Growing Season for High School PF Chapters in Iowa
Source: pheasantsforever.org
Published: Jun. 07, 2010
Student conservationists at Iowa's Kingsley-Pierson High School have formed the nation's second high school-oriented Pheasants Forever chapter. The new group joins fellow Iowa students at Oskaloosa High School as the leaders of a new student-based wildlife conservation movement.
The Kingsley-Pierson High School Pheasants Forever chapter is led by co-presidents Dustin Slota and Matt Steffen. Both gained experience with Pheasants Forever while serving on the local Plymouth County Pheasants Forever chapter's youth council, and became interested in starting a chapter when they heard about Oskaloosa's newly formed group. Dustin, a recent graduate, and Matt, a senior-to-be, gave a presentation about Pheasants Forever to the school board and have already signed up 20 middle and high school students to join the chapter.
The Kingsley-Pierson High School Pheasants Forever chapter will function like all Pheasants Forever chapters nationwide. Pheasants Forever provides local Pheasants Forever chapters the ability to decide how 100 percent of their fundraised dollars are spent. This local control gives chapters and members the ability to make things happen for wildlife in their communities, while belonging to a national organization advocating for wildlife and conservation in policy discussions in Washington, D.C. The students plan to meet regularly throughout the summer to discuss how they will raise funds, attract sponsors, and how they will get fellow students interested or involved in the outdoors. Some ideas they have in mind include barbeques, a golf tournament, youth fishing tournaments and minnow races.
Extending the new chapters reach from the high school through the middle school will ensure its longevity. "Once they're involved with Pheasants Forever in middle school they know what's going on - then when they get to high school they can do our jobs and keep the chapter going," Steffen said.
John Linquist, Pheasants Forever Regional Representative in western Iowa, says the earlier youngsters become involved with the outdoors and conservation, the better. "Dustin and Matt have been involved with a local Pheasants Forever chapter for nearly half a decade, and they know how the organization works," he said, "This new chapter will provide a pool of young people that can be 'PF' leaders. The hope is these young people are a part of Pheasants Forever wherever their lives take them."
Kingsley-Pierson L.L. Hawkeyes H.S. Pheasants Forever Chapter
* Joins Oskaloosa Pioneering Ringnecks as only high school-oriented Pheasants Forever chapters in nation.
* Officially, the chapter will be known as the Kingsley-Pierson L.L. Hawkeyes H.S. Pheasants Forever Chapter. L.L. Hawkeyes stands in tribute for "Les Licklider's Hawkeyes." Licklider was the first person in Iowa to create a youth outdoor club in a school system. He was also the designer and writer of Iowa's current hunter safety program and to date the only recipient of "Pheasants Forever's Lifetime Youth Mentor Award."
* Additional chapter leaders include Alex Plendl and Danny Young, co-vice presidents; Jadin Collins, habitat chair; Brandon Sitzmann, secretary; and Austin Neumann, youth chair.
* For more information about the chapter, contact the chapter's advisor, Matt Benson, at mbenson@kingsley-pierson.k12.ia.us ; or John Linquist at (712) 461-0877 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (712) 461-0877 end_of_the_skype_highlighting and jlinquist@pheasantsforever.org.
Pheasants Forever has conserved, restored or permanently protected more than 1 million acres for pheasants, quail and other wildlife since the creation of Iowa's first Pheasants Forever chapter in 1984. Today, Iowa is home to 100 Pheasants Forever chapters, 3 Quail Forever chapters and 19,000 Pheasants Forever and/or Quail Forever members. Visit www.IowaPF.org for more info.
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