Do you have an interest in politics and public policy?

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Eunice Johns
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1 Do you have an interest in politics and public policy? By Bob Sanders Did you know that state and federal conservation programs provide funding for over 70% of Ducks Unlimited s work in Montana? Programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), USDA s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service s Grassland Easement Program, along with numerous other federal and state programs have conserved tens of thousands of acres of critical grasslands and wetlands in Montana and throughout the U.S. These programs are regularly re-authorized by Congress, which is what is happening right now with the 2007 Farm Bill. How do we keep these programs strong and well funded to ensure that we maintain habitat for wildlife and places to hunt not only today but for future generations? The answer is simple: Get Involved! When it comes to passion for the waterfowl resource, DU volunteers are second to none. Elected officials recognize this passion and the power that sportsmen and women have in influencing the process of keeping strong conservation initiatives in place and well funded. One in four Montanans hunt, one of the highest percentages in the nation. Unfortunately, our voices are seldom heard until it is too late. That favorite section of CRP grass where your son killed his first pheasant is plowed under, a state or federal area that doesn t hold ducks in the fall like it used to due to budget Why Sodsaver matters to Montana Duck Hunters Three out of every 4 mallards shot in Montana are produced in the Prairie Pothole Region. The most abundant nesting habitat for ducks in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region is native grassland that has never been cultivated. When native grassland in the prairies is converted to cropland, nesting habitat for mallards and other ducks is lost and production on habitat that remains is reduced. Widespread conversion of grassland continues to occur in the key breeding areas; over 320,000 acres of native grassland were lost in the duck producing portions of North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana from Continued loss of grassland will result in smaller populations, which will result in shorter season with lower bag limits. If Sodsaver is not enacted, 39-day seasons are much more likely and closed seasons could even be a cut-backs and lack of managers on the grounds to run the water and repair the leaks in the levee, a new subdivision that goes in next to the area that you used to hunt as a kid with your dad, the list goes on and on. The fate of these areas is often decided by the stroke of a pen thousands of miles away in Washington D.C and YOU can make a difference. Montana Ducks Unlimited is looking for a few individuals that are interested in learning more about becoming involved in this important part of the conservation process. If you have an interest in public policy or have ties to state or federal officials that can help promote programs that make a difference for wildlife and their habitats please call Layne Krumwiede, Regional Director ( ) or Bob Sanders, Manager of Conservation Programs ( ) to find out how you can get involved. If you don t have the time or feel intimidated by the political process, don t worry, you can still make your voice heard. If you have access, a telephone or even a piece of paper, envelope and a stamp you can contact your representatives and let them know how important wildlife issues and programs are to you. When you receive a legislative alert via an or a telephone call, take a few minutes to contact your legislator and voice your opinion. Ducks Unlimited s web site has a Take Action tab that will automatically send support letters to your senators and congressman. A few minutes and a couple of key strokes and you re done. reality. Sodsaver would: Remove government incentives for conversion of native grassland that provides critical habitat for waterfowl and many other wildlife. Discourage conversion to cropland of marginal soils in arid regions that are drought and disaster prone. Not influence a landowners right to convert native grassland; economic returns would be based solely on the market instead of government subsidies. Sodsaver is a critical provision necessary to maintain the waterfowl populations that we have had over the past decade. If you care about ducks and duck hunting, contact your Senator and tell them how important Sodsaver is to you. Senator Max Baucus: (406) baucus.senate.gov/contact/ form.cfm?subj=issue Senator John Tester: (406)

2 Montana Ducks Unlimited State Committee Members State Chairman Linda Daugherty, Major Gift Chairman Neil Severinson, State Greenwing Chairman Jim Moreland, State Treasurer Randy Schmoldt, State Art Chairman/Western District Chairman John Farley, North Central Zone Chair Steve Cunningham, North East District Chair Chet Walsh South West District Chair/Major Donor Chair Jim Daugherty, South Central Zone Chair Les Jones, South Central District Chair State Web Master Steve Anderson, Recruitment Chair Regional Vice President Bruce Posey, State Package Committee Kathy Christian, Eric Pierce, Jim Moreland, John Farley State Newsletter Meghan Roberson, Emeritus Board and Conservation Programs Board Nora and Fred Taylor, Linda s Corner The holidays are over and I hope everyone had a great holiday season with family and friends. Montana s hunting season has also come to an end and the results are now residing in your freezer to be enjoyed during the year. Montana has had several successful events since our last newsletter, but I want to share one in particular with you. Great Falls hosted Montana s first WATERFOWLER HUNTER PARTY also referred to as THIS AIN T YOUR DADDY S DU DINNER. Want to walk into an event where all you see are cases of decoys and lots of guns?? Do you have some waterfowler friends that have not yet attended a Du event? Ernie and Renee and I drove from Lincoln to attend. Not only did we help with the event, we were also successful in winning a number of cases of decoys. Do you know how hard it is to get 8 cases of decoys in a Subaru Station Wagon and still have room for a driver and 2 adults?? This event is a blast, and a great way to engage those water fowlers that have not attended a traditional dinner event and a great way to attain new volunteers for DU. A number of Montana chapters are already planning to host a Waterfowler Hunter Party in their area this year. Year end numbers show we are 20% up over last year representing a little over a $65, increase. Montana has also met or exceeded each of our major sponsor goals. A huge thank you to all the Montana Volunteers for their hard work in making each of their events even more successful than Another huge thank you to all the members attending our events; you opened your wallets, got your credit cards out, got your check book out and lets not forget that green stuff (I think its called cash ) and shared huge amounts with Ducks Unlimited. This past year, I traveled over 8500 miles in Montana and attended more than 40 events. Our yellow lab, Goldie, has about 7000 of those miles under her belt. I have seen first hand what I believe is a huge contributor to Montana s success. Not only do our volunteers work hard on their own events, they also attend, work and support other DU events in their areas. The same holds true with our DU members, I have seen many of our members at more than one of our events. I have enjoyed my role as your state chairman this past year and look forward to working with you again in To make 2008 even more successful than 2007, we need to continue to develop chapters in new communities and re-establish those that have fallen away. If you or someone you know would like to become involved with starting a new chapter in their community, or re-establish a committee where there has been a chapter, please call me or Layne Krumwiede. I look forward to seeing you again as I travel the 2008 Montana DU trail and thanks again for all you DU to keep birds in the air and water on the ground. Linda Daugherty, Montana State Chairman P. O. Box 836 Lincoln, Mt , Fax: , Cell ldaugherty@insupcoinc.com or ldaugherty@windturbinetools.com PUTTING PASSION INTO PRACTICE Did You Know? As nature s water filters, wetlands play a key role in keeping our water clean. The many types of plants, bacteria and animals that live in wetlands remove many harmful impurities. Often, spring runoff and heavy rain can cause flooding. There is simply too much water for the landscape to absorb. When wetlands are lost, so is a natural storage area for water. Wetlands can help to reduce the risk and severity of flooding by storing excess water and slowing the flow.

Bitterroot Valley Greenwing Raffle An elegant four-course wild game dinner, perfectly matched with wines and local beers sets the stage for a memorable evening for eight.

This package includes overnight accommodations that begin with hors d oeuvres on the patio served by your host, culinary expert James Wiberg, Stock Farm Club Food and Beverage manager, along with his

3 Bitterroot Valley Greenwing Raffle An elegant four-course wild game dinner, perfectly matched with wines and local beers sets the stage for a memorable evening for eight. Staged at the historic Teller Slack House. This package includes overnight accommodations that begin with hors d oeuvres on the patio served by your host, culinary expert James Wiberg, Stock Farm Club Food and Beverage manager, along with his Stock Farm staff. This highly sought after package is offered to benefit Ducks Unlimited Greenwings Dinner dates September 15, 2008 and before May 15, BON APPETITE!! This includes a waterfowl or pheasant hunt for 4 if the dates coincide with the 2008 hunting season. All proceeds go to The Bitterroot Valley Greenwings events. Tickets 1 for $20.00 and 2 for $30.00 Need not be present to win! =========================================================================================== Name: Phone: Nesting Success Research: Ensuring Effective and Efficient Conservation In April, DU s research crews will kick off another year of collecting information on duck nests and their survival across the Missouri Coteau of North and South Dakota. During the previous 8 years of this work we have collected critical information on nearly 15,000 duck nests. And the result of this work is that we ensure DU s conservation programs in Montana and the Dakotas are achieving the desired results of protecting the most important duck breeding areas on the continent. To follow along with the researchers and get weekly updates during the breeding season, go to: DU s research crews locate nests by dragging 200 feet of chain between 2 ATV s. When the chain passes over a nesting female duck, she flushes and the crew is able to find the nest. The chain rides on top of the grass and thus does not damage the nest.

4 February 8 th, 2008 MT-14 Plentywood Cindy Wilson challes32@yahoo.com Dave Vandyke February 16 th 2008 MT-3 Butte Quinn M. McCarthy 3625 Hartford Ave Butte, MT (H) quinner08@hotmail.com February 22 nd, 2008 MT-013 Havre James Bachini PO Box 818 Havre, MT (H) February 23 rd 2008 MT-56- Red Lodge Les Jones 122 North Platte Red Lodge, MT (H) snowbear356@hotmail.com March 1st, 2008 MT021-Sidney Stacey McNally County Road 353A Sidney, MT (H) irishmcnally@hotmail.com March 7 th, 2008 MT-004 Helena Edie and Jerry Hallford 7060 Green Meadow Drive Helena, MT (H) (C) ediehallford@bresnan.net March 8 th, 2007 MT022 Glasgow Ken Jansa 103 Bonnie Street Glasgow, MT (H) (W) kjansa@valleybankglasgow.com March 28 th, 2008 MT-38 Colstrip Steve Christian PO Box 562 or 7411 Castle Rock Drive Colstrip, MT sjchristian@pplweb.com March 29 th, 2008 MT-26 Malta Kathy Tribby 194 Bowdoin Auto Tour Route Road Malta, MT (W) parrsace@yahoo.com March 28 th, 2008 MT-18 Hardin Rodney Bollinger 17 South Choteau Ave. Hardin, MT April 5 th, 2008 MT-10 Kalispell Tom Greiner 795 Tetrault Road Kalispell, MT> Tom.greiner@mannmortgage.com April 19 th, 2008 MT-36 Libby Jon Jeresek 281 South Central Rd Libby, MT (H) (W) April 26 th, 2008 MT-61 Lincoln Ernie and Renee Lundberg PO Box 821 Lincoln, MT>59639 (H) erlundberg@linctel.net

5 Montana Ducks Unlimited Area Chair Listings MT-002 Missoula Shannon Holmes, MT-003 Butte Toni Butori, MT-004 Helena Chip Kurzenbaum, MT-005 Great Falls Kelly Friede, MT-006 Yellowstone/Billings Jim Berry, MT-007 Gallatin-Madison/Bozeman Randy Newberg, MT-008 Livingston Jack Nardella, MT-009 Glendive John Dersheum-Bruce (Holly), MT-010 Kalispell Tom Greiner, MT-011 Central Montana/Lewistown Tim Hartford, MT-012 Miles City MT-013 Havre James Bachini, MT-014 North East Montana/Medicine Lake Josh Johnson MT-015 West Yellowstone MT-016 Three Rivers/Dillon Dave Marsh, MT-017 Ninepipe/Ronan MT-018 Bighorn/Hardin Rodney Bollinger, MT-019 Cut Bank/Shelby Steve Arnold, MT-020 Deer Lodge John Skibsrud, Bruce Hamblin MT-021 Sidney Stacey McNally, MT-022 Missouri/Milk River Ken Jansa, MT-023 Forsyth Doug Martins, MT-025 North Valley/Whitefish Randy Cogdill, MT-026 Malta Kathy Tribby, Ken Wiederrick MT-027 Poplar/Wolf Point Jerald J. Petersen, MT-032 Ravalli County/Hamilton Bill Reed, MT-033 Upper Missouri/Townsend Ernie Nunn, MT-036 Kootenai Valley/Libby Jon Jeresek, MT-038 Colstrip MT-042 Mission Valley/Polson Jerry Hallford, MT-043 White Sulphur Springs Donny Babcock, MT-044 Sanders County Nate Hall, MT-047 Madison River/Ennis MT-053 Bitteroot/ Stevensville Dave Klein, MT-055 Anaconda Mike McLean, MT-056 Carbon County/Red Lodge Steve Thuesen, MT-058 Big Fork John Robinson, Mark Manders, MT-059 Gardiner Phil Davidson, Eric MT-060 Big Sky Jamie Latta, Kevin Barton, MT-061 Blackfoot River/Lincoln Ernie & Renee Lundberg, MT-062 Roosevelt County/Froid Art Ryder, MT-063 Scobey Richard Kerstein, MT-064 Fort Benton Barb & Bob Thomas,

WINGS OVER MONTANA Volume 3 May 2009

WINGS OVER MONTANA Volume 3 May 2009 Editor s Note: As you ll notice this is a different format than what we are used to. We will return to our regular format in the July edition. Thank you. Saving the