Wisconsin Build-A-Wildlife Area
Pheasants Forever (PF) announced a new partnership today at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games in Madison. The partnership, titled "Build a Wildlife Area Wisconsin," brings together PF, Wisconsin Outdoor News, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Gander Mountain, Big Al's gourmet pies, and Simek's quality foods as the campaign's initial partners. This partnership has been formed to seek additional conservation-minded partners and to raise funds for the acquisition of critical wildlife habitat. Once purchased, this land will be turned over to the Wisconsin DNR as a wildlife management area (WMA) and open for public hunting and other compatible outdoor recreation.
The partnership has targeted $50,000 as its goal. Once raised, grants through the Wisconsin DNR and the USFWS will triple that $50,000 and leave the partnership with $150,000 toward the purchase of a WMA for Wisconsin. The fundraising drive will run through the Wisconsin pheasant season.
Last year, PF partnered with Minnesota Outdoor News, Game Fair (a hunting and fishing outdoor expo), Minnesota DNR, USFWS, Gander Mountain, and others to establish the first Build a Wildlife Area campaign. Last year's Minnesota campaign generated $165,000, after grant matches, in five weeks. That money, augmented by additional Minnesota DNR support, was used to purchase 318 acres of land adjacent to an existing 400-acre WMA. The new 718-acre Mud Lake WMA was turned over to the Minnesota DNR in a dedication ceremony on Friday, June 25th. All 718 acres will be open to public hunting in 2004.
"We are excited to bring this very successful campaign to Wisconsin," explained Jeff Gaska, PF wildlife biologist for Wisconsin. "This is what PF is all about - grassroots initiatives that make a difference on the landscape. In essence, this campaign equals more hunting land open to Wisconsin hunters. Around the state, that's the thing I hear most: 'we need more land available to hunting.' This campaign answers that concern with a real solution. Minnesota's campaign last year had over 10,000 individual donors. I am confident that with Wisconsin's outdoor and hunting heritage, we can surpass our neighbor's efforts and do something good for Wisconsin's environment, wildlife, and sportsmen and women. Plus, how many times can you see your donation matched three times."
Wisconsin PF chapters have participated in land acquisitions totaling 3,992 acres since PF's inception in 1982. The largest of which was a 2,740-acre, $1.6 million acquisition in Jefferson County last year. All PF land acquisitions are now open to the public.
"At Outdoor News, we understand that hunting stories start on the land with wildlife and the hunter," explained Greg Emerick, Outdoor News director of marketing. "Our involvement in Build a Wildlife Area campaigns is a natural fit; without public land, there would be few hunting stories to tell."
"The first step to conserving Wisconsin's wildlife populations is making sure we provide the habitat home that species need to survive and prosper," added Tom Hauge, Wisconsin DNR's Wildlife Bureau Director. "We're thrilled to be able to expand our partnership efforts with PF. The Build a Wildlife Area Wisconsin program allows us to stretch our precious state dollars to protect more habitat through the partnership. It's definitely a win-win project!"
Donate to Build a Wildlife Area now!
If you would like to contact Pheasants Forever for more information regarding the Build-A-Wildlife Area, please contact us.
