Through DUs MARSH (Matching Aid to Restore States Habitat), 7.5% of funds raised through the grassroots event system is reserved for use on habitat work in a state. Typically, these funds are spent in cooperation with state and some Federal wildlife agencies on conservation projects on public land (e.g., state wildlife management areas, Federal wildlife refuges, etc.). DU has agreements on a site specific basis that spell out how habitat is managed on individual projects. The managing agency is responsible for operation and maintenance costs of the project, and determinations of allowable public use, if any.

The remaining funds, or 92.5%, are sent to DUs National Headquarters. There, these funds are used to fund conservation programs in Canada, to offset costs of fundraising, and other administrative costs, and a relatively small amount is used to provide partial funding for winter and migration habitat programs. It is well known that over 80% of the funds raised by DU chapters across the country go into the ground in the form of habitat conservation programs.

In many states, the only conservation funds spent are the MARSH funds. In states where high priority habitats occur, some additional DU funds are spent. These dollars typically are very highly leveraged. What this means is that for every DU dollar spent on conservation, we are able to get our combined partners to contribute at least $5.

Clearly, DU is working very hard and spending considerable resources on important migration and winter habitat in states like Louisiana. Further, most of this funding is not from traditional grassroots DU fundraising efforts. Rather, they are dollars generated from programs and major gifts ear- marked for site or region specific work that would not be secured otherwise. This allows dollars resulting from traditional grassroots fundraising (banquets, golf and shooting events, etc) to flow through National Headquarters to fund conservation work in Canada and the Great Plains and other priority conservation areas.