Dr. Scott Manley received an inaugural Ducks Unlimited Excellence in Conservation Award for his work on the Rice Stewardship Partnership.
DU’s Conservation Programs Committee created these awards — a first for for the 83-year-old organization — to recognize outstanding conservation accomplishments and the DU staff who made them possible.
The 2020 awards were announced Aug. 20 during the committee’s summer meeting.
“These awards were created to support morale, help maintain a high level of motivation and convey the gratitude of DU supporters and volunteers by recognizing truly exceptional conservation professionals,” said CPC Chair Dr. Christine Thomas. “The awards recognize particularly outstanding conservation achievements by individuals who are part of the staff of Ducks Unlimited.”
In just six years of on-the-ground implementation, the Rice Stewardship Partnership has achieved 600,000 acres of conservation impact on ricelands across the three most critical wintering areas for waterfowl.
“I would like to thank the conservation programs committee for recognition of the Rice Stewardship Partnership,” said Manley, DU director of conservation programs for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. “This is a partnership that is a great example of what I’d like to see in the future for Ducks Unlimited.”
The Rice Stewardship Partnership was formed in 2013 with an agreement between USA Rice and DU. The program serves rice growers across six states and three of DU’s conservation regions. It is funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Walmart Foundation, the Mosaic Co. Foundation, Nestle Purina PetCare, Chevron USA, Entergy, Freeport-McMoran Foundation, Irene W. and C.B Pennington Foundation, RiceTec, BASF, American Rice Inc.-Riviana Foods Inc, Joe W. and Dorothy Doresett Brown Foundation, Delta Plastics, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Corteva Agriscience, Wells Fargo, Farmers Rice Milling Co., Horizon Ag, Turner’s Creek and Bombay Hook Farms, MacDon Industries and Ricelands Foods.
Ducks Unlimited contributed this article.