BOGART, Ga. – The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) recently announced a partnership with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®), the fastest growing shooting sports program in the world.
“We believe archery is an important gateway to the outdoors,” said QDMA’s CEO, Brian Murphy. “As a national conservation organization, we recognize the essential role of hunting in wildlife management, and we are pleased to support NASP®, which provides opportunities for youth to learn the lifetime skill of archery. Involvement in NASP® is an effective way to introduce youth to the outdoors and instill an appreciation for our wildlife heritage,” said Murphy.
QDMA is encouraging its nearly 200 Branches throughout North America to sponsor equipment grants for local schools seeking to add the NASP® curriculum to their 4th – 12th grade physical education courses. Currently, NASP®’s target archery program is taught in more than 5,400 schools in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, impacting over 1,000,000 students and 16,000 teachers each year. QDMA hopes that its partnership will enable the establishment of even more programs in schools surrounding active QDMA Branches that up to this point have been unable to secure the funds needed to participate.
Roy Grimes, President of NASP®, said, “QDMA is dedicated to ensuring a high-quality and sustainable future for white-tailed deer. Their partnership with NASP® will help ensure that this generation of students has the skills to help. Without question, QDMA is widely regarded as the leading source of practical, science-based information on deer hunting and management, and their partnership with NASP® will add additional strength and awareness to the program.”
Schools in need of financial assistance should visit QDMA’s Web site www.qdma.com <http://www.qdma.com/> and contact the Regional Director for their area who will then facilitate contact with the appropriate QDMA Branch in order to pursue potential support.
“We are so pleased that QDMA has agreed to provide help to local schools. This is the best way to assure that our wildlife heritage and outdoor skills are passed on to the next generation,” said Grimes.
For more information about NASP® visit www.archeryintheschools.org
About QDMA
Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with more than 50,000 members in all 50 states and Canada, and several foreign countries. Membership in QDMA is open to anyone interested in better deer and better deer hunting, and committed to ethical hunting, sound deer management and the preservation of the deer-hunting heritage. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call (800) 209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com
