About the Organization

Mission Statement: Waterfowl Festival, Inc. is dedicated to wildlife conservation, the promotion of wildlife art, and the celebration of life on Maryland's Eastern Shore."

Waterfowl Festival, Inc. is a Maryland non-profit corporation exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. To carry out its mission, the corporation has held an annual wildlife art and sportsman's festival each November since 1971 featuring the talents of over four hundred exhibitors exemplifying the cultural heritage of the Eastern Shore.

The corporation and its annual festival are administered by a small executive and administrative staff under the year-round direction of an eighteen member volunteer board of directors. In addition, over sixty volunteer committee chairpersons oversee the twenty annual festival exhibits and events, assisted in their efforts by another fifteen hundred volunteers.

The staff consists of Judith W. Price, executive director; Nancy Wells, administration; Jennie Russell, finances; Rae Copper, event coordinator; and Ann White, communications coordinator.

Waterfowl Festival board members for 2007-2008 are: Schuyler Benson, Doug Collison, Anne Croker, Ronald Flohr, Al Gipe, Kevin Greaney, Martha Horner, Tracie Lahman, Sean Mann, Josh Perry, C. Albert Pritchett, Eugene Rall, Denise Riley, Bill Rolle, Vance Strausburg, and Sandy Wrightson.

The many volunteers participating in the production of the annual festival come from the local Talbot County community, throughout Maryland and, amazingly, twelve other states. The palette of its volunteer corps includes business executives, governmental officials, philanthropists, and members of numerous service groups representing elementary school students through senior citizens. Support is provided in areas ranging from ticket and exhibit sales to traffic control, decorations and signs.

The Waterfowl Festival has been designated one of the top Maryland Volunteer Events of the Year as well as Wildlife Conservationist of the Year by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Through the efforts of its staff and volunteers more than $5 million has been raised and donated to projects throughout the Atlantic Flyway, with particular emphasis on the Chesapeake Bay region.