Quail Forever Names F&S Hero Laura McIver as Oklahoma Regional Representative
Quail Forever 04.09.14
Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) hired well-known Oklahoma quail conservationist Laura McIver as the organization’s regional representative in Oklahoma. McIver, president of Quail Forever’s Central Oklahoma 89ers chapter, was named a Field & Stream Hero of Conservation in 2013 for her paramount work in Oklahoma quail restoration.
“Laura is one of the most dedicated Quail Forever volunteers the organization has ever seen,” said Rick Young, Quail Forever’s vice president of field operations. “Her knowledge of quail restoration and dedication to the organization’s mission is unparalleled, which is why she is the perfect person to further Quail Forever’s footprint within the state and bring Oklahoma back to historical high quail numbers.”
In her new role, McIver will work to expand Quail Forever’s presence in Oklahoma by rallying quail conservationists to start Quail Forever chapters within the state. Additionally, she will work at raising and expending funds on wildlife habitat and conservation education, and also with local, state, and federal natural resource agencies on behalf of Pheasants Forever.
“I started out just being a bird hunter. But when Pheasants Forever came out with the same fundraising model when forming Quail Forever of allowing local chapters full control of their fundraising dollars, it motivated me to get involved as a founding member,” noted Laura McIver, Quail Forever ‘s new regional representative in Oklahoma.
“I lived in eight U.S. states before settling in Oklahoma, but I’ve fallen in love with the wild beauty of the prairie. That’s why I’m working to bring attention to quail—to raise the alarm, educate, and allocate funds to bringing their numbers back up,” continued McIver.
McIver has been the Central Oklahoma 89ers Quail Forever chapter president since 2009. Forming shortly after Quail Forever’s inception in 2005, the Central Oklahoma 89ers has leveraged over $135,000 on the organization’s habitat mission in their state, improving more than 6,000 acres of habitat through prescribed burns and other habitat projects. In addition to the habitat work she and the chapter have accomplished, McIver has acted as a voice for quail conservation in state and federal legislation.
“Since we live in the state capital, it was convenient for me to attend commission meetings, and I naturally progressed into working on policy. Anything to do with conservation, I would show up. Before I knew it, I was asked to represent Quail Forever in Washington, D.C. The fact that quail are in decline, because of intensive farming and urban sprawl, saddens me and motivates me. That bird represents not just one part of an ecosystem, but the traditions of the hunting sports and this region. I consider myself a voice for habitat. Not everyone will see things the way I do, but it’s making an impact,” said McIver in her 2013 Field & Stream interview.
For more information, please contact Laura McIver at (907) 750-2600 or email Laura. For all other inquiries, please contact Rehan Nana, Quail Forever’s public relations specialist, at (651) 209-4973 or email Rehan.
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
