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Is your community a target DUC community?
The communities listed in the attached pdf file have been identified as targets where we need new DUC volunteers.
Are you up to the conservation challenge? If so, give us a call at 1-866-384-DUCK(3825) or email volunteer@ducks.ca.
List of Communities(PDF/48kb)
DUC Recognizes Community Conservation Champions 
National Volunteer Week April 18 - 24
Edmonton, Alta., April 13, 2004—They’re in your community. You may not know their names, yet every day they are making your community, and so many others across Alberta, a better place to live.
April 18 to 24 is National Volunteer Week. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is celebrating the contributions of those dedicated individuals who take the time out of their busy schedules to volunteer. In Alberta, approximately 70 per cent of communities with 1,000 people or more have a group of DUC volunteers who contribute to restoring, maintaining and conserving wetlands for the benefit of waterfowl, wildlife and people. There are 1,744 DUC volunteers in Alberta. They include people like Dallas Pasula who became a DUC volunteer almost 20 years ago. He quickly found that through organizing fundraising events for DUC, he could not only contribute to a healthier environment, he could also meet new people and have a lot of fun along the way.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” says Pasula. “I’ve met a lot of good people over the years.”
Through volunteering, Pasula has traveled throughout Alberta attending volunteer conventions and events. More recently, he and the Spruce Grove DUC volunteer chapter set new fundraising standards through their work with the Wings Over Canada Sealed Bid Auction. They place framed DUC wildlife and outdoor art prints at various businesses and allow members of the public to submit bids. Last year they raised about $50,000 this way and brought in a total of more than $100,000 for wetland conservation.
“There’s satisfaction in raising awareness of Ducks Unlimited because it’s a good cause and we know the money we raise is going toward worthwhile projects,” Pasula says. However, not all DUC volunteers focus on fundraising. As a retired school teacher, Bohdan Markowsky of Camrose, AB, is more interested in educating youngsters than raising money, so for the past 15 years he has been talking to school children about the importance of the wetland conservation.
“It gives me a chance to keep my foot in the classroom and talk about something I really care about and enjoy,” says Markowsky. He says he loves watching children discover the wonders of wetlands when they see what microscopic creatures live in a drop of pond water, or when they take a walk along the edge of a slough and see the wide variety of wildlife living there.
“It’s so rewarding,” he says. “I probably get as much out of it as the kids do.” Like many other DUC volunteers, Markowsky places a high value on the environment and wants to share that outlook with future generations. He notes that there is always room for more volunteers in DUC. “It’s an ideal way to give of yourself and encourage others,” he says. “You get back far more than you give.”
For more information on volunteering with DUC in your area call 1-866-384-DUCK (3825) or e-mail volunteer@ducks.ca.
See DUC volunteers in action at the following DUC fundraising events during National Volunteer Week:
- Friday, April 16: Vegreville
- Saturday, April 17: Whitecourt, Vermilion, Beaumont, Innisfail, Vauxhall
- Wednesday, April 21: Spirit River
- Friday, April 23: Beaverlodge
- Friday, April 23: Red Deer, High River
- Saturday, April 24: Rainbow Lake, Cold Lake, Edmonton, Bassano, Carstairs
To arrange to attend an event or for more information contact: Trish Ritthaler, Manager of Marketing and Communications, Prairie Region of Ducks Unlimited Canada at (780) 489-2002 or (780) 906-9935.
