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Just a little about Ducks Unlimited and what they do For those that are not familiar with Ducks Unlimited, we are primarily a conservation organization. The official mission of Ducks Unlimited is to fulfill the annual life cycle needs of North American waterfowl by protecting, enhancing, restoring, and managing important wetlands and associated uplands. Since it's founding in 1937, DU has raised more than $1.4 billion, which has contributed to the conservation of more than 9.4 million acres of prime wildlife habitat in all 50 states, each of the Canadian provinces and in key areas of Mexico. During this past year, 82 percent of DU's support and revenue was converted directly to habitat conservation programs. This habitat is needed desperately by ducks, geese, and other wetland dwellers in order to survive. Waterfowl are not the only beneficiaries of DU's habitat work. Wetlands improve the overall health of our environment by recharging and purifying groundwater, moderating floods, reducing soil erosion, and providing recreation. DU is a leader in delivering habitat conservation not only for waterfowl, but also for over 900 other species of wildlife, including many high priority grassland birds, forest nesting songbirds, and shorebirds. Ducks Unlimited truly is a grassroots, volunteer based organization. Its members are conservationists and lovers of the outdoors who live throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Thanks for what you do for the ducks. We need to continue to strive to leave them in a better situation than we found them. With your help we are making a difference Latest Financial Review Shows Ducks Unlimited Puts its Money Where its Mission Is 85 Percent of DU's Expenditures Go to Conservation which means that 85 percent of the money DU spent went directly to its conservation mission. "An organization's efficiency rating is a good indicator of whether they're spending their donor's money where they say they will," says DU's Chief Financial Officer, Randy Graves. "Many people won't donate to a non-profit without first researching its efficiency rating. They simply want to know where their money is going, and in DU's case, they can take comfort in knowing that a very high percentage is going to our conservation mission, while only three percent is spent on administration. Efficiency ratings are designed to assess the percentage of every dollar that goes directly to the projects of a non-profit organization. Monitoring groups cite a minimum 65 percent efficiency rating as a baseline by which other non-profits can be judged. "DU takes pride in the fact that our Board of Directors has an expectation that each year, more than 80 percent of our expenditures go directly towards conservation," says Don Young, DU's Executive Vice President. "Last year, DU exceeded that goal by putting 85 percent of our expenditures directly into our conservation mission. Few other conservation groups can boast such a high rate of return on their members conservation investments, and we're determined to maintain that high standard by continuing to spend our funds where they will most benefit North America's waterfowl and wetlands. "It's the hard work and dedication of DU volunteers that make such efficient conservation work possible," continued Young. "For the millions of acres DU has conserved, and the millions more we hope to conserve in the future, we owe a profound thanks to DU members and volunteers. Ducks Unlimited's mission is to conserve, restore, and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature's most productive ecosystems - and continues to lose more than 100,000 wetland acres every year. KENTUCKY (Based on numbers available 02/28/02) SPECIAL RECOGNITION In 2001/02, among the fifty states, Kentucky ranked: 9th in percent net/net to gross for all events: 58% MEMBERSHIP FY'02 GRAND TOTAL: 10,918 Members: 10,860 General Members: 8,078 Greenwings: 1,218 Legacy Greenwing Members: 117 Sponsor Members: 1,447 Major Sponsors: 58 Diamond Legacy: 0 Platinum Legacy Sponsor: 0 Gold Legacy Sponsor: 0 Legacy Sponsor: 0 Benefactor Roll of Honor: 1 Heritage Sponsor: 3 Sponsor in Perpetuity: 9 Life Sponsor: 45 Grand Slam Life Sponsor: 1 FEATHER SOCIETY MEMBERS: 37 Diamond: 0 Platinum: 1 Emerald: 0 Gold: 2 Silver: 34 U.S. CONSERVATION PROGRAMS Total project acres in flyway: 3,257,227 Total number of completed project deliveries in flyway: 17,150 Amount spent to date on projects in flyway: $121,897,129 Number of completed project deliveries in state: 166 Total number of conserved acres in this state: 7,636 Amount spent to date on projects in state: $1,017,767 Primary waterfowl species that benefit from DU's efforts include: Black Duck; Mallard; Wood Duck; Canada Goose and Blue-Winged Teal. STATE FUND-RAISING EFFORTS Total grass roots dollars raised in FY 2001/02: $808,766 Number of committees in FY 2001/02: 61 Number of fund-raising events in FY 2001/02: 91 YOUR STATE GOVERNMENT'S CONTRIBUTION TO DU FOR CANADIAN PROJECTS: Total contributions granted through FY 2001/02: $686,676 Location of projects: Saskatchewan, Manitoba FEDERAL DUCK STAMP SALES 17,087 Federal Duck Stamps were sold in state during the 2000/01 hunting season.