Thanks to the generosity of Cox Enterprises Chairman Emeritus and former Wetlands America Trust President Jim Kennedy and the James M. Cox Foundation, Ducks Unlimited (DU) will have an additional $2 million to support wetlands restoration and conservation.
As the most generous individual donor in DU’s history, Kennedy is well-versed in Ducks Unlimited’s commitment to achieving its conservation goals.
The Foundation grant will support wetland restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and the Chesapeake Bay area.
“It has always been important to me to leave the world better than I found it. That’s why I continue to help DU restore wetlands,” said Kennedy.
“Ducks Unlimited’s work on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast and along the Chesapeake Bay will benefit wildlife and surrounding communities,” he added.
DU and the James M. Cox Foundation have a shared commitment to environmental stewardship.
Louisiana’s coastal prairies, marshes and bays are among North America’s most productive wetland systems. They are also among the most threatened, losing 17 square miles per year.
Funds from the Foundation will support a broad array of projects, including acquiring a 2500-acre tract of coastal wetlands south of New Orleans, continuing restoration of Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, and wetlands within the Mermentau Basin.
In addition to efforts along the Gulf Coast, support from the Foundation will also help conserve crucial wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay across Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, which provide vital ecosystem functions for one of the most populated areas of the country.
The Foundation’s support will help provide habitat for many wetland-dependent species and ensure clean water, coastal resilience and flood protection for 18 million people.
“Jim Kennedy has been an amazing partner in conservation,” DU CEO Adam Putnam said.
“Through the James M. Cox Foundation’s generous support, we will be able to help conserve and restore critical wetland areas that not only provide habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl, but also provide coastal protections for those who call these landscapes home,” he continued.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and conserving North America‘s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats.
Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.
The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises’ founder and provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. James M. Cox was Ohio’s first three-term governor and the 1920 Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
The Foundation concentrates its community support in several areas including conservation and environment; early childhood education; empowering families and individuals for success; and health.
Photo courtesy of Ducks Unlimited.