Joseph M. Pavelko Named Pheasants Forever’s Director of Conservation Programs for Minnesota
Avid pheasant hunter, local Carver County PF member joins PF from MN Valley conservation work.
Saint Paul, Minn. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announce Joseph M. Pavelko as the organization’s new Director of Conservation Programs for Minnesota. Pavelko joins “The Habitat Organization” from the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc. and Friends of the Minnesota Valley where he served as Conservation Projects Manager since 2005.
As Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Conservation Programs for Minnesota, Pavelko will work to obtain, administer and manage grants and programs that help achieve Pheasants Forever’s wildlife habitat mission in the state. This includes state Outdoor Heritage Fund grants, state Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund grants and federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants. Pavelko will also work with Minnesota’s 77 Pheasants Forever chapters and two Quail Forever chapters on statewide conservation initiatives, such as Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area program.
“The addition of Joe’s talents builds Pheasants Forever’s capacity to deliver our wildlife habitat mission,” said Matt Holland, Senior Field Coordinator with Pheasants Forever, “With the advent of dedicated natural resource funding in Minnesota, the addition of a Director of Conservation to the Minnesota Pheasants Forever team is another step in furthering our organization’s position as a leader in habitat conservation.”
A native of Richfield, Minnesota, Pavelko spent a great deal of time in Jackson, Minnesota, at his grandparents.
“I was by no means a city kid,” he said, “I harvested my first pheasant on the grove where my grandma grew up. One time every year, Pavelko hunts the Pavelko Wildlife Management Area southwest of Jackson. The area is named in honor of Joe’s great grandfather who sold the property to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “I hunt it for nostalgia and tradition, and always seem to come away with a rooster,” Pavelko said.
An avid hunter and outdoorsman, Pavelko has been an active member of the Carver County Chapter of Pheasants Forever in recent years and has increasingly seen the value of the organization. “I enjoyed partnering with Pheasants Forever in my previous positions, and look to do even more in my new role,” he said, “What’s so important is that the work Pheasants Forever does not only benefits pheasants and our pheasant hunting tradition, but has many positive impacts on other game and non-game species and water quality. Through banquets, projects and youth events, Pheasants Forever also fosters community involvement.”
Prior to joining the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Pavelko worked for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. He earned degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Pavelko and his wife, Alicia, reside in Victoria, Minnesota.
Pavelko can be contacted at (612) 532-3800 or via email at jpavelko@pheasantsforever.org. For more information on Pheasants Forever in Minnesota, log on to www.MinnesotaPF.org.
About:
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. “The Habitat Organization” has 125,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.
For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org