Selfless volunteerism drives the mission at the heart of PF & QF
By Jared Wiklund
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
My very first day of employment with The Habitat Organization was accompanied by an ask to join the committee of Northern Polk Pheasants Forever (Ankeny, Iowa). This simple lunchtime gesture by former chapter president, Kendel Richlen, transformed my volunteerism for America’s uplands in a big way.
That was nearly 13 years ago. Time must fly when you’re having fun, because I’ve held a chapter officer position every day since.
The meeting itself paled in comparison to the lessons I learned from Mr. Richlen about our dedicated Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever volunteers from the onset: (1) they work damn hard for the cause (2) incredible friendships are created in the chapter setting (3) making a difference for something you love – in this case, upland birds and public lands – is like a gateway drug for a lifelong conservation obsession.
I was hooked from the get-go. The mission spoke to me on a deep, personal level. It’s why I have, and will continue to, give my time, talents, and treasure as a chapter volunteer.
But I’m not writing this blog to talk about me. It’s more about them. And you. The selfless volunteer workforce of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. On this 2023 Volunteer Recognition Day, I’d like to offer a brief reflection on some of the individuals and projects that define why PF & QF have the best volunteers in America:
Mahaska County, Iowa: My love of prescribed fire, the #1 management tool for upland wildlife, was born out of the work completed by Mahaska County Pheasants Forever. Led by volunteers (and friends) such as Jeff VanDerBeek and Ben Hoskinson, the local chapter has completed thousands of acres of controlled burns on public and private lands since the mid-2000’s. I was part of a group assembled by the chapter in 2013 to rejuvenate the Hull Wildlife Area via prescribed fire, a nearly 600-acre public complex. The smell of prairie smoke in the evening can’t be beat. They are still doing incredible work to this day, and Jeff remains one of the only volunteers I can recall who has the PF logo tattooed on his body. That’s commitment.
Albany, Georgia: The Southwest Georgia Chapter of Quail Forever hosts an incredible event every January called the Georgia Quail Invitational. Over the past decade, this annual affair has raised more than $500,000 for habitat projects, quail research, and conservation education. Volunteers like Sandy Gregors, Tommy Gregors, and Bo Henry continue to elevate the significance of bobwhites and their habitat in a famed region of the Southeast. Fundraising dollars have been distributed to various quail focal areas throughout the state, and the chapter has been a driving force of the Florida-Georgia Quail Coalition - a vehicle for turning finances into habitat on public lands. If you ever have the chance, experience all that the Georgia Quail Invitational has to offer; you won’t be disappointed.
Worthington, Minnesota: In 2014, I was given the opportunity to report on the 147-acre addition to Lake Bella Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Nobles County during the Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Opener. Dedicated as the Worthington Wells Wildlife Management Area tract, the property resulted in the protection of over 95 percent of all the highly vulnerable acres within the wellhead protection boundaries for the city of Worthington. Protecting drinking water and public access, this key acquisition created a habitat complex allowing hunters and recreational users to make a 12-mile loop without leaving public lands. The Nobles County PF Chapter, and volunteers like chapter president Scott Rall, have made forever impacts on their communities in southwest Minnesota.
Aberdeen, South Dakota: Spearheaded by the Aberdeen-based Northern South Dakota Chapter of Pheasants Forever, the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition is a Pheasants Forever-led partnership contributing to walk-in hunting access and quality pheasant habitat throughout Brown County and the surrounding region. Emmett Lenihan, a recently retired Pheasants Forever biologist and present volunteer, created a big vision for the initiative and has been its driving force. Currently, the Aberdeen Pheasant Coalition has added more than 4,000 acres of pheasant cover/access, and the model is now being executed in other parts of the state. If you want to hunt roosters in South Dakota, start here!
The volunteer success stories across the organization are infinite. They must be, after all, to amass more than 24 million acres of habitat improvements and 225,000+ acres acquired and made public.
THANK YOU to every volunteer past, present, and future, for making it happen.
My request to our followers: If you know someone who volunteers for any organization where time and talent are donated for the common good, this is a great week to thank them for their service.
As for me? I’ll be doing what PF & QF volunteers do best – raising money for the birds tonight, April 20th, with my chapter peers in Washington County, Minnesota, and putting it to good use for habitat conservation this spring.
Jared Wiklund serves as the Public Relations Manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and is a volunteer for Washington County (MN) Pheasants Forever. A diehard upland bird hunter, he can be found following his Labrador retriever and English pointer throughout the fall while pursuing pheasants, quail, grouse, and waterfowl.