Norton Speaks at Wetlands Symposium

July 9, 2001

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will speak to wildlife experts and conservationists from around the world at the Ducks Unlimited International Waterfowl and Wetlands Symposium in Washington, DC, July 20th at 1 p.m. The symposium will cover a wide range of issues affecting waterfowl and wetlands, with a special emphasis on the increasing value of water.

Norton will be introduced by D. A. (Don) Young, executive vice president of Ducks Unlimited, who said Norton is "well poised to address the issues that are relevant to wetlands and waterfowl conservation. The Bush administration has put a great deal of emphasis on private landowners and their role in conservation. We share this perspective and have private landowners to thank for millions of the acres we have conserved and restored."

He also noted that the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), a federal matching program administered by the Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, has funded conservation of more than 7 million acres of wildlife habitat in North America. "NAWCA is a very effective vehicle for meaningful public-private partnerships that restore wetland habitat for migratory birds and hundreds of other wildlife species," said Young.

The Ducks Unlimited International Waterfowl and Wetlands Symposium takes place every five years. This year's event marks the 8th symposium on the issues facing the management and protection of waterfowl and wetlands. Previous symposia have helped expose issues that have led to the implementation of new conservation partnerships and initiatives.

Ducks Unlimited will host a field trip during the July 20-22 event that will include visiting a variety of sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to view examples of riparian habitat conservation, wetland restoration and other watershed conservation activities. The Chesapeake Bay, identified by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands as a "wetland of international importance," is one of the largest and most productive ecosystems in the world.

Experts from around the world will speak about a wide array of issues, including the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, western water issues, agriculture and conservation, and changes in the Clean Water Act. For more information about the symposium, click on the "conservation" section at www.ducks.org.