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Cayla Bendel

North Dakota: Lady Birds Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Cayla Bendel is a charter member of the Lady Birds chapter and was a big proponent of its creation. She lives just outside of Bismarck, ND where she and her husband, Scott, and pudelpointer, Finley, love all that North Dakota has to offer. Bendel is a champion of the outreach events that the chapter puts on — focusing on bringing new women into the fold and creating more hunter-conservationists that are just as passionate about the outdoors as she is.

Bendel is always searching for ways to grow the chapter and its impact. Pheasants Forever’s ‘Hike for Habitat’ event was Bendel’s brainchild. The event is great for the whole family, including bird dogs, and gives the community a reason to get outside and move while incorporating plant ID and pollinator awareness. Bendel is a creative mind that pours time and effort into promotional materials to help the chapter gain a further reach. She’s not only a strong volunteer for the chapter and Pheasants Forever’s efforts, but her days are spent serving as the R3 (Recruit, Retain & Reactivate) coordinator for the North Dakota Game & Fish Department.

No stranger to mentoring, she’s always going the distance to be a helping hand to those with even the slightest interest in hunting or fishing. Undoubtedly, the chapter couldn’t hold as unique and innovative of events as we do (Ringneck-tie Affair, Hike for Habitat, and Women, Wine & Wild Game events) without the creative mind of Bendel and the heart she puts behind sharing what she loves with others. 

Chris Lee

Iowa: Aldo Leopold Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Chris Lee grew up hunting, fishing and camping in the backwaters of the Mississippi River around Burlington, Iowa. In 2005, he graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in animal ecology and a minor in forestry. He now lives just outside of Burlington, Iowa, with his wife Hillary, two children, and their wannabe-bird-dog Australian shepherd, Sophie.

Lee joined Pheasants Forever as a Farm Bill Biologist in northeast Missouri in early 2006. Aside from helping landowners establish bobwhite quail habitat throughout his region, Lee volunteered to help start chapters of the then brand-new conservation organization called Quail Forever, while helping existing Pheasants Forever chapters increase their capacity for fundraising and habitat projects. While living in Missouri, he helped rally local leaders to resurrect his hometown Pheasants Forever chapter. That’s when his long-standing role as a volunteer with Pheasants Forever in Iowa began. He was able to move back home in November of 2008, and joined the team at Des Moines County Conservation as Natural Resource Manager. He would eventually come to lead his county conservation department as Executive Director, and his Pheasants Forever chapter as president, both positions he still holds today.

Lee’s volunteer efforts don’t end with Pheasants Forever, though that’s certainly where he allocates the bulk of his time. He has also served on the local main street board and currently serves on the local tourism board where he has helped make outdoor recreation a priority. He also writes a monthly newspaper column titled, “The Living Land” focused on conservation and outdoor recreation topics. He posts his columns and other articles on his blog, fittingly titled, Outdoor Executive Dad. He recently started the Outdoor Executive Dad podcast, which focuses on leadership development for conservation professionals because, as he says, “We have one world to leave our kids. Let’s make it a good one.”

Clay Cooper

Oklahoma: Big Bluestem Chapter of Quail Forever

Clay Cooper is the founder and current president of the Big Bluestem Chapter of Quail Forever located in Bartlesville, Okla. From the very first chapter start meeting on January 25, 2019, it was evident that Cooper was passionate about creating quality upland habitat and bringing new hunters into the field. The events he’s created for his chapter embody all points of what R3 stands for in “Recruit, Retain, Reactivate.” His love and passion for quail and pheasant hunting drives him to create opportunities for future generations to experience the outdoors.

Over the past year, Cooper has been an integral part of multiple events, including the Bird Dogs and Brews with special guest Ronnie Smith, a family fishing cookout, and the Rock Creek Habitat Work Day. Combined with new marketing strategies he has helped the chapter deploy, the volunteers of Big Bluestem QF continue to make waves in the outdoor community thanks to Cooper’s ingenuity and dedication to The Habitat Organization.

Dylan Wieser

Nebraska: Merrick County Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Dylan Wieser, president of the Merrick County Chapter of Pheasants Forever #0984, was once a regular attendee of Pheasants Forever banquets during his fall outings in South Dakota before making a permanent transition as the founding member of his local chapter. Having seen the positive impacts volunteers can make for habitat conservation efforts, Wieser and his friends begged the question, “Why can’t we make a difference in Merrick County?”

Over the past year, Wieser quickly became the nexus for a blooming chapter along the banks of the Platte River in eastern Nebraska, helping to ignite the outdoor passion of young professionals in his community to make a difference as part of The Habitat Organization. Their first local fundraising effort featured a small gymnasium busting at the seams with more than 300 attendees which helped chapters volunteers raise thousands of dollars for their inaugural habitat projects. Additionally, the county witnessed a more than 1,000 percent jump in membership from 10 supporters to 147 members.

“During the banquet, it was incredibly refreshing to have community members approach me to voice their excitement and enthusiasm for this new chapter,” said Aaron Williams, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s former regional representative in Nebraska. “The sky is the limit for this young group of volunteers, and it all started with a vision for quality habitat in their local community.”

Erik Johnson

Minnesota: Pelican River Chapter of Pheasants Forever

As one of the main leaders for the Pelican River Chapter of Pheasants Forever, Erick Johnson is as passionate of a volunteer as you’ll find in the United States. A proponent of quality habitat and someone who cherishes the outdoor lifestyle, Johnson has helped his local chapter host innovative events – Hands on Habitat Day, Women, Wine, and Wild Game gatherings, Learn to Hunt sessions, and incredible banquet fundraisers – while engaging community members to embrace the organization’s habitat conservation mission.

“His commitment to Pheasants Forever and what we stand for goes well beyond volunteerism,” said Matt Christensen, field services manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “Erick, his wife, and their two children are all Life Members of The Habitat Organization; they’re helping raise and solidify the next generation of ‘forever,’ and I’m proud to work with them as top-notch volunteers and members.”

Josh Schafer

Minnesota: Douglas County Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Josh Schafer is the current treasurer for the Douglas County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, an avid outdoorsman, and a foundational leader for chapter activities including public land cleanups, land dedications, and educational field days. Schafer, who recently became a landowner himself, has embraced Pheasants Forever’s mission on his own property by utilizing biologist knowledge to manage quality habitat for pheasants, turkeys, and deer.

In a time when volunteer recruitment has been difficult due to several factors, Schafer has kept the chapter engaged in his community far beyond its annual banquet fundraiser. He’s always seen the value in fostering the next generation of conservationists and hasn’t been shy about introducing his own kids to Pheasants Forever’s mission and lifestyle. Every chapter in the country requires at least person who acts as the “glue” for volunteer work – Schafer is viewed by his peers, the community, and Pheasants Forever staff as the catalyst that propels Douglas County Pheasants Forever.