Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has recognized Rick Andrews for 43 years of conservation work in Manitoba by naming 160 acres of marsh and grasslands north of Brandon in his honour.
“Rick will always talk about teamwork and the strength of the team at DUC,” says Mark Francis, DUC manager of provincial operations in Manitoba. “But this dedication pays tribute to Rick for devoting his life to protecting habitat in Manitoba; habitat that is critical for people, livestock and wildlife.”
Nearly 50 family, friends and former workmates attended the dedication ceremony on September 29, which featured a mounted colour guard and the unveiling of a bronze plaque near Rapid City where Andrews had restored native prairie grass in the 1990s.
“DUC is something I was always able to believe in,” says Andrews, who joined DUC’s Brandon office in 1977 and remained throughout his career, rising from field biologist to manager of provincial operations. “We did things that gave tangible results. That drove me.”
Andrews says he realized as a youngster that nature was special and pursued a job in conservation. With DUC, he worked in numerous roles: gathering data used to develop wetland policies; engineering projects; restoring grasslands and marshes; and managing all Manitoba staff and programs from 2015-2020 which included millions of dollars paid each year to landowners as incentives for conserving land or improving existing habitat.
Significant legislation and policies introduced during his career include:
– North American Waterfowl Management Plan (1987)
– Manitoba Conservation Agreements Act (1997)
– Manitoba Sustainable Watersheds Act (2017)
“A career highlight? The opportunity to do something that I truly loved,” says Andrews. “I worked with the top waterfowl and wetland scientists at Ducks Unlimited. We used the science to find the right solution for each landowner, while ensuring waterfowl benefits were provided. For me, that was very rewarding, to take the big picture and work it down to find that bit that works for each particular case.”
Read more of his story at https://www.ducks.ca/stories/grassroots/manitoba-conservation-leader-receives-land-dedication/
