Charleston native Mike McShane to lead Ducks Unlimited Public Policy Committee
August 7, 2024
Ducks Unlimited (DU) appointed South Carolina native Mike McShane as a new member of the Board of Directors. As Senior Advisory Vice President of Public Policy, McShane will serve as the volunteer leader of the Public Policy Committee, which works with DU policy staff to advocate for policies that benefit waterfowl, habitat and people.
DU’s public policy committee engages with lawmakers at the federal, state, and local levels to support funding for important conservation programs such as those included in the Farm Bill, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and much more. DU has recently been involved with the passage of the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, which makes it easier for duck hunters to access their federal Duck Stamp.
Mike Mcshane
“To serve in an organization like Ducks Unlimited under President Spoerl’s leadership is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said McShane. “I look forward to applying my experience in South Carolina at a national scale alongside our dedicated group of volunteers and professional staff. Together, we’ll continue to advocate for policies that support wetlands and other waterfowl habitat while making communities across the nation more sustainable.”
McShane was appointed by President Bob Spoerl, who was elected as DU’s 47th volunteer leader at the National Convention in San Diego.
“Public policy has become a critical ingredient to the success of our conservation mission,” said Spoerl. “On the heels of our first ever one-million-acre year, it couldn’t be done without the support of our volunteers and staff who interact with lawmakers across the country in support of policies that benefit waterfowl, their habitat and our communities. Mike’s experience as a leader with DU and in his native South Carolina will be invaluable to DU’s public policy efforts moving forward.”
About Mike
Mike McShane brings decades of experience in conservation and as a community leader in South Carolina to the Board of Directors. He advocated for and ultimately helped secure the most state-level dedicated conservation funding in state history. As a native of the Lowcountry, he has a lifelong passion for conservation and the outdoors, with a particular interest in waterfowl hunting, shooting sports and inshore saltwater fishing.
McShane currently serves as chairman of the South Carolina Conservation Bank, chairman and trustee of the Nemours Wildlife Foundation, chairman of the Beaufort County Greenspace Advisory Committee, president and CEO of the NEAR Center, chairman of the East Edisto Conservancy, and co-chairman of the ACE Basin Task Force.
About Ducks Unlimited
Since its inception in 1937, DU has grown to more than 620,000 members in the United States while conserving more than 18 million acres in North America and counting. To date, DU has conserved more than 216,000 acres in South Carolina and has more than 16,500 members in across the state.
For the first time in history, DU is celebrating the delivery of 1 million acres of conservation across North America in fiscal year 2024.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 18 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.
Interviews with McShane or other Ducks Unlimited leadership are available upon request.
For more from DU, follow us on Twitter @DucksUnlimited or our newest account focused exclusively on conservation and policy – @DUConserve.
