Wading in for ducks

Brad Nylin waded up to his belly in a slough Saturday to set out decoys for Minnesota's duck opener. The footing was precarious, and a misstep could bring icy water over the top of his neoprene waders -- or worse.

It's pretty much the same position Nylin finds himself in as he tries to revive the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, once one of the state's most influential nonprofit conservation groups.

Nylin, 42, of Maple Grove, has been executive director since 2007, almost four years after the group struck a financial iceberg. That's when the state legislative auditor said the association improperly administered some state grants and used questionable accounting practices -- a report that caused the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to cut their ties to the group.

The fallout left the group deep in debt and near collapse. Entire chapters left.

"It was a sinking ship, and the only thing left was the air bubbles," said Tom Kowal, a longtime member and current chapter president in St. Cloud.

The group slowly recovered, reorganized and instituted new financial oversight. It has been doing wildlife habitat work in recent years. But the group still is fighting to rebound. Its membership, once 7,000 to 8,000, fell to around 4,000, where it remains today.

Nylin, who started at the MWA in 2002 as a membership and communications director, stayed with the organization during the hard times. He didn't consider jumping ship, he said, because he believed in the group's mission to boost wildlife habitat in the state. MWA's board of directors fired one executive director, hired another for six months, then left the position unfilled for almost two years.

He is one of only four full-time staffers in the downsized organization, now headquartered in a modest office in Hopkins. The group is on firmer ground now, he said, and recently hired a chapter coordinator.

"We took a big hit from where we were, but it's a very slow climb," Nylin said. A poor economy and declining numbers of duck hunters don't help, either. "But I think the organization is on the right path. We've come so far. We're on the cusp of doing some great things."

MWA chapters tapped $250,000 in grants last year for wildlife habitat projects through the Clean Water, Lands and Legacy Amendment. The group has applied for seven projects totaling $250,000 for next year.

"We're back doing habitat work," Nylin said.

MWA's Woodie Camp, held at Fergus Falls each summer, remains a mainstay. Forty-eight kids, ages 13 to 15, attended the weeklong camp last August for free. The program costs around $30,000 yearly.

Nylin grew up in the New Hope-Maple Grove area and began duck hunting in high school. "I fell in love with it," he said. Now he hunts around Minnesota and in other states.

Like any leader, he has his supporters and critics. Some members feel he wasn't the right man for the job.

Kowal said he thinks Nylin has done a decent job.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give him a 6 1/2 or 7," he said. "There's a lot of work to be done yet. It's going to take time."

Dennis Simon, DNR wildlife section chief, is a longtime association member and supporter who has worked with the group over the years.

"I have full confidence in them. I hope to see them continue to expand their influence."

Nylin says that despite the group's troubled past, he is an optimist. He believes membership can grow and more habitat work can be done.

"I think the future is bright for us," Nylin said.