Habitat & Conservation,Hunting & Heritage  |  11/20/2018

Build a Wildlife Area Program Builds in Kansas


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As part of Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s 35th year of impacting wildlife habitat, the organization recently completed the transfer of a strategic 1,080-acre property to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism (KDWPT).  The acquisition was made using Pheasants Forever’s Build A Wildlife Area® program in partnership with KDWPT and membership dues.

The new property builds on the existing recreational complex made up of the 1,547-acre Sherman Wildlife Area (SWA) and the Smoky Gardens Soldier’s Memorial area located in Sherman County, Kansas. The new tract will be formally dedicated as Kansas Veterans Wildlife Area (VWA) to honor Kansas’s veterans and active-duty service people.

Beginning September 1, 2018, the property was opened to public hunting and can be accessed directly north of the Sherman Wildlife Area, approximately 10 miles south of Goodland, Kansas.  When combined, the new acquisition and associated public lands create a 2,654-acre contiguous habitat complex owned and managed by the KDWP, benefitting wildlife and local economies. 

Whitetail, mule deer, pheasants, quail, dove, turkey (and waterfowl when the lake is full) can be found on the area. The project will also expand fishing opportunities in western Kansas by restoring water to Sherman County Lake and Smoky Gardens Lake.

To date, Pheasants Forever’s Build A Wildlife Area® program has opened access to more than 12,100 acres for public use. To support Build A Wildlife Area®, please contact Jordan L.K. Martincich, Pheasants Forever, Inc. / Quail Forever Director of Development – at 816-560-1070 or jmartincich@pheasantsforever.org.