Volunteers

Championing conservation through science communication

Dr. Gaston De Serres named Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Quebec Volunteer of the Year

By Keagan Perlette April 23, 2025

Dr. Gaston De Serres, Quebec Volunteer of the Year

For Dr. Gaston De Serres, getting involved with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) was a natural continuation of his lifelong investment in education and dedication to serving his community. Dr. De Serres worked in health care for 30 years at the Quebec Institute of Public Health and as a professor of epidemiology at Laval University. He was named professor emeritus when he retired in 2023. Eight years ago, Dr. De Serres began taking courses for a bachelor’s degree in biology — returning to a career path he’d set out on decades ago. “I actually started in biology when I went to university in 1973. That first year, I worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service on the Gaspé Peninsula and Bonaventure Island with a large gannet colony,” he says. “When I retired, I knew I wanted to go into conservation.”

Originally, Dr. De Serres was interested in doing volunteer work around greenhouse gas emissions, but a conversation with his daughter-in-law piqued his interest in wetlands. “She told me a lot of people work on greenhouse gas issues, but not a lot of people are focused on wetlands even though they are so important to biodiversity and carbon capture,” says Dr. De Serres.

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I had been donating to Ducks Unlimited for years and I loved how they used science to protect the wetlands, which matched up with my own scientific background.

Gaston De Serres

Getting the word out about wetland conservation is where Dr. De Serres truly shines. Through his career in medicine, he penned over 300 scientific papers and conducted countless lectures — invaluable science communication skills that he’s generously shared with Ducks Unlimited Canada. Since joining the organization just over a year ago, Dr. De Serres has supported Ducks Unlimited Canada as a representative at last year’s Quebec Outdoor, Hunting, Fishing and Camping Show and contributed writing to several digital educational story maps for the Ducks Unlimited Canada website. We’re excited to recognize Dr. De Serres’ exceptional contributions to Ducks Unlimited Canada and are honoured to name him Volunteer of the Year in Quebec.

These days, you can find Dr. De Serres in the Ducks Unlimited Canada office at least once a week collaborating with his fellow volunteers, sharing his knowledge and coming up with new ideas. He’s planning on spending even more time with Ducks Unlimited Canada in the coming year. “The group we have here is really enthusiastic and positive,” says Dr. De Serres. “Everyone is very engaged in their work, they really want things to move forward. It’s been a joy to be involved in the movement alongside them.”

An avid outdoorsman, Dr. De Serres has felt a deep sense of fulfillment seeing the impact that Ducks Unlimited Canada has had on the natural areas he cares about. “There’s a marsh near my cabin in Saguenay that was restored by Ducks Unlimited. Now, there are trumpeter swans living there, which is very unusual. Last summer, there were 10 goslings,” he says with a smile. “When you’re part of the organization that’s done the work and you get to see what you’re protecting, it gives you a positive example of the change that can happen. That’s a big incentive for me to keep working with Ducks.”

After years of being of service to others through teaching and medical research, Dr. De Serres remains committed to staying engaged in important issues and giving back in retirement. “The contribution as a volunteer is small, but still, it’s doing something,” he says. “I see many people in their retirement who are doing activities only about themselves. I want to continue to contribute to the world, even if it’s small.”

There are approximately 3,030 Ducks Unlimited Canada volunteers across Canada. Ducks Unlimited Canada is proud to recognize each of them — including leaders like Gaston De Serres — as volunteer champions and conservationists who make waves and together, create ripples of change by serving with generosity, passion and dedication.

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