Germantown, Tenn. resident and senior Ducks Unlimited volunteer Don McCrory traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with representatives, senators and other policymakers to discuss the organization’s conservation priorities. McCrory met individually with Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and Rep Marsha Blackburn as well as staff from the offices of Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Stephen Cohen.

McCrory is a past State Chairman and an active volunteer on Ducks Unlimited’s Conservation Program Committee, a volunteer group that helps to guide the conservation organization’s direction in achieving its waterfowl and wetlands conservation mission.

McCrory encouraged Congress to support strong conservation measures in the farm bill and appropriations for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).

CPC members were also joined by members of the House and Senate at a Capitol Hill reception to celebrate the beginning of the waterfowl nesting season. The reception also gave members of Congress from around the country a chance to interact with the volunteers.

“I made this trip to Capitol Hill so our members of Congress could hear firsthand about the importance of wetlands conservation in my area,” said McCrory. “There is a reason that I am passionate about waterfowl and wetlands conservation, and I want to share that passion with my members of Congress.”

“Letting our representatives in Washington know that their constituents are informed and concerned about the future of the farm bill is one of the best ways to ensure its reauthorization,” said Ross Melinchuk director of public policy for Ducks Unlimited’s Southern Regional Office.

As a member of the CPC, McCrory understands the need for continental conservation of wetlands and associated uplands for waterfowl. “Federal conservation policies help Ducks Unlimited accomplish its mission and are critical to protecting our natural resources for the future.”

The farm bill, which is being debated in conference between the House and the Senate, has several conservation provisions that are farmer-friendly and needed for waterfowl and wetlands habitat conservation. CPC members reminded their senators and representatives that farm bill programs are critical to protecting millions of acres of breeding and wintering habitat for waterfowl.

CPC members also talked to their members of Congress about appropriations for NAWCA, a popular matching grants program that has conserved more than 23 million acres of habitat across North America. One of the most cost-effective conservation programs in history, NAWCA projects usually leverage $2 to $3 in partner contributions for every $1 from the federal government.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with over 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands − nature’s most productive ecosystem − and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.