Wealthy benefactor's big donation could transform crucial wetlands: 'Critically important to the future'

A generous gift from a wealthy donor is set to support threatened waterfowl in the coastal marshes of the Southern U.S.

Conservation group Ducks Unlimited received a $2.5 million donation from the James M. Cox Foundation to help restore wetlands, improve wildlife habitats, create natural buffers, and protect vulnerable areas from storms and flooding, according to a report from The Arcadian Advocate. The foundation previously donated $1.1 million in 2022 to DU to preserve wetlands in Louisiana, and the new donation will support marshlands in both Louisiana and Texas.

"Restoring wetlands in coastal Louisiana and Texas is critically important to the future of North America's waterfowl," Cassidy Lejune, south Louisiana director of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited, told The Arcadian Advocate. "Habitats for waterfowl, people and other wildlife are disappearing at an alarming rate."

She added that in the next year, DU "plans to invest more than $61 million to impact over 40,000 acres across the western Gulf Coast."

The Cox Foundation is a regular donor to DU, and Jim Kennedy, chairman emeritus of Cox Enterprises and the current chairman of the foundation, is DU's largest individual donor.

DU was started in 1937 by a group of sportsmen looking to preserve the country's waterfowl in response to a devastating drought that impacted the Prairie Pothole/Great Plains region of North America, an important habitat for migratory birds. Today, DU focuses on conserving wetlands, grasslands, and other habitats that support waterfowl and wildlife.

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As of last year, DU has conserved over 19 million acres of wetlands across North America, according to their website. Wetlands are an important habitat not just for wildlife, but also for humans, naturally improving water quality, managing flood protection and shoreline erosion, not to mention their popularity for recreation, per the EPA.

Jeff Breaux, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Cox Communications, said at the luncheon announcing the donation, "These aren't just scenic landscapes and thriving ecosystems. They're home. And we're not only safeguarding habitat. We're investing in the ongoing restoration and resiliency of communities."

When people work together to support their communities, whether through donations or volunteering, they help ensure a better, healthier future for us all.

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