More than 400 attendees committed to growing outdoor women’s participation trends
St. Paul, Minnesota – February 2, 2023 – Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever partnered with the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS), Responsive Management and Dr. Christine Thomas, founder of Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, along with a diverse panel of organization and agency leaders to provide the opening R3 (Recruit, Retain, Reactivate) – What women want webinar The event, designed to share and increase trends in women’s participation in hunting, sport shooting and archery, welcomed more than 400 attendees from 51 different states and several countries.
“It was an honor for me personally, and for the Council as a whole, to be invited to host the R3-What Women Want webinar. The information provided by Responsive Management and other speakers is exactly what R3 professionals need to make data-driven decisions to better support women in the field,” says Taniya Bethke, CAHSS Director of Operations. “Learning more to be able to do better is part of the process that will allow the conservation community to continue working for safe and inclusive spaces for all people.”
The event provided opportunities to discuss the current needs, interests, preferences and constraints of women in R3-related activities. During the webinar, speakers shared relevant next steps to get more women involved in hunting and shooting sports, along with plans to move forward and overcome potential barriers to entry into conservation.
During the webinar, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever shared their own robust set of educational and outreach events designed specifically for women conservationists. Marissa Jensen, the organization’s education and outreach program manager, highlighted how chapters and staff organized 95 Women on the Wing (WOTW) events in 2022, representing more than 1,600 participating women in 22 states. In addition, the organization has 10 WOTW chapters and several more are currently being formed across the country.
The nation’s most recent report on the demographics of hunting, the 2022 Special Report on Hunting and Shooting Sports, shows that female hunting participation has never been higher. In 2021, 27% of participants were women, up from 16% a decade ago.
“The response to this webinar far exceeded our expectations; It shows the importance of all the collaborative work and efforts going on across the country to drive retention rates for women in R3,” said Marissa Jensen. “We hope all of our participants will take something from this session to implement in their own practices as we continue to build R3 programs that provide what women are looking for in the outdoor space.”
To watch the R3 – What women want webinar in its entirety, click here.
He R3 – What women want The webinar was funded by a Multi-State Conservation Grant, a program funded by the Sport and Wildlife Restoration Program, and administered jointly by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Wild life.
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters, and partners is dedicated to protecting our highlands through habitat improvement, public access, education, and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent—the only national conservation organization to operate through this grassroots structure. Since its inception in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to more than 575,000 habitat projects benefiting 24 million acres.