Wetland conservation brings unique group of teens together

Local youth celebrates International Youth Day with experience of a lifetime

Oak Hammock Marsh, Man., August 12, 2008—18-year-old Art Singleton and 15-year-old Dax Baker are celebrating International Youth Day today with some new friends, thousands of kilometres from their native Arkansas. The pair are enjoying an insider’s look at the world of conservation, while enjoying a fully-sponsored trip to some of Manitoba’s world-class wetlands.

Baker and Singleton join 10 other teens at Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) 14th annual Great Greenwing Adventure in Manitoba from August 8-15. They were selected for the travel exchange opportunity while at a similar Ducks Unlimited, Inc camp in Arkansas in February, giving them the chance to travel north and experience a whole new world of wetlands.

“I was very excited and honoured to be picked for the trip,” said Baker. “It’s exciting to come to a different country and see where our ducks come from, to see the habitat.” Singleton agrees. “I was screaming with excitement when I found out. We’ve been told the ducks are in breeding pairs up here, but we only see them in flocks down south. Now, we can see the nesting sites and see the wetlands where ducks breed.”

Both are avid waterfowlers, and are interested in conservation to help ensure that wetlands remain a reality for future generations. “This is a great hands-on experience with wetland conservation, so that we can get other people interested in keeping wetlands around for a long time, instead of disappearing,” said Baker.

The group will visit Oak Hammock Marsh and Delta Marsh this week, studying wetlands and waterfowl alongside some of the country’s top wetland biologists. And although there’s plenty of fun planned, the experience will help give Singleton and Baker an exclusive knowledge base for their future endeavors.

Past Great Greenwing Adventure participants have gone on to careers in science, conservation and resource management, while others use their new skills and conservation ethic in different ways. Brandon Hicks, a 2007 participant who has gone on to study the environment in post-secondary school, said that the experience will have a huge impact on everyone, no matter what path they follow in life:

“One of the huge problems today, with younger society, is that we don’t have a connection with the natural world. But once you see the wonders of nature and what it has to offer, you can’t detach yourself from it. The Great Greenwing Adventure was an amazing week, one of the really huge things that’s happened in my life…it definitely opened doors for me.”

Nathalie Bays, education coordinator for Oak Hammock Marsh and an organizer of the Great Greenwing Adventure couldn’t agree more. “The beauty of this camp is that we’re out there creating relationships with nature,” she said. “Our goal is to raise awareness about wetland and upland conservation, but getting hands is the way to do it. Then, the desire to conserve just falls into place.” Bays said the group will learn wilderness skills and wetland ecology through activities like bird banding, invertebrate sampling, geocaching and much more.

The Great Greenwing Adventure runs until August 15, based at Oak Hammock Marsh in Manitoba.

For information, interviews, or photos, please contact:

Leigh Patterson, Corporate Media Relations Specialist
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Phone: (204) 467-3306 / Toll-free: 1-800-665-3825
Email: l_patterson@ducks.ca