Wildfowl_-_September_2019

SITTING TALL ON his horse, old shotgun in hand, getting ready to start

another day of volunteering his free time to helping a great cause. He never

knew the amount of work he put in would help pave the way for conserva-

tion history. I’m sure this man thought he was doing some good by helping

Ducks Unlimited; by the looks of it, he wasn’t there for the glory, he was

there for the cause.

In 1938, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) launched what it referred to as

the annual duck census of the Prairie provinces. The Keemen, sometimes

men and women, were required to complete an on-the-ground count of all

waterfowl found within their assigned area. In addition to helping with the

annual duck census, Keemen were also asked to provide two additional assess-

ments of waterfowl and habitat conditions each year. Each report included the

following information about their

respective area: numbers of ducks

and geese, the status of wetland and

upland habitats, the seasonal chro-

nology of migration patterns, and

any other remarkable phenomena

they had observed. These reports

were used to inform the American

counterparts of the status of birds

and habitat, as well as prospects for

the upcoming fall flight.

Keemen also helped improve

The Keemen

BLAST^ from^ the

(^) PAST
30 WILDFOWL Magazine | September 2019 wildfowlmag.com