Ducks Unlimited is the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation and a North American nonprofit organization. In 1937, a small group of sportsmen founded Ducks Unlimited after seeing the dust bowl’s detrimental damage to North America’s wetlands. Now DU is a multibillion dollar organization that protects over 479 thousand acres of wetland. As one of the largest membership organizations in the world, DU has over 115 active college chapters from over 36 states.
In August, Ducks Unlimited hosted Third Term, a leadership summit for college clubs across the country. St. Lawrence may have been the smallest club to be represented, but definitely one of the most prominent voices. Nate Sterling, club president; Brynn Afton, co-president; Harlow Punderson, senior club advisor; and James Rauch, recruitment chair, represented the club’s executive board at the three-day convention in Memphis, Tennessee. Just over 300 undergrad students from all different backgrounds in conservation and hunting joined together for the weekend. Over the three days, we attend several leadership classes, keynote speakers, conservation seminars, and networking events. In addition, we had the privilege of presenting to breakout groups about some of the events our small club has done in the past few years, such as a gun safety course and a bird banding event. After two days of classes and networking events, Saturday night was a business formal dinner that allowed us to enjoy the local cuisine and celebrate the past days of hard work. Nate Sterling, our club president, has to say, “Third Term was a great opportunity to meet other college-age conservationists and hunters that have the same goals and interests that I do.”
A huge thank you to Ducks Unlimited for hosting us for the long weekend. Ducks Unlimited, without a doubt, knows how to host a good time and raise awareness for conservation. The four of us definitely took a lot out of the convention and returned to campus with a new plethora of ideas for this upcoming year. It was wonderful to proudly represent our university outside of the North Country. St. Lawrence definitely made our mark on Third Term, and we cannot wait to represent the school at the next convention.
Our Ducks Unlimited chapter here on campus is a little under four years old but is growing by the second. The club fair brought us over 150 new sign-ups and an eagerness to start our events for the year. The club hopes to raise $5,000 over the course of the academic year to give back to wetland conservation. Our main banquet for the spring semester is already underway with planning, and we cannot wait to see the turnout of support. Once again, a huge thank you to Ducks Unlimited for the opportunity to attend Third Term. Keep your eye out for upcoming Ducks Unlimited events here on campus!