This area remains untouched by development thanks to group conservation efforts that enhance and protect not only lands that benefit waterfowl, but countless other wildlife and bird species.

ACE Basin Task Force President and DU supporter Charles Lane grew up nearby and has helped protect the area since the early 1990s.

The ACE Basin is a partnership of nonprofits, state and federal agencies and private landowners, Lane said. When we started, we had the goal of protecting 90,000 acres of land here. That was a very lofty goal and we all wondered if that could be achieved. But the idea works and so far, we have protected a little more than 305,000 acres with a new goal of conserving 400,000.

The driving force behind ACE Basin conservation begins with 1975-76 DU President Gaylord Donnelly. He wasnt from South Carolina, but he loved the landscape and worked to protect it. The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation continue to fund the protection of the ACE Basin today.

I get asked all the time why we need to conserve these places, said Lane. The basic answer is that we are all here because of the natural world. Ducks Unlimited is here because they are interested in conserving wetlands and the birds that use these wetlands. They (DU) are also interested in people. Its a race, not just to save wildlife, but people too.

Rock Road Creative produces DU Conserve Films with help from sponsors Yeti, First National Bank of Omaha, General Tire and Cox Enterprises.

Visit www.ducks.org/media/du-conserve to view the film.

Follow DUs news Twitter feed @DUNews1937 to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved over 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:

John Gordon

901-758-3753

jgordon@ducks.org