Ducks Unlimited Honors Texas Staff Member, Volunteer Leader

Ducks Unlimited recently awarded Senior Regional Director Tim Soderquist a 2012-13 National Regional Director of the Year award for his outstanding efforts as the top staff fundraiser for the organization. It was his second time winning this award in three years.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for my accomplishments among such an incredible group of RDs,” Soderquist said. “They all deserve recognition for what they sacrifice and give to the ducks.”

Soderquist, a resident of Magnolia, covers southeast Texas and works with volunteer committees in this area hosting fundraising events for the wetlands conservation organization. The events in Soderquist’s region raised more than $2.4 million for DU’s conservation mission during the fiscal year ending June 30. This was the single largest regional fundraising total in DU’s 76-year history.

In addition, Soderquist was inducted into the Elite Performance Roundtable and received nine other Top 10 category achievements. Highlighting his year, Soderquist’s Houston Chapter broke DU’s all-time single-event fundraising record in October 2012.

“Tim and his volunteers keep breaking records,” said David Schuessler, DU national director of grassroots fundraising. “Each year, they set the bar higher and higher. That, combined with the overall growth of all regions in Texas, has the entire country chasing the Lone Star State.”

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Ducks Unlimited, coordinating more than 4,000 local fundraising events that generate more than 400,000 memberships and more than $50 million annually.

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.