Iowa gets Evelsizered -
PF Hires New Northeastern Iowa Biologist
St. Paul,
Minn. – July 7, 2004
– Pheasants Forever (PF) announces
that Andrea Evelsizer has been hired as the new regional wildlife
biologist for northeastern Iowa. Evelsizer takes over for Matt
O’Connor who was promoted as the organization’s first-ever habitat
team coordinator in March. O’Connor had been the northeast Iowa
biologist for PF since 1990. Evelsizer joins PF after working the
last two years with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Evelsizer spent
time in two roles with the Iowa DNR. First, she worked in the
wildlife division focusing on the reintroduction of the trumpeter
swan. Most recently, she worked as an environmental specialist,
enforcing water and wastewater quality regulations. She also
worked for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for a short
time before moving to Iowa. Evelsizer’s primary duties with PF
will include working with the 33 PF chapters in northern and
eastern Iowa. She will assist those chapters in raising and
expending funds on wildlife habitat and conservation education.
Andrea will also be working with local, state, and federal natural
resource agencies on behalf of those chapters.
“I am very
excited about this opportunity with Pheasants Forever,” explains
Evelsizer. “I am most anxious to help chapters create wildlife
habitat in their own communities, since PF chapters keep 100% of
their fundraising dollars locally. I expect that it will be very
gratifying to see the direct results of our efforts.”
“Matt
[O’Connor] left some big shoes to fill, but Andrea is the perfect
person to pick up where Matt left off,” remarked Rick Young, PF’s
vice president of field operations. “She already has a great
relationship with the Iowa DNR and has the perfect personality to
immediately fit into her role with chapters and the organization.”
Evelsizer is a
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native. She graduated with a B.S. in
environmental science from the University of Manitoba. Andrea and
her husband, Vince, plan to make their home just outside of Iowa
City in North Liberty, Iowa. Wildlife habitat will be a hot topic
over the dinner table as Vince works as a wetlands biologist for
the Iowa DNR as well.
Pheasants
Forever is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the
protection and enhancement of pheasant and other wildlife
populations in North America through habitat improvement, land
management, public awareness, and education. Such efforts benefit
landowners and wildlife alike. Pheasants Forever has more than
108,000 members in over 600 local chapters across the continent.
For additional
information about Pheasants Forever, please visit
www.pheasantsforever.org.
