Salt Lake City, Utah: The Mule Deer Foundation announced today that Korley Sears has been hired as the new regional director for the state of Arizona. Sears, who lives in Tucson, has a diversity of experience, most recently as Chapter Services and Development Specialist for Safari Club International. He will be actively engaging MDF’s chapters in Arizona to support their fundraising and on-the-ground conservation efforts. The Mule Deer Foundation has worked closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department on conservation for many years and Sears will continue to build on the outstanding volunteer conservation efforts in the state.
“We are excited to welcome Korley to the MDF staff because he brings an absolute passion for the outdoors along with solid business skills that will be essential to continuing to build MDF’s activities in Arizona,” noted Mike Laughter, MDF’s Director of Field Operations. “MDF has led many great conservation projects in Arizona and we have solid relationships with our state and federal partners there, so we know Korley will be able to hit the ground running to support mule deer in the state.”
The Mule Deer Foundation has had a strong presence in Arizona for a number of years helping to conserve mule deer in the state. The organization has raised more than $1.6 million dollars through the sale of the Arizona statewide mule deer tag, with 100% of those funds returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Department for conservation projects in the state. In addition, during 2016 and 2017 MDF chapters raised $188,000 dollars through their fundraising efforts and ultimately MDF directed over $225,000 towards mission accomplishment in Arizona during this time period. Projects have included repairing and replacing water sources for wildlife as well as installation of solar wells and repairing fencing with wildlife-friendly materials. Last year, MDF also partnered with the AGFD to hire a full-time wildlife biologist to help implement mule deer conservation projects on the ground.
With this foundation in place, Sears will be working to expand MDF’s chapters and to actively increase the state’s fundraising potential in order to implement even more on-the-ground conservation projects in the state. Sears is an avid outdoorsman who has hunted and fished around the world. He has also worked as a consultant for Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures & Cabela’s TAGS, and as a hunting and fishing guide. He grew up as a fourth-generation cattle grower in Nebraska and was in beef cattle production and row crop farming for many years. In 2014, he began working with the Safari Club International’s approximately 170 chapters supporting their fundraising efforts. In addition, he is an active real estate broker in Arizona serving clients throughout the United States and as far away as South America. Korley is bringing several new, innovative ideas to support the MDF Arizona mission and is excited about continuing to expand and highlight the hard work MDF volunteers do every day to conserve mule deer and their habitats across Arizona.
“I love working for wildlife conservation and am proud to be a hunter because I know the contributions we make as sportsmen and women is essential to conserving and utilizing wildlife in a respectful and renewable manner,” Sears said. “There is a lot of misinformation out there by groups that are working against our hunting heritage, and we stand to lose that heritage if we aren’t actively engaged. I look forward to helping MDF grow and spread the message about how important hunting is to wildlife conservation.”
Sears began work with MDF this week. He can be reached at 520-305-0724 or korley@muledeer.org.
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 in your state or become a member at www.muledeer.org or call 1-888-375-3337.