Ducks Unlimited History

Ducks Unlimited was established in 1939 by Joseph Knapp, E. Lowe and Robert Winthrop. The idea of creating an organization that is dedicated to wetland conservation and waterfowl conservation was brought about by their concern about the loss of wetlands in the country. They were concerned about how this would eventually impact the sport of waterfowl hunting. They then established a group with a simple mission of habitat conservation. This became the main mission of Ducks Unlimited as it grew from small group of waterfowl hunting enthusiasts to one of the largest private waterfowl and wetland conservation organizations in the world.

Lowe and Winthrop initially started out by conducting fundraising efforts in the United States for their projects in Canada. Their conservation projects in Canada were very important because it is where most of the wildlife in the North America comes from. In fact about 70% of them come from Canada.

The following year, Ducks Unlimited Canada was born. With the same mission, they started projects that are aimed at preserving wetlands and wildlife conservation. Decades later, Ducks Unlimited Canada turned out to be very efficient in conserving wetlands in the country. Its programs have preserved more than 6 million acres of habitat. It has also gained significant support from partners and various entities across the country. The efforts of Ducks Unlimited Canada have inspired a group of Australian citizens into forming Ducks Unlimited Australia in 1991. Although the group changed its name to Wetland Care Australia, it still has the same mission and conducts projects for the restoration and preservation of wetland habitats in Australia.

Ducks Unlimited has also been actively involved in conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean wetlands, since they offer great opportunities for research and monitoring. Ducks Unlimited Mexico has similarly restored vast acres of land that are very significant for wintering waterfowl and other species.

NOTE: Information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Some content is compiled from 3rd party sources. If you are aware of incorrect or outdated information, feel free to contact us.