ShopPosts Tagged ‘habitat’
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of CRP
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Jason (left) and Dave (right) Nomsen show off some CRP roosters bagged with the help of their Springer, "Little Teddy Roosevelt"
My son Jason can’t recall not having CRP on the landscape. Chances are the first pheasant he ever shot here in west-central Minnesota over ten years ago was raised on CRP.
Jason is one of an entire generation of young bird hunters that have benefitted from a robust CRP. Think about it – literally hundreds of millions of pheasants, tens of millions of ducks, countless prairie grouse and bobwhite quail have found a habitat home the last 25 years through lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Surviving numerous ups and downs, highs and lows, crisis points, etc.; the one constant has been CRP’s wildlife legacy for current and new generations of sportsmen and sportswomen.
A quarter-century ago today (December 23, 1985), President Ronald Reagan signed into law the 1985 Farm Bill containing provisions to establish the Conservation Reserve Program or CRP. Candidly, the program was originally much more about soil erosion and price support through commodity supply-control than wildlife. But by the mid-1990’s CRP was telling a different story. Pheasant populations had exploded, doubling and tripling in size, ducks filling the skies, grouse appearing in places they hadn’t been seen in decades, and on and on. Wildlife success stories directly attributable to CRP in addition to a suite of environmental benefits including water and air quality improvements, soil erosion protection and more that led the way to CRP reauthorizations in 1996, 2002, and again in 2008.
With each major reauthorization by Congress, CRP has evolved primarily for the good, and today more than 30 million acres are scattered across the agricultural landscaped continuing to provide benefits for generation to come. CRP has become a much more flexible and targeted program and results continue to justify the investments. Over the years, CRP has been heralded as keeping farmers and landowners in farming due to the economic stability CRP payments provide. Rural communities have benefitted from the full motels and restaurants due to hunters presence in CRP areas.
Clearly, CRP has a record as America’s most successful conservation program benefitting wildlife and the environment, farmers and landowners, hunters and conservationists, and all of society. A 25 year old proven success is worth celebrating today and will serve us well as we prepare for the next 25 years as part of the upcoming 2012 farm bill.
NOTE: If you’d like to help Pheasants Forever fight for CRP in the coming Farm Bill, please check out our Bird Dogs for Habitat Campaign. Every dollar we raise will be matched to make CRP even more productive for roosters and future hunting opportunities.
The Storm Report: CRP General Signup
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
How the heck do landowners enroll their acres in the Conservation Reserve Program? It’s easy when Pheasants Forever FarmBill Biologists are there to help, as we see in this week’s edition of Pheasants Forever’s The Storm Report.
Our Little Front Yard Prairie
Monday, July 26th, 2010
Some years ago I suggested a prairie for our blue grass front lawn. Then, four summers ago, the staff got on their hands and knees and planted hundreds of native prairie plant plugs. We watered it, weeded it and waited… and waited for it to thrive. Unfortunately, the last three summers have been as dry as a Wyoming sage brush flat in July. It’s like that here on the edge of the great North American prairie … dry, wet and then dry again. It’s been that way here since the last glaciers melted back some 14,000 years ago.
But this year, oh the glory, it has rained and rained … and our little prairie has flourished. A hen mallard even pulled off a brood in it this spring and now it is full of flowers, feeding birds and buzzing insects. (There are pheasants about too. We hope they’re next to take up residence.)
Habitat. It is who we are, just a bunch of hunters who like to plant prairie and tramp it a few times in fall to bag dinner … and memories and to leave a habitat legacy for future generations.
PF has been responsible for improving, planting and maintaining millions of acres of upland and other types of wildlife habitat all over this great land, coast to coast, north and south.
Blooming bee balm fronts a stand of 8-foot cup plants. Is this some prairie restoration in the wilds of the Dakota’s? No, it's PF national’s little front yard weed patch and wildlife haven.
But we always keep our eye on what’s local … our own front yards. Actions speak volumes. Sometimes smaller is larger. Symbols matter. And our little prairie speaks volumes about what PF is all about.
I walk among the flowers and buzzing bees of PF’s little prairie and wonder why anyone would want a lawn of blue grass; a farm with only crops; a country with only dollar signs in its eyes?
Have we inspired you to get out the hoe and seed packets; the tractor and drill? We hope so. When you do and the rains fall, take a walk … and a few photos to send me.
We’re talking huntin’ !
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Leaders of west central Minnesota's Otter Tail County Chapter study a map of the many habitat projects they've done, some of which we hunted to great success (photo by Mark Herwig)
Yeah, it’s a bit early, but I can’t wait and I don’t think you can either. So here we go.
The next Pheasants Forever Journal, Fall Preview issue, includes our 2010 Pheasant Hunting Preview. The new mag will be mailed on July 2.
I mean, October and November are still a hot summer and then some away, but we don’t care. Here at PF, the hunters are always chomping at the bit to grab a gun and their dog and head out to the fields. In fact, a co-worker just walked into the office with a new gun we’re selling. You gotta love it around here! The excitement level just intensifies as the hunting season draws nearer.
Anyway, in our next issue, check out Ron Spomer’s piece on planning your fall hunting trip and hunting on a shoe string budget. This guy travels the country and world hunting. He knows his stuff.
Also, I’ve written a fun piece on hunting with the Otter Tail County Chapter in west central Minnesota. This chapter is run by a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pro and does he ever know how to grow habitat and roosters – a pile of which we put in the bag last fall. He’d tell you, too, that he couldn’t do it without his fellow chapter volunteers and partners.
On the conservation side, because after all there won’t be any birds, ‘guns or dogs’ without it, we have a great warm up piece on the upcoming battle for conservation funding in the as-yet unwritten 2012 Farm Bill by Dave Smith, a conservation insider.
And hey, check out this year’s new PF MarketPlace merchandise. We make up a new catalog once a year. Buy your next hunting coat or other gear from us and it helps fund our efforts on the Farm Bill, field staff to plant habitat and bring you this magazine! Thanks for walkin’ the talk folks!
Orange Hockey Sticks and Blaze Baseball Bats: Promotions for the Birds in 2011?
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
The Green Bay Packers sold more than 21,000 of these blaze orange hats.
Kudos to the Green Bay Packers for raising $105,000 for 27 Wisconsin hunger relief charities through the sale of blaze orange and camouflage Packers hats during the last year. All told, “The Pack” sold more than 21,000 of the special hats last season through their “Hunting Down Hunger” program.
For the last five years or so, Major League Baseball has also created a great Mother’s Day promotion by using pink bats as a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen For The Cure effort to stop breast cancer. The partners also have a slick new Honorary Bat Girl promotion for the 2010 event.
A few years back, I made an inquiry into the NHL; “Would the NHL ever use blaze orange hockey sticks for a game to highlight Pheasants Forever’s efforts to create wildlife habitat?” My plan: Pheasants Forever would auction off all the sticks and use the money to create wildlife habitat. No response. Same inquiry was sent to MLB with orange bats. No response. No doubt my calls and emails were not getting to the ears and eyes of the right folks.
I even pitched blaze orange uniforms & hats for OPENING DAY (think South Dakota pheasant hunting opener) of the new Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants this May. Unfortunately, the Fighting Pheasants already had a paying sponsor lined up for a magnetic schedule giveaway & fireworks . . . sigh . . .
Certainly, someone within the major sports leagues understands the crossover between hunters, habitat and their fan base. And, they undoubtedly will be able to see the extensive network of grassroots volunteers and the great habitat work being accomplished for the benefit of all species of wildlife, water quality, and society at large. But alas, I’ve not yet found “that someone” in the four major sports leagues.
The Packers orange hat press release has got me following that same line of thinking again today. I’d buy a blaze orange Detroit Tigers or Detroit Red Wings hat. Would you buy a blaze orange Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, or Pittsburg Penguins hat? How about a blaze orange Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Vikings or Los Angeles Lakers hat?
Do you know someone at MLB, NFL, NHL or NBA that could turn the idea of “Hunting Down Habitat” a reality? Forward this blog to them and send them my email address (stpete@pheasantsforever.org).
Thanks!
And while you’re at it, post a comment below about which team’s blaze orange logo you’d like to have on your head for the pheasant opener this autumn.
2 Million Pheasant Hunters. 125,000 Members. Why Haven’t You Joined Pheasants Forever?
Monday, March 29th, 2010
125,000 Pheasants Forever members are carrying the habitat conservation load for America's 2 Million pheasant hunters. Are you a member of Pheasants Forever?
Over the last five days, I spent 34 hours inside the Pheasants Forever booth at the Northwest Sportshow in downtown Minneapolis. Along with fellow Pheasant Bloggers Anthony Hauck and Andrew Vavra, the PF crew signed up 236 members at the show. If you were one of those 236 people, or if you are one of the 125,000 members across the country – THANK YOU! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to convince everyone that stopped by the booth to join Pheasants Forever.
What follows are the top three lamest excuses used for not joining Pheasants Forever this weekend.
- “My wife won’t let me.”
- “I already belong to too many other organizations.”
- “You guys don’t promote releasing chicks. It’s always ‘habitat, habitat, habitat’ with you guys.”
Are you a member of Pheasant Forever? Join through this special link today and receive a new Lucky Hunting Hat! If you hunt pheasants, it’s time for you to give back and join Pheasants Forever.
Pheasant Festing
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
- When 30,000 people come together, there are bound to be some interesting tidbits.
National Pheasant Fest 2010 is just days away. As you may imagine, it’s occupying most of the gray matter in my mind. Here are a few Pheasant Fest tidbits to help you win the random radio trivia contest or office water cooler face off.
- 111,272 people have attended the first five National Pheasant Fest events beginning with Bloomington, Minnesota’s 2003 event.
- Brett Favre was the 100,000 Pheasant Fest attendee in Madison, Wisconsin last year . . . just kidding, we actually have no idea of the true identity of attendee #100,000. To the best of our knowledge, Brett Favre has yet to attend a National Pheasant Fest.
- The first day Pheasant Fest was ever held in 2003 was my fifth day of employment at Pheasants Forever.
- Until 2008, Pheasants Forever held Pheasant Fest every other year.
- The very first Pheasant Fest Bird Dog Parade was held in the Des Moines skyway system in 2007. That year’s grand marshall was Bryan Karrick of KCCI News Channel 8, Des Moines’ CBS affiliate. Bryan and his black Lab, Chase, will return to lead the 2010 parade.
- Iowa boasts 104 Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever chapters; the most of any state. To grab the top membership spot away from Minnesota, Pheasants Forever volunteers in Iowa are striving to enroll 4,953 new members at Pheasant Fest in 2010.
- www.PheasantsForever.org experiences the most web traffic of the year during the week of National Pheasant Fest.
- USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is scheduled to speak this Saturday of the Fest. Secretary Vilsack will become the third Ag Secretary to attend Pheasant Fest. Mike Johanns attended the Des Moines event in 2007 and Chuck Connor attended the Saint Paul event in 2008.
- Des Moines marks the first time Pheasant Fest returns to the exact same city and exact same venue (Iowa Events Center).
- Only one Pheasant Fest has been held during a state’s current pheasant season. Pheasant Fest 2005 in Omaha occurred during the final weeks of Nebraska’s pheasant season.
- Marian Gaborik (Former Minnesota Wild, current New York Ranger, and current Slovakian Olympian) checked out Pheasant Fest prior to the show’s opening in 2008 with a Slovakian television crew. No word on whether that footage ever made it to air.
- The daily temperatures of most of the previous five Pheasant Fests have not only been below freezing, they’ve mostly been below zero. BUNDLE UP!
- NFL Hall of Fame Coach Bud Grant attended the 2008 National Pheasant Fest.
- Tom Osborne, famed University of Nebraska football coach and former U.S. Congressman, attended National Pheasant Fest 2005 in Omaha.
- To our knowledge, no former American Idol contestant has ever attended National Pheasant Fest. We’re okay with that.
- Since 2005’s Fest in Nebraska, over 1,000 attendees have visited the Landowner Habitat Help Room. Pheasants Forever and partner biologists have evaluated 65,000 acres for habitat improvements during those visits.
- State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE or CP 38), CRP’s youngest practice, was officially announced for the first time at Pheasant Fest 2008 in Saint Paul.
What will be the interesting tidbits to arise during Pheasant Fest 2010 in Des Moines? Join us in Des Moines to find out. www.PheasantFest.org
Best Land Use with Best Buy
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
WITH THE HELP of Best Buy, the official Technology Parter of National Pheasant Fest 2010, the Landowner Habitat Help Room is more advanced than ever.
Landowners already know the value of the Landowner Habitat Help Room at National Pheasant Fest. Over 1,000 landowners have taken advantage of the Landowner Habitat Help Room at past events, leading to over 65,000 habitat acres that have been evaluated for management recommendations by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever wildlife biologists.
Now, thanks to Best Buy, the official Technology Partner of National Pheasant Fest 2010, The 2010 Landowner Habitat Help Room will offer a dozen work stations featuring large-screen monitors to provide large detail on your piece of property. Accompanied by a trained Pheasants Forever biologist, or partnering biologist from the Iowa DNR and USDA, any landowner can find out how to improve their acres for wildlife and even what local, state, and federal conservation programs they qualify for enrollment.
With the most current streaming data available, the Landowner Habitat Help Room presented by Best Buy & Geek Squad will offer topographic and aerial maps on any piece of property in the entire country. All that’s needed is the legal description of your property or the ability to pinpoint the exact location on the map.
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