FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Affairs Coordinator,
734-623-2000 or firstname.lastname@example.org
Ducks Unlimited’s Illinois River Water Quality Initiative Extended
Thanks to the support of Senator Richard Durbin
Decatur, IL—January 23, 2006 – Ducks Unlimited’s successful and popular Illinois River Water Quality Initiative will continue for a third consecutive year thanks to the support of Senator Richard Durbin and funding provided in the FY06 Agricultural Appropriations. Under this special program, DU is working closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist farmers and other landowners with multipurpose soil, water, and wetland conservation projects.
During the past two years DU has committed $130,000 in cost-share and technical assistance to nineteen landowners in ten counties strategically located within the Illinois River basin. According to Ducks Unlimited regional biologist, Eric Schenck, “These projects will restore nearly 145 acres of wetland habitat and treat approximately 1,000 acres of adjoining cropland.” Schenck adds, “We are excited to announce that four special wetland and water quality demonstration projects are planned for Marshall, McLean, Mason and DeWitt Counties.”
Altogether, $726,000 has been provided in support of the Illinois River Water Quality Initiative for the purpose of reducing nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment run-off from agricultural fields and to provide fall and spring habitat for migrating waterfowl and other wildlife.
For more information, please contact the Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office @ 734-623-2000. -
With more than one million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. Since its founding in 1937, DU has raised more than $1.5 billion and conserved nearly 11 million acres of critical wildlife habitat across North America. Wetlands are nature’s most productive ecosystems, but the United States has lost more than half of its original wetlands and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres every year.