The last few years have been tough for Delta, Colorado. Jobs have evaporated in this small city of almost 9,000, 40 miles south of Grand Junction, with coalmines closing and petroleum extraction dropping.

Despite the downturn, the Delta Chapter of Ducks Unlimited still puts on quite a party. The DU banquet draws upwards of 280 people every year, and last year's was one of the biggest and best ever.

New at the helm are Jacob and Adam Oberheu, who have attended Delta Chapter events since they were Greenwings in middle school. Now they are co-chairs.

"I feel blessed to have these guys taking over the chapter. They have a great committee behind them. They all just get it done," said outgoing co-chair Shawn Becker, a 20-plus-year volunteer. "With our local economy being as bad as it is, we still had a great banquet this year, and that is because people have a lot of fun and just enjoy the Delta Chapter Banquet."

Jacob says he and Adam agreed to be a part of the committee because they liked to hunt and wanted to help. "Then I was put in charge," Jacob said. When asked if he was volunteered, he laughed, "I was voluntold." Adam later joined him as co-chair.

Working with his brother is a key to getting it all done. Jacob's background working as a physician assistant is complemented by Adam's precision as a geological engineer. "It's great working with my brother. He has a lot of insight on things I don't think about. He is the one to follow up with the details," Jacob said. "It's nice to have someone you can work with and lean on."

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, DU is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, with special events, projects and promotions across the continent. 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:
Jennifer P. Kross
701-202-8896
jkross@ducks.org