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Secretary of Interior Reappoints PF and QF Nomsen to Wetlands Post

Saint Paul, Minn. - July 1, 2008 - Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) Vice President of Government Affairs, has been reappointed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, made the three-year appointment. Nomsen has served as a member on the Council since 1999. His new appointed term will run through March of 2011.

The Council was established by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to review and recommend project proposals to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, which has the ultimate authority to approve funding for projects under NAWCA. Created on December 13, 1989, NAWCA is an international agreement that provides a strategy and funding for the long-term protection of wetlands and associated upland habitats needed by waterfowl and other migratory birds in North America.

"I am honored to continue serving with this distinguished group of conservation leaders," reported Nomsen. "NAWCA has truly been a success story in our efforts to protect and restore this continent's wetland habitats. I look forward to contributing to that wetland conservation legacy."

The Council includes the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the executive secretary of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, four state representatives (one from each flyway), and representatives from non-governmental organizations appointed by the secretary of the Interior.

From September 1990 through March 2008, more than 3,730 partners have been involved in 1,773 Standard and Small Grants Programs' projects combined. More than $870.6 million in Act grants has leveraged some $1.7 billion in matching funds and $970.5 million in nonmatching funds to affect approximately 24.2 million acres of wetlands and associated uplands across the continent.

Nomsen is a Clear Lake, Iowa native, where his father was the chief pheasant biologist for the Iowa Conservation Commission (now the Iowa Department of Natural Resources). Following his father's conservation lead, Nomsen received a master's in wildlife management from South Dakota State University. He has been with Pheasants Forever since 1992, where he began as PF's wildlife biologist for Minnesota. Today, Nomsen is the organization's voice on Capitol Hill and one of the most respected and knowledgeable advocates in support of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). With extensive experience in wetlands conservation, Nomsen points out his work with South Dakota's Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit as the source of his most important knowledge about wetlands. While with the Unit, Nomsen conducted national wetlands inventories and worked on projects related to the functions and values of prairie wetlands. He makes his home in Garfield, Minnesota, with his wife, Melanie, and his Labrador retriever, Nellie, and Springer Spaniel, Little TR.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. PF/QF has more than 129,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org.