The Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation Supports Graduate Research

The David R. Luukkonen Waterfowl & Wetlands Graduate Student Fellowship Endowment will receive $150,000 from The Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation over the next five years. This generous donation will help Ducks Unlimited (DU) achieve its goal of raising $400,000 to fund two annual graduate student fellowships in perpetuity.

“The Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation has challenged DU and its members to match their $150,000 gift as a condition of this donation,” said DU Director of Development Charlie DeVries. “We are making great progress toward our goal of raising $400,000, with just under $100,000 left to secure. Investing in the next generation of conservation professionals and future research is an important endeavor. We hope that the Ducks Unlimited community will continue to add their support, as it will have a lasting impact for years to come.”

Luukkonen worked as a wildlife research biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for 30 years before becoming an adjunct professor at Michigan State University. The endowment that carries his namesake was established after Luukkonen, an avian ecologist, colleague, friend and mentor, died in December 2021.

To launch the fund, DU, several conservation partners and individuals pooled resources to support graduate student research of waterfowl, waterbirds, wetlands and related social science in honor of Luukkonen’s long-term and large-scale contributions.

This growing endowment aims to increase the number of skilled professionals interested in the research, management and conservation of waterfowl and wetlands. It will also financially support research on waterfowl, waterbirds and related human dimensions in the Upper Mississippi Great Lakes region. Only masters and doctoral students are eligible to receive the Luukkonen endowed fellowship.

The Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation was established in 1992. A registered non-profit, the Foundation’s goals include encouraging firearms shooting skills competitions, promoting the lawful use and possession of firearms, helping fund game bird and animal research studies, supporting research on animal diseases affecting dogs and cats, and providing for the welfare of animals through the American Humane Society or other organizations that are not anti-hunting.

“The Glassens were lifelong conservationists who believed in the science-based management of wildlife. David R. Luukkonen was a dedicated wildlife biologist,” said Tom Huggler, Foundation president. “I can’t think of a better way to memorialize their contributions to waterfowl management than by funding the future of waterfowl and wetland research.”