Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council was established by the legislature with the responsibility of providing annual funding recommendations to the legislature from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which was created by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to “…restore, protect, and enhance Minnesota’s wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife…”

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) has been awarded 4 LSOHC grants for $10,868,000 since 2011. These grant projects include acquisition and enhancement projects with budgets of $400,000 and larger. The larger budget and scope of this level of grant requires much planning and preparation to obtain funding as well as carry out the scope of the grant project to its completion. MDHA thanks the many partners such as Ruffed Grouse Society, The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, USFS, as well as various tribal entities and county land departments, who have collaborated in time, money, and efforts to assist MDHA in making these projects possible. This great level of planning and collaboration allow us to continue our mission of building habitat benefiting deer and other wildlife across the state of Minnesota.

• **Since 2010 MDHA has been awarded 99 Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) grants funded by the Outdoor Heritage Fund for over 6.3 million dollars’ worth of habitat projects across Minnesota.
  
  
• **MDHA has completed 5 Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) grants for over 10.8 million dollars. These projects enabled MDHA to secure 3,880 acres of land for public use and nearly 21,000 acres of habitat restored and enhanced.
  
  
• Chapters have provided contributions to CPL grant habitat and acquisition projects, deer research, partner organization projects and local habitat projects.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association Hides for Habitat program is a recycling program to turn your donated deer hides into dollars to be used for habitat. Since 1985 hunters have donated over 1 million hides raising over $5.8 million dollars through the Hides for Habitat program.

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MDHA’s conservation efforts are possible due to the hard work and dedication of chapter volunteers, members and deer hunters who support programs and events that raise funds .

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What are some of the habitat projects MDHA and Chapters have funded? **Since 2010 MDHA has been awarded 100 Conservation Partners Legacy (CPL) grants funded by the Outdoor Heritage Fund for over 6.9 million dollars’ worth of habitat projects across Minnesota.

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