By Bruce Urben, WWA President
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s February, 2022 Newsletter edition.
There is no question that January, 2022 is here as I write this article, with 20 mile-per-hour winds and subzero windchills making it easy to decide to be indoors.
A project completed in 2021, thanks to your support!
We will be looking back at 2021’s Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s accomplishments at our upcoming State Meeting on February 5th. A time to celebrate all of the accomplishments of last year, including the recognition of a number of high producing chapters, some of our most energized volunteers as “Volunteer of the Year”, inducting another slate of distinguished Hall of Fame members and time to discuss our plans for 2022.
2021 was a very productive year for your WWA. We were instrumental in supporting and promoting legislative action to increase the State Waterfowl Stamp to leverage more habitat dollars and in reestablishing the Knowles Nelson Stewardship funding to the highest level in years. Of course we could not have accomplished this without your support and effort to contact your legislators in Madison. Your messages to your legislators are instrumental in making changes.
We have more habitat projects in the pipeline than ever before and we are making progress in supporting our “Adopt-A-Wildlife” areas with boots on the grounds labor projects. You have installed more wood duck boxes on the landscape last year as well, indicative by the fact that our supply is dwindling.
Our fund raising this year was phenomenal! You came out to support an organization that is improving wildlife habitat and education at an all time record. It is clear that you recognize the importance of habitat restoration and conservation in Wisconsin. Our membership has grown and you have answered every call our organization has made.
You can be proud of what has been accomplished, but we cannot sit back and revel in what was done, but rather we must look forward at how much more there is to do!
We are losing wetlands every day and our wetland species need our help to brood their young, be protected from predators, find adequate food and raise their young broods to adulthood.
You have heard me say before that WWA is the only waterfowl organization in the state where every dollar that we raise stays in Wisconsin. That is still true in all corners of the organization. We utilize Wisconsin based vendors for merchandise, as well as Wisconsin based businesses that support us as sponsors. Wisconsin businesses support a healthy environment and are instrumental in assisting us in carrying on WWA’s mission.
I invite you to our WWA State Meeting this year on February 5th, at the Beaver Dam Conservationists Club in Beaver Dam to celebrate our 2021 accomplishments but to also help guide us in our upcoming year to accomplish even more.
Thank you for the continued support and I hope to see you at an upcoming event very soon!