shouldn't get this money, where should it be going? Who else should be using it, and how should they be using it?

And please know, that I am not trying to start any trouble. This is simply me, trying to get more information about a subject that I want to know more about.

Thank you.

[dkman]

There are two other organizations working out of Stoneville who's names I wil not say in the midst of badgering DU because they all must work with the NRCS and other govt agencies. Du does not have a reputation of being friendly with like minded organizations unless they are in control of the resources.
If you want to find them they are there.

Delta Waterfowl is rock solid dont cut your contributions that way for any reason. Mention them at every turn where someone is listening to your opinion. Find out more to make it worth listening to if needed.

My personal advice, dont give anything else to DU, they are long gone in the world of conservation. We put them there. Success has a way of making the good back into the bad. It's time.

Call the County extension service in washington county and ask them who is doing waterfowl work locally.

[Wildfowler]

Ok, so when you say there are groups doing work locally, what exactly are they doing to benefit us, the local hunters? And if DU is not conserving anymore, then what exactly are they doing with all of the contributions? Or what are they doing that is now considered bad? I don't understand..??

Please explain.

Thanks.

[sportsman450]

Wildfowler - IT is very simple . The money is going into salaries , executive luxury , image control , and the pockets of those who can benefit D.U.
ONCE AGAIN , D.U. has lost site of its original purpose .

[dkman]

The locals do what they are supposed to do, they help men who's qualifications are to simply join their ranks with a modest membership fee to create habitat in the ms delta. They provide pipes and water retention devices for free if you agree to use them correctly and to notify them if you decide not to use them anymore so they can pick them up and use them elsewhere. They have LARGE seed programs that provide seed for habitat at rock bottom prices you cant find anywhere else, no exceptions. They have solid advice and will help you to work on your own projects. They put up wood duck boxes and they work with a variety of agencies to host projects or help on habitat projects that are right here in the delta and have a real impact on the quality of our hunting in our own back yard.
They are strong for local boys. They aint kiddin around. They stop more water than DU ever THOUGHT about... I'm proud as hell of them myself but I hate DU and I know the difference and they deserve every ounce of grattitude for what they do. They wont say one THING bad about DU, dont expect it. Conservation is BIG bucks and you gotta play at least amiable. I have no such restrictions.

It takes quite a bit of experience in the field to actually be able to see what DU is doing with our funds and how they are abusing them. It's quite a sham, not many men can even explain it to you. They know what they are doing, gauranteeing themselves recurring income out of the WRP program that isnt necessary and also hurts the overall production of sites they have applied their so called professional assistance to.

It's a deep subject. nobody is big enough to steal from the Govt in broad open daylight. Du is no fool. It takes years in the business to see what they are doing. Even if you call them on it, they can cry "who knew?"

It's quite crafty but it's stealing none the less. Big time, high dollar, long duration stealing. You will never pin it on them. It's a good game. Thats why they are so enthusiastic about it. F the farmers and F the hunters and F everybody but the govt. WRP/NRCS/COE contracts, hell their efficiency rate is so low not even DU will be noticed. Big money, smooth money, nobody to contest it. A real shame. I wouldnt give DU anything but a fire bath. Sorry I cant say more. With these boys, you say too much, you may not be around to say much at all.
If you want to do a bit of research and look into it, then look at DU's newly signed on corporate sponsors dating back to 2000. Look for anything dealing with steel and with structures that can be used in this work. Find out who really owns those companies, good luck............

[duforester]

Like Wildfowler, I would like to know more about this. Where are you getting your information?

Thanks

[dkman]

What information do you want specifically?

[duforester]

Well, I would like to know where you are getting the information on how DU is "wasting" our funds.

[dkman]

I didnt say a word about your "contributions" but buying grass skirts & coconut hats wouldnt surprise me.

Your contributions are nothing compared to the revenue in the govt contracts. thats why they lobbied so hard to move money from the farm bill into conservation at the expense of pissing off every farmer in the county, which they did quite successfully.

They need your VOTE, thats what this thread was started for.

But they need it to keep the Govt money river open, go read what they are so concerned about.

The sham is much more complex than that, but it's basically about doubling the govt money over extended periods.

Thats enough money to keep any self respecting conservation group with 40 attorneys on staff in grass skirts........

[sportsman450]

I seem to be left out of the mainstream of this conversation.However,you don't have to look any further than the money they have spent on themselves in Memphis to see where some has been wasted.
Maybe it's too simple to look at that.Lacks intrigue ,but the place is staring you right in the face.
Might not be the kind of waste you're looking for,but it is a good example of PURE SELFINTEREST.
Tell me duforester-how does that help the ducks?Never really thought of D.U.'s place in Memphis as being a nesting area or wintering ground.Except for D.U. executives!

[Wildfowler]

Dkman, I like what you have described above regarding these local groups and what they do. And it seems to fall in line with my way of thinking. I've often thought a very easy thing that we could do improve waterfowling in MS as a whole could be as simple as just convincing farmers that they should hold rain water on their fields during winter. Admittedly, cotton fields probably won't do too much. But grass fields, where no crops were planted on land that was being "rested" would be ideal candidates. Not too mention all the grain crops that never hold any water. This would created vast tracts of ideal wintering habitat to help hold waterfowl here in our state. Even if I don't personally benefit directly from these groups. ( I am not a landowner yet ). I still stand to benefit indirectly, if the wintering habitat improves and there are more ducks in my area. I hunt the refuges, public lakes and rivers, so anything that I can do to help hold ducks in my area is bound to be good for me. It sounds like a good thing for everyone.

Do these groups try to convince farmers, particularly those who don't duck hunt, that they should be holding water on their land? Or do they limit their services only to those who ask for assistance? I'm not a farmer, so I have no way of knowing the pros and cons of farming practices and how my ideas might impact them. I want to know if there are any undesirable effects of holding water on farm land until say February each year if you are a farmer who doesn't hunt? I'm assuming this could be done after the farmers are through with their crops in the fall, and that February is still early enough to not be a hindrance for the next growing season. But I really don't know.

In my comings and goings, I have seen signs and billboards placed around that describe a "joint effort" between the US gov't and DU on a piece of property somewhere, or on a refuge. I look at these signs and think to myself that DU is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing. Restoring waterfowl habitat. I never considered the possibility that this may mean that DU was absorbing all the government moneys to perpetuate their own gluttony by not letting others have access to it. And just how much money are we talking about here? How much government money, in various conservation programs is actually available? I honestly have no idea just how much money is up for grabs. And Dkman, you very well could be right. This could be a big scam, a ploy to perpetuate the process that you described. And you do portray a pretty convincing picture.

Maybe I just don't really know what DU is supposed to be doing with our contributions and with all of this government money? What is it that DU needs to be doing that they are not doing? Can either of you two give me a breakdown of "where the money goes"? Does DU need to direct more of their efforts to improving the waterfowl habitat here in MS? Are we in MS being treated unfairly? DU does work in 48 or maybe even all 50 states, and in Canada and Mexico. Don't they? Is DU not distributing their works uniformly and fairly across the North American continent? Are you saying that MS needs more attention from DU? Or Less?

Sportsman, can you please tell me what exactly the "complex" in Memphis, TN is? How much it cost? Is it paid for? And what does DU do at this complex? I've been to the DU outdoors festival before. Are these grounds considered the "complex"? I am trying to understand what percentage of DU's cash went towards paying for this complex, when it should have gone towards supporting the ducks. I really have no idea as to what DU has done with our money up in Memphis. Did any of the gov't money get earmarked for this complex? Or was this strictly paid for through members contributions? Is there any chance that any of this complex could have been funded in part or whole as "charity" work, since DU is a not-for-profit organization? I'm just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, here. And yes, your case seem pretty clear, Sportsman. Also, how many executives are there at DU? What are their salaries? Do they all get paid $250,000 per year or more? What kind of perks do they get? How much money is actually spent on all this luxury that should go to the ducks?

I apologize to both of you, maybe I am reading more into this than is your intent. I'm just trying to understand your point of view. Right now, I don't have enough facts to take a part in an intelligent debate, because I have never taken the time to even try to look any of this up. I would like to know how much money DU brings in each year, and what they do they do with it. Dkman/Sportsman, can either of you two, or anyone else provide me with a breakdown of where DU revenues actually come from and also with a breakdown of where the money goes to?

Thanks.

[mallardchaser]

I saw on another site a while back another site that showed the annual reports of all the major "conservation" organizations. I'll try to find it and post it.
I too have seen lots of work du and wrp have done. My old lease was a prime example. The owner wrp'd a portion of it, du came in and put up 4 or 5 levees and improved the hunting. I'm not sure what du would gain financially out of doing that. I have another buddy, same deal on his land.
I'd like to know how they, du, would benefit financially from doing this work????
As far as salaries go, I too used to complain about the high salaries. Like it or not, the "boss" is running a multi-million dollar company. Most execs who oversee that kind of money make a hell of a lot more. I used to work for an insurance co. The ceo made 1.5 mil +. If I recall, the salaries weren't all that high anyway. I'll try to find that site.
You have to pay for talented leadership.