With the ongoing and increased risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta Waterfowl is working to ensure the health and safety of the public as well as our staff, board, volunteers and members. As such, Delta is following all public safety guidelines for travel restrictions, self-quarantine and public events for the foreseeable future. We will reschedule events when it again becomes safe to gather, and we thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support of The Duck Hunters Organization. In the meantime, Delta staff will continue to prepare for our spring research projects and duck production programs. We will continue to press for habitat conservation policies and programs that benefit you, while also continuing to diligently fight for your hunting rights and opportunities, all to ensure a strong future for waterfowl hunting.

The COVID-19 pandemic will most certainly have adverse impacts on all of us, but it doesn’t have to be all bad! This might be the only time in our life that we have a few spring weeks to spend with our kids or grandkids. At this time of crisis, we suggest that everyone take this unique set of circumstances as an opportunity to take a kid fishing, build and erect wood duck boxes, bird watch, canoe, go shed hunting, shoot a gobbler and prepare your dog for a fall of spectacular waterfowl hunting. Imagine building and placing a wood duck box with your kids in March, only to return to find freshly laid eggs in April! When our kids were young, we went on spring hikes with the objective of filling two large garbage bags with rubbish that had been inappropriately discarded throughout the winter. This provided excellent family exercise, a conservation lesson for our children and a sense of accomplishment. Please be innovative in your quest to do unique and ecologically beneficial outdoor activities in the coming weeks.

To help you avoid public groups, increase awareness about conservation and promote outdoor activities, Delta will be releasing several short videos this spring. We hope that you will find these videos to be interesting and informative, and even better yet, we hope that they will further spark your desire to spend quality conservation time with your families. Despite the fact that we have all been given lemons, we have a spectacular opportunity to make lemonade!

Keep well,

Dr. Scott Petrie