Ducks Unlimited Advocates for Conservation at California’s State Capitol

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – April 4, 2025 –Ducks Unlimited (DU) volunteers and staff gathered at the State Capitol in Sacramento to meet with state legislators and advocate for the conservation of California's wetlands and waterfowl habitats. 

In November, voters—including DU’s California membership—approved $10 billion in bond funding, with the understanding that over $800 million would be allocated for habitat enhancement and restoration among other efforts. In January, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to recapture $270 million from Prop 4 to balance the state budget, detracting from what voters expected and supported.  

“Advocacy Day is a crucial opportunity for Ducks Unlimited to amplify our message and advocate for the conservation of wetlands and waterfowl habitats in California,” said DU Western Region Director of Operations Jeff McCreary. “It was incredibly inspiring to see the dedication and passion of our volunteers, whose commitment to conservation and the future health of our natural resources is truly unwavering. Volunteers lead the way for DU. Today their energy and advocacy helped create a lasting impact on policy decisions that will benefit California for generations to come.” 

The meetings focused on Proposition 4 funding, which is essential for supporting conservation and wetlands restoration in the Golden State over the next decade. 

"DU’s membership and California voters supported Prop 4 for specific, critical reasons—to ensure that funds are dedicated to furthering DU’s mission of wetland and habitat restoration,” said Director of Public Policy Marc Engstrom. “The goal of Advocacy Day is to elucate legislators about the DU mission and how critical Prop 4 funds are to that goal—to protect vital wildlife habitats and strengthen our commitment to conservation, just as the voters envisioned." 

DU staff and volunteers met with Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher (R-East Nicolaus), and 30 other legislators. 

Please visit the new DU Media Toolkit page for essential resources about Ducks Unlimited’s conservation mission. 

For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to Follow DU’s Twitter feeds – @DucksUnlimited and @DUConserve – 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 wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 19 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent capital campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org. 

Media Contact: 
Molly Jarone 
(916) 903-9199 
mjarone@ducks.org