Pheasants Forever’s longtime Vice President of Government Affairs, Dave Nomsen, has been reappointed as an acting member of the North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council) and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Advisory Group by U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. The three-year term extends Nomsen's participation on the Council through March of 2020.
The Council was established by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to review and recommend project proposals to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, who has the authority to approve funding for projects under NAWCA. Extending across international lines, the agreement provides strategy and funding for the long-term protection of wetlands and associated upland habitats needed by upland and migratory birds of North America. The Act is a non-regulatory, incentive-based wetland conservation grant program that serves to bolster wildlife populations, increase environmental sustainability, and provide economic benefits for communities reached.
“We’re thrilled to see Dave Nomsen reappointed to his position on the Council, it speaks to his lifetime of knowledge regarding wetlands and the importance of this habitat for waterfowl and upland birds alike,” stated Howard Vincent, president and CEO of Pheasants Forever, Inc. “Pheasants Forever remains a strong advocate for NAWCA funded projects due to their breadth and impact for wildlife populations. In this regard, Nomsen is widely recognized as a national leader for wetlands conservation and his seat on the Council is definitely merited.”
Guided by unique partnerships including federal, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and community groups, every federal dollar provided by NAWCA must be matched by at least one dollar from non-federal sources. Through years of effective implementation and a strong backing, NAWCA funds are usually doubled or tripled on the local level, including habitat projects and acquisitions implemented by partnerships between NAWCA and Pheasants Forever in the states of Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Pheasants Forever & NAWCA Partnership Accomplishments to Date
| Acres Acquired |
Acres Restored |
Acres Enhanced |
Grant Funds |
Matching Funds |
| 65, 279 |
33,877 |
200,520 |
$34,052,848 |
99,611,501 |
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 a wildlife biologist in Minnesota. 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. Nomsen was first appointed to Council during the Clinton administration in 1999 and now represents one of longest serving members of the group.
For more information about the North American Wetlands Conservation Council or to learn about NAWCA projects, please contact Dave Nomsen at (605) 864-8138 or
DNomsen@Pheasantsforever.org.
About Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 140,000 members and 745 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $708 million to complete 517,000 habitat projects benefiting 15.8 million acres nationwide.
Media Contact
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jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org