ATHENS, GA (April 21, 2020) – The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) is pleased to announce that Erik Schnelle of Michigan has been named the 2019 QDMA Volunteer of the Year.
“It’s hard to think of a volunteer who has put in more time, energy and passion to help further QDMA’s mission than Erik Schnelle,” said Josh Hillyard, QDMA Regional Director for the mid-central region. “As the State Advisory Council president for the last four years, Erik has dedicated an immense amount of his time to advancing deer management here in Michigan.”
Schnelle regularly attends and testifies at monthly Natural Resource Commission meetings, has built strong relationships with state legislators by attending Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus meetings and events, and is very active with the Michigan United Conservation Clubs organization.
Schnelle is also active in his local QDMA Branch and regularly attends Branch banquets across the state to support each Branch’s efforts. In 2018, he initiated a monthly Branch leadership call to update all Michigan Branches on current issues and events within the state. This helped increase communication and transparency between the State Advisory Council and the local Branches.
Furthermore, Schnelle served as a hunting mentor and hosted a new hunter on his property as part of a Branch Field to Fork event during the 2019-2020 hunting season.
Given all of his contributions, it is clear that this year’s Volunteer of the Year, Erik Schnelle from Michigan, is more than deserving of this distinguished award.
About QDMA
QDMA is dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage. Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with 50,000 members in all 50 states and Canada. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call 800-209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com. QDMA can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheQDMA, Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheQDMA, and Instagram at www.instagram.com/TheQDMA.
