Salt Lake City, Utah Since last summer, the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) has welcomed five new staff members to the team to support state-level conservation projects in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and a new regional director to lead fundraising efforts in Colorado. The significant increase in conservation programs staff includes cooperative wildlife biologists and habitat partnership coordinators to lead the science and implementation of projects that improve mule deer habitat. When combined with regional staff who are the direct liaisons with chapters and local volunteers, the organization is proving its commitment to its mission of ensuring the conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer, and their habitat.
“The Mule Deer Foundation is making the investment to build our staff so that we can work closely with our partners in state and federal agencies as well as private landowners,” commented Mule Deer Foundation President/CEO Joel Pedersen. “Through chapter fundraising efforts, conservation grants, and volunteer restoration projects, we are effectively implementing the large landscape conservation and restoration projects that will make the biggest difference for deer. I am excited to see how our new staff continues to raise the bar for our organization’s success.”
Under the leadership of MDF director of conservation Steve Belinda, the organization had a foundation of a cooperative wildlife biologist in Arizona and Idaho working in collaboration with the state wildlife agencies, as well as a habitat stewardship coordinator in California at the beginning of 2021. Through additional agreements with the U.S. Forest Service, MDF added Nicole Reed as the Wyoming habitat partnership coordinator and Tyler Meservy as the Utah project manager in summer 2021. Later in the fall, partnerships with state wildlife agencies allowed MDF to hire Jackson Miller to implement targeted mule deer habitat projects in Arizona while Evan DeHamer was hired to support state-led habitat projects in Utah. The most recent hires to start 2022 are in the state of Colorado with Jamie Nogle hired as the Colorado sagebrush partnership coordinator working with the Bureau of Land Management in Grand Junction, and Hogan Peterson as the new regional director for the state. The coordination between staff, local MDF volunteers and chapters, and the agencies that are responsible for land and wildlife management is essential to implement the projects that are improving habitat for mule deer and black-tailed deer across the West.
“MDF’s highly trained conservation staff is knitting together the partnerships and projects that are improving habitat on thousands of acres every year, and our regional staff continues to bring together the local partnerships,” concluded Pedersen. “Together, our staff is allowing MDF to implement our mission more effectively than ever before in our history. With even more new staff in our immediate future, I am excited to build the future of the Mule Deer Foundation.”
Full staff biographies and details of their work are available on the MDF website.
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About MDF
The Mule Deer Foundation is the only conservation group in North America dedicated to restoring, improving and conserving mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat, with a focus on science and program efficiency. MDF is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. MDF acknowledges regulated hunting as a viable management component and is committed to recruitment and retention of men, women and youth into the shooting sports and conservation. Get involved in your state or become a member at www.muledeer.org or call 801-973-3940.