NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: September 19, 2014

Contact: Miles Moretti, miles@muledeer.org or (801) 973-3940

                Marshall Johnson, marshall@muledeer.org or (406) 850-8785

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Mule Deer Foundation Volunteer Ryan Krapp Wins Field & Stream Magazine 2014 Hero of Conservation Award

Washington, DC: This week, during a gala gathering of the nation’s top conservation organizations, Field & Stream magazine announced Ryan Krapp as the winner of its 2014 Heroes of Conservation Award. Ryan is the North Dakota state chair for the Mule Deer Foundation and was chosen due to his years of work to support mule deer during North Dakota’s energy boom, his efforts to secure public access to private lands, and for playing a pivotal role in creating MDF’s M.U.L.E.Y. program. Ryan received the honor during the 2014 Heroes of Conservation Gala event in Washington, DC, on September 17 and received the keys to a brand new Toyota Tundra, courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and a grant of $5,000 that he says he’ll apply to MDF’s habitat restoration work in the state. The October issue of the magazine that hit the newsstands this week includes photos and interviews with Ryan and the other five finalists who were also honored this week.

“I’m speechless and honored,” Krapp stated after receiving the award. “The work that all six of us have done was never done with the intention of getting recognized for it – we do it because it’s the right thing to do for conservation and to promote and protect our hunting heritage. The fact that Field & Stream and Toyota are honoring the conservation heroes in this country will hopefully encourage other sportsmen and women to get their boots on the ground and their hands dirty.”

Krapp, MDF’s North Dakota state chair, received the organization’s Maggie Justice Award as the national volunteer of the year at the convention in February. He has been active in working with private landowners to improve their mule deer habitat and public access through the North Dakota PLOTS (Private Land Open to Sportsmen) program. In addition, Krapp also chairs MDF’s national Volunteer Leadership Team and contributed to starting the MDF MULEY (Mindful, Understanding, Legal, Ethical Youth) program. In July, he coordinated an event that introduced another 225 children to hunting, shooting and conservation.

Krapp spent Thursday, the day after the gala, on Capitol Hill meeting with his members of Congress to talk about the need to conserve mule deer habitats that are increasingly being fragmented by the oil and gas boom in western North Dakota.

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About MDF 
The Mule Deer Foundation is the only conservation group in North America dedicated to restoring, improving and protecting mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat, with a focus on science and program efficiency. MDF is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. MDF acknowledges regulated hunting as a viable management component and is committed to recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation. Get involved at www.muledeer.org or call 1-888-375-3337.