Walnut Valley Chapter of Quail Forever to hold first fundraising banquet Feb. 16

Conservation leaders in Butler County have formed the state's seventh Quail Forever (QF) chapter. Known as the Walnut Valley Chapter of QF, the chapter is focused on improving quail habitat in an effort to reverse the downward trend in local quail populations.

The Walnut Valley Chapter of QF plans to focus the majority of its efforts on working with private landowners. The chapter will also work to engage youth in the outdoors through mentored fun shoots and other activities to demonstrate the importance of wildlife and conservation.

The chapter will hold its first fundraising banquet on Saturday, Feb. 16, in conjunction with the 5th Annual Walnut Valley Pheasants Forever banquet. All money raised will directly fund habitat and youth education projects locally. Doors to the banquet will open at 5:30 p.m. at the Butler County 4-H Building, with dinner at 7 p.m. and an auction to follow. The media and public are invited to attend.

The Walnut Valley chapter has elected Damon Wranosky as treasurer, Lyle Shaffer as habitat chair, and Jason Patty as youth education chair.

For more information about the chapter or to join, phone Wranosky at 316-452-5171 or email mailto:themesa@cox.net. For more information on QF in Kansas, to start a chapter, or join one of the state's existing chapters, phone Elsa Gallagher at 573-680-7115 or email mailto:egallagher@quailforever.org.

Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. QF chapters promote local, state, and federal conservation programs that help landowners protect environmentally-sensitive acres for quail and other wildlife. They also employ the organization's unique model of empowering local chapters with 100 percent control of locally-raised funds to complete habitat and youth education projects in each chapter's own community.

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