Things are just ducky these days with the Ducks Unlimited chapter at East Carolina University.

For the first time, ECU’s Ducks Unlimited chapter made the Sweet 16 listing of top-producing college Ducks Unlimited chapters throughout the nation. There are nearly 120 collegiate Ducks Unlimited chapters.

ECU, which is No. 6 on this year’s list, wasn’t the only North Carolina college or university to make the list this year. North Carolina State University made the list at No. 2. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington made the list at No. 5. Texas A&M University’s Aggieland chapter stood atop the list.

Collegiate Ducks Unlimited chapters had to raise more than $11,000 in grassroots income during the 2010 calendar year to qualify for the list. The collegiate Ducks Unlimited  chapters raised more than $513,680 in 2010, with $290,650 coming from the Sweet 16 chapters.

For those not familiar with Ducks Unlimited, it is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Ducks Unlimited, established in 1937, has conserved more than 12 million acres, thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent.

“Ducks Unlimited’s university program has become a critical part of our overall fundraising effort. Not only is it vital from a direct financial perspective, but it’s also a source of organizational awareness and a strong and consistent volunteer base,” said David Schuessler, Ducks Unlimited’s national director of grassroots fundraising. “The volunteers who make up these 16 college chapters are the future conservation leaders of not only DU, but all conservation efforts in the country. I personally thank them for their efforts.”

It should come as no surprise the ECU Ducks Unlimited chapter made the list. After all, many of its students and faculty come from eastern North Carolina, which is a part of major flyways for migratory waterfowl and has a rich history of waterfowl conservation. Many waterfowl species winter in eastern North Carolina. Those students and faculty understand the importance of protecting waterfowl habitat.

But more than just understanding that importance, they are doing something about it.