When Taylor Della Rocco’s friend approached him at the beginning of the school year asking if he wanted to help start a campus chapter of Ducks Unlimited, he was quick to agree. The senior environmental science major with a focus in watershed science had known about the Wetland Conservation group for a long time, yet never had a chance to be involved.

Now, just a few months later, Della Rocco is part of a group of State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students committed to helping a greater conservation effort. Though just starting out on the SUNY-ESF campus, he said he hopes the club will expand onto Syracuse’s campus so even more students get involved.

Ducks Unlimited is one of the world’s largest wetlands and waterfowl conservation groups, according to its website. It started in 1937 when a couple of sportsmen noticed how many waterfowl species had lost large portions of their populations during the Dust Bowl.

With a grassroots approach, the sportsmen, or bird hunters, began to draw attention to their efforts started raising money with small fundraisers. To date, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 million acres of wetlands all over North America and has members in all 50 states of America. It mainly focuses on areas that are main migration routes for waterfowl.

SUNY-ESF’s Ducks Unlimited Club will be having its first official fundraising event this Thursday, April 7, in the Gateway Center on the SUNY-ESF campus. For SU and SUNY-ESF students, tickets will cost $25 and can be purchased on the Ducks Unlimited website.

The organization boasts a very simple mission: “habitat conservation.” While wetlands are crucial to the preservation of waterfowl, they also, according to the Ducks Unlimited website, “recharge and purify groundwater, moderate floods and reduce soil erosion.”

To fulfill this goal, the organization aims to teach farmers better practices that aren’t as harmful to the wetlands. Ducks Unlimited encourages farmers to buy land that has been worn out and replenish it, as well as buy healthy land with the intention of keeping it flourishing.

Ducks Unlimited campus clubs like the one at SUNY-ESF exist all around the country, but the SUNY-ESF one is only the second to be created in New York state. This club is intended for science professionals at SUNY-ESF with interest in conservation, said club member Stephanie Reisenberg in an email. She added that through joint effort with the Ducks Unlimited Regional Director, the club is succeeding. 

After already attracting several students, Della Rocco said that the interest on their campus gives him hope for the future of the organization. Right now, the club focuses on fundraising for the organization. But in the future, members will also go to state parks in the area and help band birds to track their migration patterns.

For example, members will work at Montezuma Wetlands Complex about 45 minutes from Syracuse, as it is a large breeding ground for snow geese. Della Rocco said the process of banding a bird is humane and can teach scientists both about that particular species and about the environment in general.

“The big mission is to help preserve wetlands for waterfowl,” he said. “But in turn, by preserving these wetlands, you are saving a lot of other organisms and birds that are wetland birds.”

A ticket to the event will include a catered dinner of pasta, sliders and hummus, along with an open bar for students who are of age. They’ll also get a Ducks Unlimited membership which is usually priced at $35 a year.

There will be newsletters and Ducks Unlimited memorabilia included in the membership. For anyone who would like to attend the event and isn’t a student, tickets cost $50.

“We want to offer this discounted membership because we know students don’t always have a ton of money. But every little donation counts,” Della Rocco said. “We want students to be able to help out if they want to.”

Published on April 4, 2016 at 9:25 pm

Contact: ararcham@syr.edu