Ducks Unlimited says support America's Great Outoors Initiative and protect our prairies

Please visit the DU official site at Ducks.org to read more and help support DU's work with a full text of the letter reproduced below.

Take Action for the Prairies Today! Fellow Conservationists, Today, many families are losing touch with America's great outdoors. Fields, forests and streams are becoming fragmented by lack of support for conserving these crucial areas. As Ducks Unlimited members, we understand the importance of habitat conservation and have led this charge for decades—and we will continue to do so. Recognizing the influence the outdoors has on our youth and the need for conserving America's natural landscapes, the president and his administration have proposed the America's Great Outdoors Initiative (AGOI). This initiative is designed to promote the outdoors to youth, advance private-land conservation strategies, and use science-based management practices to restore and protect our lands. I am asking that you take a moment to e-mail the Department of the Interior, which is currently accepting ideas from the public on how and where the AGOI can provide the greatest benefits for Americans and the natural landscapes that support their outdoor lifestyles and livelihoods. Through sound scientific research, DU knows that the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting depend on more aggressive conservation of the Prairie Pothole Region, also known as the "Duck Factory." Encouraging the AGOI to designate the Prairie Pothole Region as a "Treasured Landscape" will help secure the future of waterfowl populations throughout North America. In the box below is a letter explaining the benefits of making the Prairie Pothole Region a "Treasured Landscape." Please copy this text and e-mail it to the DOI (ago@ios.doi.gov) to express your concern for the future of North America's waterfowl populations and to help ensure that young outdoorsmen and women can enjoy wild places and migrating waterfowl for years to come. Sincerely, Dale Hall CEO, Ducks Unlimited As a Ducks Unlimited member, outdoors enthusiast and supporter of waterfowl habitat conservation, I strongly recommend designation of the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana as a "Treasured Landscape" in the administration's America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Within the Prairie Pothole Region lies the Missouri Coteau, America's last great landscape of richly diverse wetlands and native grasslands. This ecologically and culturally unique landscape provides breeding habitat for millions of waterfowl and other migratory birds, and it is also home to a strong outdoors-focused culture and a proud ranching tradition. The Prairie Pothole Region supports outdoor recreational activities for millions of Americans, providing opportunities for both adults and youth to connect to our natural heritage. Migratory birds produced in the region support or enhance the outdoor experiences of waterfowl hunters, bird watchers, boaters and many other outdoor enthusiasts in nearly every state. Waterfowl hunters alone generate $2.3 billion in local economic value annually and support more than 21,000 jobs throughout the country-revenue and jobs that are vital to local economies. We also support a strong North American Wetlands Conservation Act program and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Ducks Unlimited, in partnership with the federal and state agencies, numerous NGOs and private landowners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have worked to curb habitat losses in the Prairie Pothole Region to ensure the future of migratory birds and related natural resource conservation opportunities. Despite these efforts, the native grasslands and wetlands of this cultural and ecological treasure continue to disappear faster than they can be conserved. For these reasons, I urge the administration to recognize the Prairie Pothole Region as a Treasured Landscape. Sincerely,