DUC fundraiser could top $25,000

Robert Wishart, left, and Ken Giblin were among several people to do the auctioning work.

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

Judy Ostermeier champions wetland conservation in her own ways. Each year, Ostermeier donates a chair she makes from diamond willow branches to the Ducks Unlimited Canada banquet. She works on the chair in stages and says it takes a lot of energy. “It’s the one event of the year that I will volunteer for. It takes a whole month and a half just to prepare (the chair),” says Ostermeier. The chair she donated this year raised $300, as a father and son bid on it. Ostermeier also has a private wetland on her property 10 kilometres southeast of High Prairie. It stretches for half a mile and has a couple of beaver dams. This year, 125 people attended the 16th annual DUC banquet at the Pomeroy Inn Oct. 25. Auctioneer Keith Giblin took bids for items like a canvasback boot box, a vintage pedal truck, a vintage phone stand and a ‘Sweet Dreams’ framed print of a polar bear and her cubs. A silent auction was held for items like a soft-cover rifle carrying case and a set of knives. Other fundraising activities occurred. “It was a wonderful event,” says organizer Tammy Kaleta, adding $22-25,000 was raised for DUC projects. According to the DUC website, out of every dollar received, 9.3 per cent goes to education, 13.4 per cent goes to fundraising and administration and 77.3 per cent goes to habitat conservation and research. Kaleta says it’s important for High Prairie residents to support the banquet. “We are on the major flight path. We have to be able to do our share to ensure that the habitat in our area is protected. If we don’t, then we will lose our nesting habitat for all the birds.” She thanks all the volunteers, including members of the E.W. Pratt Grade 12 class, who worked at the banquet, as well as the sponsors for their support. Bill Lesiuk, another volunteer, attends as many as six of these banquets each year. He’s a hunter and supported DUC while living in Fort Vermillion, Alta. “Of course, being a hunter, you’re always looking at how you can improve things,” says Lesiuk. “I strongly believe that your best conservation people are the ones that are involved in the hunting of the game as well.” Murray Hampshire, the northwest Alberta fundraising manager for DUC in Grande Prairie, commends High Prairie’s support. “On a per capita basis, High Prairie is very, very strong,” says Hampshire. “The sponsorship in High Prairie is outstanding with all the different companies and organizations that give cash or merchandise to our banquet.” He also says DUC is launching its $1.5 billion Wetlands for Tomorrow fundraising campaign. DUC touts this as the biggest conservation fundraising campaign in the history of North America. It will work with Ducks Unlimited Inc. in the U.S. and Ducks Unlimited Mexico to meet continental conservation goals. DUC wants to raise $500 million in Canada by 2011.

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