Upland project doubles the size of McCann Creek Fishery to offer unique outdoor opportunities
Pheasants Forever is proud to announce a new public land acquisition in Wisconsin’s primary pheasant range. Spearheaded by the Chippewa Valley Chapter of Pheasants Forever, the McCann Creek Fishery Area Addition is a signature Build a Wildlife Area project that now provides 182 acres of public access and upland habitat immediately adjacent to the McCann Creek Fishery Area.
“I’ve driven by this property often and was impressed with how well the prairie came in over the last few years. When I noticed the for-sale sign, I immediately contacted Scott Stipetich, Pheasants Forever’s precision ag and conservation specialist, and the ball started to roll,” said Travis Hakes, the Chippewa Valley Chapter board president. “This property offers a diverse habitat, which makes it a desirable acquisition for Pheasants Forever. Our chapter is grateful for all the hard work from everyone involved, and we’re excited to help manage this habitat for generations to come."
The McCann Creek Fishery Area Addition includes 80 acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) prairie, 66 acres of combined wet meadow, emergent wetland and hemi-marsh restored through the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), and 35 acres of riparian forest and shrubland. McCann Creek, a Class 1 trout stream, flows through the property. The project provides habitat not only for pheasants, but turkey, waterfowl, deer and many other non-game wildlife species. This acquisition also expands opportunities for trout fishing and trapping, creating an all-around sportsmen’s paradise for Bloomer Township and Chippewa County.
Funding support for this project came from the Chippewa Valley Chapter of Pheasants Forever and a diverse array of sponsors including Wisconsin’s Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program, North American Wetland Conservation Act, Chippewa County Stewardship Fund, Cabela’s Outdoor Fund and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Further, this acquisition had support from the local community, the Township of Bloomer, the Bloomer Rod and Gun Club, and the Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited.
“It was an amazing display of dedication and commitment from the Chippewa Valley chapter to get this property into public access. I know it’s been on their radar for quite some time and now their legacy will be open to everyone,” said Marty Moses, Pheasants Forever’s Wisconsin state coordinator. “I’m proud of them and delighted to have played a part myself. But the real joy will come when we can march out into those fields together and use the property as a place to introduce new hunters to what Pheasants Forever stands for.”
McCann Creek Fishery Area Addition is a permanent habitat protection project contributing to the goals of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Call of the Uplands® national campaign - a recently announced monumental initiative to save America’s uplands and cultivate the next generation of conservationists and hunters.