It was no accident that the first day of the Rooster Road Trip found us in the middle of the Painted Woods Wildlife Management Area. Pheasants Forever, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and a whole host of partners recently helped acquire and add an additional 166 acres to the existing WMA. This enhanced the overall ecological value of the area, conserved a vital waterway, and increased the amount of public land available for hunting and other outdoor recreation. In fact, thanks to the hard work of Pheasants Forever’s North Dakota team related to this property, they recently received the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Partnership Award "In appreciation of your contribution for the purpose of flood control, protection of private property, and conservation of wildlife habitat.”
As the award insinuates, it takes true partnerships to help make an acquisition come together. This project alone also included the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust, Delta Waterfowl, the American Foundation for Wildlife, North Dakota Conservation Fund, North Dakota Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, McClean County Water Resource Board, North Dakota Conservation Foundation, North Dakota Wildlife Federation, National Wild Turkey Federation, SEI Investments Starion Bank Mike Goos, and of course the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
When partnerships and passion align, anything is possible. If you want to help us succeed in creating more permanently protected priority upland habitat, please consider supporting our Build A Wildlife Area® program.