Bruce Lewis elected Ducks Unlimited President

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MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 4, 2007 - Longtime Ducks Unlimited volunteer and national officer Bruce Lewis of Natchez, Mississippi, was elected president of Ducks Unlimited at the 70th Annual Ducks Unlimited Convention in Anchorage, Alaska. Lewis succeeds Dr. Jim Hulbert, who is now the wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization’s chairman of the board.

“To be standing here as president is an incredible and humbling experience,” Lewis said to a crowd of more than 1,200 Ducks Unlimited (DU) supporters.

“We all know of the imminent conservation needs of waterfowl and habitat. Our staff of biologists has prioritized those landscapes of greatest threat, and we will focus on those priority areas. We have the right team, the necessary tools and a noble mission,” Lewis said. “We will not deviate from our mission, and we will always remain true to our singleness of purpose to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitat for North American waterfowl.”

Lewis served as DU’s first vice president since May, 2005. He also served DU as an at-large board member, treasurer, regional vice president for the South Mississippi Flyway, sponsor chairman, district chairman, South Mississippi assistant state chairman and state chairman. In addition, Lewis served on both the Arts and Decoy Committee and Finance Committee and presently serves on the board of directors of DU Canada.

In his acceptance speech, Lewis outlined several goals during his tenure, which include focusing on DU’s conservation mission, while preserving its waterfowling heritage. Lewis also emphasized the importance of communication and education.

“What a heritage we have inherited. What a passion we have developed for that resource and this organization, which gives each of us the opportunity to give something back – to collectively make a meaningful and perpetual difference on the landscape when one person, working alone, cannot,” Lewis said. “Those of us who have been around this organization a long time don’t leave it, because we have been educated in what DU has accomplished and what we do so well. If we do a good job in educating our members and youth, it will pay dividends for Ducks Unlimited.”

Lewis, 57, received his B.A. and M.S.S. degrees from Mississippi State University and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi. He is a practicing attorney and partner in the law firm Gwin, Lewis and Punches in Natchez, where he resides with his wife Karen. They have three children, Grayson, Scott and Elizabeth.

Contact: Laura Houseal
(901) 758-3764
lhouseal@ducks.org

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.