ANN ARBOR, Mich. Jan. 14, 2016 Stoneco, an Oldcastle Materials company, has donated a 262-acre former sand and gravel quarry near Ann Arbor to Ducks Unlimited to support wildlife conservation efforts.

The donated land, appraised at $2.1 million, is on Zeeb Road in Lodi Township outside the city of Ann Arbor.

"We are proud to donate this land to Ducks Unlimited," said Rick Becker, Stoneco vice president and general manager. "Our company, employees and families do business, live and work in Washtenaw County and this is a natural extension of who we are and what we do."

The former quarry site was active until 2014 and has since been undergoing a reclamation process. The area has tremendous potential for wildlife habitat development through wetland restoration, grassland plantings, reforestation and management of the reclaimed mine pit.

Ducks Unlimited is exploring using the property to build a permanent headquarters for its Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional office staff, which consists of biologists, engineers, GIS technicians, administrative staff and fundraisers dedicated to wetlands conservation. The Great Lakes/Atlantic Region covers 21 states from Minnesota to Maine and south to Kentucky. Ducks Unlimited currently leases office space in Ann Arbor.

The land donation will support Ducks Unlimited's Rescue Our Wetlands Campaign, a seven-year, $2 billion effort aimed at changing the face of conservation in North America. Rescue Our Wetlands is the largest wetlands and waterfowl conservation campaign in history. The public portion of the campaign was launched in May and so far the campaign has raised more than $1.1 billion.

David Brakhage, director of operations for Ducks Unlimited Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, said the land donation will help the organization with its mission to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl.

"We are very grateful to Stoneco for making this donation in support of our mission," Brakhage said. "With the right support and fundraising, we are hopeful to transform the site from a former mining operation into a functional green space that will attract all types of wildlife and benefit the community."

For details about Ducks Unlimited, visit www.ducks.org.

Stoneco, based in Lodi Township, Michigan, has been a top supplier of crushed limestone, sand, and gravel in Michigan for over 100 years. For details about the company visit www.stoneco.net or on Facebook at facebook.com/michiganpaving. Stoneco is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Oldcastle Materials, the leading vertically integrated supplier of aggregates, asphalt, ready-mix concrete and construction and paving services in the United States. For more information about Oldcastle Materials visit www.oldcastle.com/materials.

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 13 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. Connect with us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/DucksUnlimited, follow our tweets at twitter.com/DucksUnlimited and watch DU videos at youtube.com/DucksUnlimitedInc.

Media contact:
Chris Sebastian
Ducks Unlimited
(734) 623-2017