After hunting and vacationing in Montana for a few years, Les and Lynne Jones left the East Coast to make Red Lodge their home. A friend took the couple to the local Ducks Unlimited banquet and they kept going for the friendships they made there.

We just enjoyed the banquets, meeting new people, Les said.

Les and Lynne co-chair the Red Lodge banquet, with Lynne serving as chapter treasurer. Les is also a district chair, meaning he oversees several chapters in the area. The Joneses also invest their philanthropy in DUs mission. They are Diamond Life Sponsors, Grand Slam Life Sponsors and silver members of DUs Feather Society.

I attend their banquets and help when they need it, he said. Its rewarding. I enjoy making new friends and getting to know others better through serving.

A hunter and outdoorsman, Les says it is Ducks Unlimiteds conservation mission that keeps him interested. One of the biggest misconceptions about DU, he says, is that it is exclusively a hunting organization.

Many members, including Lynne, do not hunt. Conservation is the key, he said. Saving wetlands is important for everyone. What creature doesnt need wetlands? Everyone and everything needs wetlands.