Position will help educate, engage and expand the upland conservation community
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are proud to announce Kim Cole has been promoted to the role of habitat education program manager. In her new position, Cole will help lead numerous conservation education initiatives, including the Pollinator Habitat Outreach Program and Milkweed in the Classroom. She will also help expand participation and education on the importance of quality wildlife habitat, wild places and healthy ecosystems.
“Kim has been an integral part of the Pheasants Forever team for a long time, and her passion for conservation makes her a perfect fit to help lead our education efforts,” said Colby Kerber, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s director of conservation education programs. “Bringing new and diverse members into the upland conservation community is an essential part of our organization, especially when we can get young people involved with programs like Milkweed in the Classroom. Through Kim’s leadership, we’ll be able to train the next generation of habitat stewards.”
Just one of the programs Cole will now oversee, Milkweed in the Classroom is a turn-key habitat education program that provides all the necessary materials to grow native plants in classrooms across the country. It also includes on-line training on how to grow native plants via curriculum that meets all national science standards. The results of this program not only benefit pollinators by providing quality foraging and nesting habitat, but also provide opportunities for youth to get outside and gain an appreciation for wildlife and conservation.
Similarly, the Pollinator Habitat Outreach Program helps educate future generations of conservationists about the importance of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s habitat mission. With the realization that good pheasant and quail habitat is also good pollinator habitat, Cole will work with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever staff and local chapters nationwide to create youth pollinator projects in their communities.
Cole began her career with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in 2019 as the Missouri Outreach Coordinator, a position she held until accepting her new job earlier this fall. Prior to joining the Habitat Organization, she was a conservation education consultant for the Missouri Department of Conservation. She holds a B.A. in Psychological Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also completed graduate coursework in Fisheries & Wildlife.
In addition to helping lead various education programs, Cole will also help coordinate the organization’s National Pollinator Week each summer, and will work alongside chapter leaders and volunteers to help promote Pheasants Forever’s Path to the Uplands mission.
“Conservation education is a passion of mine, and I am so excited for the opportunity to serve as the habitat education program manager for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever,” Cole said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with our staff, partners and chapters to support our habitat education programs and provide educational resources that demonstrate the importance of habitat conservation.”