This Week on DUTV: Alberta Freelancing

This week Mike Checkett heads west from Saskatchewan to freelance the prairie potholes of East Central Alberta with Ducks Unlimited Canada staff. While there Mike sees first-hand the DU habitat programs in this Priority One area and visits a DU project dedicated to an old Arkansas friend.

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is No. 1 on the 25 most important and threatened waterfowl habitats on the continent. The PPR is the core of what was once the largest expanse of grassland in the world, the Great Plains of North America. Its name comes from a geological phenomenon that left its mark beginning 10,000 years ago. When the glaciers from the last ice age receded, they left behind millions of shallow depressions that are now wetlands, known as prairie potholes. The potholes are rich in plant and aquatic life, and support globally significant populations of breeding waterfowl.

Alberta is part of this key "duck factory" with eight million waterfowl and 20 million shorebirds using its wetlands and surrounding habitat to mate, nest, hatch and raise their young. Alberta's PPR is 72,587 square miles and stretches from the Boreal Transition Zone south to the Montana border.

DU conservation activities in Alberta include working closely with landowners to assist in conserving natural and agricultural lands, and restoring wetlands. Most of these options are beneficial to both the landowners and the landscape that shelters waterfowl and wildlife and their habitat.

In addition to a great hunt each week, you can pick up useful tips on shooting and hunting from expert Wade Bourne while you learn more about waterfowl and waterfowl habitat and conservation. Extend your season each week with DUTV as we celebrate conservation and our rich waterfowling heritage.

DUTV is presented by Browning- Dirty Bird and appears four times each week on the Outdoor Channel, America's leader in outdoor TV. Don't miss an episode!http://www.ducks.org/news-media/du-tv
Friday 2:30 p.m.
Sunday 6:30 a.m.
Sunday 4 p.m.
Tuesday 10 a.m.

Watch full DUTV episodes from past seasons (2006-2011) online at:http://www.ducks.org/DUTV

Contact:
Mike Checkett (901) 758-3793 or mcheckett@ducks.org