The Talbot County Ducks Unlimited chapter in Maryland is proud to be the spotlight chapter for July. This past February the Talbot County chapter held their event at the Easton Volunteer Fire Department. With more than 200 people in attendance, this dinner was nothing short of a fire show as they enjoyed great food, camaraderie, a live auction and music from one of the most popular bands in the area, Bird Dog and the Road Kings.

"This outstanding event was the first for every single volunteer on the Talbot County committee, and the success they enjoyed wasn't just beginners luck," said Regional Director Josh Voelker. "The key to the Talbot chapter's success wasn't from working harder; it was from working smarter."

Area Chairman Stephen Hunter utilized an event-marketing campaign that nearly doubled attendance from the previous year. By hammering away both on the air waves and in the print media, Hunter and the Talbot County chapter sold more than 170 tickets online, a first for any chapter in Maryland.

"We knew we had to go about things a bit differently," said Hunter. "While we were sure that DU's core supporters would attend, the chapter and I wanted to reach out and get those folks who might not otherwise think about attending a Ducks Unlimited dinner."

Talbot County, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, is steeped in a rich waterfowling tradition and is an important wintering area for waterfowl. To that end, DU has conserved and restored nearly 8,000 acres in the county to date.

"DU is the greatest conservation story that can be told," said Hunter. "Raising the funds to help raise our waterfowl populations was the least we could have done."