2 Acres of PF Pollinator Mix Planted at Port Huron State Game Area

On Friday, October 4th, 2 acres of PF Pollinator seed was planted at the site of the St. Clair County Pheasants Forever's habitat project at Kingsley and Metcalf Roads in Clyde Township.  23 fifth graders from John F. Farrell-Emmett Elementary School sowed the seed by hand.  Last spring the students participated in a presentation led by Matt Lefler (MI PF Education and Outreach Coordinator) and assisted by Yale High School students from Mr. Steve Barr's Natural Science class. During the presentation the students participated in a pollinator seed ball activity,  a dice monarch migration activity, viewing of live pheasant chicks and hands on experiences with pheasant pelts, and a pollinator free sandwich activity.  The students were prepped to plant the pollinator mix following the presentation, but Mother Nature had other plans, and a very wet spring delayed the planting until now.

 

MI PF Regional Field Representative Melissa Gildemeister, MI DNR Wildlife Biologist Kaitlyn Barnes, MI DNR Conservation Officer Bob Watson assisted Erich Scheinpflug (Chapter Vice President) and Bob Watson (Chapter Sec./Treas.) in directing the 23 students from Mrs. Melissa Zakrzewski’s class on the day’s task.  The students did a wonderful job of mixing the seed with pine shavings (used as a filler/carrier) and sowing the seed.  The day’s activity  ended with a pollinator plant id activity.  A huge thank you goes out to John F. Farrell-Emmett Elementary School for participating in this project.  A special thank you to Mr. Corey Reid (Principal) and Mrs. Jody Zickgraf and Mrs. Melissa  Zakrzewski for setting aside time for their students to participate in this activity.

 

The final 3 acres of the project will be drilled later in the fall.  Look for further updates as the project gets closer to completion. 

One Step Closer to Habitat Project Completion

 The St. Clair County Pheasants Forever Chapter #74 is closer to completing the habitat project that was started in the spring.  Our kiosk is complete and signs are on display explaining the chapter's participation in the Adopt-A-Game Area program.  We also have a sign dedicating the kiosk to chapter co-founder Jim Bearss and longtime Board member and President of the chapter Bill Furtaw.  The chapter was able to complete the mowing of the project and spray it.  The next step will be to till the ground and smooth it out.   We are likely looking at a frost seeding to be completed late in the year.   Students from John F. Farrell-Emmett Elementary School will assist in the planting.  Look for more details about the project as we get closer to completion.  Take the time to go for a drive and check out our progress on the state game area at the parking lot on Kingsley Road.

A huge thank you goes out to Joe Griffor (longtime PF member and former Board member) for construction of the kiosk.  A huge thank you to Todd Powers of TP Logos in Marysville for creating and donating the signs.  The chapter also thanks PF member Dan Potter of Marsh 'N Meadow Outdoors Inc.  for helping to create the habitat plan and carrying out the work.

Remembering Frank

  

The St. Clair County Pheasants Forever Chapter #74 suffered another great loss recently with the passing of long time chapter member and current Chairman of our Board of Directors Frank Duchane.  

Frank had attended several chapter banquets before becoming a member of our chapter’s Board of Directors in 1996.  Frank was a great addition to the board and our chapter as he brought a wealth of knowledge concerning conservation and conservation club matters to the table.   He was a great liaison for our chapter and the Perch Point Conservation Club where he was also a member and had served as their club’s president and trap chairman multiple times.  Frank’s experience and interest in firearms was valued as he helped with selecting the guns that were used in our raffles.  At our banquets, Frank was always working on the stage assisting with the raffles and helping to keep the evening’s events running smoothly.  As a mentor and volunteer in the conservation community, Frank’s actions were superb and did not go unnoticed.  This is clear by the influence he had on three of our current board members, longtime friend and hunting partner Erich Scheinpflug, Frank’s son-in-law Tim Golm, and grandson Nolan Golm.

 

Frank was very proud of his country.  He served in the United States Army with distinction, earning several commendations for his service, including the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.  Frank strongly supported recognizing and honoring our veterans at our banquets with a PF pin and a round of applause for their service.

 

Chapter Secretary/Treasurer Bob Watson never had the opportunity to hunt with Frank, but the two shared many stories about their hunting adventures with their dogs.  Frank enjoyed telling stories about Bear and Sadie.  Bob reflected that the stories Frank told were so clear and vivid that you felt like you were there. This story time at meetings will be sorely missed.

“’The best thing about hunting and fishing,’ the Old Man said, ‘is that you don’t have to actually do it to enjoy it. You can go to bed every night thinking about how much fun you had twenty years ago, and it all comes back clear as moonlight.’” — Robert Ruark

 

Frank will be greatly missed.  RIP friend.

 

 

 

Frank presenting our Auctioneer John Tomaschko with longtime supporter plaque.

 

 

 

Hunting Ban Must Be Defeated in Colorado!

 

There’s a lot at stake in November’s Election. You know it, your neighbors know it, and everyone in America knows it.

In Colorado, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The future of hunting is on the ballot.

Colorado voters will vote "yes" or "no" to ban mountain lion and bobcat hunting in this year’s election. This is the only state with such a blatant attack against hunters directly on the ballot. And this affects each and every one of us. If we don’t beat the extremists in Colorado, they will continue their march across the country, cratering our heritage every step of the way.

We must put a halt to this relentless assault on our way of life!

Longtime Sportsmen’s Alliance supporters know that our organization was founded in the late 1970s in response to a ballot initiative to ban trapping in Ohio. Since that time, we have been involved in more than two dozen ballot fights to defend our heritage against the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others who want nothing more than to wipe us from the landscape and sweep us into the dustbin of history.

We cannot allow the extremists to cancel hunters in Colorado.

This ballot question, like everything else the animal extremists push, is just another hunting ban that gaslights the public with a blizzard of confusing buzzwords. But make no mistake, a ban is precisely what this is, and the extremists know if they can convince Colorado voters to make decisions on emotion rather than science, they can continue to cripple hunters and hunting to the point of total ruin.

All of us must fight for hunters and scientific management.

Here’s where you can do your part. A strong coalition of hunting and conservation groups from across our great country have come together to fight for what’s right and to send the extremists packing. But as with all ballot fights, this coalition needs your help. 

Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better needs everyone who values our way of life and scientific wildlife management to help. Let’s show the extremists they can’t trifle with hunters in Colorado, or anywhere else for that matter. 

With your help, we can stop the anti-hunters in their tracks!

As always, please share this communication with friends, family, and co-workers that you know care about the future. We cannot let our brothers and sisters in Colorado fight this one alone. Once again, please visit https://wildlifedeservebetter.com/ to learn more about how you can help. Thank you in advance for stepping up and protecting our heritage. 

About the Sportsmen’s Alliance

Working in all 50 state legislatures, the Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public and youth education, legal defense in state and federal court and research to guide the decision-making process of all involved. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance as www.sportsmensalliance.org, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.