U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Attend Pheasants Forever Rally for Iowa’s Outdoor Legacy
Pheasants Forever 09.26.12
Pheasants Forever is pleased to announce Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Iowa Governor, plans to speak at the organization’s Rally for Iowa’s Outdoor Legacy event this weekend. The two-day conservation rally and summit for all residents of the Hawkeye state is slated for September 28 & 29 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. The first-time event will bring together Iowans for a common cause: the protection of the state’s outdoor resources.
As part of Saturday’s conservation summit, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will address the Rally’s attendees. The Secretary is slated to speak at Saturday’s luncheon.
In addition to Secretary Vilsack’s address, the weekend rally includes several speakers and panelists who are to highlight challenges and opportunities for conservation in Iowa as well as lessons from around the U.S. and other countries. Sessions and panel discussions include, but are not limited to, Private Land Management for Wildlife Diversity & Outdoor Recreation, Natural Resources Management and Economic Development, and Agriculture & Environmentalism – Perspectives from the Field.
“This rally is to remind Iowans that we live in an incredible state, but if we don’t take charge of our natural resources and work to protect them, we stand to lose them,” says Matt O’Connor, Pheasants Forever Iowa Conservation Director, “If our natural resources disappear, so will our healthy ecosystems and our outdoor heritage. I believe those attending will further appreciate and understand all that Iowa has to offer and what we can do to protect our state.”
Renowned outdoor advocates and conservationists Shane Mahoney and Dave Murphy will act as the summit’s keynote speakers. Mahoney is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Biodiversity, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He is recognized as an international authority on conservation. Murphy is the Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM). CFM is the largest private citizen conservation organization in Missouri. CFM has over 100,000 members and 80 affiliated organizations acting as leaders in conservation of natural resources and protection.
Iowa’s Conservation Summit Details
- Weekend tickets include Friday reception, Saturday luncheon, and Iowa’s Outdoor Legacy dinner and auction Saturday evening. Tickets are now available and can be purchased here.
- All Pheasants Forever members are invited. Find out more information HERE
- Event sponsors include Iowa Pheasants Forever, Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards, Iowa’s Water & Land Legacy, Iowa’s Natural Heritage Foundation and others.
Iowa is home to 105 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters and nearly 20,000 combined PF and QF members. For more information about the rally or to reserve tickets, call Mark Langgin, representative of Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy, at (515) 244-3468 or Matt O’Connor at (563) 926-2357 / Email Matt. For all other inquiries, please contact Rehan Nana, Pheasants Forever Public Relations Specialist, at (651) 209-4973 / Email Rehan.
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
