Conservation Projects

May 2, 2024 In Art, Conservation, Conservation Projects, News, Special Events

Waterfowl Festival, Inc Presents “An Evening for Conservation”

Waterfowl Festival, Inc. Presents “An Evening for Conservation”

Easton, MD – For over fifty years, the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD, has supported dozens of projects across the region aimed at preserving our natural landscapes for all to enjoy. On June 13, 2024, the organization will host a unique evening to celebrate our commitment to the Eastern Shore’s heritage of abundant waterfowl and bountiful wetland resources. Nearly six million dollars of funds have been raised over the years and donated to mission-aligned organizations that help restore lands, educate the general public, and provide rich programming to our community’s children and students.

The event will feature a seasonal menu directed by celebrated Chef Paul Shiley and the Tidewater’s outstanding culinary team led by Executive Chef Hampton Turner. Guests will enjoy a specialty cocktail, wonderful cuisine, and most especially fellowship with those who share a passion for our mission. During the evening, guests can explore displays of conservation projects funded over the years and engage in conversation with their stewards. Representatives from Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, ShoreRivers, and Pickering Creek will be on hand to discuss their funded conservation projects.

“The Waterfowl Festival has a long tradition of partnering with organizations across the region to celebrate, support, and enhance our outdoor heritage and traditions,” remarked Chip Heaps, Conservation Chairman, “This event will serve to celebrate this legacy and provide an insight to the work ahead of us in coming years.”

The evening will end with keynote speaker Dr. Karen Waldrop, Chief Conservation Officer, Ducks Unlimited. Dr. Waldrop will highlight some of the work funded over the years by the Waterfowl Festival as well as discuss innovative ways organizations are working on conservation projects at the national level. All proceeds of this dinner will be used for our Community in Conservation grant program.

Limited seating available. For tickets, please visit: waterfowfestival.org/conservation dinner or email Deena Kilmon, Executive Director, .

About the Waterfowl Festival:

Since 1971, Waterfowl Festival, Inc. has faithfully supported the principal tenet of waterfowl and wildlife conservation. Led by hundreds of dedicated volunteers, the Waterfowl Festival has contributed over six million dollars to conservation organizations across the nation. The 2024 Festival will be held Nov. 8-10 in historic Easton, MD. For more information, to volunteer or to donate, visit www.waterfowlfestival.org or call 410-822-4567.

March 27, 2024 In Conservation, Conservation Projects, News

2024 Community in Conservation Grant Fund Open for Applications

Easton, MD – The Waterfowl Festival is excited to match resources with environmental needs across the region through its annual “Community in Conservation” funding program. These grants, supported by proceeds from annual Waterfowl Festival weekend, annual donors, and the Conservation Dinner Series, offer non-profits and community entities the chance to receive monies for projects and initiatives at the intersection of conservation and community.

“We are pleased to offer this grant opportunity for our mission-aligned organizations here on the Delmarva peninsula,” remarked Eric Milhollan, President, Waterfowl Festival Board of Directors. “Now more than ever, it is critical that we provide support and encouragement to those organizations who are working hard to celebrate the natural environment and preserve it for future generations.”

Over the past five decades, dozens of organizations have been supported by the Waterfowl Festival, creating a legacy of education, leadership, and engagement in the conservation space. Recent projects and grantees include Ducks Unlimited, the Wellington Wildlife Management Area, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, University of MD Center for Environmental Science – Project: Enhancing the Horn Point Nature Trail Experience, and the ShoreRivers – Project: Underwater Grasses Restoration.

“The Waterfowl Festival has been a long-time conservation partner of Ducks Unlimited,” said Regional Biologist Ed Farley. “Right now, we are restoring a 40-acre wetland that was historically drained for row crops at Wellington Wildlife Management Area. The work could not have been done without funding from the Waterfowl Festival.”

Maryland, Virginia, or Delaware organizations are encouraged to reach out to the Waterfowl Festival with their unique projects needing crucial funding through this grant program. The 2024 grant cycle will begin April 1, 2024 and continue through July 31, 2024. Grantees will be announced and funds distributed by November 7, 2024 in advance of the 53rd Annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD.

The 2024 Conservation Dinner will be held in June in Easton, MD. Those interested in sponsoring or attending this dinner are encouraged to reach out to the Festival via .

Guidelines to apply:

Please submit your application via our online portal (mailed copies will not be accepted)

Application portal: https://waterfowlfestival.org/conservation/community-in-conservation/

Deadline: July 1, 2024

With this focus on connecting our financial resources to local environmental needs we now support projects in these four priority areas:

Initiatives at the intersections of waterfowl conservation and community
Education programs on Delmarva focusing on current and future generations of conservationists, enthusiasts and educators
Research and scientific work of graduate students, volunteer groups
and non-profits on Delmarva
Restoration and conservation of projects that benefit waterfowl and
regional habitat enhancement in ways that connect with larger bay habitat
restoration goals

2021 MD Waterfowler's Association Conservation in Community Winner

February 8, 2021 In Conservation Projects

Blackwater Refuge

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Waterfowl Chesapeake Commits $20,000 Toward Ducks Unlimited Restoration Project

2018 Awardee

Waterfowl Chesapeake is pleased to announce its commitment of $20,000 in 2018 matching funds to support the restoration of two parcels of land in Dorchester County and creating 25 acres of “managed freshwater emergent wetland” – a favorite habitat for migratory waterfowl coming to the Chesapeake Bay region.

The land is part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and has been planted in agricultural crops for waterfowl for many years. However, the ground is often so wet that annual planting has become nearly impossible and existing crops are no longer adequately supporting the birds’ needs. The restoration work will create a wetland habitat more suited to both the location and to meeting waterfowl’s lifecycle needs. The project is a partnership between Ducks Unlimited, the Refuge, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office.

“We are very excited to commit a portion of Waterfowl Festival’s proceeds toward restoration and conservation projects like this on the Shore. It’s very rewarding to be able to continue the Festival’s legacy of year-round support for our region’s unique waterfowl habitats and heritage,” says Margaret Enloe, Waterfowl Chesapeake Executive Director.

Work is expected to begin in early fall of 2018, once remaining funding is secured in the spring. When complete, the two wetland areas, which are adjacent to the Harriett Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, will give visitors to the Blackwater area even more opportunity to enjoy watching our winter ducks, geese and swan feeding and healthy wetland habitat

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January 20, 2021 In Conservation Projects

University of Delaware Hunter Education Program

Promoting Waterfowl Hunter Education for New Adult Students

2018 & 2019 Awardee

WC Seed Monies Committed: $2,000

Today, many Waterfowl Ecology graduate students — who will become tomorrow’s environmental leaders and environmental resource educators and managers — know little to nothing about the world of hunting. They’ve never had a hunting experience. How can they communicate and work successfully with hunters and landowners if they have never experienced the sport? Through UD’s field program, these budding professionals get the opportunity to gain their hunter education certification (via course material and gun safety training) as well as learn and discuss waterfowl identification, waterfowl policy, waterfowl habitat management, values structures associated with hunting, hunting dog training, and cooking wild game. The course ends with a voluntary opportunity to engage in a one-on-one mentored waterfowl hunting experience. This component of their studies is not designed to make them hunters; it provides them the opportunity to engage and learn about the sport firsthand, making them better able to understand all perspectives in the conservation world.”