Wright purchased his winning $10 ticket from the Traverse County (Minnesota) Pheasants Forever chapter. A pheasant hunter, he said he decided to purchase the ticket knowing "it was going to help pheasants in our area." Northland Ford raffles in the past decade have helped "The Habitat Organization" raise more than half a million dollars for Pheasants Forever – with all proceeds retained by respective Pheasants Forever chapters for use in their local conservation projects.

 

"The Northland Ford Dealers are very pleased with our affiliation with Pheasants Forever," said Steve Johnson, Past Chairman of Northland Ford and a Pheasants Forever member, "The monies that are raised today pay dividends many times over and benefit all of us here in the north land."

 

"Pheasants Forever operates under a unique organizational model, and it's because of great partnering opportunities such as the Ford truck sweepstakes with Northland Ford that we are able to be successful at improving local habitat," said Joe Duggan, Pheasants Forever's Vice President of Corporate Relations, "The Northland Ford Truck raffle has raised thousands of dollars for local habitat efforts – efforts that will be seen by local hunters and outdoor enthusiasts for years to come."

 

Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.

Seventh Farm Bill Biologist in state working four-county area

 

Lima, Ohio – August 9, 2010 – Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announce Ted Welsh of Lima, Ohio, as its new Farm Bill Biologist for Allen, Putnam, Paulding, Van Wert Counties. Created in partnership with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and local Pheasants Forever chapters, the position will provide conservation and land-use consulting to area landowners – and just in time for the new Conservation Reserve Program general sign-up.

 

Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill Biologist program is designed to provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers – through one-on-one consulting - about the benefits of conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program), as well as assisting farmers and landowners through program implementation. Pheasants Forever first began employing Farm Bill Biologists in 2003 and now has more than 60 biologists working in 11 states – Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted with over 35,000 landowners, resulting in the improvement of over 1.4 million acres of land for wildlife.

 

 PIERRE, S.D. – The winter of 2009-2010 is already one for the record books, leaving many South Dakotans wondering how their state bird, the pheasant, can survive the elements.

A Christmas storm brought widespread blizzard conditions. Since then, subsequent blasts of snow, wind, and freezing rain have belted the state. Harsh conditions can lead to high mortality for pheasants and other wildlife, but providing critical winter habitat – such as woody cover and food plots – can boost winter survival.

“Fortunately, pheasants rarely starve to death even during the harshest winters because of available food plots and waste grain,” said South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks resource biologist Andy Gabbert of Sioux Falls. “Most winter mortality is due to predation, although exposure to severe weather can also cause mortalities.”

Large cattail sloughs provide excellent winter cover for pheasants during most winters. In extreme conditions, quality winter roosting habitat such as wide shelterbelts with low-growing shrubs and coniferous trees is critical, he said.

GFP annually maintains 11,000 acres of food plots and 8,500 acres of planted woody habitat on Game Production Areas. Additionally, GFP and Pheasants Forever shared the cost of about 25,000 acres of food plots on private land in 2009.

“Pheasants will travel several miles to find quality winter cover that is adjacent to a food source, such as a food plot or harvested grain fields, during harsh conditions,” Gabbert said.