DU’s Petrie receives NAWMP Award

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Nov. 23, 2020 – Dr. Mark Petrie, director of conservation planning for Ducks Unlimited’s (DU) Western Region, received the 2019 North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) National Blue-winged Teal Award for his continuing work benefitting wetlands and waterfowl.

Over the course of more than 22 years with Ducks Unlimited, Petrie has distinguished himself as a leader in waterfowl conservation. He is a prominent contributor to science-based conservation in DU and across multiple NAWMP Joint Ventures.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this award and be recognized alongside previous recipients, many of whom I have admired and looked up to for years,” Petrie said. “I’ve had a lot of help along the way, and this is as much a reflection of those partnerships and our collective efforts on behalf of waterfowl as anything I’ve done.”

Petrie’s NAWMP contributions include:

• Waterfowl bioenergetics – the study of how waterfowl utilize food to satisfy their needs.
• The role of mallard competition in the decline of black ducks in eastern North America.
• The importance of rice agriculture to wintering waterfowl.
• And the integration of social and biological objectives into conservation planning.

NAWMP is a continental-scale agreement that relies on regional Joint Venture partnerships of private, state/provincial and federal interests to conserve habitats that support North American waterfowl populations. NAMWP-related activities include site-specific habitat restoration projects, habitat assessments and research to improve conservation.

The National Blue-winged Teal Award is presented annually by the NAWMP Committee to recognize individuals or partners whose activities have resulted in substantial benefits to waterfowl and wetlands conservation at national or regional levels.

“Mark has advanced wetland and waterfowl conservation by focusing on science, collaboration and continental impacts,” said Dr. Karla Guyn, DU Canada CEO and NAWMP committee member. “Throughout his 22-year career, he has helped lead the NAWMP in important new directions to ensure wetland and waterfowl conservation remains relevant and successful for decades to come. I speak for many friends and colleagues across North America when I say that Mark makes us proud—but more importantly, he makes us better conservationists.”

Over his career, Petrie has served on the technical committee of four joint ventures (Gulf Coast, Central Valley, Intermountain West, Pacific Birds Habitat) and helped develop conservation planning models for their regions. He was a principal author on the waterfowl sections of the implementation plans for the Central Valley, Intermountain West and Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Ventures.

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Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved almost 15 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.