DU and Marathon Petroleum Foundation partner in habitat restoration across Utah

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – July 8, 2021 – Marathon Petroleum Foundation Inc. recently awarded Ducks Unlimited (DU) a $100,000 grant to complete on-the-ground restoration and management projects to maximize use of limited water resources and improve water quality and quantity in Utah.
This generous grant will support DU’s conservation efforts in Utah in direct alignment with Marathon Petroleum’s environmental sustainability and conservation priority. These projects will positively impact areas near Marathon Petroleum’s Utah operations and provide long-term benefits for the state’s people and wildlife.
DU has a long history of partnership with leaders in the petroleum industry and is excited for the opportunity to partner with Marathon Petroleum to protect and restore critical wetland habitat.
In Utah, DU has made substantial conservation gains restoring, enhancing and protecting more than 28,000 acres in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem over the last 15 years.
“Marathon Petroleum has a strong commitment to conserve and sustain our environmental resources,” said Metro Petroleum Manager of Stakeholder Engagement/ EGS VJ Smith. “We are honored to be a lead supporter of Ducks Unlimited’s Utah projects which will make a tremendous, long-term impact for the water resources in the state.”
Established in 2019, the Marathon Petroleum Foundation Inc. focuses its community investments on the three core areas where it can make a positive, measurable impact: science, technology, engineering and math education, environmental conservation/sustainability and public safety.
“With the continued drought and significant water threats facing Utah, DU is prioritizing our conservation efforts to protect and restore the state’s key wetland areas and the water resources needed to preserve the Great Salt Lake ecosystem,” said DU Utah Director of Development Jessop Boden. “We are very grateful for this grant from the Marathon Petroleum Foundation and the impact it will have for the three to four million waterfowl that utilize Utah’s wetlands and the more than two million people who live near the Great Salt Lake.”
For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to follow DU’s Twitter feed-@DUNews1937-to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation’s largest refining system with more than 3 million barrels per day of crude oil capacity across 16 refineries. MPC’s marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets. Speedway LLC, an MPC subsidiary, owns and operates retail convenience stores across the United States. MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interests in MPLX LP, a midstream company that owns and operates gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure. More information is available at www.marathonpetroleum.com.
Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc. is a philanthropic affiliate of Marathon Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries. The foundation strategically focuses its community investments on three core areas where it can make a positive, measurable impact: science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, public safety, and environmental conservation/sustainability. The Marathon Petroleum Foundation also provides limited support to community-based organizations to address local health, human and social service needs.
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.