MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Aug. 26, 2019 - Ducks Unlimited has released the latest film in its online series.

In The Prairie Potholes, this vast landscape is the backdrop for conservation efforts on a grand scale. This region of North America is a prime breeding ground for ducks and geese and conserving habitat here is critical to their survival.

Watch the film at www.ducks.org/media/du-conserve.

The prairie state of South Dakota has a rich farming and ranching tradition. Jim Faulstich&squo;s family started their ranch before World War II. Faulstich has worked the land his entire life.

Faulstich knows if he wants to sustain his operation he needs to pay as much attention to the environment as he does the livestock.

"We had to change. We knew what we were doing wasn&squo;t sustainable,&dquo; Faulstich said. "We&squo;ve changed our priorities from being predominantly all about production at whatever cost to the environment, to replacing natural resources and managing not only our operation, but the landscape.&dquo;

Faulstich also knows he can&squo;t do it alone. His partnerships with the state of South Dakota and Ducks Unlimited are beneficial not only to his livestock but to all the wildlife at the ranch.

Kurt Forman is South Dakota&squo;s Fish and Wildlife Partners coordinator. He knows the impact of partnerships on waterfowl populations.

"One thing that I find very interesting about these ranches is that the birds that are produced here benefit the entire continent,&dquo; Forman said. "We&squo;ve documented ducks harvested in 31 states and 13 countries that came from one ranch. This illustrates how important these landscapes are to the entire flyway.&dquo; Watch "The Prairie Potholes&dquo; to see how the story unfolds.

DU Conserve Films is sponsored by YETI and First National Bank of Omaha.

August is DU Conserve month. The 2019 season includes four films, with one new film released each week in August.

Film episodes focus on the Boreal Forest, California&squo;s Central Valley, the Prairie Pothole Region and the Gulf Coast.

Follow DU&squo;s newest 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 more than 14.5 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