ENSURING THE FUTURE by Paige Culver WSF Development Manager
A
YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE
fter another successful Sheep Show® in Reno, we were excited and looking forward to the incredible line up of events that our hard-working friends at the state Chapters & Affiliates had planned. It takes a strong community of conservationists to ensure that the mission-critical work gets done. I want to give a huge shout out and heartfelt “Congratulations” to the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation (AK WSF). Kevin Kehoe and his incredible team of officers and volunteers executed another bang-up fundraiser. It felt great to be back at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center with good friends. In addition to an awesome boost in membership for both AK WSF and the Wild Sheep Foundation, the Chadwick Ram Society gained several new members which translated to $40,000 in new pledges that will be received and directed to mission and program funding! To date, the Chadwick Ram Society has brought in more than $2 Million to wild sheep conservation efforts. Each member, no matter the pledge level, is part of this incredible success and your contributions matter! By the time you receive this issue the Wild Sheep Foundation will have already announced the winner of the Chadwick Ram Society exclusive desert bighorn hunt drawing provided by our friends at Sierra El Alamo. We are so excited to be able to offer this opportunity to our Chadwick Ram Society members each year. Your odds of winning are good, and at the end of the day,
22 WILD S HEEP® ~ SUMMER 2022
your money is going to wild sheep conservation. It’s a win all the way around. Our Marco Polo Society has hit the 75-member mark and we are looking for those who will help us reach our 100-member goal! As $100,000 donors, this special group has committed $7.5 Million dollars to Putting and Keeping Wild Sheep on the Mountain®. We have always said that while we are a smaller conservation organization relative to many others…we cast a big shadow. That is evident with this group. Thank you to our existing Marco Polo Society members who have stepped up and made an incredible impact by supporting our efforts to enhance wild sheep populations and educate the public and youth on sustainable use and the conservation benefits of hunting. Will you be one of the final 25? Our Legacy Society is growing each year. We are honored to have so many people who consider the Wild Sheep Foundation and our efforts worthy enough to be included in their planned giving. Appropriately named, this society gives our faithful members the opportunity to create a legacy. Whether an individual or family legacy, your gift will be used to Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain® in perpetuity. In addition to creating a brighter future for conservation, we can help you with present-day frustrations that come along with this type of planning. We have trusted resources to help you plan your charitable gifts so that it
provides the greatest benefit to you and your family as well as the Wild Sheep Foundation. If there is ever a question as to why your gifts are critical, then look no further than the many resources available to members and non-members alike. Our annual reports, which break down our program funding to state and tribal agencies, newsletters, articles from our exceptional biologists, our legislative affairs committee reports, and our professional resource advisory board cumulatively paint a broad but detailed picture of all the issues that the wild sheep resource and hunters face in today’s world. We are always on the front line and fighting to make sure that our way of life and the natural world we love stays intact and available for future generations. Thank you to all of you who are on the front lines with us. If you have any questions regarding ways you can help, please reach out to Development Manager, Paige Culver. WS
For more information on the Wild Sheep Foundation’s giving societies or to make a donation, please contact WSF Development Manager, Paige Culver at 406-404-8758 or pculver@ wildsheepfoundation.org.
