Pheasants Forever has selected Jake Hanson, an upland bird hunter, volunteer, and conservationist, to serve as Regional Representative in “The Pheasant Capital” of South Dakota. In this role, Hanson will provide support for volunteers and partners throughout the state – currently home to 34 Pheasants Forever chapters and nearly 6,000 members – as they focus on public and private lands habitat conservation efforts for pheasants, prairie grouse, and other wildlife.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever empower county and local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent - the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. As a result, chapter volunteers can see the fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy. Hanson will help guide local chapters to achieve the organization’s mission, while also fostering stronger partnerships with state agencies, corporate supporters, donors, and the region’s large contingent of upland hunters.
“Pheasants Forever’s habitat work in South Dakota remains on a positive trajectory thanks to the selfless volunteerism of local chapters and the continued leadership of staff who care deeply about our mission work,” said Tom Fuller, field service director for Pheasants Forever. “To that end, we’ve found both characteristics in the hiring of Jake Hanson. His passion for the organization combined with a long list of career attributes has Pheasants Forever in South Dakota primed for major habitat accomplishments in the coming years.”
No stranger to the organization’s mission, Hanson moved to South Dakota in 2015 as an adult-onset hunter and founded the SD Prairie Hills Chapter of Pheasants Forever which ignited his passion for the uplands. Formerly, Hanson was a leadership recruiter for the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 2017-2020. Most recently, he was employed by Lutherans Outdoors in South Dakota as the director of development based in Sioux Falls, and was responsible for overseeing all areas of financial development including annual fund donor cultivation, major gift solicitation, planned giving, grant writing, and development planning.
“As an adult, Pheasants Forever helped me to discover a passion for upland hunting, bird dogs, and habitat conservation in the vast prairies of the Midwest,” said Jake Hanson. “I’ve fully dedicated myself to the mission of the organization while helping inspire a love for the uplands in those around me. I look forward to the challenges ahead as I work with a vast network of incredible chapter volunteers and partners to help take the organization’s mission implementation to the next level in South Dakota.”
Hanson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies from Concordia College in 2011. He is currently completing his Master of Science degree in Nonprofit Leadership, as well as a master’s certification in Natural Resource Management through the University of Denver. Hanson resides in Sioux Falls with his wife, Emily, and their GSP, Jep.
For more information about Pheasants Forever in South Dakota, contact Jake Hanson at (605) 880-1659 /
jhanson@pheasantsforever.org.
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 138,000 members and 760 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent over $950 million on 560,000 habitat projects benefiting 20 million acres nationwide. In fact, more than 210,000 of those acres are now permanently protected as public lands.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org