DU efforts to protect wildlife habitat also include the implementation of conservation easements , which are legal agreements in which a property owner voluntarily agrees to restrict development on his or her land. Easements are being used as a planning option at a dramatically increasing rate. They're great tools for land preservation, particularly in areas of the country like the Pacific Northwest where urban sprawl is a great threat. Once an easement has been signed, the protection is perpetual. DU's first conservation easement in the Pacific Northwest, signed in 1999, protects 96 acres of bay front property.
Many more easements are in the works.
Show your support for wetlands and wildlife at one of more than 5,000 annual DU fundraising events, and see how much fun conservation can be. Click Here for Part I of the series. Click Here for Part III of the series. To fulfill the annual life cycle needs of North American waterfowl by protecting, enhancing, restoring and managing important wetlands and associated uplands. Ducks Unlimited's historical timeline .