Amid a large crowd of upland hunters and Pheasants Forever members at the world-famous Corn Palace in Mitchell, Governor Kristi Noem accepted a check Friday evening for $10K in support of the her newly established Second Century Habitat Fund from committee members of the Pheasant Country chapter. The grassroots funding, matched dollar-for-dollar with private contributions, will provide critical investments for grassland conservation and upland hunting heritage throughout South Dakota.
“On the eve of South Dakota’s 101
st pheasant hunting season, Pheasants Forever supporters have outlined the importance of habitat conservation to ensure the state’s second century of pheasant hunting is better than the first,” stated Matt Morlock, South Dakota state coordinator for Pheasants Forever. “We’re proud to support the Governor’s work with the Second Century Habitat Fund, ensuring these dollars are delivered to local habitat programs that can be utilized by farmers, wildlife and rural communities.”
“Healthy habitat in South Dakota supports our legacy of outdoor traditions,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “As South Dakota’s Sportsman-in-Chief, I’m committed to protecting and promoting habitat so the next generation can have the same outdoor opportunities that we’ve enjoyed for the last 100 years. I’m grateful for Pheasants Forever’s partnership in that effort. We must continue working together to enhance habitat and our hunting culture.”
Pheasants Forever’s donation to the Second Century Habitat Fund will help establish
Habitat Approaches throughout the state on four distinct levels, including the expansion of saline soils programs, providing landowner incentives for the Soil Health and Income Protection Program, creation of a statewide working lands initiative, and expansion of precision agriculture technology to enroll marginal acres in habitat conservation practices. The end result of each program focuses on undisturbed nesting cover in an effort to establish and maintain Pheasants Forever’s goal of 1.5 million acres of nesting habitat statewide.
“In addition to securing more public access and habitat through the region’s newly established Community Based Habitat Access Program, we’re proud to also provide monetary support for the Second Century Habitat Fund,” said Dave Allen, president of Pheasant Country PF based in Mitchell, S.D. “Private lands are an important asset for maintaining quality upland hunting in our state, and this donation will play a pivotal role in helping producers get the most out of their property for wildlife production and soil health.”
About Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division,
Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 130,000 members and 760 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $867 million on 540,000 habitat projects benefiting 18 million acres nationwide.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
JWiklund@PheasantsForever.Org