KENTUCKY DUCK CALLS. In This Issue. Neil s Notes. Neil s Notes 1. Contacts 2. Featured Photo 2. State Facts 3. Conservation Corner 3

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1 KENTUCKY DUCK CALLS A publication for Kentucky Ducks Unlimited volunteers January 2013, Vol. 6 - Issue 1 Neil s Notes By this time, we have had our fill of festivities and feasting. Maybe even the couch and football are getting old. Would you like to get out and do something with your family? Try the sandhill crane viewing right here in one of our own state parks! The Kentucky Department of Parks says thousands of sandhill cranes stop at Barren River Lake State Resort Park each year, taking advantage of the lake s exposed mud flats for a place to rest. Plenty of food for the cranes is available in the nearby farmland and wet meadows. This year, the park is offering a couple of weekend sessions to view the cranes. The Nature Watch Weekends are set for Jan and Feb For more information, contact Jamie Avery at jamie.avery@ky.gov or (800) The park is southwest of Glasgow, Kentucky. -Neil Riggs, Kentucky Ducks Unlimited State Chairman In This Issue Neil s Notes 1 Contacts 2 Featured Photo 2 State Facts 3 Conservation Corner 3 KY Photo Gallery 4-5 Cooking with Kenny 5 Upcoming Events State Convention 7 Thanks to Volunteers Major Donor 8-9 KY State Raffle Sandhill cranes stand up to 4 feet tall with a wingspan of 6-7 feet. The Last Shot 12 11

2 2 Kentucky State Contacts State Chairman Neil Riggs Treasurer Rich Risinger West Region Chairman Kenny Vaughn East Region Chairman Tom Tate Greenwing Chairman Bruce Conely Major Donor Chairman Dr. Brian K. Priddle Volunteer Recruitment Chairman Jeff Adams State Raffle Chairman Richard Fowler State Youth Hunt Chairman Paul Burton FEATURED PHOTO The Pond River Chapter celebrated Ducks Unlimited s 75 th anniversary at the committee s 31 st annual dinner banquet on Nov. 3. Committee members Barbara Chandler and Nicholas Hope hold the anniversary cake while other members posed before the cutting began. Thanks to all the members of the Pond River Chapter for their 31 years of fundraising for Ducks Unlimited! 75 th anniversary cheers! DID YOU KNOW? A group of geese on the water is called a plump. If the geese are airborne, they are called a skein. And if the geese are on the ground, they are called a gaggle. How many did you know?

3 3 Regional Staff North Regional Director Joe Borders West Sr. Regional Director Ben Burnley South Regional Director Charlie Lowery Regional Biologist Mark Flaspohler KY State Facts Total Membership 8,680 Greenwings 780 Legacy Greenwings 116 Sponsor Members 995 Major Sponsors Grassroots Total $503,926 Total Acres Conserved 11,647 Conservation Corner Kentucky is located in the Mississippi Flyway and provides important habitat for waterfowl produced in the Prairie Pothole Region and Great Lakes states. Kentucky has the potential to winter large numbers of mallards, black ducks and wood ducks. Since 1988, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12,700 acres of waterfowl habitat in Kentucky. While impressive, this represents less than 1 percent of the Commonwealth s original wetlands! In 2011, DU and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) continued our strong partnership to enhance and restore wetland habitat on public lands to benefit waterfowl and Kentucky waterfowl hunters! Public lands projects included installation of new water control structures at Doug Travis, Lake Cumberland and Ballard wildlife management areas. These new structures are critical for management of more than 500 acres of moist-soil impoundments, providing high-quality foraging habitat for waterfowl and opportunity for Commonwealth duck hunters!

4 4 State Representative Brent Yonts (right) and wife, Jan, received their Life Sponsor plaque from Sr. RD Ben Burnley at the Pond River dinner on Nov. 3. Brent & Jan are great longterm supporters of the DU mission! An SBA easel & print at the Cambridge Mall in Ontario, Canada. Contact your District Chairman or RD to see how you can start an SBA easel program for your committee to earn extra income and a free gun! Neil has held several state leadership positions and is currently serving as the Kentucky State Chairman. Jerry Finley (left) received a Distinguished Service Award at the Nov. 3 Pond River banquet from Chairman Jerry Oates. Jerry organized the first Pond River DU meeting and has been an active supporter recruiting Sponsors and other donors for 31 years. In addition, the committee presented Jerry an Old Coot for his collection! Dr. Dale Eckert of Versailles, KY, with a limit of mallards and teal taken at Cache n-in Duck Club in Howell, AR, on Dec.7. Dr. Eckert is a DU Life Sponsor and has been an Area Chairman for the Woodford County Chapter for many years.

5 5 Veteran Ballard County committee member Jerry Cooper (left) received a Conservation Service Award from Chairman Chuck Bodell on Dec. 1. Jerry has been an active member since the early days of the 35-year-old chapter. Jerry routinely sells tickets, recruits Sponsors, assists with advertisements and works the door. A tip of our tail feathers to Ballard County s great friend of the ducks! John Joplin shows off a banded green-winged teal taken on Dec. 10 at Big DeView Duck Club in Howell, AR. John is a longtime DU volunteer and serves on the Lake Cumberland Committee in Somerset, KY. Congratulations John! Cookin with Kenny Vaughn: Goose Poppers Guest Recipe by Richard Fowler Ingredients: 2 goose breasts Several banana or jalapeño peppers (fresh, not canned) 1 package of bacon Toothpicks Zesty Italian dressing Directions: Slice goose breasts across the grain about the thickness of your finger. Be on the lookout for steel shot! Marinate the goose pieces in the Italian dressing for several hours or even overnight. Soak the toothpicks as well. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise, removing all of the seeds. Slice the bacon in half. Take one piece of goose and place in the middle of a pepper. Wrap one of the half slices of bacon around the pepper and secure with a toothpick. Grill over medium heat until the bacon is done, turning several times to keep it from burning. You can always substitute duck, deer or beef round steak if you are out of geese. Goose poppers are great for appetizers or just for anytime. Enjoy!

6 6 Upcoming Kentucky Events KY Greenwing Event Camp Currie Ballard County January 4 & 5, 2013 Contact: Bruce Conely, McCracken County Sponsor Paducah January 17, 2013 Calloway County Misc. Event Murray January 18, 2013 Cave Run SNO Morehead February 2, 2013 Lake Cumberland Banquet Somerset February 9, 2013 Union County Banquet Morganfield February 16, 2013 Grayson County Banquet Leitchfield Audubon Sponsor Dinner Henderson February 23, 2013 South Licking Banquet Cynthiana Green River Banquet Beaver Dam Lake Barkley Banquet LBSRP-Cadiz March 2, 2013 Barren River Banquet Bowling Green March 7, 2013 McLean County Banquet Calhoun March 9, 2013 Bourbon Chapter Banquet Bardstown March 16, 2013 Kentucky State Convention - Frankfort March 22-24, 2013 Bullitt County Banquet Shepherdsville March 30, 2013 For more information, go to Jim King jking@ducks.org Kentucky Ducks Unlimited still has a few areas without local chapters. If you know anyone in these areas who would be interested in participating in a local DU chapter, contact the regional director for that area or the state chairman. For Ashland, Florence, Maysville, Versailles, Winchester & Carrolton: Contact Joe Borders jborders@ducks.org For Williamsburg, Barbourville, Middlesboro & Hazard Contact Charlie Lowery clowery@ducks.org For Scottsville & Hardinsburg Contact Ben Burnley bburnley@ducks.org

7 7 Mark Your Calendars! 2013 Kentucky Ducks Unlimited State Convention Capital Plaza Hotel, Frankfort, KY March 22-24, 2013 The KYDU State Convention is coming to Frankfort, and this year s convention will be sure to please! We don t want to give too much away, but there will be signature Kentucky items on the auction block, plenty of bourbon, barbecue, horse racing and southern hospitality. Look for convention details and registration information February edition of Kentucky Ducks Calls! Thanks to our Volunteers! Ducks Unlimited had a great fundraising year in FY12 (ended June 30, 2012) and made great strides in the protection of vital habitat across North America (an additional 186,000 in the U.S. alone). In addition to the increase in total revenue, we were able to operate at better than 83% efficiency, which means your support went even further in FY12. DU s external auditors, KPMG, wrapped up our year-end audit last month and below are some of the official highlights: Operating surplus of $5 million Non-operating surplus of $7.2 million Grassroots event support of $34.4 million reflected a 9% increase over budget and an 8% increase over last year Over $68 million in U.S. conservation support from public sources and over $29 million from private sources (Major Gifts) Over $119 million in conservation expenditures, conserving over 186,000 acres in the United States alone Program service efficiency ratio of 83.4%, including conservation easements Adult and youth members over 610,000 Over 50 diamond events reflecting the successful 75 th anniversary campaign.

8 8 MAJOR DONOR ACTION PLAN By Dr. Brian K. Priddle Kentucky Major Donor Chairman GOALS FOR = Ten new Life Sponsors, four Major Sponsor upgrades and two new Feather Society commitments. EVENINGS OF CONSERVATION The purpose of these events is to provide an opportunity to gather Major Donor prospects and educate them on the Ducks Unlimited conservation mission and opportunities for support. The focus is on DU s international conservation plan, regional and local focus areas, prior accomplishments and the importance of private support. Emphasis is put on DU s on-the-ground work to conserve critical wetland habitat. The goals are to identify and cultivate new major gift prospects and to steward current Major Donor prospects. Evenings of Conservation are designed as a first-contact cultivation event separate from our traditional event system and there is no fundraising done at the event (no auctions or raffles). The program is informational in nature and a means to engage potential major gift supporters. Make your commitment to SAVE THE BEST for Kentucky ducks. Contact Dr. Brian K. Priddle at brianpriddle@yahoo.com to invest in the future of Kentucky ducks and save the prairie breeding areas. It is a conservation fact that more money in the ground means more birds in the skies!

9 Kentucky s Top Four Ducks Kentucky DU s Major Donor goal for is 10 new Life Sponsors, 4 upgrades and 2 Feather Society members. Year to date we have had 7 new Life Sponsors, 3 upgrades and no new Feather Society members. Our goals are very much obtainable with your help. Please contact Dr. Brian Priddle at if you have any inquiries or need support with Major Donor activities in your area. 9

10 10 Kentucky 2013 Statewide Gun Drawing Hello fellow DU ers. It s almost time again for our Statewide Gun Drawing. We will draw for prizes during the 2013 KYDU State Convention on March 23, The State Convention will be held in Frankfort at the Capitol Plaza Hotel on March You do not have to be present to win, but come to the convention and have a great weekend anyway! More information about the state convention will follow in the February edition of Kentucky Duck Calls. Tickets are $10 each and will be sold by individual chapters and their committee members. Each ticket drawn will win a great prize, including a gun safe with a mystery gift inside, plus eight special guns. Sounds like a great drawing to me! Any chapter that sells 100 tickets or more will win an AR-style Tac..22 cal. This rifle is to be used at their event the following year. To make sure each chapter gets proper credit for the tickets they have sold, the ticket stubs need to have their chapter # written on the back of the stub. Mail all tickets to the address below. As soon as you get a handful sold, just mail them to me. Please don t wait till the night of the dinner to give them all to me at once! Good luck selling and buying the winning tickets. By the way, if your ticket is drawn, it will be placed back in the hopper to give you another chance of winning! All prizes will be awarded in order of their $ value. Call or me with any questions you may have. Thanks for everything you do to support Ducks Unlimited. Richard Fowler 1812 Goggin Lane Danville, KY rfowler@kyducks.org

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12 12 Do you have an article, event summary or photo(s) you would like to see in the Kentucky Duck Calls newsletter? Whether you are a longtime DU volunteer or a first-time member, Kentucky Duck Calls is YOUR Kentucky DU newsletter. For any aspiring writers and photographers, what make Kentucky Duck Calls truly ours are stories and photos by Kentucky DU members. Please take the time to send me a story or photos of your events, members, conservation projects, Greenwing activities, trips or whatever you feel is important to share. It is my goal to provide articles relating to national and local conservation news, events, outdoor adventures, hunting, regulations and much more. With your help, we can make Kentucky Duck Calls a publication we all look forward to reading. Please submit your items for publication to kwright@kyducks.org. The Last Shot I d like to take a moment to say thank you to the 400+ Ducks Unlimited volunteers here in the state of Kentucky. As a fellow volunteer, I understand the effort it takes to put on a dinner banquet or to try to pull off that second event to meet your goals for a state award. Each year we seem to do whatever it takes to meet our fundraising goals to support the organization and the cause we all love. We do it for many reasons; for me, it is about the opportunity to serve the greatest conservation organization in the world and to make friends all across the commonwealth while doing so. Over my years as a volunteer, I ve had the opportunity to support events from Ashland to Paducah and Alexandria to London. It has truly been a life-changing experience as I ve made so many great friends all across our great state. There are many opportunities for volunteer service here in Kentucky for DU volunteers. If you have an interest in doing more, I would ask you to consider contacting your District Chairman, Regional Chairman or State Chairman and vocalizing your interest. I m sure it will be a positive and rewarding experience for you. In closing, I would like to provide you a quote from past DU president John Tomke: I came for the cause, but I stayed for the people. Till next time Kevin Wright, Editor, Kentucky Duck Calls