Twenty-one Texas Ducks Unlimited Chapters Make Top 100

The President’s Top 100 is one of the most highly sought-after titles of recognition Ducks Unlimited offers to chapters throughout the nation. Each year, the list is comprised of the top 100 fundraising chapters in the United States. Through the efforts of these volunteer committees, DU is able to pursue its mission of conserving, enhancing and restoring North America’s wetlands. Twenty-one local chapters in Texas made the Top 100 list as one of the organization’s best fundraising chapters over the last year.

“These fundraising events are the backbone of DU’s habitat conservation efforts, and the volunteers who make up these chapters are the grassroots force making a difference for North American waterfowl populations,” said DU President John Newman. “It takes a great deal of effort to crack the Top 100, and these chapters deserve to be congratulated from every person who enjoys the outdoors.”

Texas chapters to receive the recognition include the Rockport/Fulton, Winnie/Stowell, Gladewater, Rice Belt, Ellis County, Tomball, Matagorda County, Ft. Worth, Wood County, Denton, Shelby County, Brazos Valley, Ft. Bend County, Pearland, Lubbock, Tyler, Lamar University, Gregg County, Frisco, Upshur County, and San Jacinto chapters. The Lamar University chapter is the only college chapter to achieve Top 100 rank.

These chapters earned a spot in the Top 100 out of the more than 2,700 DU chapters nationwide. DU’s event fundraising system has become a model for other conservation organizations around the world and has funded a significant portion of the more than 13 million acres of wetlands and associated habitat DU has conserved since 1937.

“DU chapters across the country are showing that the future of waterfowl populations and the wetlands that filter our drinking water and protect us from flooding are important to them and to their communities,” Newman said. “The more money we raise, the more habitat we can conserve and the closer we are to preserving our waterfowl hunting heritage. I would like to personally thank all our Top 100 chapters for their achievement and look forward to seeing them among our distinguished chapters next year.”

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. Its mission: habitat conservation. Thanks to decades of abiding by that single mission, Ducks Unlimited is now the world’s largest and most effective private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization. DU is able to multilaterally deliver its work through a series of partnerships with private individuals, landowners, agencies, scientific communities and other entities.