Delta Waterfowl held a meet-and-greet form of a supper gathering last night at the Portage Golf Club in Portage la Prairie, with several dignitaries present. A major announcement was made at the event about the purchase of a portion of the Delta Waterfowl lodge property by a wealthy waterfowl enthusiast from the USA, reuniting the entire overall lodge.

Minister of Sustainable Development Rochelle Squires was there.

MLA Rochelle Squires"I'm thrilled to be here tonight to support the good work of Delta Waterfowl," says Squires. "I know they had an incredibly exciting announcement with some partnerships and new ownerships of some of the marshes that they are interested in protecting and preserving. It's really a celebration of the work they do, including all its chapters."

Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP and Opposition Critic for Fish and Wildlife Conservation Robert Sopuck adds he was able to once again see many of his old friends whom he hadn't seen since he became MP. He notes what he likes about the group is that Delta Waterfowl is strongly focused on waterfowl conservation and protecting our hunting futures.

Sopuck explains the Delta Marsh Field Station was severely damaged in the flooding of a few years ago, but it's still an icon in the waterfowl research world. Every researcher in the field across the world would likely know precisely where the station is. Many great waterfowl biologists were trained there.

Sopuck personally has a Masters degree in Fishery science, and his entire career's been focused on conservation. He notes as an MP, he's served on both the Environment and Fisheries committees. He says those were the only committees he's ever served on, and is proud of that track record. Sopuck adds he's likely the longest serving MP on both of those committees in the current parliament. Sopuck adds it's vital that conservation (taking into account the rural community) and Members of Parliament who strongly believe in this way of hunting, angling, farming and conservation life, should be very loud and proud in terms of their support for these activities. He notes he's never been a person to shy away from strongly supporting modern agriculture, hunting, rural communities, and angling. Sopuck stresses he's a very strong opponent of the animal rights movement, and has been very vocal about it. Sopuck says, as an MP, he has a podium to speak about it.

MP Robert Sopuck As a way of life that he cherishes, Sopuck adds, he's proud of the enemies he's garnered, seeing as it indicates how much of an effect he's had.

Delta Waterfowl President and Chief Scientist Frank Rohwer says a major donor bought out the original Bell family's 400 acres of its lodge and reunited the property, by the name of John Childs. Rohwer says the organization's been in operation since 1938, so it's nice to have the ancestral Delta Marsh back in, essentially what is now, one ownership. He explains Childs is very much in step with what the organization is doing by way of support for their research and programs for hunting, duck production and habitat protection.

Frank RohwerRohwer says the group officially began in 1911 on the east coast back in the day when plenty of market hunting had taken place and was giving way to wildlife advocating, and treating wildlife as a sport, and not just something for food and commerce. Rohwer says that was their basis. But the organization migrated to the Delta Marsh. He says it was always a waterfowl organization, and then James Ford Bell bought the property and indicated that not much is known about waterfowl. That demanded a research station. 

He notes their group has the oldest waterfowl research station that looks at duck biology. Rohwer says everyone considers the father of wildlife management to be Aldo Leopold, its first actual professor who wrote many books on the subject. Bell brought Leopold up as an adviser who told Bell that duck biology is something that they really need to understand. Rohwer adds hundreds of graduates came through that research station.

Delta Waterfowl's Lodge property (photo courtesy of Delta Waterfowl website)