Second Kansan to make substantial donation to Pheasants Forever's Grassroots Conservation Campaign

Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) have announced a $1 million pledge from Duayne Madl, 59, of Lake Quivira, to PF's Grassroots Conservation Campaign. A Patron Member of PF and a QF member, Madl made the generous financial commitment because of his strong belief in the wildlife habitat conservation mission of PF/QF.

A lifelong Kansan, Madl grew up on a dairy farm outside of Lawrence. He still remembers shooting his first quail with a single barrel .410 shotgun, and his early adventures in the outdoors grew into a lifelong passion for upland bird and waterfowl hunting.

"As the years have passed, the more I've realized bird hunting was my real love," Madl said. "That's partly because I love bird dogs. Even my Lab, Jess, has a PF Life Membership as a memorial. But if you don't have the habitat, you don't have the hunting, and consequently you don't have places for the dogs to work."

Having grown up in an agricultural family and a farmer himself, Madl is acutely aware of finding a balance between conservation and agricultural production. "I've seen what happens when conservation is thrown out the window," said Madl, now a financial advisor who specializes in estate and succession planning. "But I've also seen what happens when the two exist in harmony."

A few years back, one of Madl's hunting buddies, David Schaffer, consulted with a PF Farm Bill biologist about his South Dakota property, where the pair hunt. Being there for the consultation, Madl liked the fact that the Farm Bill biologist program delivers conservation advice on a personal basis. Madl's belief in the Farm Bill biologist program has led to his involvement in the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign. In fact, Madl currently serves as the eastern Kansas co-chairman of the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Leadership Team.

Madl is pledging $1 million to PF/QF through the organization's first-ever national fundraising effort, the Grassroots Conservation Campaign. Madl is also the second Kansan in less than six months to make a significant contribution to PF/QF through the campaign. At the end of last year, Wallace Weber, of Russell County, made the single largest donation in the organization's history by donating 1,700 acres of land, along with a stewardship fund.

"I'm a lifelong Kansan, and I want to see land used the right way," Madl said. "There are great opportunities for wildlife habitat improvement in this state for pheasants, quail, and all other wildlife, and I'm convinced Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever can help capitalize on those opportunities."

To learn more about making a charitable donation to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, phone PF/QF's vice president of development, David Bue, at 218-340-5519, or email dbue@pheasantsforever.org.

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