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| Keith's Outdoors - 1408 5th Ave S - Fort Dodge, IA 50501 - (515) 576-4414 |
Pheasants Forever's "Offseason"
PF's summer TO DOs for wildlife habitat
Wildlife habitat improvement is a continuous commitment - do your part this summer!
- May 10 -
Pheasant hunting ended months ago and Pheasants Forever's spring banquet season is in the
rearview mirror. But that doesn't mean "The Habitat Organization" takes a vacation. Just the
opposite – we're the NFL of conservation organizations – there is no offseason!
The fact is more things happen for Pheasants Forever's conservation mission in the spring and
summer months than any other time. Before you start organizing your pheasant hunting gear,
consider helping the Pheasants Forever cause by completing at least one item on the summer
checklist.
Recruit a Free Agent – If 50% of current Pheasants Forever members recruited one new
member, it would equate to more than 50,000 new supporters of wildlife habitat and sound
federal conservation policy. The only reason they're not members yet? They haven't been
asked. Let them know the benefits of Pheasants Forever membership.
Lend a Habitat Hand – Prairie, plot and tree plantings, prescribed burns, tree removal,
watershed cleanups – more than 20,000 wildlife habitat projects are completed annually, the
bulk of them occurring right now. There's still time to get involved on a project, so contact the
Pheasants Forever chapter near you.
No Child Left Indoors® – Firearm and hunter safety, sporting clays, fishing, camping, hiking
and more - summer belongs to the kids. Pheasants Forever chapters annually hold 500-plus
youth events and field days, many of them slated to take place during the next few months. To
start making a difference in a kids' life, contact PF's Education Team.
Take Legislative Action – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced at February's
National Pheasant Fest that a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup will
happen this year. Hunters and conservationists are anxiously awaiting details in this, the 25th
anniversary of CRP, while keeping their eyes on these issues:
•"Open Fields" - A provision in the 2008 Farm Bill, "Open Fields" accounted for $50 million
over four years (2009-2012) and is designed to help states enroll private land in programs for
public access involving wildlife-dependent recreation. The Department of Agriculture's Farm
Service Agency (FSA), was expected to publish regulation and standards on this issue
sometime in early 2009, after which time there would be a 60-day comment period.
Unfortunately this has not happened. The "Open Fields" funding could be used to enhance the
two-dozen existing state public access programs, and establish programs in states where such
programs are currently absent.
•Sodsaver – Remaining native prairies are among the most fragile and endangered ecosystems
in the United States. And not enough is being done to protect them. More specifically,
thousands of acres of native prairie – typically marginal cropland at best - are lost annually in
the Dakotas due to federal farm subsidies that do more to encourage cropping than protect the
remnant prairie. A "Sodsaver" provision in the next federal Farm Bill (2012) would remove
such incentives.
•Iowa Natural Resource Funding - Iowa voters will decide in November of 2010 whether to
amend the state Constitution to set up a protected account to improve the state's water quality
and water resources. The fund would improve wildlife habitat, soil conservation, lake
restorations, parks, and trails. Pheasants Forever joins a host of other conservation
organizations, hunters and anglers in support of the amendment's passage.
PF's summer TO DOs for wildlife habitat
Wildlife habitat improvement is a continuous commitment - do your part this summer!
- May 10 -
Pheasant hunting ended months ago and Pheasants Forever's spring banquet season is in the
rearview mirror. But that doesn't mean "The Habitat Organization" takes a vacation. Just the
opposite – we're the NFL of conservation organizations – there is no offseason!
The fact is more things happen for Pheasants Forever's conservation mission in the spring and
summer months than any other time. Before you start organizing your pheasant hunting gear,
consider helping the Pheasants Forever cause by completing at least one item on the summer
checklist.
Recruit a Free Agent – If 50% of current Pheasants Forever members recruited one new
member, it would equate to more than 50,000 new supporters of wildlife habitat and sound
federal conservation policy. The only reason they're not members yet? They haven't been
asked. Let them know the benefits of Pheasants Forever membership.
Lend a Habitat Hand – Prairie, plot and tree plantings, prescribed burns, tree removal,
watershed cleanups – more than 20,000 wildlife habitat projects are completed annually, the
bulk of them occurring right now. There's still time to get involved on a project, so contact the
Pheasants Forever chapter near you.
No Child Left Indoors® – Firearm and hunter safety, sporting clays, fishing, camping, hiking
and more - summer belongs to the kids. Pheasants Forever chapters annually hold 500-plus
youth events and field days, many of them slated to take place during the next few months. To
start making a difference in a kids' life, contact PF's Education Team.
Take Legislative Action – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced at February's
National Pheasant Fest that a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup will
happen this year. Hunters and conservationists are anxiously awaiting details in this, the 25th
anniversary of CRP, while keeping their eyes on these issues:
•"Open Fields" - A provision in the 2008 Farm Bill, "Open Fields" accounted for $50 million
over four years (2009-2012) and is designed to help states enroll private land in programs for
public access involving wildlife-dependent recreation. The Department of Agriculture's Farm
Service Agency (FSA), was expected to publish regulation and standards on this issue
sometime in early 2009, after which time there would be a 60-day comment period.
Unfortunately this has not happened. The "Open Fields" funding could be used to enhance the
two-dozen existing state public access programs, and establish programs in states where such
programs are currently absent.
•Sodsaver – Remaining native prairies are among the most fragile and endangered ecosystems
in the United States. And not enough is being done to protect them. More specifically,
thousands of acres of native prairie – typically marginal cropland at best - are lost annually in
the Dakotas due to federal farm subsidies that do more to encourage cropping than protect the
remnant prairie. A "Sodsaver" provision in the next federal Farm Bill (2012) would remove
such incentives.
•Iowa Natural Resource Funding - Iowa voters will decide in November of 2010 whether to
amend the state Constitution to set up a protected account to improve the state's water quality
and water resources. The fund would improve wildlife habitat, soil conservation, lake
restorations, parks, and trails. Pheasants Forever joins a host of other conservation
organizations, hunters and anglers in support of the amendment's passage.