Stepping up to expand a local DUC committee for the conservation cause

A lobster fisherman by trade, Jonathan Manser spends his workdays on the water. “Even if we don’t catch any lobsters, I love being out there,” he says. “You never know what you’re going to see. You could go out and see some porpoises, you could even see whales in the springtime. The sunrises and sunsets out there are unbelievable. It’s so peaceful.”

The ocean has always been a main character in Manser’s life. Born and raised in Wedgeport, N.S., a small community about a 20-minute drive south of Yarmouth, Manser started fishing when he was 17. His connection to the water inspired a passion for conservation, but it was his connection to the community that drew him to volunteering with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

All hands on deck

When Manser decided to get involved with the organization, he and his wife Tanya had already been attending the local DUC banquets on and off for about 25 years. “I was always very busy with work and the dinners were a fun night out for us,” he says. “We’d go to sit around for a couple of hours with our friends, enjoy a meal and get the chance to win something.”

At the time Leo LeBlanc, who had previously run the committee for the Southwest Nova Scotia chapter, was organizing the dinners by himself. “He was a one-man show. I knew that when he was ready to be done, there might be no one else who wanted to take over,” Manser says. “I didn’t want the dinners to stop, so I wanted to continue all the hard work he had put in.”

Manser started helping out with the dinners and when it was time, he stepped up to carry on LeBlanc’s legacy. That was four years ago. Now, there are eight committee members and 21 volunteers who come out to help with the dinner. “I think that’s probably my biggest achievement,” Manser says. “Getting more people on board and having more people help out. Without the group, putting on the dinners would be a hard job.”

Growing the event—and its impact

Manser’s investment in the committee and the dinners has helped the event grow bigger than ever. Their 200-seat dinner sold out two years in a row and this year, there’s a waitlist for tickets. The dinner is hosted at the Rodd Grand Hotel in Yarmouth and management won’t let Manser pack in any more people because they’ve got so many prizes. “They told me that they could give me more tables if we didn’t have so much stuff!” Manser laughs.

With support from his committee, Manser has strengthened relationships with local businesses who donate to the prize pool. Last year, the dinner raised over $40,000 for the DUC cause thanks to the generosity of the sponsors and attendees.

“Leo laid a lot of the groundwork around getting donations from the community,” Manser says. “I’ve been able to get a few bigger sponsors who donate prizes for a whole game. We also have a local boat shop donate material for a fibreglass boat that we build and auction off.”

Reeling in youth support

To attract a younger crowd to the event, Manser and his committee established a social media presence for the chapter. “Before, we were just doing radio ads and posters, but we made a Facebook group and that’s where we let people know about the dinner,” he says.

Though the group has played a role in getting the word out about the event, the locals have started to take care of publicity by themselves. “A lot of the interest in the dinners happens through word of mouth: as soon as tickets are available, the committee starts telling their friends. Tickets are gone within a couple of days,” says Manser.

Building a legacy

Beyond the dinner, Manser also actively supports DUC’s conservation efforts in the area. He recently helped build a new gate on a piece of land DUC owns and maintains. “They’re looking to put some cattle on that land, because if you put in cattle, the land will just take care of itself,” Manser says.

Having spent his career immersed in nature and working in an industry that depends on sustainability, Manser feels strongly about conservation. He continues to support the DUC cause to ensure that the beauty he enjoys every day from his fishing boat will be there for his grandchildren to see.