Packers, Ducks Unlimited award $75,000

GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited awarded $75,000 to a local wildlife refuge Saturday.

The award will promote wetlands conservation efforts at the L.H. Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve northern pike rearing station.

"We are thrilled that the Packers are supporting this important work," said Jim Gronowski, Wisconsin DU state chairman. "Restoring the coastal wetlands of Green Bay does more than increase the number of pike in the lake; it provides recreation and clean water, too."

The Barkhausen Preserve was created by DU's third president. Efforts in partnership with Brown County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will restore and enhance degraded wetlands and waterways on the western shore of Green Bay to provide improved habitat for spawning northern pike and other wetland-dependent wildlife.

"The Packers are very excited to support Ducks Unlimited and their important conservation efforts at Barkhausen," said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy. "This project is an important component of our commitment to improving our community's wetlands in conjunction with the construction of the Cabela's in Ashwaubenon. We'll be fulfilling our DNR obligations for that project through its wetlands mitigation banking program. That will generate future results, but this effort with Ducks Unlimited will yield important wetlands benefit in Brown County this year."

Work on the L.H. Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve project will begin this spring and should be completed within the year.