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Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has announced the retirement of longtime Vice President of Government Affairs Dave Nomsen. Nomsen has been employed by “The Habitat Organization” since 1992 and has been one of the nation’s leading voices for wildlife habitat conservation for the last three decades. In particular, Nomsen has helped influence the conservation title within the federal Farm Bill beginning with the 1996 legislation.

“Dave Nomsen has been the face of the Conservation Reserve Program – CRP – within the wildlife community. He’s been a tremendous advocate for bird hunters across America and our members have definitely been fortunate to have him representing their interests all these years,” reported Howard K. Vincent, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever President & CEO. “He will leave enormous shoes to fill. Thankfully, we have a very strong team climbing the ranks in our organization and the timing for Dave’s transition makes sense as we position ourselves to grow habitat opportunities through legislation now and looking ahead toward the 2023 Farm Bill.”

“I’ve enjoyed the extra time at home in recent weeks and have decided that now is the right time for me to spend even more quality time with my wife, children, and grandchildren while we’re all healthy and active,” explained Nomsen. “Now is also the right moment for me to step aside and let the talented professionals on the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever team grab the conservation torch. That flame is in good hands.”

“I may be retiring, but make no mistake about it, I’m not leaving this awesome organization,” added Nomsen. “I count the chapter volunteers and my co-workers throughout this organization as some of my very best friends in the world and I look forward to visiting many of them this autumn with my bird dog riding shotgun.”

Nomsen is a Clear Lake, Iowa, native, where his father was the chief pheasant biologist for the Iowa Conservation Commission (now the Iowa DNR). Following his father’s conservation lead, Nomsen received a master’s in wildlife management from South Dakota State University. He was hired by Pheasants Forever in 1992 as the organization’s wildlife biologist for Minnesota. Later that year, Nomsen became the organization’s voice on Capitol Hill and has worked on conservation policy in the 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2018 Farm Bills.

Additionally, Nomsen has served on the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Council since 1999. During his NAWCA tenure, he was appointed and re-appointed by Secretaries of the Interior under four U.S. Presidents; two republicans and two democrats. For his tireless conservation leadership, he has been recognized with honors from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and the Wildlife Management Institute.