Energy Transfer Partners contributes $5 million for conservation efforts

MEMPHIS - Jan. 19, 2018 - Ducks Unlimited (DU) today announced a $5-million contribution by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) in support of wetland conservation efforts in Ohio and Louisiana. ETP's operations overlap several of DU's priority landscapes and provide excellent opportunities to support DU's conservation work.

"Wetland conservation work supported by ETP will have positive impacts for waterfowl, other wildlife and their habitats, as well as on water quality and other ecological outcomes that benefit people and communities," DU CEO Dale Hall said.

DU and ETP developed this program because of a shared commitment to environmental stewardship and ETP's focus on giving back to the communities across the country in which its employees live and work. For ETP, the opportunity to help facilitate wetland restoration efforts in Ohio and Louisiana that will not only benefit waterfowl and wildlife, but also those who depend on these areas for their livelihoods was key to solidifying their participation.

Wetlands provide many functions and values necessary for sustaining wildlife and fisheries resources, protecting communities, enhancing water quality and quantity and sustaining outdoor recreation opportunities, all of which have important economic and quality-of-life impacts.

Along with federal and state partners and with critical corporate and private donor support, DU has conserved more than 14 million acres across North America since 1937. DU's vision is wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

DU pursues this vision across North America guided by an international conservation plan that prioritizes landscapes based on their importance to continental waterfowl populations and likelihood of habitat loss. This habitat conservation has outcomes that benefit wildlife, people and communities in the landscapes in which DU works.

ETP's $5-million contribution will allow for additional conservation mission efforts in Ohio through DU's Big Rivers Initiative and Great Lakes Initiative, and in Louisiana through DU's Gulf Coast Initiative, which includes the Atchafalaya Delta.

Located in the heart of the Mississippi River and its major tributaries, the Big Rivers Initiative focuses on the restoration, enhancement and protection of wetlands used by millions of waterfowl as they migrate between wintering and breeding grounds each year. This system is the lifeblood not just for waterfowl and other wildlife, but also for the people in this region.

The Great Lakes Initiative maximizes benefits for migrating and breeding waterfowl by restoring, enhancing and protecting wetlands and grasslands that include coastal marshes and small interior wetlands on public and private lands throughout the Great Lakes watershed.

Covering the most important and threatened wintering grounds on the continent, the Gulf Coast Initiative focuses on the restoration, enhancement and protection of wetlands that provide a winter home for millions of waterfowl each year. These same habitats provide critical community and infrastructure protection and support the nature-based economy of coastal Louisiana and Texas.

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