Hal Ziprick – Volunteering with DUC – It's All About Education

Hal Ziprick of Smoky Lake, Alta. has dedicated his young adult life to educating youth on the importance of environmental issues. Being a Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) volunteer is a big part of his own personal commitment to the environment and one that he shares with his students as a wildlife educator and science teacher at the local junior high and high school in his community. Much of the curriculum that he uses has been developed through his own ingenuity and dedication to conservation.

Ziprick was introduced to DUC as a teenager when he attended a DUC fundraising dinner. A decade ago he joined the DUC Smoky Lake Committee and has been chair or co-chair ever since. Ziprick plays a strong role on the committee and encourages his students to do the same; their involvement in the past has included creating centre pieces – anything from bird feeders to silhouettes of wetland scenes – for dinner tables at fundraising events. The students are also creating mallard nest boxes for community wetlands, which will be studied for occupancy in the future.

“I am grateful for the work that DUC is doing for wetland conservation across Canada,” says Ziprick. “I also like that there is such a strong educational component. I rely on DUC programs for much of what I am teaching my students.”

“Hal is one of the most enthusiastic people I have ever met and he has an amazing rapport with kids,” says Colin Saker, DUC fundraising manager in Alberta. “He has introduced his students to DUC wetland conservation programs and inspired them to spend more time outdoors exploring than indoors – not an easy task in this day and age.”

“National Volunteer Week is our chance to honour our nearly 7,000 volunteers across Canada, and in particular, our young volunteers who are introducing a whole new generation to DUC,” says Loraine Nyokong, DUC national director of fundraising and membership. “Volunteers like them are the ‘rising stars’ of our organization. The fact that they recognize the importance of wetland conservation and are spreading the word is fantastic, not only for DUC, but for all Canadians.”

“I figure that the more kids we can get interested in the outdoors, the more hope we have for our future,” says Ziprick. “It’s all about educating these kids and passing the torch to the next generation.”

With the support of volunteers like Ziprick, DUC recently completed its Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign – the largest conservation fundraising campaign ever undertaken in North America. Working alongside Ducks Unlimited, Inc. in the United States and Ducks Unlimited Mexico, DUC contributed to waterfowl and wetland habitat conservation, water quality as well as recreational and learning opportunities for people of all ages.

DUC could have not achieved these conservation goals without the generous support of its volunteers and supporters. Ziprick and other conservation-minded individuals like him from across Canada will continue to be the driving force behind ongoing efforts to stop wetland loss.