Our Story

Project Upland is dedicated to those that love wild birds, public lands, shotguns, and good dogs.

Project Upland was born out of a simple desire to capture a love of the uplands in an artistic and meaningful way. An excuse to hunt more often wasn’t a bad side effect, either. What started as a simple, personal goal in 2014 evolved into a print magazine and a vibrant community that encompasses a diverse group of hunters and dog lovers.

What sets us apart from other publications is that we truly understand—and live—the upland hunting culture. We know that grouse hunters are different from chukar hunters, pointing dog folks are different from spaniel folks, and double gun people are fanatics—but so are those vintage pump collectors, too. At the end of the day, we all share a love of stories that celebrate our past but also shine a light on our future. 

Today, Project Upland is independently owned and managed by business partners A.J. DeRosa and Jennifer Wapenski. They each came to upland hunting on very different paths, but they share an equal passion for bird hunting, good dogs, and storytelling.

A.J. grew up hunting grouse and woodcock in New England with his father over a Brittany named MacGyver. He would smuggle hunting magazines into his bedroom and read them with a flashlight under the covers while dreaming about his first pointing dog. His uncle would drop him off on random logging roads and point in a direction and say, “Eventually you will end up at camp if you walk long enough.” All are adventures he still craves today: the wildness of grouse, the romance of logging country, and the hum of gas lanterns at night with friends and family.

Jennifer Wapenski with one of her bird dogs in the Pacific Northwest hunting chukar.

Jennifer grew up camping and fishing, but didn’t start hunting until her early thirties after life brought her to the Pacific Northwest. It was a natural progression to explore the sources of her food and to understand the transaction of a life for a meal. One “cute puppy” later turned into a house full of bird dogs, a yard full of training birds, and a life trajectory she could neither imagine nor consider trading for anything else.

Together, A.J. and Jennifer—along with a small staff of irreplaceable talent and passion—aim to serve the upland hunting community with uncompromising ethics, top-notch written and visual content, honest storytelling, and a thoughtful sincerity in all that we do.

If we tell one story, produce one film, or take one photo that inspires someone to either rekindle or discover their love for the uplands, then it was all worth it.

We hope you find yourself following dogs across the unique habitats of the North American landscape in pursuit of wild birds as often as you can. And who knows, maybe we’ll bump into you along the way.

– The Project Upland Family

Our Motto

To expose the uplands to the world, to capture defining moments, to push our passion and culture forward, to bring our community closer, to make us feel. These are your stories.

Read Our: Advertising Policies
Read Our: Publishing Standards and Principles
Read Our: Ownership and Funding Disclosure

Our Habitat and Scientific Management Commitment

Project Upland donates over $50,000 in advertisement space to conservation and habitat non-profits each year to help grow their reach and funding. On top of that, we encourage all employees to dedicate their time and skills to these organizations to help enhance their efforts. Currently, Project Upland Media Group employees dedicate over 40 hours a month to various non-profits and lobbying efforts for habitat.

We also offer both financial and consulting resources to professional organizations that focus on scientific management, research, and educational growth.

In the way of editorial, we seek to bring quality journalism to highlight major habitat policy and issues across the United States, from the latest legislation on state and federal levels to the ongoing challenges of climate change and habitat loss.

We seek to work with both nationally recognized organizations and local organizations and encourage those groups and volunteers to reach out at info@projectupland.com to find out how to apply for upcoming advertisement space, consulting services, and other available resources.

Current Non-Profits with Allocated Resources
Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever
Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
The National Quail Symposium
The North American Grouse Partnership
National Wild Turkey Federation
Backcountry Hunter’s and Angler’s
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Minority Outdoor Alliance
Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society
Wisconsin Sharp-tailed Grouse Society
Chukar Chasers Foundation

Committed to Sustainable Materials

Project Upland Media Group is committed to the use of sustainable paper materials as our primary source of printing and shipping to help grow habitat creation. We avoid the use of plastic in our internal shipping materials from boxes to paper mailers. Our magazine is printed on Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) paper as part of our continued effort to both support and grow knowledge on the importance of working forests.

For more information reach us at info@projectupland.com

Project Upland Advertisement Policies

Project Upland Media Group is committed to our community’s experience as well as our editorial independence; we have strict policies to maintain the ethos of our brand by limiting advertising opportunities to those that will genuinely benefit our audience. This includes a permanent allocation of advertisement space to conservation and habitat organizations. Any potential advertiser must have a direct connection with upland hunting.

We have a strict policy against advertorial content and do not offer solicited reviews. As such, we generally do not attend writer or media events hosted by advertisers, but in exchange we offer an open-door policy for current or potential advertisers to be hosted by Project Upland staff on a wild bird hunt as an opportunity to show their product in action.

We currently do not accept advertisements for hunting preserves, breeders, dog trainers, hunting lodges, or hunting guides. As good stewards to the land and our continued commitment to science based management we also do not accept any advertisements for lead ammunition.

Project Upland Media Group does not take sponsors or offer exclusive brand agreements. Project Upland staff uses gear based on personal preferences and we have a policy against any form of pro staff sponsorship of our owners or employees. For advertisers who align with our ethos and who aim to bring value to the upland community in a meaningful way, we welcome the opportunity to work together.

We do not sell customer data or mailing lists under any circumstances.

 For more information reach us at info@projectupland.com

The People of Project Upland
A.J. DeRosa

Creative Director + Founder of Project Upland

Jennifer Wapenski Online Editor
Jennifer Wapenski

Managing Partner/Director of Operations

Editor in chief Gabriela Zaldumbide
Gabriela Zaldumbide

Editor in Chief

Josh Powell

Art Director

Craig Koshyk

Editor-in-Chief of Hunting Dog Confidential

Kevin Erdvig

Lead Filmmaker

Adam Regier

Filmmaker/Photographer

Rebecca Mereness

Copy Editor

Our Vision

Project Upland exists to unite the bird hunting community around the shared goals of celebrating our tradition while advocating for sustainable habitat and bird populations. Using the power of visual arts, digital communications, and written content, Project Upland strives to capture the essence of upland bird hunting and the diverse community of passionate hunters.

PRINT PUBLICATIONS + BOOKS
PODCAST SERIES
FILMS
AUDIO BOOKS
SOCIAL MEDIA
PRINT BOOKS