There might be any tickets left for this year’s annual fundraiser for Ducks Unlimited, but there are still plenty of ways to help preserve wetlands in the region.
While the tickets are sold out for the upcoming event, Rick Murray, Ducks banquet chair, said the organization is always looking for volunteers to help with other fundraising events, habitat projects, wetland monitoring, office work, advocacy or educational program support. He added the Cochrane committee has been looking at getting an educational team together for learning and teaching aids for elementary children in grades four to six.
“It is always great to gauge the people in the community and if they have that type of interest than those are the people we are looking for,” Murray said.
The annual fundraiser for Ducks Unlimited Canada supports wetlands in Cochrane and surrounding area has sold all of the tickets for the April 16 event at the Cochrane RancheHouse.
To date, more than $640,000 has been raised by the Cochrane committee to support the national organization dedicated to conserving, restoring, and managing wetlands that in turn help waterfowl, wildlife and the environment.
“The money that is raised in Alberta is spent in Alberta,” Murray said.
According to the Ducks Unlimited website, every 24-hours Canada will lose up to 80 acres of wetlands and when wetlands are lost so is drinking water, wildlife, habitat, recreational spaces, flood protection and tourism.
There are 216 projects within a 150-km radius of Cochrane with 113,225 habitat acres secured, said Ducks organizers.
Despite the name of the organization Murray said that preservation of the wetlands affect everyone.
“It all ties in from an ecosystem perspective. All of the wildlife ties in from that ecosystem, it is not all about birds,” Murray said.
“As time goes by it is going to become increasingly important to have that habitat support in place.”
For more information on upcoming fundraiser or how to support the organization go to ducks.ca
