Ducks Unlimited Canada secures Manitoba’s largest ever conservation land purchase

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The area will now be known as the Kennedy Field Station at East Meadows

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STONEWALL, Manitoba, Aug. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Conservation nonprofit Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has completed the largest conservation land purchase in Manitoba’s history with the acquisition of East Meadows Ranch. Moving forward, this area will be known as the Kennedy Field Station at East Meadows, a sprawling tract of coastal marsh, wetlands and grassland habitats. DUC will steward the 8,167-acre (3,108-hectare) property on Lake Manitoba’s Marshy Point.

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The purchase marks a once-in-a-generation achievement in wetland conservation — protecting a place where waterfowl science, community tradition and conservation history converge.  At approximately $9 million, the acquisition was funded through contributions from public and private donors including Cox Enterprises, local philanthropists and the Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program.  

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“This property is a living legacy where generations of people and wildlife have been connected through the land,” said Pat O’Connor, Chair of Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Board of Directors. “This project celebrates Manitoba’s conservation roots and secures a future for the wetlands, grasslands and across one of Canada’s most storied natural landscapes.”

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A landmark for conservation  
Situated 80 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, the Kennedy Field Station at East Meadows encompasses a mosaic of wetlands, uplands and tallgrass prairie, including over 800 acres of DUC’s historic Marshy Point wetland project. The site lies within a globally recognized Important Bird Area (IBA), supporting up to 43 breeding duck pairs per square mile and sustaining western grebes, trumpeter swans, lesser yellow legs, least bittern, Franklin’s gulls, pelicans, herons, bobolinks and other species that rely on its freshwater marshes and meadows. 
 
“This project represents an incredible opportunity for landscape-level conservation and a major step toward sustaining Manitoba’s wetlands for waterfowl, wildlife and communities alike,” said Pat Kehoe, DUC’s acting Chief Executive Officer. “It delivers on our strategic plan to conserve and restore healthy, sustainable landscapes that support biodiversity, climate resilience and water management.

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A leading contribution  
Among these supporters, a lead investment came from corporate partner Cox Enterprises, which in 2024 announced a $100 million gift to the Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU) land trust, Wetlands America Trust (WAT). The gift, focused on conserving North America’s prairie region, was made in honor of Jim Kennedy, chairman emeritus of Cox Enterprises and chairman of the James M. Cox Foundation. A portion of the historic contribution was provided to make this land purchase possible. The property will be named Kennedy Field Station at East Meadows in recognition of Kennedy’s significant role in its protection.  

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Jim Kennedy’s connection to the Ducks Unlimited mission spans decades, first volunteering through his local Atlanta, Georgia chapter nearly 55 years ago, and later serving as the founding president of WAT. He has generously supported many of DU and DUC’s highest-priority initiatives. 

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“Marshy Point is a special place that shows conservation at its best. Its wetlands and grasslands provide important habitat for waterfowl and wildlife while giving people the opportunity to explore and connect with the outdoors,” said Jim Kennedy. “Protecting this landscape forever is something my family and our company are proud to do, and we are pleased that it will remain a place future generations can enjoy and learn from.”  
 
A legacy built over generations 
Kitson Vincent is the most recent steward of this land, which has a rich history.  The property was a former muskrat ranch that was purchased in 1944 by Winnipeg businessman William A. Murphy, who passed it to his son-in-law Peter Curry, Vincent’s uncle. Vincent was passionate about keeping this property intact and generously supported the land transfer to DUC. The property is widely renowned as the cradle of one of Canada’s greatest wildlife recoveries — the reintroduction of the Giant Canada Goose, once thought extinct. It is also a cornerstone of waterfowl science. For more than half a century, graduate researchers and scientists from across North America have studied here, exploring the breeding ecology of gadwalls, mallards and shovellers — a tradition that continues under DUC’s stewardship.