TAKE ONE PUT ONE BACK
A DECADE OF DONOR-DIRECTED FUNDING FOR WILD SHEEP
by: Gray N. Thornton, President & CEO
Marcus Hockett
In April 2013, while returning from the spring WSF Board of Directors meeting in Columbia, Missouri graciously hosted by Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA, incoming director Doug Sayer of Idaho asked me during a layover in the DFW Airport “how much does it cost to put a sheep on the mountain?” and added “I think Shelly and I would consider starting a new or enhancing an existing herd and I’m confident many of our members would contribute as well...”
Doug and I then discussed the concept of soliciting our membership specifically for putting one or more wild sheep back on the mountain. As Doug boarded his flight to Idaho and I back to Wyoming, I told him I’d get with then WSF Senior Conservation Director and now Vice President of Conservation Kevin Hurley to determine how much it costs to trap & translocate a wild sheep, and with others, we would strategize on a marketing program.
Kevin did the math on the 2013 costs of a helicopter net-gun capture, diagnostic laboratory analyses, a GPS collar, and subsequent transportation to a new location; Kevin’s figures came out to be ~$4,700 per wild sheep.
An Ad Hoc Committee was formed including Doug Sayer (Chair), Ryan Foutz, Travis Howell, Darryl Williams, Jim Wilson and Gray Thornton and we then worked on a title for the program and a roll-out strategy. We landed on the title Take One – Put One Back (TOPOB) as a campaign to provide WSF members who have taken a wild sheep the opportunity to “put one back” on the mountain. Donors make a $5,000 (or more) tax-deductible donation (USA taxpayers) to WSF to “put one back” anytime they choose, but especially when they buy a special permit or a sheep hunt, draw a special sheep permit, or just want to “put a wild sheep back on the mountain.” The program’s key was then, and is still now, that 100% of the dollars donated is directed to conservation projects and programs to put and keep wild sheep on the mountain®.
During summer 2013, we ordered domestic stock plastic ear tags and later gold-plated lapel pins which included the WSF logo and “I Put 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, etc. Back” copy. The number of tag and pin equals the number of sheep individuals “Put Back” on the Mountain.
As with many bold and new ideas, it started with a question.
Johnathan Spear
We launched the TOPOB program from the stage Thursday night in Reno during the 2014 Sheep Show® and joked that while the $5,000 plastic ear tag might be the most expensive piece of plastic you ever bought, it would be the most cherished plastic you could earn and own.
In 2014 and with a challenge from Doug & Shelly Sayer, and appeal calls from the stage Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 14 donors gave $85,000 which later funded $115,000 in conservation programs with their TOPOB dollars.
In 2015, 27 donors gave $185,000, and we funded $204,000 in TOPOB programs.
In 2016, 37 donors gave $267,500, and we funded $282,500 in TOPOB programs.
“NET ZERO FNAWS”
During 2016, Alan Higham completed his FNAWS and conceived the concept of a “Net Zero FNAWS” – he took four sheep off the mountain, and with a very generous $20,000 2016 gift from his Weathered Stone Good Works Fund, he helped WSF put four sheep back.
By 2016 we had several generous “NET Zero FNAWS” TOPOB donors including:
•Albert Seeno - $50,000
•Doug & Shelly Sayer - $30,000
•Monty & Becky Davis - $25,000
•Roger Segebrecht - $25,000
•Kevin Hurley - $25,000
•Walt & Joan Coram - $20,000
•Alan Higham - $20,000
Today, there are many more “Net Zero FNAWS” and “Multi Net Zero FNAWS” members including the aforementioned who continued to give as well as Grizzly Outdoors Corps, Anonymous, Richard Pierce, Mesara Family Foundation, Kevin & Tuesdy Small, Terry Rathert, Stanford & Pamela Atwood, Norbert Bremer, Brian Benyo, Steve & Jackie Bruggeman, Mike Carpinito, Sr., Guinn & Betsy Crousen, Nicholas Saner, and Kyle Small.
Johnathan Spear
10 YEARS - $1,684,500
During our 2017 through 2023 conventions and even through the pandemic-caused Virtual Sheep Show® in 2021, WSF member donors continued generously donating to the TOPOB program and are being recognized Friday and Saturday night during our banquet programs. Incredibly, during the past decade of WSF’s Take One – Put One Back donordirected conservation program, an amazing $1,684,500 has been raised with 100% of those funds having been or will be directed to programs and projects enhancing and conserving wild sheep as well as their habitat. TOPOB aims to not only put wild sheep back on the mountain, but to keep them there!
2023 TOPOB donors set a new record with $320,000 raised before and during the Sheep Show®.
RAISED AND DIRECTED TO WILD SHEEP CONSERVATION
Anonymous - $100,000
Grizzly Outdoor Corps - $95,000
Albert Seeno - $50,000
Richard Pierce - $20,000
Mesara Family Foundation - $10,000
Mike and Michael Carpinito - $10,000
Roger McCosker - $5,000
Terry Rathert - $5,000
Kevin Small - $5,000
Kyle Small - $5,000
Bob & Pam Keagy -$5,000
Rob & Lucy Cinclair - $5,000
Gary Young - $5,000
Total = $320,000
One hundred percent of these funds will help fund the $1.247 Million in FY 2022-23 Grant-In-Aid projects consistent with the Take One – Put One Back conservation project mandate.
While our Take One – Put One Back program conceived in 2013 was novel then and remains so today, donor-directed dollars to programs they support are in no way unique. Bernie Fiedeldey, the founder of WSF’s One More for Four program as well as its pre-lawsuit predecessor has been soliciting challenge dollars to fund his exceptional program for more than 20 years and continues to do so today.
Capitalizing on the success of both the Bernie Fiedeldey One More for Four Challenge and our Take One Put One Back program, we expanded our appeals in January 2022 to include our very successful and growing Women Hunt® program. In January 2023, we offered a full menu of appeals and opportunities for members to give to programs with 100% of their dollars supporting the programs of their desire.
TAKE ONE PUT ONE BACK - 2014 to date
Albert Seeno (42)
Grizzly Outdoor Corps (38)
Anonymous (20)
Richard Pierce (15)
Roger Segebrecht (15)
Kevin & Tuesdy Small (8)
Mesara Family Foundation (7)
Walt Coram (6)
Kevin Hurley (6)
Terry Rathert (6)
Stan & Pamela Atwood (5)
Monty & Becky Davis (5)
Brian Benyo (4)
Norbert Bremer (4)
Steve & Jackie Bruggeman (4)
Mike Carpinito, Sr. (4)
Nicholas Saner (Dumor) (4)
Doug & Shelly Sayer (4)
Kyle Small (4)
Weathered Stone Works Fund (4)
Guinn & Betsy Crousen (3)
Marc & Cheryl Hansen (3)
Kaan & Nurgul Karakaya (3)
Bob & Pam Keagy (3)
Leupold (3)
Geoff Rowley (3)
Gary & Penny Young (3)
Adeline & Cary Bloomquist (2)
Jerry & Amy Brenner (2)
Buck Buckner (2)
Ron & Billi Carey (2)
Michael Carpinito (2)
Betsy Crousen (2)
SITKA® Gear (2)
Jim & Sue Hens (2)
Steve Hornady (2)
Jim Manley (2)
Jeremy Page (2)
Mark & Gabrielle Peterson (2)
Shelly Sayer (2)
Warren Wildlife Gallery (2)
Darryl Williams (2)
YETI® Coolers (2)
Jack Atcheson & Sons (1.5)
Chris Dianda (1.5)
Anonymous
Best of the West
Booker
John Brelsford
Scott Brown
Tim & Reed Burres
Rob & Lucy Cinclair
Richard Crawford
Denis Dale
Jeff & Jann Demaske
Harv Dethlefs
Mike Dianda
John & Ann Diedrich
Steve Field
Ft. Belknap Tribe
GOABC
Ben & Tina Gordon
Susan Hein
Tom & Denise Hoffman
TW Howell
Chrissie & John Jackson
Micki Jefferson
Larry Johns
Evon D & Jack H Keck Foundation
Sean Keck
Michael Kinney
Cole Kramer
Kryptek
Doug Leech
Thomas Lemmerholz
Robert & Marion Logan
Roger McCosker
Gus Maxfield
Kyle & Joanne Meintzer
Eric & Susanne Moland
Rick & Linda Murphy
Sean Paxton
David Pritchard
Jason Radakovich
Dean Retzleff
Kevin & Janine Rinke
Dustin Roe
Alan & Barbara Sackman
Daniel Smith
Renee Snider
William “Buck” & Angela Thompson
Gray N. Thornton
Charles Trover
Dave Turchanski
Jim & Shaina Warner
Jim & Paula Wilson
Jared Wire
WSF wishes to recognize thank all of our TOPOB donors from 2014 to today Not
Russ & Debi Young
shown: 2017 ARRO Raffle ($50,000), FY End Challenge ($62,500) Not all patrons donated exact $5,000 increments
IN ADDITION TO OUR 2023 TOPOB DONORS, THE FOLLOWING DONORS GAVE TO THESE FINE PROGRAMS LISTED BELOW
One More for Four Challenge
Bernie Fiedeldey - $25,000
David & Sona Combs - $5,000
Renee Snider - $2,500
Darin & Tonya Fiedeldey - $2,500
Charles & Denise Swanson - $2,000
Kris Kohlhoff - $1,000
WSF Midwest Chapter - $1,000
Washington WSF - $1,000
Ed Pabst - $1,000
Kevin Gilbert - $1,000
Total = $42,000
Women Hunt®
Anonymous - $5,000
Denise Swanson - $1,000
Renée & Gray Thornton - $1,000
Rebecca & Colin Peters - $1,000
Kevin Hurley - $1,000
Total = $9,000
Ram Lay-A-Way
J. Alain Smith - $15,000
Tony & Ginny Caligiuri - $5,000
Arlene Hanson - $5,000
Steve Skold - $2,500
Julie Chapman - $1,000
Ian Keinath - $1,000
Joe Brescia - $1,000
Tom & Denise Hoffman - $1,000
Total = $31,500
Youth Programs
Amanda Brock - $500
Working Dogs 4 Conservation
Kevin Hurley - $1,000
General
Full Curl Spirits - $3,000
WSF thanks and salutes all of our donors who responded generously to our 2023 Sheep Show® Appeals!
On this 10-year anniversary of the Take One – Put One Back program, we are especially grateful for the enormous and unwavering generosity of WSF members and the wild sheep family towards our donor-directed Appeals. We are also very grateful for the exceptional generosity of our industry partners, Chapters, Affiliates, members, and others who support and/or sponsor our annual convention and WSF’s Mission Programs. This year, total 2023 Sheep Show® convention sponsorship and appeals support neared $1 Million dollars!
Happy Tenth Birthday
Take One- Put One Back!
On behalf of our Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, our staff, and very heartfelt personally, thank you!
