Today our members include private aviculturists, students, researchers, conservationists, educators, zoo professionals, and waterfowl enthusiasts from around the world.

        IWWA is working to preserve all 234 taxa of wild waterfowl, and with your help in meeting the challenge, much can be done.

        IWWA supports the captive breeding and restoration of the endangered Nene (Branta sandvicensis), such as the innovative program of propagation and soft-release on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

        IWWA supports the establishment and maintenance of genetically diverse and disease-free captive populations of endangered waterfowl, such as the white-winged wood duck (Cairina scutulata) project at Sylvan Heights in North Carolina.

        IWWA is a partner in cooperative conservation projects, such as our partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Zoological Association's Waterfowl Taxon Advisory Group, working to establish genetically diverse, captive populations of the Chilean torrent duck (Merganetta a. armata) and the bronze-winged duck (Anas specularis).

        IWWA champions research about little-known wild waterfowl species, such as our support of pioneering work with Tule geese (Anser albifrons gambelli) and current research on the masked duck (Oxyura dominica).

        IWWA educates waterfowl conservationists by support of publications such as Frank Todd's Natural History of the Waterfowl, the classic Raising Wild Ducks in Captivity, and our newsletter, published since 1969.

        IWWA fosters the exchange of information about waterfowl, both wild and captive, and wetlands, among professionals through our conferences, held regularly since 1959. IWWA's annual awards program recognizes outstanding leadership and achievement in the conservation and the captive-culture of wild waterfowl. (Our fall 2003 North American conference will be held in Wichita, Kansas, and our European conference will be held in Germany .)

        IWWA strongly believes in the roles of aviculture and in-situ conservation in sustaining wild waterfowl. We use these tools in a dynamic conservation policy that informs our international legislative activities concerning permitting regulations, public land use, and conservation.

        While the need to preserve habitat is obvious, the importance of captive breeding facilities may not be. The private and institutional captive display and breeding of waterfowl has helped educate the public, provide research opportunities and expand waterfowl conservation options. Pending habitat restoration, the existence of some species can only be ensured through captive breeding facilities. Yet, current facilities world-wide can house only about 25,000 ducks, geese, and swans - about 100 individuals of each of the 234 taxa. This is not adequate for the maintenance of genetically diverse, viable populations.

        To join, please send your check, payable to the International Wild Waterfowl Association, today. Be sure to include your address if it is not printed on the check. You might also include a telephone, fax number and e-mail address if you wish them available to the membership.

Unless you reside in Europe, send checks in U.S. currency to:

IWWA
c/o Ali Lubbock
P.O. Box 36
Scotland Neck, N.C. 27874

For information, call (252) 826-5038 or Fax (252) 826-5284
Membership: $25/year
Supporter: $50 or more/year
Life Member: $300

For European membership only, send checks to:

IWWA
c/o Jane Dawson
Easter Ellister
Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay
Argyll, Scotland, U.K.

For information, call 01496 860 204 or Fax 01496 860 369
Member: £ 20/year
Life member: £ 240

 

Our 2003 conventions will be held in Witchita, KS and Germany. See our new website at http://wildwaterfowl.org/

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INTERNATIONAL WILD WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION
 2002 CONVENTIONS

 San Diego, California, October 16  - 19  2002
Bristol, U.K.,  November 15 - 17, 2002

2002 IWWA AWARDS, Presented at the banquets by Paul Dye, Awards Chairman.  

I want to begin by thanking my awards committee members for their help and support, and by saying that we will miss the advice, help and friendship of committee member Bill Hancock, who passed away a short time ago.  We also wish to welcome the addition of Tim Baird to the committee.      

First Breeding in North America – Joe Desarro

 Joe is being awarded this 2002 Outstanding Avicultural Achievement Award for the first breeding of Bewick Swans in North America.  Congratulations Joe! 

Outstanding Service Award – Ed Asper

 Ed has been a steadying influence on IWWA for a very long time. He joined the board over 25 years ago and for much of that time has served as an officer, and has been chairman of the Bylaws Committee since Walt has been president. 

Ed has hosted or helped several IWWA conferences, and on at least two occasions edited, produced, and distributed the IWWA Membership Roster at no cost to IWWA. He has also sponsored at least two membership campaigns. One of those campaigns was quite extensive and involved collecting and mailing lists from several other bird clubs and mailing out individual letters to their members, encouraging them to join IWWA. 

He has been a constant supporter of our fund raising auctions through both donations and purchases. 

Ed has served as our long time unofficial interface with AZA. We benefit from the depth of knowledge he has gained on business, ethics, and regulations. Walt often looks to Ed for advice or support in carrying his duties and Ed always provides a thoughtful and timely  response.

 Recognizing Ed’s contribution to IWWA and aviculture in general is long overdue.

Outstanding Service Award – Maureen and Shelly Baron 

These two special people have been a great addition to the IWWA family and the world of aviculture. 

On their beloved island of Chappaquiddick, a part of Martha’s Vineyard, they have built an impressive collection of waterfowl, pheasants and hookbills. This collection is meticulously maintained and cared for. Visitors are always welcome at the Baron’s and given the red-carpet treatment. 

 These two members have contributed much to the cohesiveness and friendliness of our organization. They truly deserve the recognition given to them this evening.

Outstanding Service Award - Raymond Sawyer 

With the death of Alfred Ezra in the UK in 1955, Jean Delacour wrote that a happy, prosperous and delightful era in aviculture had come to an end, the likes of which would probably not be seen again. 

Today, nearly fifty years later it’s apparent that Jean Delacour would agree that his great friend Raymond Sawyer’ achievements throughout the world of aviculture have become a fitting sequel. 

As a young lad Raymond was taken to his first bird show and so strong was the impact that he cried all the way home and his passion for bird keeping was born. 

Since then, his dedication and enthusiasm have remained unsurpassed, and he has become a leading expert in ornithology.  His expertise in aviary design and construction, combined with a high degree of skill in the cultivation of a garden, have resulted in aviaries suited to the special requirements of the birds as well as a delight to perceive. 

Those of us who have been privileged to visit Chestnut Lodge will bear witness to his attention to detail and hygiene standards which have produced no less than 14 UK first breedings, 5 National Championships,  34 other awards on the show bench, and one of the largest collections of exotic birds in the UK, not to mention Koi Carp and Giant Tortoises.

 For many years he was Superintendent of Zoos for the GLC and an adviser on avicultural matters to the Royal Parks.

 In these difficult modern times Raymond and Ruth’s home at Cobham has become the standard bearer for aviculture, and to those who would oppose our hobby, we suggest that they should visit Chestnut Lodge and see how really good aviculture is done.

EUROPEAN AWARDS

Rodney Dawson Memorial Award – Colin Wintle

 I have had the good fortune to visit Colin & Kathy Wintle at their Chinyeka Farm in Marondera, Zimbabwe twice in my life, once in the 1980’s and again in the 1990’s.  I found them to be an extremely interesting and hospitable couple, operating an immaculate and beautiful farm under sometimes very harsh conditions.

 Colin’s avicultural expertise was immediately very obvious.  Waterfowl species, both native to southern Africa, and from far-flung parts of the world, such as North America and Europe were being kept in a lovely setting and in most cases, bred successfully with healthy young being reared.  This is even more spectacular an accomplishment in light of the fact he had none of the modern, enriched feeds that we so readily employ, and had to combat unbelievably cunning predators, such as baboons, pythons, mongoose and civet cats in order to keep his birds alive.

 His successes at breeding such rare species as Pigmy Geese, White-backed Ducks, Goldeneyes, mergansers and others enabled him to make his offspring available to other aspiring African breeders, and he actively encouraged them to try their hand.  His ability to make aviculture look easy in such conditions was an inspiration to both Africans and visitors alike.

 Since the Rodney Dawson Memorial Award is available to Europeans, it pleases us greatly that this accomplished waterfowl breeder now qualifies for it.  We wish him well with his future endeavors.

FUN PHOTOS FROM SAN DIEGO

BIG SHOTS!!!!!

CREDIT WHERE DUE 

SQUAWK! TAKE US TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD

WHEN JOHN SPEAKS - WE LISTEN