Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever recently named Kathryn Kauzlarich and Scott James as the organization’s newest team members in the state of Illinois. Kauzlarich will serve as the statewide youth outreach coordinator who is responsible for working with an extensive network of chapter volunteers to increase youth participation in conservation. James will function as a Farm Bill biologist in Knox County, responsible for providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers interested in voluntary conservation programs.
“The experience that Kauzlarich brings to working with youth conservation programs will provide us new ideas and perspectives for supporting chapter efforts to introduce youth to habitat, hunting, and the great outdoors,” said Aaron Kuehl, Pheasants Forever’s director of conservation in Illinois. “In a similar vein, Scott James has demonstrated proven success in the Farm Bill biologist position that should translate into immediate, positive impacts for wildlife habitat, hunting, and the great outdoors."
All of the efforts made today by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have little impact without future conservation leaders taking a stand for wildlife habitat conservation. With this in mind, Pheasants Forever has become a leader in youth initiatives as chapters impact more than 50,000 kids per year for outdoor experiences. Equally as important, Farm Bill biologists have impacted more than 5 million acres of wildlife habitat since 2005 – habitat that will provide wildlife viewing and recreational opportunities for future generations.
Kathryn Kauzlarich – Hired as the youth outreach coordinator in the state of Illinois, Kauzlarich will oversee youth education and recruitment activities for Illinois’ 41 Pheasants Forever chapters and 19 Quail Forever chapters representing over 10,000 members. A native of Farmington, Illinois, Kauzlarich graduated from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, and is currently a graduate student at Western Illinois University. In addition to her graduate studies, Kauzlarich has been employed as a naturalist at Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights since 2013. For more information about youth programs or becoming involved with conservation education in Illinois, contact Kathryn Kauzlarich at (309) 264- 1678 or
email.
Scott James – Working for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever as a Farm Bill biologist in Knox County, James is a specialized consultant in conservation programs and habitat planning who will assist landowners in designing, developing, and funding habitat improvements on private lands. A native of Rock Island County, Illinois, James graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology. Working as a Farm Bill Biologist for “The Habitat Organization” in Missouri, James has impacted nearly 12,000 acres of wildlife habitat since 2012 and brings a wide range of conservation program knowledge and wildlife background to his new position. For more information about conservation planning on private lands in Illinois, contact Scott James at (309) 660- 3147 or
email.
Funding for these positions is made possible by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Pheasant Fund, and Pheasants Forever’s Forever Shooting Sports Program.
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 140,000 members and 700 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 $577 million on 489,000 habitat projects benefiting over 12 million acres nationwide.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org