MEMPHIS, Tenn. - March 13, 2015 - Ducks Unlimited announced today the winners of the 2015 Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards during the 80th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held in Omaha, Neb. This year's recipient in the Private Citizen category is M.O. "Mo" Buder of Missouri.

"Ducks Unlimited has not conserved a single acre of wetland habitat alone," said DU Chief of Conservation Paul Schmidt. "Every detail of our work relies on a web of partners, especially landowners like Mo Buder. His long-term and comprehensive approach to waterfowl conservation provides waterfowl with breeding grounds, migration areas and wintering grounds in perpetuity. Inspired by his own conservation ethic and dedication to his "boys and girls' as he calls the ducks, Mo has made a gift that keeps on giving to the future of waterfowl."

In 2009, Buder, the owner of Whistling Wings, a 780-acre duck club in Missouri's St. Charles County in Ducks Unlimited's Confluence Focus Area, indicated a desire to take care of the ducks that had brought so much pleasure to his life. His legacy was a land protection trifecta. He donated a conservation easement on this critically strategic property, thus halting floodplain development from the east. Buder then designated 330 acres as an "inviolate waterfowl refuge" to provide a place for waterfowl to rest and feed undisturbed. Finally, Buder designated in his will and trust that Whistling Wings would ultimately be sold to a conservation buyer, with one-fourth of the proceeds establishing the "Missouri Confluence Endowment Fund" to ensure perpetual land protection work in the Confluence and three-fourths to protect additional nesting habitat in the Missouri Coteau.

Ducks Unlimited's Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards are presented annually in six categories to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the conservation and restoration of North America's wetlands and waterfowl. To view a complete list of the 2015 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award winners, please visit www.ducks.org/wetlandawards.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org. Connect with us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/DucksUnlimited, follow our tweets at twitter.com/DucksUnlimited and watch DU videos at youtube.com/DucksUnlimitedInc


Media Contact:
Andi Cooper
601-206-5463
acooper@ducks.org