|
Contact: Miles Moretti, (801) 230-2207
Greg Sheehan and Kelli Poole Elected to Mule Deer Foundation Board of Directors
Salt Lake City, Utah: During its first meeting of 2019 at the recent Western Hunting and Conservation Expo, the Mule Deer Foundation board of directors elected to add Greg Sheehan and Kelli Poole as new board members. Both Sheehan and Poole bring expertise in wildlife conservation, biology and policy to the board, according to MDF’s President/CEO, Miles Moretti.
“I know I speak for the entire board when I say that we are excited to have Greg and Kelli join the Mule Deer Foundation board of directors,” Moretti stated. “Both have significant field and policy experience tackling real-world wildlife conservation challenges, and both are passionate about mule deer and mule deer hunting.”
Greg Sheehan is well known in the state of Utah with nearly thirty years as a career conservation professional. Over the last two years, Sheehan served as the principal deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, DC. Prior to that he worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for 25 years, ultimately serving as director for the last five of those years. While with the Utah Division of Wildlife, Sheehan supported landscape-scale habitat restoration; highway fencing and underpass construction; translocation of deer, bighorn sheep, bison, and mountain goats; selective predator management; restoration and rebuilding of the state fish hatcheries; and extensive research. As a result, during the last four years of his tenure, Utah’s mule deer population increased by more than 100,000 animals, leading to increased hunting and viewing opportunities for the public. At both the state and federal level, Sheehan focused on recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters and anglers and is, himself, an avid hunter, fisherman, and wildlife photographer. Sheehan is currently a vice president at Blue Diamond Capital in Provo, Utah.
“I am honored to serve on the Board of the Mule Deer Foundation,” said Sheehan. “Throughout my professional career I have worked to advance efforts that have increased mule deer numbers and their habitat. Having a chance to work with MDF and the great staff and volunteers will be a wonderful opportunity to continue efforts that will benefit the iconic western mule deer.”
As a wildlife biologist, Kelli Poole has worked across the West on a number of different wildlife projects including black bear population studies, research on mule deer migration patterns, sharp-tailed grouse re-introduction programs, bat population monitoring, and bighorn sheep recruitment and disease detection. Poole has worked with state wildlife agencies to collar species for data, and she also works in the trophy hunting community supporting the conservation of North American species as well as central Asian species. Her current project is training local Tajikistan women how to guide for trophy central Asian species such as Ibex and Marco Polo bighorn sheep. Kelli works with the Hunting and Conservation Alliance of Tajikistan (H&CAT) which is a community-based conservancy program that allows for local villages and local peoples to directly benefit from hunts. Poole received her wildlife management degree from Montana State University and adds an important voice to the MDF board as a woman hunter.
“I’m incredibly proud to be part of such an amazing team of board members, as well as a part of the entire society of Mule Deer Foundation supporters, staff, and volunteers,” Poole commented. “I am excited to be a part of the voice for mule deer across the West.”
“Kelli and Greg will be outstanding additions to the MDF board and we welcome them to the team,” said board chairman Art Reese. “They each bring an important perspective that will help our board continue to navigate MDF’s path of growth. As an organization, we’ve been able to raise our visibility and become a key leader for mule deer and black-tailed deer conservation and we appreciate people with a valuable set of credentials volunteering to help define our future.”
About MDF
The Mule Deer Foundation is the only conservation group in North America dedicated to restoring, improving and conserving mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat, with a focus on science and program efficiency. MDF is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. MDF acknowledges regulated hunting as a viable management component and is committed to recruitment and retention of men, women and youth into the shooting sports and conservation. Get involved in your state or become a member at www.muledeer.org or call 1-888-375-3337.
The purpose of the Mule Deer Foundation is to ensure the
conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer, and their habitat.
MDF is Dedicated to the Following Goals:
To restore, improve and protect mule deer habitat (including land and easement acquisitions) resulting in self-sustaining, healthy, free ranging and huntable deer populations.
To encourage and support responsible wildlife management with government agencies, private organizations, and landowners.
To promote public education and scientific research related to mule deer and wildlife management.
To support and encourage responsible and ethical behavior and awareness of issues among those whose actions affect mule deer.
To support regulated hunting as a viable component of mule deer and black-tailed deer conservation.
To develop programs that focus on recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation.
Do you support these goals? if so Get Involved today.
At MDF, our goals are not just words for the Annual Report – we back ’em up with Money and Action on the ground!
Find out how we’re putting these goals into practice in Your State!
“DO WHAT YOU CAN, WITH WHAT YOU HAVE,
WHERE YOU ARE.”
? Theodore Roosevelt