David Snowden Jr

It's not an exaggeration to say that a love of ducks really has driven the life of David Snowden Jr.

The Little Rock, Arkansas, native was born into waterfowl hunting, and he's fully embraced every aspect of the duck world-including a strong conservation ethic.

"I've been hunting since before I can remember. My dad hunted with Wallace Claypool (of the famous 1956 photo of hundreds of thousands of ducks in Claypool's Reservoir) and my relatives hunted with (legendary outdoor writer) Nash Buckingham, so duck hunting has been generation after generation in my family. I really didn't have a choice," Snowden said with a chuckle.

Snowden puts countless hours into Kingdom Come, the Arkansas duck club that's been in the family since 1947. He pridefully works to ensure it provides perfect wintering habitat, calling the club a "lightly hunted refuge."

"My father and I tell people that we don't play golf," said Snowden, the 61-year-old chairman of Tarco, a roofing materials manufacturing company based in Little Rock. "Instead, Kingdom Come is our life. It's our hobby and what we love to do. It's a year-round way of life."

Naturally, Snowden became interested in waterfowl conservation as his hunting roots sprouted. After meeting and hosting Buddy Melges, a world-famous sailor and avid duck hunter who was on Delta's board of directors in the 1990s, Snowden toured the Delta Waterfowl Research Station in Manitoba.

In the mid-1990s, Snowden helped organize Delta's first fundraising event in Arkansas. He joined Delta's board in 1994 and served until 2001.

Snowden's friend, Rob Vollrath, convinced Delta's leadership to consider the impact predators were having on nesting ducks. Snowden was among the first contributors to Delta's Predator Management research, donating $50,000 in 1995 to fund control work on a township block in North Dakota.

"I was raised that you give back to something you're passionate about," he said. "That means giving money. If you love something, you have to be willing to give some of your hard-earned money back to it."

Snowden has continued his support for Predator Management by organizing a group of Arkansas hunters to annually fund a Delta Duck Production site. His goal is to get 50 conservation-minded people each year to contribute at least $1,000 each.

Snowden was thrilled in 2022 when Delta launched the Million Duck Campaign, a transformational $250 million plan to add 1 million ducks to every fall flight.

"Now Delta is going to implement Duck Production programs on a really big scale, and I'm excited about it," he said.

Snowden wants to make sure ducks keep coming in for future generations to enjoy. He's a strong proponent of habitat conservation but wants to make sure the investments made into wetlands equate to more ducks over the marshes and flooded timber.

"There's going to be continued pressure on habitat - it's still shrinking," Snowden said. "What can be done? We need to start producing more ducks on the habitat we have remaining, and Predator Management and Hen Houses are proven to do that. We need to preserve all the habitat we have, but people should also contribute to maximize duck production on the habitat we have. That's what it's going to take to see the numbers of ducks we all hope to see."

Snowden recently became a member of Delta's Million Duck Council, a group of conservation leaders who have pledged or contributed at least $1 million to the Million Duck Campaign.

"Many people say they care about ducks, and they do, but David Snowden Jr. lives it every day," said Jeffrey Howell, Delta's vice president of major gifts. "He's as passionate about ducks and conservation as anyone I've ever known, and he's one of the greatest champions ever for Delta and ducks." -Paul Wait