For the Humboldt chapter of Ducks Unlimited Canada, fundraisers like the 31st annual Spring Banquet and Fundraising Auction on Feb. 27 is huge for their projects in the region.
Darcy Leonew, Ducks Unlimited Co-chair and President, says that they had the fundraiser in a different month compared to other years, but that did not make a difference. People still came out to support the Ducks.
“They like our organization and we show everyone a good time.”
Twenty-seven local businesses supported the fundraiser, and without them, Leonew says he does not know how they could make the fundraiser happen.
Jubilee Hall was nearly full because people stepped up, says Leonew.
“With all the private ticket sales, people just stepped up and filled the place.”
A lot of work went into making the fundraiser such a big success. Ducks Unlimited members, including family and other volunteers, contributed many hours to putting together the fundraiser. Leonew says he has a good fundraising committee backing him up.
“If you don’t have that committee as your backbone, they are the ones that make my job a lot easier,” says Leonew.
Members helped with planning the event, but it was the volunteers who got everything together, says Leonew.
Along with silent and live auctions, attendees got to go around to different games set up to complete their passport for prize draws. One game involved auctioning off knife sets. Those that won got to put their initials on a rubber duck, which were then picked out of a cooler by Rio, Dave Atamanchuk’s black lab. Those ducks the dog picked were the unlucky ones as that was the elimination round for picking the big four prizes at the fundraiser.
Part of the fun was the MC, Lambert Strumborg and auctioneer, Sean McRae.
“I try to keep those two together every year because they work so well together,” says Leonew.
All the money raised from the event stays in Humboldt to buy property to conserve wetlands. Dave Atamanchuk with Ducks Unlimited Humboldt says that he is seeing a lot of wildlife and birds coming back to the Humboldt area because their habitat is being restored.
Three local projects that will serve as important easements and conservation areas for Ducks Unlimited Humboldt were mentioned at the banquet.
The Reineke B & K site is a section of land bought from Roger and Linda Reineke, who wanted to help out with Ducks Unlimited. Conservation runs in Roger’s family, so they wanted to do their part to conserve the Humboldt wetlands. Atamanchuk says the Reineke section has 20 restored wetlands, lots of native habitat, and seeded uplands for a rotational grazing system, says Atamanchuk.
A section bought from Alex and Tim Saretsky by Wolverine pasture is also an important piece of land for Ducks Unlimited with 75 restored water basins.
Aaron Engele sold a valuable piece of land to Ducks Unlimited. The water that was on the section made it hard to farm and it fit the bill for Ducks Unlimited, says Atamanchuk.
Engele also became a sponsor of Ducks Unlimited.
“It was really nice to see him saying, ‘I like what you guys do, I’d like to put something back.’”
Travis Behning, Manager of Events and Volunteer Relations for Northern Saskatchewan, says they want to make sure money is going to the right place, which is why the money is going to local projects such as the three mentioned.
“We want to preserve as many wetlands as possible and we want to keep it as local as possible, so that’s where the money is going.”
