Southern Nevada Mule Deer Foundation

How to Volunteer for a Conservation Organization
MISSOULA, Mont.-Whether they work individually or as part of a group, volunteers are essential to conservation today-even more so tomorrow.

That's the consensus of conservation professionals who predict that fish, wildlife and habitat, as well as the future of America's sporting traditions, will depend more and more on devoted souls whose only paycheck is the personal reward of preserving traditional values and passing on a cherished way of life.

Volunteerism spans from teaching a neighbor kid to cast at a nearby pond to serving on a board that directs policy for international wildlife habitat initiatives.

A conservation organization can be an effective channel for many volunteer passions.

Here's how to get involved:

1.Consider why you're interested in volunteering. Do you want to make a difference in the world, or in your own corner of the outdoors? Is it about building your own skills and social network? Or are you simply inspired to give something back to a special place, species or heritage? These questions can help you choose the right organization.

2. Select an outfit that represents something special to you. If your pulse quickens at the thought of mallards over decoys, an elk bugling from a golden stand of aspens, a bass exploding on a topwater lure, there's a group for you. Ditto if you're concerned about Second Amendment issues. Maybe you believe that youths in your community should know more about handling firearms safely, or how hunting and angling pay for conservation. Or perhaps you're just worried about the kudzu infestation in the back pasture of your hunting club. Whatever your interest, there's probably a good fit for you somewhere out there. If not, start something new.

3. Speak with staff or volunteers from the organization and ask what opportunities exist for newcomers as well as experienced volunteers. Attend a meeting to see how the group interacts. At its best, volunteering is a selfless act for a greater good, but everyone wants to feel appropriately appreciated-find out how the outfit says thank you.

4. Seek out volunteer tasks that suit you. Conservation always needs money but if soliciting donations isn't your cup of tea, consider helping setup for a fundraising event or even a back-office gig stuffing envelopes. Maybe you'd rather install aquatic habitat or remove decrepit fencing from a big-game migration corridor. Of course, it's fun to learn new things and there's real satisfaction in completing less pleasant tasks, but it pays to ensure your core duties will be compatible with your time and talent.

5. Start small. If you already have a busy schedule, commitments at home or unpredictable work hours, you can still get involved. In fact, most organizations want volunteers who are busy people because busy people know how to get things done. See about working for only an hour or two per week or perhaps one day per month. Later, if you find you enjoy the work and have more time to pursue it, gradually take on more.

6. Ask, don't demand. People in charge of organizing volunteers are often volunteers themselves, but, invariably, they're working to meet certain goals with a bigger mission in mind. Especially if you're just starting out, the best bet is simply assimilating into their system. Later on, if you see that it could work better, make suggestions on how to fix it.

7. Ask questions and do research, but until you get your feet wet, you won't know if volunteering for a particular organization is really right for you.

Volunteering allows a person to make a lasting mark on conservation, leave America's outdoors as-or better than-they found it, and hand down a meaningful personal legacy to their children and grandchildren.

It matters not whether you get involved individually or as part of a group. The important thing is just getting started.

Sooner the better.

No Treats This Halloween
We're starting to ring down the curtain on what has been, by many accounts, a tough year for our industry. With the exception of some boom-times in firearms and ammunition (and that bubble has started to deflate somewhat), times have been tough.

Overlooked in the economic hubbub is the toll a bad economy takes on wildlife advocacy groups. Many depend solely on memberships and donations for their revenues. For many of those groups, the numbers have dropped - some precipitously. In fact, I'm hearing the numbers at a couple of the larger and more active groups have dropped as much as fifty percent. That is a serious knock on even their bottom lines.

For some groups, there are other problems, including costly litigation with ousted former executives. Quail Unlimited, the oldest and largest of the quail groups, is under criminal investigation by the ATF unaccounted firearms; those investigations and management problems have splintered that organization, left it without an executive management team, and have state QU groups vowing to fix the organization - even if it means starting from scratch. In the meantime, the organization as surviving - but is essentially ineffective nationally.

While their situation is unusual, membership losses have led many groups to reduce staff and cutback on programs. Their ongoing wildlife programs have been invaluable resources to many state wildlife agencies also feeling budget squeezes.

Yesterday, I spoke with David Allen, President and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation about the situation. Allen was candid about the problems many organizations face. After all, he told me, RMEF had faced many of their own "challenges" over the past few years. RMEF, he says, is regaining momentum - and members - by focusing on realities and their core constituency -hunter conservationists.

"Some groups have been living beyond their means," he said, "you can't live in anticipation of money. Here, for example, I tell the staff 'we won't spend money we don't have'. It meant downsizing our undertakings and cutting expenses, but it is just an economic reality."

Allen says finances aren't the single biggest challenge facing organizations. That, he says, is a one-word threat: complacency. Complacency, he says, is reflected in the fact that there are 1,000,000 elk tags sold annually - but only twenty percent of those hunters are RMEF members. While it's unrealistic to presume all off them would ever become RMEF members, Allen makes a good case that the absence of that remaining eighty percent of elk hunters- as is true in any affinity wildlife group - deprives the organization of the two things that fuel their work: funds, and volunteers.

He remains convinced, however, that the single biggest concern for all wildlife groups can be summed up in a single word: habitat. Fighting habitat loss, unfortunately, takes time, money and volunteers. Today, many of the organizations are lacking in money and volunteers - and that may mean their time is running out.

"As a group," he adds,"we also tend not to support each other and act as a group until there's a crisis - then we overreact."

Will all the groups survive? "Not without some consolidation, I'm afraid," Allen said,"we have to find ways to get together for some of these groups to survive. I'm not optimistic everyone will."

Yesterday, two groups announced they will be working together in 2010. Dallas Safari Club and Ducks Unlimited both have annual conventions set for Dallas (DSC's First Light is January 7-10, DU's Convention and Expo is May 28-30). Each will take a major sponsor's role in the other's event.

"This partnership allows both organizations to connect with completely different segments of the hunting community," says DSC's executive Director Ben Carter, " Waterfowlers can learn about our big game initiatives, attend our show and have an opportunity to support us. And our deer and kudu and sheep fanatics can do the same for wetlands and prairie potholes."

DU CEO Randy L. Graves, says, "Hunters have demonstrated time and again that they're devoted to wildlife conservation in all its forms, so we're excited at the potential of this new partnership to grow support for both conventions."