A Public Relations Disaster?
I have donated to Ducks Unlimited for quite a few years now and I could never figure out why a lot of duck hunters are against Ducks Unlimited. I always thought that the dollars raised by Ducks Unlimited went into the conservation and the land purchased by them was open to public hunting and would stay that way forever. Well this is not so, the last time I was home I was talking to some fellow hunters that told me that they would no longer be supporting Ducks Unlimited. I asked them why and they told me that when Ducks Unlimited buys land they restore it and sell it to the highest bidder. After this happens the land that was purchased with our donations is closed to hunting and is a private hunting reserve for the highest bidder.
Here is a link to Ducks Unlimited land auctions: http://prairie.ducks.org/index.cfm?&page=/cld/listings.html
Earlier this year Ducks Unlimited tried to buy some more land in Kidder County, North Dakota. The purchase was denied by Governor Hoeven, because of North Dakota corporate farming laws nonprofit organizations have to go through a process in which they must first go through the county commission, then through the Natural Areas Acquisition Advisory Commission. Both of these groups then make their recommendations to the governor who then has the final say on whether or not the property may be sold. On February 16th Ducks Unlimited released an article about how this law is unfair to them and about how they pay property taxes just like any other property owners. Another part of this article is about how they help local ranchers out because they let the ranchers rent out the grassland out at a fair market value. What they fail to tell you is that when they are done with their restoration project that they will put up for auction, which they did have a prior press release stating that this was their plan from the beginning but I cannot find it anymore.
Here is a link to the Ducks Unlimited press release: http://www.ducks.org/states/21/news/pub/article1768.html
Now I am beginning to understand where people are coming from when they say that they will not support Ducks Unlimited anymore. Now it seems that the more people I talk to are saying that they will no longer be supporting Ducks Unlimited. So now I am not sure if I will donate anymore money to Ducks Unlimited until they change their ways. I also wonder how many supporters this is going to cost Ducks Unlimited.
Good blog josh! I agree there is some shady dealings going on with ducks unlimited and the way they purchase and deal with land. Eventhough I think it is very dishearting that they don't allow the land to the public for hunting. On the other hand DU helps the preservation of ducks and their habitat with the purchasing of this land and they also do many other things helping the future of hunting. You are right though this will hurt the image of how people will view DU and we will see how they deal with these PR problems.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I was not aware of and maybe a lot of other hunters weren't as well. I know when I was living in Montana Ducks Unlimited was a GINORMOUS deal. There were dinners and auctions and all sorts of fundraisers for the public to help out on. I have had many guy friends that are die hard hunters that spend hundreds of dollars to Ducks Unlimited. They think it is such a great organization. Now I’m not saying it is completely bad, because I’m sure there is still good stuff they are doing but it seems deception may be a way they are doing it. This is a great article because it will make more hunters aware of the fact that all things aren't what they seem to be sometimes. I will have to pass the word on so the next time my friends want to make a donation, they will have this knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that about Ducks Unlimited. I've heard of people not supporting the organization, but wasn't sure why. The articles you gave were interesting! Do you find any positive aspects in Ducks Unlimited? In a PR aspect, it will be interesting to see how the PR behind DU will deal with this problem. What will they say? Will they gain/lose a fanbase?
ReplyDeleteI have always heard of people seeing a Ducks Unlimited sticker or emblem and saying, "I hate those guys and what they do is wrong." Well I never understood why those people said that till now. You bring up a great topic and it would explain a lot of residents feelings towards Ducks Unlimited. After reading this blog, it makes me more cautious about the Ducks Unlimited's mission and what they are really trying to accomplish. They may do a lot with a piece of property they purchase and pay their bills and that sort of thing, but then sell it to just anyone, that I believe is crap at its best.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good blog. I have also wondered why some farmers would ask if you were a member of DU and then deny you permission to hunt on their land when you said “yes”. Most hunters I know don’t have a clue what happens to their money once it is donated. This happens all the time in many organizations. This is a good example of how people should do a lot of research on the agencies that they are going to contribute to before they actually contribute. Although DU banquets are enjoyable to go to, I will always have to wonder now if the ten dollars I am throwing into the hat is going to go to posted signs.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to find out that Ducks Unlimited is doing this. What’s bad about this is as you said, they sell the land to people that may not let hunters on the land that the DU has worked on. This means that there are fewer opportunities for hunters to use the land that was conserved by the Ducks Unlimited. But there has to be a positive side to what Ducks Unlimited does to, isn’t there? The land that they work on helps the waterfowl right? This means that waterfowl have a place to breed and keep the species alive. It’s not right what Ducks Unlimited does, but it does help in the conservation of waterfowl and their habitat. It would be much better though if they were to keep the land and allow access by hunters.
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