DU 75th ann. in D.C. - Capital Hill Diamond Dinner

DU's Paul Schmidt and wife Diane

U.S. Senators at the DU Diamond Dinner

DU's Bart James welcomes me to D.C.

DU CEO Dale Hall and wife Sarah

When asked about traveling to our nation's capital to attend the 75th Anniversary events for Ducks Unlimited, I replied that I was deeply honored to do so. The April 17th Capital Hill Diamond Dinner was attended by Congressmen, Senators, government officials, conservation leaders and NGO sponsors. Attendees were told that they were the key to keeping alive America's unique hunting heritage and a tradition of wildlife habitat stewardship, that leads to waterfowl habitat restoration in North America. The cocktail hour was followed by a Congressional photo, and the National Anthem sung by Miss Virginia, Elizabeth Crot, who sang with clarity and a pure tone. A prayer led by Congressman Rob Wittman of Virginia blessed the meal of surf and turf that was served in the Hyatt Regency on New Jersey Avenue. A spinach and strawberry salad was followed by salmon and sirloin with a golden potato and celery root puree. A 75th anniversary red velvet dessert from Georgetown Cupcake capped off the tasty meal, that was served with red and white wine. Thanks to Congressman Robert E. Latta of Ohio for dining with me and telling me about how he works hard in D.C. and misses most of the hunting season in his home state. An even bigger thanks goes to Congressman Latta and ALL of the elected officials that represent sportsmen in D.C. since we are a minority, but a vocal minority that preaches a worthy cause such as hunting conservation shall never be drowned out of the political conversation! Corporate sponsorship at the Diamond Dinner ensured that major funds would be raised for DU and they included Shell, Honeywell, Motorola, Caterpillar, Oracle, Audubon, Boone and Crockett Club, Norfolk Southern, Remington and many more. Special thanks to Territory and Commonwealth Inc. for allowing a South Carolinian outdoor writer to join their table! Live auction items included a Terry Redlin print, a N.Y duck hunt, a Maryland dove hunt, a beretta white onyx 28-gauge over and under shotgun, an African safari, goose hunting and fishing in Costa Rica. Also, as a special part of the 75th anniversary, decoy carver Charles Jones of Maryland's Eastern Shore donated a hand-carved decoy to each of the 70 table sponsors. But perhaps the most exciting moment of the night was when Speaker of the House John Boehner took the stage (click to see my photo), ahead of his secret service detail, in order to thank DU volunteers for their record of good work. The entire event ran smoothly and was conducted with the class that one would expect from a 75th Diamond Dinner.

VIDEO: House Speaker John Boehner addresses the DU 75th ann. crowd

To read past blog entries about DU's 75th anniversary in D.C. click here.