Grab a Dew, Support Conservation: Pheasants Forever & Pepsi-Cola of Mitchell “Take It Outside” in S.D.

For the third consecutive year, Pheasants Forever and Pepsi-Cola of Mitchell are teaming for conservation by renewing the “Take It Outside” program. Through this partnership, Pepsi-Cola of Mitchell will donate to Pheasants Forever for every trademarked Mountain Dew 20oz bottle sold, up to $5,000 between October 1, 2016 and December 15, 2016 in the Mitchell region, supporting the organization’s wildlife habitat conservation efforts in South Dakota.
 
“Mitchell and its surrounding communities are built and sustained by pheasant hunters, a notion fully understood by our partners at Pepsi-Cola of Mitchell,” stated Brad Heidel, director of corporate relations for Pheasants Forever. “The ‘Take It Outside’ campaign has already funneled thousands of dollars to habitat improvements in South Dakota and we hope to continue this remarkable partnership for many years to come.”
 
Pheasant hunting and related expenditures by hunters throughout South Dakota is big business. In fact, during the state’s 2015 upland season, pheasant hunters generated more than $170 million for the state’s economy. Those revenues are the result of 65,000 resident and 84,000 non-resident pheasant hunters purchasing licenses, fuel, food and lodging during the state’s three-month hunting season. The “Take it Outside” campaign provides some of this revenue stream for the coming year and applies it to on-the-ground projects implemented by Pheasants Forever and its 34 chapters in South Dakota. With a phenomenal pheasant season in store for 2016, upland hunters are encouraged to purchase Mountain Dew products and contribute to the future of “The Pheasant Capital.”
 
“As an avid outdoorsman, I’m excited to continue the Pheasants Forever partnership with the Take It Outside program for a third year,” said Michael Shinstine, general manager for Pepsi-Cola of Mitchell. “Pheasant hunting plays an important role in the South Dakota economy – I look forward to working with our local communities and giving back to a cause that I am so passionate about.”
 
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 145,000 members and 700 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 $634 million on 502,000 habitat projects benefiting 14.1 million acres nationwide.
 
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org