Ken Babcock, Ducks Unlimited’s senior director of conservation, has received one of the top honors bestowed upon a conservation leader: the Gary T. Myers conservation award.
Ken Babcock, Ducks Unlimited’s senior director of conservation, has received one of the top honors bestowed upon a conservation leader: the Gary T. Myers conservation award.
The award is presented to an individual or group that has shown exceptional accomplishments in bird conservation to further the goals of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and national/international bird initiatives, including the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
Babcock’s award was presented during DU’s Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards ceremony at the 78th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held in Arlington, Va., at the Crystal Gateway Hyatt.
“Ken has worked at DU since 1996 and is a true testament to what a lifetime devoted to conservation can accomplish,” said DU Chief Conservation Officer Paul Schmidt. “For more than 40 years he has dedicated his life to conservation and waterfowl management, and it’s truly been an honor work side-by-side with Ken on a daily basis at DU.”
Throughout his illustrious career, Babcock has served in leadership roles with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Missouri Department of Conservation and numerous joint venture management boards and helped develop and implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. He was also instrumental in expanding the use of science in setting hunting regulations, developed the first long-range management plan for the eastern prairie population of Canada geese and spearheaded the foundational “Design for Conservation” for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“There is no better honor I can think of than one that has Gary T. Myers’ name on it,” Babcock said after receiving the award. “Gary and I have been in foxholes together a lot of years and I’m absolutely honored and overwhelmed. I thank all of you.”
To view a complete list of the 2013 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award winners, please visit www.ducks.org.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 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. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org. Connect with us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/DucksUnlimited, follow our tweets at twitter.com/DucksUnlimited and watch DU videos at youtube.com/DucksUnlimitedInc.