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Jim LePeak (center) of Munith was named the 2011 Michigan Hunter Education Instructor of the Year at a recent Natural Resources Commission meeting. Congratulating LePeak are Natural Resources Commission Chair Tim Nichols (left) and Department of Natural Resources Director Rodney Stokes (right).

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- The Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission recognized Jim LePeak of Jackson County as the 2011 Hunter Education Instructor of the Year at the commission’s Dec. 8 meeting in Lansing.

A resident of Munith, Mich., LePeak has volunteered his time to the DNR’s Hunter Education program since 1999, serving as an instructor as well as a coordinator – equipping and providing training to other instructors – for Jackson and Hillsdale counties.

“Volunteer hunter education instructors like Jim LePeak are vital to developing knowledgeable, safe and responsible hunters, and we are grateful for all that they do,” said DNR Director Rodney Stokes. “Jim goes above and beyond in his efforts to carry on Michigan’s rich hunting heritage.”

LePeak volunteers his time as a proctor for the annual Michigan Youth Hunter Education Challenge and participates as an instructor and range safety officer for the DNR’s weeklong Hunter Education Academy each year. He also helped in facilitating a first-aid and CPR class for hunter education instructors in Jackson County.

“Jim tirelessly promotes the hunter education program – participating in local parades and community events, providing incentives to students who take his class and even including information about upcoming classes on his answering machine,” Stokes added. “He has also recruited many new instructors to the program, including his two sons and his grandson.”

LePeak serves as treasurer of the Michigan Hunter Education Instructor Association and was instrumental in the dissemination of donated computers to instructors throughout southern Michigan. He is also certified as an International Bowhunter Education Program instructor, offering his knowledge and expertise to prospective archery hunters in his area.

Hunter education in Michigan has taught thousands of people safe hunting techniques, firearm handling and hunter ethics and has had a dramatic impact on reducing hunting incidents in our state. To learn more about the DNR’s hunter education program, visit www.michigan.gov/huntereducation.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- This holiday season honor friends or loved ones by making a donation to the Michigan Nongame Fish & Wildlife Fund in their name.

The recipient will be notified of the donation by receiving a beautiful certificate and a Living Resources patch featuring one of Michigan’s unique nongame species.

A donation of $20 or more makes a difference for nongame fish and wildlife species in Michigan. Species that are endangered, threatened or considered rare in the state benefit from donations to this fund. A tax-deductible gift will help to restore rare species populations and also to keep common species common.

Since the Michigan Nongame Fish & Wildlife Fund was established in 1983, the program has had three main goals:

• To restore populations of endangered and threatened species through management and protection.
• To maintain present populations of animals and plants.
• To promote appreciation and awareness of Michigan’s nongame wildlife and endangered species through education and first-hand opportunities to experience wildlife.

Peregrine falcons, trumpeter swans, piping plovers, Kirtland’s warblers, Mitchell’s satyr butterflies, lake sturgeon and common terns are just a few of the hundreds of wildlife species that have benefited from projects supported through the Michigan Nongame Fish & Wildlife Fund. For more information on projects that have been supported by the Nongame Wildlife Fund visit www.michigan.gov/dnr.

The Michigan Nongame Fish & Wildlife Fund supports a network of more than 100 watchable wildlife sites throughout the state. These sites provide a variety of opportunities to view some of Michigan’s most popular wildlife species. The watchable wildlife program also promotes teaching people how to responsibly photograph and view all forms of wildlife and plants.

Since its inception, the Michigan Nongame Fish & Wildlife Fund has raised more than $9.5 million in support of critical projects for nongame species, but the Michigan Nongame Fish & Wildlife Fund will not continue without donations.

To make a donation in someone’s honor, please make your check or money order out to: State of Michigan, Nongame Wildlife Fund and send it, along with the person of honor’s name and address, to: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, PO Box 30451, Lansing, MI 48909.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. To learn more, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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