State of Indiana Ducks Unlimited Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 4 Comments from Curt: As the days get shorter I am beginning to notice some changes in the things I do. I find myself not taking direct routes to my destinations, with my detours leading past farm ponds I know have held ducks and geese in the past. I am paying more attention to hay fields and pastures near those ponds, looking for feeding geese, and looking for the nearest corn fields which may be goose feeding areas in the coming months as well. I am also beginning to look at my honey do list more in terms of what I need to get done before the end of October Wood Duck season, and when I can manage some time to do things like check decoy rigs, tune calls and peruse web sites and catalogs for those last minute supplies for the coming season. It s hard to explain to someone who doesn t hunt how special waterfowl hunting is. For me, and I would dare say for most of you reading this, it s about that feeling you get knowing the decoys and calling were just right when birds set their wings cupped and start to settle into the decoys. Waterfowl hunting is also about the friendships that are formed in a duck blind or corn field waiting for the geese. It s as much about relationships and stories that are made during the days hunt. I would like to use my space in this newsletter to talk about those two things, telling people about our DU mission and the importance of relationships. This past July IN DU held a leadership conference in Indianapolis. This training was built around the theme What is your elevator speech? Through individual speakers from the Great Lakes Atlantic Regional Office staff, Region 5 senior volunteers, and panel discussions we explored the importance of telling others, not familiar with Ducks Unlimited, about our conservation mission, and its importance those not familiar with what we do. If you haven t thought about how you can explain DU in a 60 second speech to someone who isn t familiar with what we do, I urge you to think about it and develop your own elevator speech. We have all had the opportunity to spread the word about the importance of wetlands conservation, and you never know, the person who asks may be a prospective banquet attendee, volunteer or future state or national leader. Along those same lines, I have noticed at many of the banquets and events that I have attended in the past couple of years that the conservation message is not as strong as it was when I first got involved in DU. It s pretty easy to fix this during your events. Make sure you have conservation information in your programs, on the tables and as part of the evenings program. DU exists for the single purpose of conservation of wetlands, and our events exist for the single purpose of raising money to support that conservation. I want to thank all of the volunteers who attended our state leadership training, Jean and Jim Prough, Frank Wolka and Troy Larue for organizing and leading the event, and all of the speakers and panelists who participated. This was a great event and I look forward to making it an annual gathering. The second thing that sets waterfowl hunting apart from other outdoor sports is the relationships that are formed in the field. In August eight volunteers and our two Regional Directors traveled to St. Louis for a day and a half Region 5 Leadership Training. The theme of this training was building a stronger DU
through relationships. The list of speakers and content of the discussions could easily fill this newsletter. One of the highlights of the session was the address from our CEO Dale Hall. He touched on such topics as the Gulf oil spill and DU s response, and organizational changes in DU at the national level. The one thing that really hit home for me though was his attitude of Team DU. There is no more important ingredient to our success in achieving our vision of skies full of waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever than a strong team of staff and volunteers all the way from the national level to the local committees. Some of the most successful committees I know of are ones who have a strong bond within the committee which results from planning and working together to host multiple events, hunting together and meeting regularly. One of our state goals is building a strong state leadership team to assist the RD s and help our local committees succeed. The success of this plan can only be achieved if we work hard to build relationships and trust throughout our team of volunteers and staff. I would like to close with just a few words about the Marsh dedication at Goose Pond FWA September 26th. It was a great thrill to be part of the dedication of the Goose Pond project to those who have fulfilled their major donor commitment and made Goose pond, as well as projects like it in Indiana and across North America possible. Governor Daniels attended the event and talked not only about the eight thousand plus acres preserved at Goose Pond, but of 68,000 acres being preserved in the Muscatatuck River Bottoms and the Wabash River Watershed. This is land that will be accessible to those who love the outdoors forever. Look for more about the dedication with photos in the next newsletter and on the web site. For now I want to thank all of the volunteers and staff who made this dedication a great success. As the days grow shorter, and the night air gets a little cooler good hunting, be safe and thanks for all you do for the Ducks. Curt
Indiana Ducks Unlimited State Plan 2009-2011 In May 2009, Indiana was recognized at the National Convention as one of the top ten states in the nation in growth. We have turned the corner in Indiana and our job over the next two years is to build on that momentum. Our long term goal is to become a Million Dollar State. Indiana DU will achieve that by establishing short term goals for progress and being persistent in meeting those benchmarks. The short term goals of Indiana Ducks Unlimited will be focused on annual achievements of the State and individual chapters and based on Grassroots Awards program criteria. Comprehensive State Awards are based on growth during the calendar year. The Goals for Indiana DU for calendar year 2010 are: Grassroots Net Income Increase by 10% Recruit new Volunteers (percent of existing) by 10% State Chapters with Presidential Citations by 20% Adult Event Membership Increase by 6% Major Donor Goal Achievement by 3/3 Net Increase in Qualifying Events by 5% Net Increase in Bronze/Silver/Gold Sponsors by 15% Presidential Citation criteria for Chapters are: Minimum $5,000.00 Grassroots Income and 50 Adult Members Increase in Grassroots chapter income over prior year of 5% Increase in Adult Event Members over prior year of 5% Net/Net to Gross on Dinner events of 60% Meet 10/30 requirements Four strategies form the foundation of achieving the near term goals of Indiana Ducks Unlimited; Building a strong Team, Education of volunteers, Improving Efficiency and Bronze/Silver/Gold Sponsor Growth. State of Indiana facts: Total DU Membership: 11,620 General Members: 9,940 Greenwings: 891 Legacy Greenwings: 230 Indiana State Chairman Curt Lee lee7598@sbcglobal.net Indiana State Treasurer Pam Harkin Pamela_m_harkin@uhc.com Indiana Executive Administrator Jim Prough jp2riskmgmt@yahoo.com Sponsor Members: 559 Total grassroots dollars raised in 2008: $503,220 Indiana State Council Chairman Frank Wolka r.frank.wolka@cummins.com Indiana Regional Director - North Dave Neal dneal@ducks.org Total acres conserved in Indiana: 20,794 Indiana Regional Director - South Joe Borders jborders@ducks.org
Upcoming Events in the State of Indiana 10/16/2010 Wa-Nee "Diva's for DU" Ladies Event 10/21/2010 Fort Wayne - Bill W. Dailey Stag Banquet 10/23/2010 Bluffton Dinner Banquet 10/24/2010 Dekalb County Sporting Clay - 5 Stand - Fun Shoot 11/05/2010 IPFW University Waterfowl Hunters Party 11/06/2010 Purdue Waterfowl Hunters Party 11/06/2010 Hendricks County Chapter Dinner 11/06/2010 Decatur Co. SNO 11/06/2010 Blue River Dinner 11/06/2010 Sullivan Dinner 11/06/2010 White River Dinner 11/06/2010 Cedar Lake Dinner Banquet 11/20/2010 Adams County Annual Duck Races 12/01/2010 "Big 5" Annual Raffle Event 01/20/2011 Indy Sponsor Dinner 02/18/2011 Deer, Turkey, & Waterfowl Expo Indiana PRIDE What is Indiana PRIDE? The Ducks Unlimited Indiana PRIDE (Putting Resources Into Ducks Everywhere) program is securing major sponsors to support habitat conservation and our waterfowling heritage in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with special emphasis on the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River ecosystems. For 70 years, with the support of our volunteers, members and donors, Ducks Unlimited has been successful in turning grassroots dollars into habitat throughout North America. Your gift will leave a legacy on the landscape to be enjoyed by future generations and enhance our rich waterfowling heritage. Ducks Unlimited will use your gift in the most efficient manner, focusing on the highest priority areas in Indiana and North America. At least 80 cents of every donated dollar goes directly into habitat programs. For more details on sponsoring, please contact Frank Wolka Jr. (812)-216-0131 Or Tom Quarandillo (574) 264-5567 Ducks Unlimited was listed in the USA Today in an advertisement by the Better Business Bureau. Look for the BBB Charity Seal and give with confidence. It s your assurance that a charity meets 20 rigorous BBB Wise Giving Alliance standards.
Goose Banding Starve Hollow Lake, IN Check out this: June 19, 2010 Goose Banding Starve Hollow Lake, IN June 19, 2010
Did you know? I just wanted to show you guys what the Crown Point chapter did. The new chairman John Sum brought a idea to the Crown Point chapter to participate in the Crown Point 4th of July parade and then the chapter also entered into the Hebron parade the day before the 4th. After 3 long days of putting the float together and several hundred dollars of candy and materials to make the float (donated from the committee). Today they participated in the first parade they printed off 2000 flyers of the upcoming events and handed out over 1000 flyers today alone. The response from the crowd at the parade was very impressive. I just thought I would let you guys know how very impressed I was with the way this chapter went above and beyond to get the word out about DU and there mission to restore wet lands. PS They also landed a sponsor in the parking lot waiting for the parade to start. Thanks, Jason Kleine District 3 (NE IN) Meeting at the St. Joe Conservation Club
This is from Ryan Noblitt, AC for the Adams County chapter. I had two small banners that worked great. I also stuck the mission statement posters on both sides of the truck as well as two of the pintail posters w/ the american flag background. We drove a cherry red chey z71 so the posters and the truck looked pretty sweet. Thanks so much for all the stuff. The hats and duck calls were a huge hit. One point in the parade when we were stopped, I got swarmed by kids wanting hats and calls. Needless to say I didn't have a problem giving the stuff away. Oh, my wife and her business partner ordered duck costumes for our one year old daughters, they looked so cute sitting in the back of the truck with their moms.
DU Patriots! Crown Point Ducks Unlimited goes Wild in Independence Day parades! The guys and gals of Crown Point Ducks Unlimited brought the marsh to the streets for this 4th of July weekend. In true water fowler fashion, the folks at CPDU tried to give the audience a feel for the marsh. Fast grass and a flock of Mojo s for movement accented decoys, cattails and a layout blind. Pride in America and their love for Ducks Unlimited was prominently displayed by their custom Red, White and Blue DU logo T-shirts. Putting forth the effort meant a full weekend of walking. CPDU members, family and friends entered not just one but two parades. Saturday s parade, held in Hebron, started things off with a bang! Listening to the crowd s comments made it evident that they didn t waste their time building the float. Sunday s parade, in Crown Point, also went very well and the people applauded. The weekend was a success and Ducks Unlimited was promoted to thousands! CPDU got the message out by displaying the DU mission statement on the float and handing out nearly 1,500 fliers for their upcoming CPDU events. The CPDU float took first place in the Hebron parade and second place in the Crown Point Parade. They also received a special trophy for creativity from the Hebron event. Another great job from the folks at Crown Point Ducks Unlimited! This is a great DU Pride picture. This came from Zone Chairman, Byron Zachary, at their lake cottage.
Chapter Spotlight: Wa-Nee Chapter The Wa-Nee Chapter of Ducks Unlimited as at a crossroads two years ago when the RV manufacturing industry came to a crashing halt in the Nappanee, Wakarusa and Elkhart communities of Indiana. The Wa-Nee DU committee (consisting of DU members in Nappanee and Walkarusa, Ind.) took a long, hard look at whether or not their annual dinner banquet could be pulled off in the depressed economy. "The Wa-Nee Chapter had traditionally held very successful events, but had seen the decline in attendance and grassroots income in the last five years," said DU Regional Director Dave Neal. "In light of this, I approached the committee about possibly joining with several individuals from the Elkhart Chapter, who had been experiencing some of the same economic impacts." The Wa-Nee committee felt that there were still many dedicated DU supporters in their communities and they understood that they should continue to give the people what they wanted DU! In 2009, the Wa-Nee and Elkhart chapters joined forces and held their very own "Bail-Out" Banquet led by Area Chairman Ron Menzie. They were able to increase their attendance by more than 30 supporters, and their grassroots income increased exponentially from the previous year. But they didn't stop there. The newly formed Wa-Nee/Elkhart committee was dedicated to reversing the downward trend, and their momentum carried them into the 2010 fundraising season. Their 2010 banquet was an even bigger success, with more than 80 additional attendees and 13 new sponsors. "It's as if there is a new life among the Wa-Nee Chapter, and it shows," said Neal. They are currently planning a new Greenwing fishing event in September and a ladies' event in October. The Wa-Nee Chapter is truly deserving of this month's chapter spotlight due to their continued growth and perseverance to conserve wetlands and waterfowl habitats for future generations to enjoy.
DU Resolution on the Oil Spill "Right now, we know that oil is beginning to directly impact the coastal wetlands," Moorman explained. "Our hearts go out to the people of the region. We understand the impact this tragedy will have on their way of life. DU will do everything it can to restore the wetlands for waterfowl, shorebirds, fish and the people who depend on this ecosystem for their livelihoods." The resolution states the importance of the region for migrating waterfowl it winters more than 13 million birds in some years and brings to the forefront three organizational priorities: To partner with agencies, companies and landowners to assist in damage assessment, research and long-term restoration To utilize its scientific and communications expertise to inform its members and the public on the issues affecting wetlands and waterfowl in the region, and their recovery To work with Congress, the presidential administration and the states to develop more effective policies to prevent other catastrophes of this nature, and to restore both lost wetlands and sustainable ecological processes that created those wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico to support the livelihoods and recreational pursuits of those who depend upon and cherish these continentally significant wetland resources "At this time, we understand that 'top kill' tactics to stop the flow of oil could be working," said Hall. "This is encouraging news. We hope the leak can be stopped so that we can move on to the assessment and restoration phases of this cleanup. DU is ready to work with our partners and federal and state agencies to begin the restoration process." Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, DU has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information, go to www.ducks.org.