Grace Adkins, field staff member of the Quality Deer Management Association’s youth organization the Rack Pack, was named the 2013 North Carolina Youth Conservationist of the Year on September 7. Grace, who is 15, received the award from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation as part of the annual Governor’s Achievement Awards.
Grace Adkins, field staff member of the Quality Deer Management Association’s youth organization the Rack Pack, was named the 2013 North Carolina Youth Conservationist of the Year on September 7. Grace, who is 15, received the award from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation as part of the annual Governor’s Achievement Awards.
According to the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, the Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards honor individuals, government bodies, organizations and others who have exhibited an unwavering commitment to conservation in North Carolina.
Grace is the newest field staff member of the Rack Pack, a grassroots, in-person program with a youth-led, multimedia approach intended to create and enrich future hunters and leaders in conservation. In addition, Grace helped QDMA’s Cape Fear River Branch produce the “Kids Gone Wild” program, a science, technology and mathematics event that involved more than 700 youth. Grace also volunteers with the Branch’s summer deer camp and hunter’s education workshops, and she was recently nominated and elected to serve as the Rack Pack Coordinator for the Branch.
“Grace Adkins is turning a genuine love for the outdoors into an authentic voice for engaging other youth in hunting and shooting sports,” said Guy and Judy Gardner of QDMA’s Cape Fear River Branch. “She’s a role model for other kids, and to be honest, a role model for the rest of us who know in our heart of hearts that the most important thing about being in the woods, away from it all, is that we share that experience with others.”
To learn more about Grace and the Rack Pack, log onto the QDMA webpage.
About QDMA
QDMA is dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage. Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with nearly 50,000 members in all 50 states and Canada. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call 800-209-3337 or visit the QDMA webpage. QDMA can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.