President’s Report

By R. Jeff Richards

 

My two boys and I just spent a wonderful week together hunting antelope in Wyoming and an evening at Farmington Bay on the youth waterfowl opener. How fortunate we are to live in area with such a rich abundance of wildlife and hunting opportunities. Anyone outside of our waterfowl tradition who has never seen the sun set over the Great Salt Lake marshes or watched the fall flight of waterfowl have truly missed something special. It’s not something that can be easily explained to someone who has not experienced waterfowl hunting. But you know what I talking about. Those first cool crisp mornings in the early fall stirs something in us that draws us back into the marshes.

 

It’s my love for the rich waterfowl heritage we have here in Utah that inspires me to continue to advance the Utah Waterfowl Association and other worthy causes that benefit waterfowl. In speaking with many hunters I have grown to understand that most of us have a desire to give something back; to make sure that what we have will continue.

 

As individuals we can each make a small difference. As an organization we can move mountains.  We have seen a lot of changes on our organization over the past year and have gathered a lot of strength from committed individuals. Perhaps most importantly, we have changed and expanded the board of directors. Jack Ray, Steve Earley, and Matt Clark continue to serve on the board as they have done in the past albeit with a change in emphasis and focus. Jack continues to dedicate many hours devoted to water quality issues and most recently our challenge to the Great Salt Lake Minerals expansion project that has potentially devastating impacts to the lake. Steve will represent the interests of the south shore duck clubs and Matt will represent Utah County hunters. Kudos to Matt for his appointment to the Northern Region Advisory Council. His position will give us added strength on very important issues.

 

We have added other board members who serve the organization well. R Jeffre Hicks, President of the Utah Airboat Association, Josh Noble, President of the Mud Motor Association, Jerold Olsen, representative of Ducks Unlimited, and Troy Thompson, representing Delta Waterfowl. Bringing these groups together will unify duck hunters and while any one of those organizations may take a differing position than UWA on any given issue, where we are together on issues our voice will certainly be heard with respect and credibility.

 

In addition, the board determined that other areas needed to be filled if we are to be effective. Joel Ferry was appointed to represent the northern Utah duck clubs. His appointment to the Northern Region RAC will prove vital. DJ Williams and Rob Peterson, both attorneys, will work on water quality and other issues. Kevin Noorda was appointed to represent northern Utah waterfowl hunters generally and Kevin Booth will represent the interests of Cache County. I was asked to continue to serve as president for another term which extends through the 2010 legislative session.

 

UWA has accomplished a great deal during the last year for which we can be proud. We were successful in getting legislation adopted that will allow the owners of private lands to place property that is actively managed for waterfowl into protection zones. This will prevent counties from enacting laws and ordinances that lead to the demise of duck clubs. This has happened historically resulting in the loss of many duck clubs in Utah. The law will now provide strong protections. Several states have contacted me and are looking to use our law as the model to protect areas that are important for waterfowl.

 

R Jeffre, Josh and others have spent an enormous amount of time working on the phragmite issue that plagues us all. They have been instrumental in putting together a committee that is working with the state to develop a comprehensive plan to manage phragmites that is set to be out early 2010. As I told R Jeffre, eradicating phrag is like trying to eradicate carp. The job may never be fully accomplished but we are looking at creative and innovative ways such as intensive cattle grazing that may lead to getting a better handle on these efforts.

 

The proposal by Great Salt Lake minerals to develop huge new evaporation ponds and appropriate massive amounts of water from the Great Salt Lake gives us huge concern. We will work diligently to be involved with this effort as well as other water quality issues such mercury and selenium that continue to threaten the lake and our waterfowl. The expertise of Jack, DJ, Rob and others is vital in this area.

 

I continue to be interested in waterfowl research and concerned for the lack thereof. In years past we were fortunate to have a very credible Utah State professor devoted to waterfowl. He has since retired without anyone to fill that niche. I was fortunate to spend several days with John Deveny with Delta Waterfowl several weeks ago to discuss this topic. For several years I have been coaxing John to come out here to show him the important of the Great Salt Lake. I finally had the opportunity to spend time with John from one end of the lake to the other. Of all of the important marshes he has visited over the course of his career, I think he was blown away after he saw what we have to offer. I look forward to working with John and Tom Aldrich next year to develop funding for research that is way over due and critical to understanding the dynamics of our marshes.

 

Speaking of Tom, if you have not thanked him for the work he does and has done in his career please do so. Tom is a friend to ducks and all of us who hunt them. Few realize how important Tom is and his efforts with the Flyway Council and other national efforts. Thank you Tom!

 

Many of you have called me or sent e-mails asking how you can be involved with UWA. The youth fair that occurred last week was a great opportunity. Troy Thompson and his committee did a great job in pulling that together. I was also impressed with Troy’s willingness to take what has traditionally been a Delta Waterfowl event and make it a UWA event. This will continue to grow. If you are interested in getting more involved in anything we are working on or issues that you think we should be working on please contact me or any one of the board members. We will be somewhat dormant during the hunting season with the exception of preparing for our legislative efforts and GSL Mineral expansion but expect to begin next year with a bang. I hope to have what I refer to as a “wake” at the end of the season which will be a dinner. Not necessarily a fund-raiser but what I hope to establish as an annual event to remember with honor the passing of another season and an opportunity to get together as hunters and begin the count until next year’s season. We will need lots of help in preparing which will provide another chance for you to be involved if you are interested.

 

Lastly, let me mention fund raisers and membership dues. We made a decision this year that we would not ask anyone for money to join or be a member. We choose to spend our efforts instead on making a difference rather than courting donations. If you want to join and get information from UWA simply sign up and get on the mailing address. None of the board members will ever accept a dime for their efforts. We are volunteers dedicated to our cause. However, if a worthy effort comes up we may ask for your support financially but you will know exactly where your money is going, every dime of it. Flashy newsletters and mailings are appealing but do nothing to put waterfowl into the marshes.

 

Thanks for all of the support you have given UWA over the years and have a great season.