Major Sponsors from the New State Duck Club (top row, left to right) Lon Richardson Jr., Darm Penney, Thomas Wright, Jerry Howells Jr., Mac Jenkins, Douglas Felt, Robert Kluge, Tim Simonsen, Braden Hopkins, and Bradford Hatch. (Bottom row, left to right) William Larson, Tom Basmajian, Jack Rampton, Doug Olson, and Floyd Hatch. (Not pictured) Stephen Bamberger, Scott Chidester, Christopher Conabee, David Krajeski, Randall Rawlings, Clark Smith, Michael Sweet, and Michael Wolfe.

With historic drought across the West, and with the Great Salt Lake at record low levels, the members of Utahs New State Duck Club are committed to helping Ducks Unlimiteds efforts to save the Great Salt Lake and improve the surrounding wetlands. Established in 1896, the same year that Utah became the 45th state, the New State Duck Club has a long and passionate waterfowling heritage.

Led by DU volunteers and Major Sponsors Darm Penney, Mac Jenkins, and Thomas Wright, the club rallied its members to become Major Sponsors to support DUs expanding conservation and policy programs in Utah. Thomas hosted an evening of conservation at his cabin, where Jeff McCreary, DUs Western Region director of operations, presented a conservation strategy for the state. Also at the event, Utah Speaker of the House Brad Wilson and Utah Senate President Stuart Adams affirmed their commitment to preserving the Great Salt Lake.

The members of the club showed overwhelming support for DUs policy work in the Utah legislature, efforts to secure additional water resources for the Great Salt Lake, and commitment to expanding DUs conservation project delivery in Utah. Twenty-one members of the New State Duck Club made new Major Sponsor pledges, totaling over $228,000. My hope is that this will inspire other duck clubs around the Great Salt Lake to join the New States efforts to improve this crucial part of the Pacific Flyway before its too late, said Darm Penney, New State Board Member and Ducks Unlimited Sponsor in Perpetuity.