Interesting read for you bird guys come banquet season

You can mix things up, choose your critter and it's "designated" NGO. Walah(sp?)! Same discussion.
PF, RMEF, TU, ……………..

Thanks for sharing GH. I bailed on DU years ago because I started to hear bad things about the org at the local level, but I didn't realize it had devolved that fast.

I'd offer an alternative, buy 3 duck stamps each year instead of one, 98% of the money for duck stamps goes directly into wetland conservation.

Years ago", seemed every locality - town, county, name-your-geographic area had a local sportsman or rod/gun club. These groups had a core group of guys (mostly guys, back then) that were serious as a heart attack hunters and anglers. They knew the area, its resources, and were fiercely protective and dedicated to those two things. They also were the ones who actually met with the management agency(s) regarding issues. The agency people knew them and vice versa. Hell, they hung out together in some cases - sat in the blind drinking brandy spiked coffee together waiting for the greenheads to pass over.
Slowly the Mega Orgs began to sprout up. These outfits had banquets, convention, bumper stickers, and tshirts. And BIG connections -political, corporate, personal.
Local rod and gun club type orgs begin to slowly dwindle in number, participants, and fast forward to today - many are basically defunct.
Right here in the Gallatin Valley - take Headweaters. Still exists-barely, but think of what it was a dozen years ago.
I am glad the big powerhouse orgs exist - they do big things. However, it's too bad that the bigs have came in like Walmart, wiping out the little mom and pops. Everyone goes to Wallyworld cuz it's easy and cheap. The mom and pops were actually an integral part of the community.
It's the small local outfits that could/can really get in with the local and state decision makers and mix it up on a personal level. Where it matters.
There are guys on here that still are the dinosaurs doing just that - thanks.

neffa3 said:

I'd offer an alternative, buy 3 duck stamps each year instead of one, 98% of the money for duck stamps goes directly into wetland conservation.

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Now that's a slick outside the box thought! I'm not nor have I ever been a DU member. I went to a banquet once and had an enjoyable time though outside that, I'm a social duck/geese hunter. If a buddy calls I'll join for the day's social ramblings.

For sake of the primal support for wetlands, I'll buy a few stamps for that specific purpose here out.

Thanks! Quality idea.

https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp/buy-duck-stamp.php

Buying Federal Duck Stamps is among the simplest ways that anyone can participate in wildlife and habitat conservation. Duck Stamps are a required annual purchase for waterfowl hunters 16 and older, and a current duck stamp grants the bearer free entrance into any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee. But whether you are a hunter, birder or other outdoors enthusiast or you simply want to help preserve our natural resources for future generations to enjoy, you can contribute to conservation by buying Duck Stamps.

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I let my membership at DU expire the year they let Don Thomas go. Then they started sending the mailers asking me to renew. I bet I still get one a month from them. I actually typed a letter and sent it back to them in one of the envelopes they sent explaining how I felt that one donor shouldn't be able to influence their organization and that I would not renew my membership again until they apologized/addressed the firing of Thomas. I never received a reply, only more mailers.
Since duck stamps can be hard to find around my area, I buy 2 of them a year just in case someone wants to go hunting with me at the last minute and couldn't find a stamp at their local post office.

JDH said:

I let my membership at DU expire the year they let Don Thomas go. Then they started sending the mailers asking me to renew. I bet I still get one a month from them. I actually typed a letter and sent it back to them in one of the envelopes they sent explaining how I felt that one donor shouldn't be able to influence their organization and that I would not renew my membership again until they apologized/addressed the firing of Thomas. I never received a reply, only more mailers.
.

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Did the exact same, albeit over different issues I had at the time with RMEF, and got the exact same result.
I wonder if I was a lifetime member or a large donor, vs. an annual renewing schlepp (as the vast majority of the membership is) who had belonged since RMEF was much smaller and younger outfit, if I would have been worthy of a reply.

Again, they still do good work, but...………..

I don’t expect to agree with all the ideas, policies, or positions of any of these type of organizations. As it pertains to migratory birds and DU, as long as the work they do continues to be a net gain in habitat protection and restoration I will continue to support them. I have on and off supported DU because of similar reasons mainly the proportion of monies that go to private vs public. When I was in CA I spent much more at Delta and CWA events then I did at DU events. Now in Montana the extent of my contributions to DU might only be a couple hundred dollars where as the last two Delta dinners I have spent 800-1000. I imagine these organizations get in a pretty tough position on occasion. Buying additional duck stamps is a great idea. I buy two every year, have since I was 18. Anyhow you Can’t dismiss the work these folks do, the very first refuges I hunted as a kid much of the irrigation and habitat was created by DU.

The stream access thing had me scratching my head when it popped up a few years back, but the "jihad" on predators (killing a few wolves, and allowing natives to harvest bears in dens, which I think is about 2 a year statewide, maybe) in Alaska and the support for a "highway" (a single lane gravel road connecting two villages) has me back on their bandwagon for support.

The Jihad includes allowing the state Fish and Game to manage the states wildlife, not the USFWS, and the highway opposition is a total joke by the author. How many roads of similar nature are in current wildlife refuges, hundreds or thousands? The author totally lost me when he came to the Alaska section and his cluelessness was apparent... or maybe it was his love of animals? Coming from a fly fishing rag, I'm not surprised by their stance... 100% chance they would call for Jihad on a guy for eating a trout, too. Nothing more satisfying than floating the Madison River and wacking fish heads on the side of the drift boat when sliding past a group of tourists decked out in $$5000 worth of fishing gear.

Either way, there isn't a single NGO that I can align with 100%, but show me one that will do better things for ducks, elk, sheep etc, and I'll sign up.

Bambistew said:

The stream access thing had me scratching my head when it popped up a few years back, but the "jihad" on predators (killing a few wolves, and allowing natives to harvest bears in dens, which I think is about 2 a year statewide, maybe) in Alaska and the support for a "highway" (a single lane gravel road connecting two villages) has me back on their bandwagon for support.

The Jihad includes allowing the state Fish and Game to manage the states wildlife, not the USFWS, and the highway opposition is a total joke by the author. How many roads of similar nature are in current wildlife refuges, hundreds or thousands? The author totally lost me when he came to the Alaska section and his cluelessness was apparent... or maybe it was his love of animals? Coming from a fly fishing rag, I'm not surprised by their stance... 100% chance they would call for Jihad on a guy for eating a trout, too. Nothing more satisfying than floating the Madison River and wacking fish heads on the side of the drift boat when sliding past a group of tourists decked out in $$5000 worth of fishing gear.

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If I were ever to go to a DU banquet, I'd want to be sitting at your table.