Wenatchee, WA -(AmmoLand.com)- Pheasants Forever and the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) are pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Brown to his new position of SGI Field Capacity Coordinator.
In this new role, Brown will be responsible for managing a team of biologists and range conservationists working to implement science-based, voluntary conservation programs aimed at restoring sage grouse habitat and populations in the West.
“SGI welcomes Michael to our Core Team, as we continue working with our partners to deliver conservation across sagebrush landscapes of the West. Michael’s previous experience working with SGI, along with his skill of building conservation partnerships, brings a definite added value to our efforts for sage grouse and other wildlife,” said Thad Heater, national coordinator for SGI.
As the new Field Capacity Coordinator of the SGI Strategic Watershed Action Team – a collaborative effort by SGI and Pheasants Forever in coordination with the Intermountain West Joint Venture – Brown’s primary responsibility will be managing 26 cost-shared partner wildlife biologists and range conservationists located in key areas for sage grouse. Additionally, he will work with SGI’s science team to ensure that the work being done by partner biologists is having a measurable impact not only for sage grouse, but the sagebrush ecosystem as a whole. With more than 40 partner organizations contributing to this landmark effort, Brown will act as a catalyst for partner funding by delivering sagebrush conservation projects in the most efficient and effective means possible.
“I am humbled to be selected for this position and feel honored to continue my career with Pheasants Forever and SGI,” stated Michael Brown, SGI field capacity coordinator. “My ultimate career goal has always been to be a part of a collaborative ecological team conserving, enhancing, and protecting wildlife habitat so future generations can enjoy wildlife, hunting and the outdoors– SGI provides that opportunity.”
Brown graduated from the University of California at Davis with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology prior to earning his Master’s in Avian Science from the University of California at Davis in 2013. Since that time, Brown has been employed by Pheasants Forever and SGI as a range and wildlife conservationist in the state of Washington. Developing key partnerships in this role, Brown has been able to secure funding for an infrared survey covering 405,000 acres of Washington’s core sage grouse habitat, obtain grants to remove over 11 miles of fence, and finance a pilot project on precision agriculture business planning. He is currently working in Washington State to expand the cooperative opportunities for sage grouse habitat enhancement, restoration, and permanent protection.
Brown will continue to be an employee of Pheasants Forever, Inc., with oversight provided by Sam Lawry with Pheasants Forever based in Hamilton, Montana.
He starts work on October 20th and will be located in Wenatchee, Washington.
About the Sage Grouse Initiative:
The Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) is a partnership of ranchers, agencies, universities, non-profit groups, and businesses that embrace a common vision: wildlife conservation through sustainable ranching. Launched by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2010, SGI applies the power of the Farm Bill to fund and certify voluntary conservation projects in sage grouse strongholds across 11 western states. To date, more than 1,300 ranches have enrolled in SGI to conserve and enhance sage grouse habitat on over 5 million acres.
For more information, visit: www.sagegrouseinitiative.com.
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 149,000 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.
For more information, visit: www.pheasantsforever.org.