Anti-Hunter Turned Hunter Gives Back Through Wildlife Conservation Career

NRA HUNTERS NEWS • March 3, 2025

“I grew up an anti-hunter, in a residential neighborhood in Scarborough, Maine. My dad laughs at who I am now,” said wildlife biologist Olivia Lappin. “My motto when I was a child was ‘save the animals.’ It would be years before I saw the role hunting played in doing just that.” After completing a degree in biology at the University of Maine, and more fieldwork in various parts of the United States, Olivia realized she wanted to see through a wildlife biology research project of her own from beginning to end. That led her to the next phase of her immersion with nature, and the master’s degree program at Mississippi State University. It would also lead to a serious challenge of her anti-hunting stance. Olivia’s employment with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever exposed her to another example of how hunters and hunting provide the needed support for the restoration and conservation of natural areas.