The National Deer Association’s 2022 Hunting Heritage Award recipient is the Pennsylvania Game Commission for outstanding efforts and commitment to furthering the mission of the NDA’s Field to Fork program – our food-focused mentored hunts for adults. Through this new partnership, the NDA was able to hire Elizabeth Kligge – a gardener, forager, and hunter – as the Pennsylvania Field to Fork Coordinator. The position, funded through the PGC, will oversee the expansion of NDA’s Field to Fork and other Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) initiatives.
PGC and NDA currently host eight Field to Fork events each fall covering the state from private land near Erie to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia. These new programs will aim to increase hunting participation and the societal acceptance of hunting in Pennsylvania. PGC staff were instrumental in organizing, training, cooking, and mentoring at each of the events this fall.
“We’re thrilled to bring together these two organizations with significant experience and success in converting people interested in hunting into active hunters,” said Hank Forester, NDA Director of Hunting. “With these additional personnel and resources, we will be able to do more for the thousands of aspiring hunters in the Commonwealth.”