Des Moines, Iowa. June 9, 2010 – Iowa Pheasants Forever has been selected as one of 11 Iowa organizations and businesses to receive Environmental Excellence awards from Gov. Chet Culver on June 28 at Honey Creek Resort State Park. The awards are the premier environmental honors in Iowa, recognizing leadership and innovation in the protection of Iowa’s natural resources.
Iowa Pheasants Forever will be recognized for its “Reload Iowa” campaign to restore the state’s pheasant and quail populations. “Reload Iowa ” adopts an aggressive strategy for establishing and improving 1 million acres of wildlife habitat, increasing the number of upland hunters and increasing hunting-related revenue to local communities. Not only will these habitat improvements benefit wildlife and hunters, they will provide additional benefits such as improving water, soil and air quality. At the Environmental Excellence awards, Iowa Pheasants Forever will also receive an award for Special Recognition in Water Quality.
“We are honored to receive such a distinction, especially in a state where our chapter volunteers, staff and partners are working so hard,” said Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever’s National President and CEO, “Pheasants Forever’s Reload Iowa campaign is already helping our organization add the financial and wildlife habitat technical support that’s needed to enrich the state’s outdoor legacy. An award of this stature will also help us garner more support and enable us to do even more habitat work.”
“The efforts of these organizations serve as a model in providing clean air, water and land for all Iowans,” Gov. Culver said in a statement. “I congratulate them for their outstanding work to protect and enhance our environment.”
The recognition ceremony will take place at the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition’s Governor’s Conference on Environmental Education, an event that occurs every five years and highlights some of the most prominent current topics in environmental education. For more information about the Governor’s Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards, go to http://www.iowadnr.gov/other/ee/index.html.
Pheasants Forever has conserved, restored or permanently protected more than 1 million acres for pheasants, quail and other wildlife since the creation of Iowa’s first Pheasants Forever chapter in 1984. Today, Iowa is home to 100 Pheasants Forever chapters, 3 Quail Forever chapters and 19,000 Pheasants Forever and/or Quail Forever members. Visit www.IowaPF.org for more info.
