Why is it always hunters who get the job done? Jim Williams Wayzata
NEWS RELEASE: Pheasants Forever (PF) has announced it is extending its successful approach to pheasant conservation to another beloved upland bird species: quail. Quail Forever will build on PF's track record of successful local chapter development, localized habitat initiatives, and national public policy leadership and advocacy. Plans for the new organization include recruitment of additional wildlife biologists and a phased chapter development plan. PF has a steady track record of success, including the completion of more than 300,000 habitat projects benefiting 3.4 million acres for wildlife since inception. PF has also participated in over 800 land acquisitions totaling more than 100,000 acres now open to public hunting. All told, PF has spent more than $170 million nationwide on wildlife habitat projects and conservation education during its 23-year history. In forming Quail Forever, PF plans to deploy its current organizational model – localized decision-making with lean, low-overhead central administration. Pheasants Forever already has a strong presence in states where quail and pheasants share habitat – Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. In fact, Pheasants Forever members have been responsible for delivering more than 2 million acres of wildlife habitat in those shared habitat ranges. Those same states have also been some of the country's most successful at enrolling acres in the bobwhite buffers (CP-33) component of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). PF is outlining a phased approach to establishing the Quail Forever organization. Initial focus will be on states with both pheasant and quail hunters and habitat. Quail Forever's expansion south and west will be based on chapter interest and available resources. In the organization's first year, Quail Forever has set a goal of forming 50 chapters and recruiting 12,000 members to work on quail habitat projects.
