St. Paul, Minn. – March 20, 2019 – Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever have tapped Colby Kerber, a 9-year veteran of the nonprofit wildlife conservation organization, as its new Hunting Heritage Program Manager. From Merna, Nebraska, Kerber will support and advance Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s national R3 initiative to recruit, retain and reactivate more adults and youth to hunting’s ranks.

As Hunting Heritage Program Manager, Kerber serves as Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s lead for recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters through the development of content, organization of events and cultivation of mentors. American adult hunting participation has been halved in the last half-century, and the lack of new entrants threatens wildlife funding and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

The position is co-funded by the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA), a nonprofit group that has formed a new alliance with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever centered on the connection between hunters buying licenses and funding for wildlife habitat conservation. The NAVHDA partnership extends to “Learn to Hunt” and bird dog-related events to help engage more people in habitat projects, conservation and dog training.

In his PF/QF tenure, Kerber has served as a farm bill wildlife biologist, regional representative and senior regional representative. “He’s met and exceeded the expectations for every position and challenge he has faced at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever,” said Rich Wissink, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Education and Outreach, “We know he’ll bring the same high level of innovation and hard work to face the challenge of recruiting, retaining and reactivating generations of hunting conservationists.”

A northeast Nebraska native, Kerber grew up in a non-hunting family, relying on mentors and nontraditional methods to transform himself into an outdoorsman. “I look forward to the challenge of teaching others the one passion that has affected me so deeply and passing on the knowledge and skills I’ve learned in the outdoors over the years. It’s hard to describe the joy and fulfillment of our outdoor traditions, but there is such a close connection to the land and creatures.”

Kerber earned a B.S. in Fisheries & Wildlife from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He resides in Merna, Nebraska with his wife, Audra, children Brynlee and Jaxon, and dogs Buddy and Bailee.

For more information about Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s R3 efforts, please contact Colby Kerber, Hunting Heritage Program Manager, at (308) 520-0876 / Email.

About Pheasants Forever & Quail 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 140,000 members and 740 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $867 million on 540,000 habitat projects benefiting 18 million acres nationwide.