• Preliminary harvest data suggest waterfowlers bagged an estimated 322,715 snow geese during the special season last year, roughly 50 percent of the harvest goal.

• Although parasitism is not common in most goose species, snow geese will occasionally lay eggs in the nest of other snow geese.

• Ducks Unlimited has invested more than $180 million in habitat projects across Alberta, one of the most important waterfowl-producing provinces in Canada.

• Among the most formidable challenges facing waterfowl and other wildlife in North America and abroad is human population growth. Between 2000 and 2025, the U.S. population is projected to grow from 277.8 million to 332.5 million — a 20 percent increase. As demands for living space escalate, urban sprawl will also become a greater threat to waterfowl habitat, and rapidly growing cities will place heavy demands on the continent's limited freshwater supplies, making water availability and quality critical health issues for both people and wildlife. To meet the needs of waterfowl on ever-changing landscapes, DU will rely heavily in the future on cutting-edge research to plan and evaluate its conservation programs.