New outdoor heritage fund marks first of its kind for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin today announced the creation
of the LaBarbera-Vaughn Outdoor Heritage Fund, which is the first of the
Foundation's funds to support outdoor sporting education specifically.
Foundation board treasurer Mark LaBarbera and his wife Coni Vaughn LaBarbera
created the fund as a way to give back to the state's natural resources and
future generations.
"Hunters and anglers have to be close to nature in order to have success
afield," said LaBarbera, whose own connection to nature came from spending
time hunting and fishing with his mother and father, Betty and Joe
LaBarbera, of West Allis. "Because of that connection, they have a deep
appreciation for the environment and want to help care for our natural
resources. If we can connect more people to nature, there will be more
environmentally literate citizens and future stewards for conservation to
replace each passing generation."
Coni LaBarbera learned to hunt from her Uncle Keith Pickel in southwest
Wisconsin, where she taught middle school. She has gone on to hunt and fish
in a number of states, and has trained teachers from across the United
States at the American Wilderness Leadership School in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, where she specialized in National Archery in the Schools
certification.
The LaBarberas established the endowment to:
* Increase the public's understanding, appreciation and sense of
stewardship for natural resources, America's outdoor heritage, and
professional resource management, including related activities such as
fishing, hunting and other shooting sports in Wisconsin;
* Increase wild elk, deer, turkey, and game bird populations in
Wisconsin;
* Help the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette,
Wisconsin, with outdoor education and skills training programs or
interpretive signage;
* Enhance youth and adult outdoor sports education efforts in
Wisconsin, including especially, but not limited to, National Archery in the
Schools and Explore Bowhunting Programs, youth fishing, firearms safety and
hunter skills training, and promoting ATV and snowmobile safety training;
* Improve signage at Hardscrabble Prairie State Natural Area in
Lafayette County, Wisconsin;
* Help secondary education institutions in Wisconsin provide
scholarships for student's natural resource education, or help secondary
institutions outside of Wisconsin provide scholarships for Wisconsin-based
students' natural resource education;
* Support production and airing of natural resources programming on
public radio and public television in Wisconsin.
The fund will not be used for anything that benefits anti-hunting efforts,
hinders access to public lands and waters, or limits shooting sports
opportunities for youth or adults.
"Thanks to Mark and Coni, we look forward to supporting one of the key
groups within Wisconsin's conservation community-hunters and anglers of all
ages," said Ruth Oppedahl, executive director of the Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin. "This new endowment fund aligns with our public
land management support for improving habitat that game species and other
wildlife need to survive. It also provides educational opportunities for
youth to learn how to hunt and fish."
LaBarbera used highly appreciated stock from his former employer to
establish the fund. The donation marks the largest single gift for an
endowment fund with the Foundation from a current board member. With this
gift and other funds established in 2015, the Foundation's Wisconsin
Conservation
Endowment<http://www.wisconservation.org/how-we-work/wisconsin-endowments/>
is now valued at more than $5 million.
"Anyone who cares about conservation and our outdoor heritage can pitch in
by donating to this fund or starting their own," LaBarbera said. "Just call
Camille or Ruth at the Natural Resources Foundation. It's a chance to share
what we cherish with the next generation of hunters, anglers and
conservationists."
To contribute to the LaBarbera-Vaughn Outdoor Heritage Fund, or to start
your own fund, contact Camille Zanoni, the Foundation's development
director, at 608-264-8922.