Pheasants Forever Announces 2012 Minnesota Habitat Accomplishments

Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever announce that its 77 Minnesota chapters and 25,000 members statewide completed more 417 habitat projects in 2012, benefiting pheasants and other wildlife on 4,391 acres of public and private land. Minnesota Pheasants Forever will hold its annual state meeting at this year’s National Pheasant Fest in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 16th to recognize the efforts and volunteers that made these accomplishments possible.

Since 1982, Pheasants Forever has raised more than $58 million for Minnesota’s wildlife habitat conservation efforts. Minnesota chapters have also participated in land acquisitions totaling 36,240 acres since the organization’s founding. All Minnesota Pheasants Forever land acquisitions are accomplished in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and/or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Land acquisitions are then opened to the public for hunting and other compatible outdoor recreation activities.

The following details Minnesota PF’s 2012 habitat accomplishments:

* Land acquisition project totals may reflect more than one chapter’s participation.

Additionally, Pheasants Forever Habitat Teams restored or enhanced 7,352 acres in cooperation with farmers and private landowners. Their work included 2,387 acres of grassland restoration and 4,965 acres of prescribed fire, with 789 of these acres being management or restoration of public land habitat. Minnesota’s 10 PF Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists worked in partnership with hundreds of Minnesota landowners and farmers to enroll 3,340 acres of habitat into federal and statewide habitat conservation programs (e.g. Conservation Reserve Program, CRP). In addition, the Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Habitat Partnership acquired 960 acres that will become a Wildlife Management Area, managed by the MN Department of Natural Resources for Sharp-tailed grouse.

“The people of Pheasants Forever are amazing with the dedication they have to improving Minnesota’s landscape for wildlife,” stated Eran Sandquist, PF’s regional biologist for northern Minnesota. “We will celebrate 30 years of accomplishments this weekend, and in addition, tackle the many challenges upland wildlife and their habitats face in Minnesota.”

Held February 15, 16 and 17, Pheasant Fest is Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s largest event and marks the 30^th Anniversary of Pheasants Forever. The 3-day convention that encompasses all things upland will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members of the media are invited to attend.

Pheasants Forever

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.