Page 15 - Waterfowl

The timing of the Dust Bowl era could not have been
more relevant to the new understanding about wetlands,
grasslands, and all the ecological services they contribute to
the landscape—and to man. The major goal of farmers and
ranchers was to keep the good soil on the land, which required
replanting of native grasses, restoring drained wetlands, and
better management of the water resources. Enlightenment
began to grow as it became clear that these same measures
would also help bring back waterfowl, deer, turkey, and other
wildlife so important to a subsistence society. The end result
was an awakening of that connection with nature we all feel
when we sit in the duck blind and watch the sun rise. Or when we hear the first five notes from the hen Mallard as the alarm clock for her kin. And when we sit through a sunrise with the knowledge that the Creator is there, with us, at each dawn and how we treat that precious gift will define who we are as a people. Missouri chose to embrace
all these values and to respect their neighbors and concerns in the process. Thus began the partnership that set the path for others to follow; a path of caring first for the gifts of nature and our responsibility to nurture them for future generations. Only then would we earn the right to harvest a few of the fruits of our labors.
As I stood in the flooded timber of the Louisiana swamps with the rain falling heavily upon Leigh Frederickson, my co-workers, and me, Leigh put it in perspective when he looked up at the rains and said, “Isn’t it a beautiful day today?” He reminded us that the rains will bond with the timber to create wetlands, which will give life to the waterfowl so important to our own existence. I never forgot that, and neither did Missouri.
H. Dale Hall
CEO, Ducks Unlimited Inc.
Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service (Retired)
Dale Hall enjoying a duck hunt in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.
Courtesy, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Courtesy, Glenn D. Chambers.
Foreword: Bringing Resources To Bear 13