In the Weeds: August 2007
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters annually complete over 23,000 habitat projects. "In the Weeds" takes a closer look at these chapter projects. This month, we profile the 167-acre 25th Anniversary State Wildlife Management Area, located one mile east and 1.5 miles south of Madison, Minnesota.
The Players
- Lac Qui Parle County Chapter of Pheasants Forever
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Pheasant Stamp fund and Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) critical habitat match program
- The family of W.C. & Nina Elsen
The Plan
PF's first goal as an organization in 1982 was passing the Minnesota pheasant stamp. All who attended PF's first banquet on April 15, 1983 in St. Paul witnessed Governor Rudy Perpich sign the Pheasant Stamp into law as passed by the Minnesota Legislature. The $7.50 Pheasant Stamp is required of all Minnesota pheasant hunters ages 18 through 64, and Stamp sales generate money for habitat enhancement efforts on both public and private lands in the pheasant range of Minnesota.
The Project
This project was completed in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Minnesota Pheasant Stamp, and to celebrate Pheasants Forever's incorporation 25 years ago (August 5, 1982). Pheasants Forever purchased the parcel from the family of W.C. & Nina Elsen (Patricia Schueller, Lucille & Thomas Olson, Loretta and James Holan, Edward and Betty Elsen, and Gregory Elsen). PF sold it to the DNR in last November. The project was made possible with contributions from the Lac Qui Parle County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Pheasant Stamp funds and RIM Critical Habitat Match funds.
The Payoff
The beautiful 167-acre wildlife area is a mixture of prairie grasses, cattails, other aquatic vegetation, trees and some cropland. Upland grass will provide critical nesting habitat for pheasants while wetland vegetation will provide winter cover. By restoring the property's wetland, wildlife managers will create a complex of wetland and grassland habitat, which is critical to restoring Minnesota's migratory waterfowl populations.
"I can't think of a more appropriate way to mark the anniversary of the pheasant habitat stamp," Brad Olson, DNR acting area wildlife manager, said in a MN DNR press release, "Permanently protected habitat is critical to maintaining sustainable wildlife populations."
If you have story ideas, dog photos, pre-1980 hunting photos and requests for future On The Wing consideration, please send correspondence to ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.
Return to On The Wing: August 2007"On The Wing" Archive
- On the Wing: July 2008
- On the Wing: June 2008
- On the Wing: May 2008
- On the Wing: April 2008
- On the Wing: March 2008
- On the Wing: February 2008
- On the Wing: January 2008
- On the Wing: December 2007
- On The Wing: November 2007
- On The Wing: October 2007
- On The Wing: September 2007
- On The Wing: August 2007
- On The Wing: July 2007
- On The Wing: June 2007
- On The Wing: May 2007
