Landowner program's goal to improve one million acres of Kansas wildlife habitat

OTTAWA — Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever have unveiled a new program called the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign. The campaign is a partnership among the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), 41 Kansas Pheasants Forever chapters, 11 Kansas Quail Forever chapters, corporations, foundations, and individuals. Its goal: to improve one million acres of Kansas wildlife habitat, benefiting pheasants, quail, and a variety of other game, as well as many nongame species.

Using newly-hired Farm Bill biologists, the program provides customized wildlife conservation plans that are compatible with the production goals of landowners. These new positions were created in partnership with NRCS and KDWP.

Specifically, the campaign is designed with the following goals:

• provide every Kansas landowner with the opportunity to have an individual wildlife conservation plan drafted for their property;
• educate the public on the economic benefits of conservation programs and estate planning; and
• help reverse Kansas' declining upland hunter trend by providing young Kansans with positive outdoor experiences and conservation education.

In the past six months, the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign has raised $2 million towards the campaign's goal of $10 million. The campaign has helped launch PF's Farm Bill biologist program in Kansas. The Farm Bill biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners — through one-on-one consulting — about the benefits of conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and to help farmers and landowners implement their plans.

The program has provided Kansas with three new Farm Bill biologists at the following locations:

• Beloit — Tyson Seirer joins PF with previous experience with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and KDWP. Seirer earned a degree in environmental biology at Emporia State University. He can be emailed at tseirer@pheasantsforever.org;
• Medicine Lodge — Caleb Papenhausen joins PF with previous experience at the Minnesota Conservation Corps, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and most recently the Missouri Department of Conservation. Papenhausen earned a degree in fisheries and wildlife from the University of Minnesota. He can be emailed at cpapenhausen@pheasantsforever.org; and
• Seneca — Toni Larson joins PF with previous experience at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She earned degrees in wildlife ecology and biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She can be emailed at tlarson@pheasantsforever.org.

For more information about the Kansas Grassroots Conservation Campaign and Pheasants Forever's Farm Bill Biologist Program, phone Jordan Martincich at 785-242-3175 or email jmartincich@pheasantsforever.org.
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