The
Mississippi Valley Division, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU) cemented
what promises to be an
enduring partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Nov. 24.
This Regional
MOU ties six Districts within the Corps’ Mississippi
Valley Division and three DU Regional Offices into
one team for environmental success in protecting,
restoring and managing wildlife in the U.S. All six
District Commanders attended the ceremony.
“A partnership
between the Corps and Ducks Unlimited makes sense,
because as two organizations, we can work
collaboratively toward a common goal. A major
portion of our Corps mission is preserving our
Nation’s environment,” said Col. Tom Smith, the
Corps’ Memphis District commander.
The MOU
solidified the collaborative effort of both
organizations by working toward mutual goals to
protect, restore and enhance the environment.
“This is an
important step for both of our organizations as we
share overlapping and important goals for the entire
Mississippi River watershed,” said Dr. Alan Wentz,
Senior Group Manager of Conservation, Communications
and Marketing for Ducks Unlimited.
This Regional MOU
builds on a National MOU signed in July 2002 and focuses on collaborating efforts within the
Mississippi River Basin.
Brig. Gen.
Michael J. Walsh, the Corps' Mississippi Valley Division
Commander spoke at the signing ceremony
with Col. Smith and Dr. Scott Yaich.
Brig. Gen. Walsh had an integral role in building
this partnership.
 |
|
It's hands
up and hurrahs for the partnership
Memorandum of Understanding between the
Mississippi Valley Division and Ducks
Unlimited, Inc.
|
“If we are to
engage in finding solutions that sustain both the
natural environment and the economic benefits of
water use, we must become more inclusive in the make
up of our partnerships,” Gen. Walsh said recently.
“We are all
stewards of the environment, and we all have a stake
in the economic health of America", he added. "To be successful,
we must continue to work together, share ideas and
dedicate ourselves to finding comprehensive
solutions that work. Through cooperation,
communication and commitment, we will make a lasting
difference for our Nation.”
Three of DU’s
regional leaders signed the MOU with Gen. Walsh:
Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office Director Dr.
Bob Hoffman (represented by David Brakhage- Dir. of
Conservation Programs), Great Plains Regional Office
Director Dr. Steve Adair and Southern Regional
Office Director Dr. Curtis Hopkins.
“We greatly
appreciate Brig. Gen. Walsh’s leadership in moving
this partnership forward. Now we must make it work
on-the-ground between our organizations and our many
partners who share these same objectives,” Dr. Wentz
said.
With more than a
million members, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s
largest wetland and waterfowl
conservation organization with more than 12 million
acres conserved.
The United
States alone has lost more than half of its original
wetlands − nature’s most productive ecosystem and
continues to lose more than 80,000 acres of wetlands
important to waterfowl each year.
