October 7, 2021 – With sincere gratitude, the National Deer Association (NDA) announces a gift from an anonymous donor in the amount of $180,000 to support NDA’s recently-announced national initiative known as Improving Access, Habitat and Deer Hunting on Public Lands, a project that leverages the needs of hunters on public lands with NDA’s expertise and conservation partners, including the U.S. Forest Service. This gift will accelerate the project’s work, allowing NDA to reach a goal of improving 1 million acres of public land by 2026, at least five years ahead of earlier expectations.
“This project directly improves hunting access for hunters and habitat on the ground while allowing us to reinvest funds back into conservation,” said NDA Chief Conservation Officer Kip Adams. “This transformational gift will allow us to impact more acres in the Northeast, Southeast and Western U.S. in a much shorter time frame. This is fantastic for deer herds and deer hunters.”
Through an agreement, NDA, USFS and shared stewardship coordinators mutually identify and select proposed projects for completion on public lands. These may include prescribed fire treatments; vegetation management such as timber thinning to promote healthy forests; watershed restoration and maintenance; control of noxious and exotic species and the reestablishment of native species; recreational facility management; and road and trail maintenance or decommissioning to restore and improve water quality.
Work in Kentucky and Mississippi will impact an estimated 55,000 to 65,000 acres, and NDA and USFS are on track to have projects in six states totaling 175,000 to 265,000 acres in 2022.
The NDA donor believes in the project’s mission of ensuring the future of wild deer through habitat management as well as NDA’s mission. If you or anyone you know may be interested in helping us reach our goals with this initiative and supporting our mission, please contact our Chief Development Officer, Lauren Varner, at lauren@deerassociation.com.
Join NDA and support their mission today, or sign up for their free e-newsletter to receive the latest on deer hunting and management at DeerAssociation.com
About the National Deer Association
Formally launched on November 10, 2020, the National Deer Association is a non-profit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. Formed by combining the strengths of two long-serving, successful organizations, the National Deer Association has a combined 38 years of action that has changed deer management for the betterment of hunting and protected North America’s most vital and admired game species for future generations. Visit DeerAssociation.com or follow @deerassociation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.