by Grant Erhard, RGS & AWS Southeast Regional Engagement Coordinator
When we hear the word conservationist, everyone thinks of something different. Maybe it’s the exact definition: “a person who advocates for the preservation and protection of the environment and its resources, particularly wildlife, forest and natural areas.” Or, maybe, you think of a specific person – someone like Gifford Pinchot, who viewed conservation as the prescription for finding balance between human activity and the workings of nature – an idea that helped create what we know today as conservation. When I think about what makes a conservationist, I reflect on the people I’ve met while working for RGS & AWS with one man, in particular, who stands out: Russell “Dale” Perry.
Dale was born and raised in Dunlow, West Virginia, in the coal fields near the border of Kentucky. His family settled on a ridge now known as “Perry Ridge,” which is near where Dale lives to this day. Spending his career working at the local coal mines in Dunlow, Dale spent 28 years at PenCoal Corporation and Argus Energy. Once he retired, he started a chapter of RGS & AWS in Huntington, West Virginia in 2017, spending his time fulfilling his passion for conservation.
“If I could turn back time, I would’ve liked to work in forestry,” Dale told me while at a tree planting during the Tri-State Drumming Feathers Chapter’s habitat day at Cabwaylingo State Forest. Since the start of the Tri State Drumming Feathers Chapter, Dale has done incredible work. He’s developed effective collaborations with Cabwaylingo State Forest, East Lynn Lake Wildlife Management Area and Wayne National Forest in Ohio. He’s also fostered relationships with Diversified Energy Co. in West Virginia, and developed valuable partnerships with EQT Corporation, Lyme Mountaineer Timberlands and many local businesses. In 2024, Dale – with help from RGS & AWS – creatively and doggedly tried to get the state of West Virginia to acquire former mine lands that he worked at that now have good habitat, reaching out to the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and the governor’s office.
Dale’s also dedicated time to creating working relationships with other organizations, such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Quail Forever and the Conservation Fund to collaboratively work together to ensure healthy forest across southwest West Virginia. Whenever I get to spend an afternoon or morning with Dale, he imparts wisdom, insight and inspiration not only to do my job with RGS & AWS, but also for the future and what we can accomplish.
When I asked him why do he does conservation work, he replied, “Started out with the inspiration to hunt with bird dogs. My first pup was in 2012, and everyone told me it was a waste of time, there’s no birds and they were all very negative. Well, I was sure there was some still around and I want to help them. Whether its cover or food, I just want to help them be stronger.”
Coming from a region with a long history of human use and abuse from logging, coal and gas extraction, Dale believes whole heartily that “if you’re taking from the landscape you need to give back.” We, as hunters, should be the ones advocating for this balance and working to ensure we’re giving back to what we love. From the mines to the forest in Dunlow County, Dale Perry imbodies the modern-day conservationist, finding balance between human activity and the workings of nature.
