2024: Education and The Waterfowler’s Arc

By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s December, 2024 Newsletter edition.

WWA focuses on helping every wannabe or existing duck hunter become the passionate conservationists that will sustain our waterfowling heritage into the future.  This natural progression makes us better waterfowlers and more ethical hunters.  It provides important “conservation credibility” that hunters need as hunting becomes less of the fabric of our communities and anti-hunters challenge the constitutional right to hunt.

  • This newsletter is a part of that effort — there is no better state-based monthly waterfowling newsletter in the country. Prove me wrong.
  • Our work with Vortex to create the Waterfowlers Academy resulted in more learn to hunts than ever before, with 31 novice hunters in six different events across the state.

2024’s For Women By Women Learn to Hunt participants and mentors

  • The Waterfowl Hunters EXPO continues to grow, now moving to two days in 2025 days. About 6100 attendees this year, celebrating “all things waterfowl”.
  • By the way, funds from the EXPO support public land restorations, science important to state waterfowlers, and scholarships to student focused on waterfowl biology and management. WWA granted a $1K of scholarships, and $3K worth of science support this year.
  • Not quite ready-to-be-revealed, we’ve been working on our antiquated website, trying to make it more informative and easier to navigate, while maybe finding some efficiencies on the back end. Look for a launch early in the new year.
  • Our team of Jessica and Ryan Peterson, who developed the middle school science curriculum based on the phenology of the wood and other waterfowl, were recognized as the WI Wildlife Federation’s “Conservation Teachers of the Year.”

    Ryan (L) and Jessica (C) Peterson accepting their “Conservation Teachers of the Year” award from WWF