Pheasants Forever & Wisconsin DNR Partner for New R3 Position in the State

Pheasants Forever and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources joined forces late last week to commit partner funding for a new position dedicated to hunting and angling enrollment. The Recruitment, Reactivation and Retention (R3) Coordinator for the state of Wisconsin is a shared position to bolster participation in the state’s renowned outdoor lifestyle, while creating the next generation of conservationists in America.
 
A signing ceremony held after the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board meeting in Hudson on June 28 sealed the deal between the state agency and the private wildlife organization to co-fund and to co-manage the creation of a Recruitment, Reactivation and Retention Coordinator.
 
DNR Deputy Secretary, Kurt Thiede, and Pheasants Forever Vice President of Education & Outreach, Rich Wissink, participated in the ceremony. Thiede called the partnership true joint leadership to support Wisconsin's outdoor traditions and heritage.
 
"Together, Pheasants Forever and the DNR are taking this step to expand our capacity to serve existing and potential participants in hunting, angling, trapping, and the shooting sports," Thiede said. "Wisconsin is home to veteran anglers and hunters, and a new generation who will learn how to harvest and to catch their own food. This new position will help bring this exciting world to new participants and remind our lapsed hunters and anglers what they are missing."
 
Wissink says the DNR has long been a valued partner in the hunter and angler world. "Wisconsin DNR is recognized nationally as a leader in the hunter/angler R3 community and has always been a great partner for Pheasants Forever," Wissink stated. "This particular partnership will call upon those of us who cherish our outdoor traditions to share that passion for hunting, angling, trapping and shooting sports with all generations. Pheasants Forever is excited about this opportunity to continue the legacy of the hunter conservationist."
 
This position, a cooperative effort between PF and DNR, will conduct adaptive management for planning, coordinating and collaborating with various partner organizations, training, implementing, monitoring and performing outreach related to hunting and fishing R3 programming in Wisconsin.
 
About Pheasants Forever
 
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 149,000 members and 720 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $708 million on 517,000 habitat projects benefiting 15.8 million acres nationwide. 
 
Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR - Pheasants Forever's Vice President of Education & Outreach, Rich Wissink, and DNR Deputy Secretary, Kurt Thiede, signed an agreement to co-fund and to co-manage the creation of a Recruitment, Reactivation and Retention Coordinator in the state of Wisconsin. 
 
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org