Enter your search terms Web PF Site Submit search form

Powered by:

25 Pioneering Youth Chapters (part 5 of 5)

Happy 25th Anniversary Pheasants Forever! This fifth part of a five-part series marks Pheasants Forever's 25th Anniversary. These anniversary articles are intended to thank and honor the pioneers of Pheasants Forever who made 25 years of upland wildlife habitat conservation possible. The past quarter century, you, our hard working volunteers, members and partners, have made this organization a recognized force in the conservation world on many levels. We owe our success to you!

This is the last in a five-part series commemorating PF's 25th Anniversary. It's fitting, then, that we end the series with 25 PF chapters (listed alphabetically) with members finding unique ways to get youth involved in hunting and conservation. Read this, and like me, you'll find new hope for our future.

25 Pioneering Youth Chapters

Iowa's CARROLL COUNTY CHAPTER has been a leader in conservation and passing down our hunting heritage in their community, the state of Iowa and PF nation. It was the first chapter in Iowa to offer a youth mentor hunt. Not willing to "settle," the chapter introduced and lobbied for a statewide youth hunting season in Iowa. The chapter was recently contacted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to review a draft of the Youth Mentor Hunt Guidelines for a new statewide youth mentor hunt program. In addition to its hard work on youth mentor hunts, the chapter is actively involved in supporting the Hunting and Conservation Camp for boys and the Outdoor Journey Camp for girls offered by the Iowa DNR.

You've heard of the city mouse going to visit its country cousin? Well, the DAY COUNTY CHAPTER from South Dakota and the WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAPTER of Minnesota have a cooperative agreement that allows the "city kids" from the urbanized Washington County chapter to go visit the "country kids" in South Dakota. Each year urban youth from Minnesota have the opportunity to head west and enjoy a South Dakota youth-mentored pheasant hunt and develop friendships that may last a lifetime. In return for the pheasant hunt, the Washington County Chapter helps raise dollars to support youth programs and habitat projects in Day County, SD. It's an agreement that benefits everyone—the kids, pheasants and the future of conservation.

The HIGHLAND CHAPTER of Illinois visualized something bigger and better and then made it happen. The chapter played an instrumental role in bringing together the Conservation and Agricultural Partners Program (CAPP) in Stephenson County. CAPP is a conservation educational partnership that reaches 9,000 youth and adults each year through programs, resource kits and workshops. CAPP offers a central collection of educational materials, resources that focus on agriculture and the environment, allowing local school districts to enhance their educational offerings. Program examples include the "Keepers of the Land," an outdoor stewardship program for third-graders, which offers sessions on prairies, aquatics, forestry, insects and more. Another example is "Earth Day is Every Day." Each spring, 1,400 students from 80 classrooms participate in activities for 10 days. In addition, there are teacher workshops, tree distribution and local outreach.

The KANSAS RINGNECKS CHAPTER has worked out new youth partnerships with so many other groups that it's become a test site for the nation. That leadership has lead to a partnership with other local conservation organizations providing youth mentor hunts and outdoor skill events, among them Salina's Big Brother, Big Sister program and the Pass It On—Mentor Hunt Program. All youth attending the Ringnecks Chapter's annual fund-raising banquet receive a complimentary Ringnecks membership and are entered into a special youth raffle. The chapter also supports PF's "education" mission by providing scholarships for local educators to attend Leopold Education Project workshops and training in an effort to develop a "land ethic" in kids. The chapter's successful youth programs have led to interest in PF's Grass Roots Conservation Campaign and donations earmarked specifically for youth education.

If statistics impress you, the LEE COUNTY CHAPTER in eastern Iowa certainly has them. In the last ten years it has:

• Provided scholarships to 45 teachers to attend PF's Leopold Education Project Workshops
• Supported the development of the Prairie in the Schools Program in three local school districts
• Over 10,000 kids have participated in the Lee County PF Youth Fishing Tourney for Kids at which college scholarships are awarded
• Supported the Fort Madison Prairie Field Days at which 600 youth have participated
• Co-hosted Outdoor Adventure Camps at which over 200 kids have attended
• Provided 180 kids youth mentor hunt opportunities
• Provided trapping workshops to 80 youth
• Sponsored scholarships for youth to attend Bald Eagle Days
• Home chapter of PF National Youth Leadership Council Member, Jay Wilsey

Mentor (men'tər, -tôr) n. 1. wise advisor 2. a teacher or coach. That is according to Webster's New World Dictionary. I would add that a mentor is someone who cares about the next generation and is doing something to benefit them. Les Licklider, long time volunteer and supporter of the CHEROKEE COUNTY CHAPTER, is and has been a mentor for over sixty years to Iowa youth. At a time when hunter safety programs were a dream, Les not only offered the training but wrote the first proposal in Iowa that would later become law. Back in the day, television's Outdoors with Les taught viewers how to enjoy the outdoors and how to use the tools of the trade. Moving throughout the state of Iowa, Les was forever teaching about the outdoors and engaging youth.
In Council Bluffs, he had a special outdoors program for abused and battered children, helping them heal physically and mentally. At one point, he was featured in a national outdoor magazine for his efforts to make hunting safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Now in his 80s, he is still as engaging as ever, forever the mentor, teaching students about the outdoors and how to develop land for wildlife. Last year, Les was presented a PF Lifetime Achievement Award.

In Mahaska County, Iowa, there is an award-winning outdoor field day that is sponsored by the MAHASKA COUNTY CHAPTER. In 2007 the Mahaska County Annual Youth Field Day was awarded the Chris Holt Youth Environmental Education Award. Chapter volunteers put an incredible amount of effort into making the field day a huge success. The goal of the field day is to connect kids with the outdoors through a variety of programs and activities, taught by experts with a passion for their outdoor sport. In addition to the field day, the chapter sponsors a fifth-grade environmental education day, a number of Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) teams and the Oskaloosa Scholastic Trap Team. In turn, those YHEC teams help with the chapter's fund raising banquet. Mahaska County is also home to Brooks VanDerBeek, public relations specialist for PF's National Youth Leadership Council.

Conservation scholarships are one more way chapters can impact the future of conservation. Minnesota's MILLE LACS/BENTON COUNTY CHAPTER has been awarding up to four such scholarships every year for the past ten years to students who want to attend a post secondary school and to study natural resources. Six years ago, it awarded a scholarship to a bright young man named Jesse Beckers from Princeton, MN. Jesse went on to attend North Dakota State University with the help of the Mille Lacs/Benton Chapter scholarship. Jesse was recently hired by PF as our North Dakota Regional Biologist. That is chapter money well spent! In addition to its conservation scholarship program, the chapter has developed a conservation field day that continues to grow.

"I wish I was a kid!" Those are the words of Randy Herlein, Youth Education Chair of the MUSKEGON COUNTY CHAPTER, when he talks about the "Great Outdoor Youth Rendezvous" in Michigan. It is an event that attracts over 400 youth plus family members to experience every shooting sport and outdoor activity you can imagine and some you can't. In addition, there are opportunities to meet outdoor celebrities, have some great food, win prizes and just have a whole-lotta-fun! Randy, the chapter's self-proclaimed "Youth Event Guy," says it best: "Everything is better when you take a kid along."

The NEBRASKA STATE COUNCIL is a coalition of Nebraska's 62 PF and QF chapters working together for the common cause of habitat development and youth education across the state. Nebraska's Youth Mentor Hunt Program began in 1996 as a partnership between Pheasants Forever and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and is a model for PF-sponsored youth mentor hunts. The program is designed to target youth with a strong desire but limited opportunities to go hunting. Each young hunter receives instruction on dog training, hunter safety, landowner appreciation, wildlife conservation and gets to participate in an actual pheasant hunt at the end of the day. Last spring at the first annual Outdoor Expo in Kearney, Nebraska, the state council agreed to provide Ringneck memberships to each of the 7500 youth that attended the expo. That is a commitment to be proud of.

Hard-working, innovative volunteers are found throughout PF and the NORTHERN COLORADO CHAPTER based out of Fort Collins. It is yet another example. Each year, the chapter offers both a spring and fall youth mentored hunt that targets youth with the desire, but limited opportunity. The chapter has even worked out a deal with a local ATV dealer to donate a machine for a day to allow disabled youth to experience the joys of hunting. To assure that the mentor hunts are safe and educational, the chapter works with the Colorado Division of Wildlife's Hunt Master Program and has a certified Hunt Master present at each hunt. Not content with a single introduction to hunting, volunteers are encouraged to continue their mentoring relationship with the young hunters by taking those youngsters on outdoor adventures throughout the year. In addition to the mentor hunt, the chapter funds scholarships to PF's Leopold Education Project workshops and helps support the Hunter Education and Outdoor Women programs in their area.

12. Partnering with the Idaho Fish & Game Department, the NORTH IDAHO CHAPTER spearheaded a youth mentoring program that pairs young hunters with no or limited opportunity to hunt with mentors (most of which are PF volunteers) that agree to help. The mentor and young scion are then matched with a private landowner that has agreed to allow access to their property for upland bird hunting. This model will be used to build opportunities for turkey hunting in spring and deer hunts in fall and will hopefully be taken statewide in the future.

13. Only five years old, North Dakota's PEACEFUL VALLEY CHAPTER is making a "big bang" in their small community. It started with a youth shoot that included a shooting sport for every age group up to 16-years. BB guns, pellet guns and trap shooting offered something for everyone. Recognizing the chapter's success, the entire Tioga community helped build a new skeet range to advance kids to a higher shooting level. In addition to the strong shooting program, the chapter has developed some "youth only" hunting areas that provide an opportunity to hunt on quality habitat.

14. Youth leading youth! That's exactly what the PF NATIONAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (NYLC) has been doing. Established in 2006, the NYLC is made up of 20 young conservationists (all are age 17 or under) that represent their age group on issues related to wildlife conservation and hunting. In the last year:

• It determined what positions (Committee Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Specialist, Fund Raising Specialist) would be on the NYLC Leadership Committee and responsibilities for each and then held a national election on the website.
• Every NYLC member has helped at their local chapter level with banquets, fundraisers, youth events, and habitat projects.
• Several are active, voting members of their chapter's committee. Two are the first woman and youth on their respective committees.
• Several go "on the road" with PF Regional Biologists to banquets and talk about youth programs, the Farm Bill, etc.
• All have been active in promoting the Farm Bill by making copies of PF or QF action alerts distributing them at banquets, and speaking at schools and in their communities and contacting lawmakers.
• Several attend and help work at PF state or district meetings.
• Many have done radio shows, written articles for PF or QF magazines and written for state and local magazines, and newspapers.
• Most have attended Pheasant Fest and have worked along side staff and volunteers.
• Four members have contacted lawmakers in their states to discuss restrictive age limits that keep kids from introduction to hunting. Two of those have testified in front of state lawmakers.
• Each has made a pledge to mentor one other young person from their area, who has the desirebut limited opportunity to participate in hunting and conservation. If you'd like to meet the members of PF's NYLC, I encourage you to visit the Ringnecks website at www.ringnecks.org and read the bio's for each member. They are an impressive group of young conservation leaders.

"Master Mentors" are exactly what MIKE MEYER and JEFF ALLTIG, volunteers from Nebraska's PLATTE RIVER CHAPTER, are to fraternal twins Marty, and Mike Holman. Mike and Jeff met the twins as part of the youth mentor hunt program in Nebraska. Patty, a single mother, never had much experience with firearms and hunting. When the boys showed some interest in shooting sports, she thought that the mentor hunt program would be a perfect fit. It turns out that Mike and Jeff have been a perfect fit for the boys as well. Since that first mentor hunt, Mike and Jeff have made sure the boys are getting the full outdoor experience. They have taken them turkey hunting, trap shooting, and dog training. They've introduced them to archery and helped Patty purchase her boys their own shotguns and hunting apparel. According to Patty, "The boys have found friends forever." Mike and Jeff have taken mentoring to a new level and found lifelong friends along the way.

The State of Washington's PUGET SOUND CHAPTER knows a good thing when it sees one and is showing support for our military along the way. Chapter volunteers have been supporting an Army-sponsored youth hunt at Fort Lewis in Tacoma. Hard working volunteers, helping out where they can, mentor youth by helping develop their shooting skills on the trap range, teaching firearm safety and dog handling skills, and guiding young hunters. The chapter is passing down our hunting heritage to youth with limited opportunity.

Pheasants Forever is a family of conservationists and the Robinson Family (Earl, Lisa and Jacob) of the MISSISSIPPI LONGTAILS CHAPTER in Minnesota has made PF part of its family. You seldom see one without the other two at chapter or PF national events. Earl is the chapter youth education chair and Jacob is a member of the PF National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC). Al­though she doesn't have a title like the guys, Lisa can be found helping out at youth events. The Robinson's are not only active in their chapter, but have helped other chapters with their fundraisers and getting youth programs started. At the state level, the family can be found at the Minnesota Game Fair working in the PF booth or PF Youth Village. No matter where Pheasant Fest is, you will find the entire family working in Rudy's Youth Village, the NYLC coat check or lending a hand wherever needed. Blessed with strong chapter leadership, passionate volunteers and the Robinson family, the Mississippi Longtails offer weekend youth mentor hunts through­out the fall and winter, involve youth in habitat projects, and put on an unbelievable field day that is attended by over 750 youth, their families and much more.

Each fall kids from one Wisconsin community are introduced to a variety of outdoor skills and activities at the ROCK RIVER VALLEY CHAPTER Field Day. From building duck boxes to learning about habitat, from basic first-aid to an introduction to shooting sports, there is something for every young person (and adults) to enjoy.

This past spring, the SOUTHEAST OHIO CHAPTER held its 7th Annual Youth Event at the Fairfield Fish and Game Club. The first event was held in 2002 where 75 budding conservationists had an experience they couldn't wait to share with their friends. Seven educational events later, 1600 people, including 800 youth, attended the 2008 event where they built bird houses, learned firearm safety, shot muzzleloaders and much more. The entire event is a model for partnering with other conservation organizations. In addition to the educational event, the hard working volunteers offer a number of youth mentor hunts during late fall and winter. Each mentor hunt introduces a limited number of youngsters to an outdoor experience you can only have with a bird dog.

Youth have been a major focus from the start for the relatively new ST. JOSEPH COUNTY CHAPTER of Indiana. Starting in 2005 with a quality youth mentor hunt, the chapter has continued to improve and enhance its youth program each year. Participating youth now have an opportunity to experience a wide variety of outdoor skills, wildlife habitat and conservation education along with the always popular pheasant hunt. In true PF chapter form, the chapter wanted to do more and now supports the Leopold Education Project with workshop scholarships, allowing educators to take the "land ethic" to the classroom.

Starting in 2002, the WATONWAN COUNTY CHAPTER of southern Minnesota has been setting the example for unplugging kids from the indoors and connecting them to the outdoors. Its year-round commitment to getting kids outdoors includes a youth club that meets monthly, a youth mentor hunt and a private land access program that connects youth to habitat projects. The chapter's passion makes it a poster chapter for PF's new No Child Left Indoors™ Initiative. In fact, the chapter was awarded the very first National No Child Left Indoors™ Award! There really isn't much more to say. It takes a chapter to help raise tomorrow's conservation leaders, and this chapter is committed to conservation education.

PF Chapter #29 was our first in the East and is still going strong! That's right, the WESTERN NEW YORK CHAPTER was the 29th PF chapter. The chapter annually offers a field day filled with a variety of outdoor skills and conservation education opportunities. Bird banding, turkey calling, a "Lesson in a Land Ethic," by Aldo Leopold, hunting safety tips, skeet and trap shooting, archery and a one-on-one pheasant hunt are activities offered at the chapter's youth day.

Ohio's WOOD-LUCAS CHAPTER held the nation's first PF youth event! That youth mentor hunt started a movement across PF to pass down our hunting heritage and wildlife conservation legacy. Thirteen years later, the chapter has introduced over 1200 youth to pheasant hunting and wildlife conservation. Those Ohio youth will be the hunting conservationists of the future! Wood-Lucas is also the home chapter of past National Youth Leadership Council member Tyler Baer.

Minnesota's 2006 and 2007 back-to-back winner of the coveted "Minnesota Youth Chapter of the Year" award spares no effort when it comes to youth programs. The WRIGHT COUNTY CHAPTER, led by Bob Peterson, has held over 300 conservation education classes that have introduced over 7500 5th graders to conservation education lessons in outdoor classrooms. In an effort to help those students continue to think about conservation, the chapter provides each student a complimentary Ringnecks membership. The chapter has been supportive of PF's Leopold Education Project (LEP) by providing annual scholarships for educators to attend LEP workshops and implement the LEP curriculum in local schools. Bob has even received the LEP "Thinking Like a Mountain Award." In addition to conservation education, the chapter is committed to creating hunting opportunities for area youth that have the desire to hunt but no opportunity.

In Big Sky Country, the YELLOWSTONE VALLEY CHAPTER is introducing Montana youth to our wingshooting traditions by offering one-on-one mentored hunts. Its events focus on small group, quality gatherings with instruction on habitat, conservation and shooting skills. The dog work is everyone's favorite part of the hunt, which is followed by hands-on bird cleaning and preparation for the table. The chapter has also shown its commitment to developing future leaders by sponsoring National Youth Leadership Council member Nate Long.