family building with LEGO bricks

Michael Baker is an engineer at Ducks Unlimited (DU) who approaches every conservation project with a passion for waterfowl as his driving force. It is the same passion that led him to design his own LEGO® waterfowl concept sets, where he and his family get to talk about the ducks they love and build conservation in their own home—one block at a time.

Ducks Unlimited is on a mission to bring these LEGO® concepts to homes across the flyways. Click here to learn how you can help make this happen, but first—let’s learn more about the man behind these designs.

Question: Can you tell us about your background? Where were you born and raised? How about your background as a conservationist, your role at Ducks Unlimited, and how your engineering skills played a part in designing this LEGO® concept?

Baker: I was born in Fairfax, South Carolina. My family hails from Albert Lea, Minnesota, and we moved back there when I was about two years old. Albert Lea was a great town for waterfowl, and I remember my dad taking me to his cherished duck blinds, instilling in me a love for ducks from an early age. When I was in first grade, we moved to Gurnee, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. Although my dad couldn't find a good hunting spot there, he continued attending his local Ducks Unlimited dinners annually, and I started proudly joining him as a teenager. 

Academically, I excelled in math and science, leading me to pursue a degree in civil engineering, a field that allowed me to blend my love of the outdoors with my technical skills. My initial decade as an engineering consultant involved challenging and intriguing work, but I often felt like I was contributing more to urban development than environmental preservation. Discovering that DU hired engineers was a huge turning point, and I decided to try my hand at conservation.

I joined DU nine years ago as a regional engineer, working on conservation projects in Wisconsin and Illinois. I've been the Director of Engineering for the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region for about five and a half years, and two years ago, I started supervising the project coordinator team. While I'm somewhat removed from fieldwork now, I still approach projects as a problem-solver, which is how I tackled designing the LEGO® duck builds.
My approach to these LEGO® duck concepts mirrored a typical engineering project:

  • Survey: I used decorative decoys as models and a 3D scanner app on my phone to capture the shape.
  • Design: Utilizing 3D coordinates, I used a LEGO® modeling program to recreate the model, aiming for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
  • Construction: This was the fun part, where I ordered the pieces and began building once the plan was satisfactory.

 

Personal Inspiration and Process

Question: What inspired you to create these LEGO® designs and can you walk us through the process of developing them into a physical product?

Baker: I loved playing with LEGO® bricks as a child and was thrilled when my kids were old enough to start collecting their own sets, giving me an excuse to play again. The inspiration for the ducks came in early 2020. The reality competition show "LEGO® Masters" premiered that February and my kids were fascinated by the creative building showcased on the show. Around the same time, we attended a local LEGO® expo featuring animal exhibits made of LEGO® bricks. My wife suggested making a duck decoy out of LEGO® bricks, and I just couldn't shake the idea.

After that spark of inspiration, I began researching how to build a model digitally since we didn't have enough pieces at home, nor did I possess the artistic skills to build freehand like the "LEGO® Masters" contestants. I found the BrickLink Studio program, which allowed me to digitally construct the model using any pieces I wanted. Following the process described above, I built the mallard model. Despite having a reference model, there were moments when I had to make aesthetic modifications. My wife, being very artistic, helped balance the technical and aesthetic aspects of the models, making us a great team.

 

Family Involvement

Question: How did involving your family, particularly your children, in the design and building process influence the project? Are there any memorable moments you'd like to share?

Baker: As mentioned earlier, my family's involvement was significant. My wife's suggestion at the LEGO® expo sparked the idea, and she played a crucial role in the design phase. My kids contributed to the design process but were more engaged once the pieces arrived. They were somewhat disappointed that my instructions weren't as polished as the professional ones they were used to, which made it challenging for them to help build. However, they were thrilled with the final product. One of my motivations for wanting LEGO® to produce these models as official sets is the hope that professionals can create more kid-friendly instructions, making the experience more enjoyable for young builders.

 

Educational Impact

Question: How do you envision these LEGO® sets contributing to the education of future conservationists and Ducks Unlimited's mission? What specific lessons or values do you hope it will impart to children and families who engage with it?

Baker: I hope that even adults who aren't big LEGO® fans can appreciate the unique aesthetics of these models and display them with their other decoys. For children, I envision this LEGO® project as a way to engage with conservation through play, working on the set with an adult role model. I hope this interaction sparks conversations about conservation. If the model becomes an official LEGO® set, I would love to see educational facts included to further spark these discussions around conservation and the wonder of waterfowl. Ultimately, I want this set to be a bridge between fun and waterfowl conservation education, fostering a new generation of conservationists.