Four finalists were chosen for the award, out of nearly 130,000 members nationwide
By Casey Sill, Senior Public Relations Specialist, Pheasants Forever
This year, for the first time, Pheasants Forever recognized a national “Volunteer of the Year.”
The award celebrates the very best the organization has to offer — the members and volunteers who optimize the Pheasants Forever mission, who seek to protect and grow our wildlife habitat, and who help ensure our heritage continues for generations to come.
Four finalists were chosen for the award, out of nearly 130,000 members nationwide.
“Pheasants Forever is a dynamic conservation organization, fueled by the dedication of volunteers,” said Tom Fuller, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s vice president of chapter and volunteer services. “The Volunteer of the Year award seeks to honor individuals who have made a profound impact on our mission. Our volunteer network is a vibrant community of passion and talent. This annual award is a celebration of the remarkable accomplishments of these volunteers, and is intended to inspire others to join the movement for upland conservation.”
While longtime PF standout Scott Rall won the award this year, we want to recognize and celebrate each of our finalists for their significant contribution to the Pheasants Forever mission:
Catherine Thompson: Yuma Desert Doves Women on the Wing Chapter, Arizona
Let's start by just telling us a little more about yourself. Your history with bird hunting and conservation, how long you’ve been a member of Pheasants Forever, etc.
I'm 62 years old and have been involved with recruitment, retention and reactivation for around five years now. My daughter and I started a program in Yuma, AZ called the "Women's Five Part Hunting Series" (aka Yuma Desert Doves). Basically, it's a learn to hunt program spaced out into five months. We meet once a month starting in May, end in September and learn a different skill every month.
I’ve worked for the Arizona Game and Fish Department for the last 20 years. I’m somewhat new to bird hunting and trap shooting, and am still trying to master both skills. It's a challenge I take on by giving it all I have as often as I can. When I started the learn to hunt program, I was not a hunter at all, but I wanted to walk the walk and not just talk the talk, so I went to as many learn to hunt programs as I could.
I have a daughter who is 37 and shares the same passion that I do, she has a Ducks Unlimited chapter in Oklahoma. I also have a 32-year-old son, who has a passion for building trucks and cars. My five grandchildren are the loves of my life and we all enjoy being outdoors and meeting likeminded people. I try to include my husband in many of the events that we put on and he helps with the learn to hunt programs since he is a long-time hunter.
What initially spurred you to get involved with your local chapter?
When my daughter and I started the learn to hunt series, there weren’t any outdoor resources in Yuma for women. That’s the reason we started the program, then I figured out that once women completed the series, there was nowhere for them to move on or meet other likeminded women. That's where David Gutierrez came into the picture. David (a former Pheasants Forever regional representative) talked to me about Women on the Wing and it sounded exactly like the thing we were looking for. At this time I had five female mentors helping with the learn-to-hunt series, I spoke to them about becoming a chapter so we had a place for women to move on with hunting and shooting sports. They were all on board, so now we are Yuma Desert Doves-WOTW. Our chapter is growing fast and women are excited to learn and build relationships within the chapter.
Talk about the work you and your chapter have been doing over the course of the last year.
Our main event is the Women’s Five Part Hunting Series. We recruit 20 women for this program and since it’s a five-month long series, we end up building relationships with the women and they tend to migrate to the chapter.
We also have a Learn to Shoot clinic where we partner with 4-H Shooting Sports. This event also takes 20 women for a one day clinic teaching women how to shoot muzzleloaders, shotguns shooting clays, archery and pellet guns. They also get to shoot 22 LR where they compete using targets. We have an annual learn to turkey call partnering with the NWTF. The NWTF comes to Yuma in the spring and we setup in a park, this event is open to the public. Adults or children can attend and they are taught to use turkey calls and given information on wild turkey conservation and invited to youth camps by the NWTF. Everyone that attends this event, leaves happy. We’ve also had a women’s mentored waterfowl hunt, but had to cancel this year due to the pump being down at the refuge.
We’ve hosted a pint night with Ducks Unlimited for the women’s waterfowl hunt and invited the public to attend. We had a really good turnout for that event.
There are nearly 130,000 Pheasants Forever members, and four total finalists for Volunteer of the Year. What does it mean to be nominated for this award?
I’m honored to be a finalist for Volunteer of the Year. It means so much to me to be recognized for the hard work that goes into volunteering with Pheasants Forever — mentoring women, working with board members and continuously building local relationships to help the chapter. If I am selected, I will do my very best to make Pheasants Forever proud to have me as their mentor of the year.
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Sandra Bybee: High Plains Chapter, Nebraska
Let’s start by just telling us a little more about yourself. Your history with bird hunting and conservation, how long you’ve been a member of Pheasants Forever, etc.
I was trying to figure out how long I've been with the High Plains chapter. I can tell you that Pete Berthelsen was our local biologist, so it's been awhile. I've also had the privilege of working with Drew Larsen and Colby Kerber when they were biologists. I am not a hunter, but when I was approached to help out I saw all the good things our chapter was accomplishing and I wanted to stay on and help make it one of the best in the state and nationally.
What initially spurred you to get involved with your local chapter?
I was asked by my boss to volunteer at the banquet, and it has progressed from there. I’ve held every office except vice president in my years of service, and currently hold the office of president. Our chapter continues to bring in the support of the community, which allows us to keep putting on the programs we have been doing for years. I have been in the Sidney area for almost 30 years and we have such a great team that I’m not ready to move on.
Talk about the work you and your chapter have been doing over the course of the last year.
We have great community support and without the team I work with, none of this would get accomplished. This year we’ve partnered with a local 3/4th grade class for Milkweed in the Classroom, and have also partnered with the Sidney AG class on the same project. Youth outreach is one of our biggest priorities, and this year we once again hosted our annual youth hunt on youth opening weekend. We also host a veterans hunt, partnering with American Heroes in Action to bring up to six vets out into the field for some much needed outdoor therapy.
There are nearly 130,000 Pheasants Forever members, and four total finalists for Volunteer of the Year. What does it mean to be nominated for this award?
I'm very honored to have been nominated by my peers, as they work just as hard as I do to make our chapter the best in the state and nationally.
Brian Miller: Mercer County Chapter, Ohio
Let’s start by just telling us a little more about yourself. Your history with bird hunting and conservation, how long you’ve been a member of Pheasants Forever, etc.
I grew up in Mercer County, Ohio, where we didn't have pheasants or quail, but we had plenty of waterfowl. In 1993 I decided to give back to the hunting community, so I became a volunteer hunter education instructor for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. I stuck with that for around 25 years.
In 1998, while training my lab pup with a buddy, we thought, "Why not teach it to hunt upland too?" That's when my love for pheasant hunting kicked in. Fast forward to 2002, my first Pheasant Forever Chapter meeting. They were talking about something discussed before, and when I suggested checking previous minutes, they dropped the bombshell that they didn't keep minutes. Long story short, I ended up becoming the secretary, a position I still hold to this day. In 2020, I finally hit a milestone—I became a Life Member of Pheasants Forever. For me, this stands out as one of those “proud moments!”
What initially spurred you to get involved with your local chapter?
Over the course of several years, I've participated in various conservation organization events. What ignited my passion for Pheasants Forever was its unique approach – unlike other organizations, it didn't necessitate sending the funds raised to national and then requesting their return.
As I highlighted earlier, I've dedicated over two decades to the role of chapter secretary, a responsibility I take great pride in. Additionally, I've undertaken the role of banquet chairman for more than a decade, further contributing to the success of our endeavors.
Talk about the work you and your chapter have been doing over the course of the last year.
In 2023 alone, our efforts made a substantial impact – we contributed to six nesting cover projects covering 278 acres, developed two wetlands totaling 4.4 acres, planted 2700 trees, established 15 food plots covering 73 acres, and executed two maintenance projects spanning 13 acres. Notably, our Chapter stands as the foremost supporter of state initiatives aimed at acquiring land for public access.
In addition to the many conservation projects, we take pride in hosting numerous events annually. From the engaging Ringneck Day to the Damon Klenke Memorial Youth Pheasant Hunt, Veterans’ Appreciation Hunt, Women’s Pheasant Hunt, Youth Archery League and Women on the Wings events – our calendar is brimming with meaningful activities.
I play a substantial role in organizing these events. The youth indoor archery league that runs for six weeks, engaging over 200 youth of all skill levels during the months of January and February. Lastly, I am a fervent advocate for the Legislative Action Fund and Path to the Uplands.
There are nearly 130,000 Pheasants Forever members, and four total finalists for Volunteer of the Year. What does it mean to be nominated for this award?
I’m very humbled to be one of the finalists for this prestigious award. I’ve attended many state banquets as well as National Pheasant Fests, which has allowed me to meet a lot of other passionate volunteers. To think that I made to this level is very emotional for me. It's a culmination of years of dedication, hard work and a genuine commitment to the cause. The shared experiences and connections forged during banquets and events have contributed to the sense of community within this passionate volunteer network. The acknowledgment as a finalist serves as a poignant reminder of the collective efforts and the impact that individuals can have when driven by a shared commitment to a cause.
