Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE), the largest steel producer in North America and the largest recycler of any material in North America, has committed a $750,000 gift to support conservation and outdoor recreation on 1,500 acres in the floodplain of the Mississippi River on the Memphis/Arkansas state line.

The Ducks Unlimited Park is a partnership between Ducks Unlimited (DU), the Big River Park Conservancy and TennGreen to create a new public recreation area between Memphis' vibrant downtown and the growing tourism amenities of West Memphis.

"This park will provide myriad benefits to Memphis and West Memphis residents and visitors, inspire a deeper connection with the Mississippi River, and demonstrate the importance of a working river and its floodplain," said DU CEO Adam Putnam. "Once secured, we will restore the natural ecological processes that are paramount to wildlife and water quality and essential for a healthy ecosystem while maximizing the useability of the area for activities like hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation and education opportunities."

Nucor Steel Arkansas, Nucor Steel Memphis and Nucor-Yamato Steel Company are working together to support this important project because of its ecological and community benefits.

"Overwhelming evidence demonstrates the benefits of urban parks," said Karl Barfuss, Environmental Manager at Nucor Steel Arkansas. "We want to be part of this effort to improve the environment, protect water quality in the Mississippi River, strengthen our communities' physical and psychological health, and make our cities and neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work."

By conserving the land, re-establishing native vegetation, and recreating functioning bottomland hardwood wetlands, we will restore the natural ecological processes that are paramount to wildlife and water quality and essential for a healthy ecosystem. Similar restored systems in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley can sequester up to 7.8 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per acre per year and can mitigate up to 28 kg of nitrogen per acre per year. Forest restoration also increases the number of species attracted to the area, increasing the biodiversity of the site and providing additional wildlife and plant life viewing opportunities. In addition, trail and park amenities will cultivate recreation and bolster existing tourism along the Mighty Mississippi.

Nucor Corporation is the latest company to join this powerful partnership effort. Other DU Park funding partners include First Horizon Foundation, Ingram Barge, International Paper Company, Hyde Family Foundation, Simmons First Foundation, AutoZone, the McVean Family, and several other Memphis stakeholders, businesses and donors.

For more information, visit www.ducks.org. Follow DU's news Twitter feed - @DUConserve - to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

About Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

About Nucor

Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel and steel products, with operating facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel -- in bars, beams, sheet and plate; hollow structural section tubing; electrical conduit; steel racking; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; precision castings; steel fasteners; metal building systems; insulated metal panels; overhead doors; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh. Nucor, through The David J. Joseph Company and its affiliates, also brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron and hot briquetted iron / direct reduced iron; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Nucor is North America's largest recycler.

Media Contact:

Emily Austin

601-206-5438

eaustin@ducks.org

@DUConserve