Quail Forever is proud to announce a new chapter start in the extreme northwest corner of Oklahoma. The Panhandle Nomads Chapter of Quail Forever is based in Texas and Cimarron Counties, and local volunteers have their sights set on investments in public lands, habitat management efforts for quail, and youth events for the surrounding communities.
“I'm very excited about the future impact of this chapter for this region,” said Laura McIver, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s regional representative in southern Kansas and Oklahoma. “The extremes in weather patterns for this area make it a challenge for not only our upland birds, but for all wildlife in the panhandle of Oklahoma and adjoining states. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts that this chapter will bring to the area while creating unique solutions to help our wildlife and provide educational opportunities too.”
Elizabeth Brown of Guymon, Okla. is the chapter’s newly elected president. Brown’s family has a long history in Texas County, and she’s been connected to the outdoors in northwest Oklahoma all her life.
“My great grandparents settled in northern Texas County, making the trip in a covered wagon,” she said. “My dad taught me about shooting sports when I wasn’t much bigger than a rifle, but it wasn’t until I met my husband did I start upland hunting.”
Now Brown and her husband, Tanner, raise English pointers and spend the fall chasing quail and pheasant across the Plains. Brown first got interested in starting a Quail Forever chapter after attending an event in a neighboring county.
“I attended an event for a chapter in Beaver County, and their investment in the local area really impressed me,” she said. “I want to make upland hunting accessible for anyone who wants to try it out, and knowing that Quail Forever is going to make sure our impact stays local made me confident in pulling volunteers together.”
The Panhandle Nomads began meeting in June and are currently working on setting up a youth event, public land advocacy work, and habitat projects.
“We’re hoping to have a mentor shoot with out youth groups like 4H and FFA,” Brown said. “We understand the future of our sport will fall to their hands, and we want to work closely with the youth and their parents. We also have a few ideas about public land and other projects. We’re so new, and we welcome everyone to attend our meetings so we can create projects that meet the needs of our area.”
The chapter meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Texas County Activities Center in Guymon, Okla. Hunters and conservationists interested in joining the chapter as volunteers are encouraged to attend. For more information about the chapter or to become involved, please contact Panhandle Nomads chapter president Elizabeth Brown at
elizabethpeacockbrown@gmail.com
About Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and
Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 567,500 habitat projects benefiting 22 million acres.
Media contact
Casey Sill
(402)-657-4143
csill@pheasantsforever.org