
Ducks Unlimited recently received a grant from Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) to support wetlands conservation along the Texas coast. The $50,000 grant is part of a $3 million Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program, which awarded grants to 64 community-based nonprofits nationwide to help support land and water conservation, energy efficiency, infrastructure and educational outreach.
Ducks Unlimited recently received a grant from Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) to support wetlands conservation along the Texas coast. The $50,000 grant is part of a $3 million Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program, which awarded grants to 64 community-based nonprofits nationwide to help support land and water conservation, energy efficiency, infrastructure and educational outreach.
“We’re pleased to announce Ducks Unlimited as a recipient of Wells Fargo’s environmental grant program to help provide long-term solutions to the region’s environmental challenges,” said Ashley Grosh, head of Wells Fargo Environmental Philanthropy.
The grant will support Ducks Unlimited’s efforts to restore and protect wetlands along the Texas Gulf Coast, one of the most important waterfowl wintering areas in North America. DU will use a portion of the grant to improve managed wetland habitat on private lands through the Texas Prairie Wetlands Project. To date, this program has helped landowners enhance and manage more than 60,000 acres of coastal prairie habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.
A portion of the grant will also support DU’s efforts to protect publicly owned coastal marshes along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) through rock breakwater construction. Breakwaters protect adjacent marsh from erosion and saltwater intrusion from the GIWW.
“Ducks Unlimited is excited to be a recipient of this highly competitive Wells Fargo environmental grant,” said Todd Merendino, DU manager of conservation programs for Texas. “As the world leader in wetlands conservation, DU is a good fit for this program.”
The grant program began in 2012 as part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to provide $100 million to environmentally focused nonprofits and universities by 2020. It is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through a $15-million, five-year relationship to promote environmental stewardship across the country.
“We sought out the best ideas and programs to protect and conserve the environment for local communities,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Through Wells Fargo’s generous contributions, these community-based projects will provide immediate benefits to local ecosystems and will help build and strengthen environmental stewardship ethics.”
The community and environmental impacts of all grants will be measured and reported.
For example, in 2012, the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program collectively funded 8,621 acres of habitat restoration and 165,970 newly planted trees. The grants also helped reduce more than 2 million gallons of runoff water.
The full list of 2013 winners can be found at http://blog.wellsfargo.com/environment. Details of the program and a link to the 2014 application can be found on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation application website: www.nfwf.org/environmentalsolutions.
About Ducks Unlimited
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.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2012 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.
A leader in reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions and building sustainably, Wells Fargo has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the U.S. Green Building Council. Since 2005, Wells Fargo has provided more than $21 billion in environmental finance, supporting sustainable buildings and renewable energy projects nationwide. This includes investments in more than 260 solar projects and 34 wind projects that generate enough clean renewable energy to power hundreds of thousands of American homes each year. For more information, please visit. www.wellsfargo.com/environment.
About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) sustains, restores and enhances the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, it has awarded over 12,100 grants to more than 4,000 organizations and leveraged $618 million in federal funds into $2.1 billion for on-the-ground conservation. To learn more, visit www.nfwf.org.