Sunday, February 20, 2022



 Feb. 17, 2022

Contact: Mike Parker, 517-898-3293

DNR announces free Conservation Reserve Program enrollment workshops this Tuesday

yellow and white wildflowers cover prairie land, with white farm buildings sitting way in the backgroundThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources is encouraging agricultural producers to consider enrolling eligible land into the Conservation Reserve Program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Two free virtual workshops planned for Tuesday, Feb. 22, will provide more background.

The USDA recently announced the opening of a general CRP enrollment to run from Jan. 31 to March 11, and the Grassland CRP signup to run from April 4 to May 13. Both programs are competitive and provide annual rental payments and cost-share to establish conservation cover such as grassland or trees. CRP is the largest voluntary private-lands conservation program in the United States.  

“The Conservation Reserve Program in Michigan has played a significant role in providing needed habitat for popular game species such as ring-necked pheasants, as well as numerous nongame species like the monarch butterfly, grassland songbirds and important pollinating insects. CRP also protects our water and soil quality,” said Mike Parker, DNR private lands specialist.  

Landowners interested in learning more about CRP can review CRP fact sheets and other resources or contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency office. Due to the pandemic, most USDA staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email and other digital tools. Contact your local USDA service centers for questions or to schedule an appointment.  

Free information workshops Tuesday

As part of the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative, Michigan’s Farm Bill biologists will host two free virtual workshops at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, for landowners interested in learning more about the Conservation Reserve Program.  

To register, contact Alyssa Winters at 810-648-2998, ext. 5 and indicate whether you plan to attend the afternoon or evening session. The same information will be presented at both sessions, with plenty of time for participants to ask questions.  

For more information contact your local Farm Bill biologist:  

  • Blue Water Conservation District (Sanilac, St. Clair, Lapeer counties) – Alyssa Winters, phone: 810-648-2998, ext. 5. 
  • Gratiot Conservation District (Gratiot, Clinton, Saginaw counties) – Kurt Wolf, phone: 989-875-3900, ext. 3002. 
  • Lenawee Conservation District (Lenawee, Hillsdale, Monroe counties) – Laura Judge, phone: 517-263-7400, ext. 119. 
  • Tuscola Conservation District (Tuscola and Huron counties) – Barry Weldon, phone: 989-673-8174, ext. 107. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

 

 

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female hunter in orange vest with shotgun holding up a pheasant

Women on the Wing: Learn to Pheasant Hunt

Saturday, March 26
Morning hunt: 8 a.m. to noon
Afternoon hunt: 12:30 to 4 p.m.

Join us at Muzzy Pheasant Farm, located at 1210 N. Durand Road in Corunna, for this event presented by the Michigan Pheasants Forever State Council.

Participants will learn to hunt pheasants with dogs. We will start out the day with a short presentation about Pheasants Forever and the Women on the Wing initiative, which aims to inspire and provide opportunities for women to become engaged, dynamic conservationists. Then we'll shoot some clay targets, go hunting and enjoy lunch after the hunt. Afternoon hunters will enjoy lunch before the hunt.

Cost is $60, which includes a Pheasants Forever membership, lunch and the hunt. 

Hunting vests and 12- and 20-gauge ammunition will be provided. Please bring eye and ear protection, and please let us know if you will need a shotgun. 

Limited to 20 hunters total. Participants must be at least 18 years old to register for the hunt.

For questions, contact Bill Fischer at 989-395-5945 or FischerW@Charter.net.

Register for hunt ►

This event is presented as part of a partnership agreement between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever, with DNR funding support.

Monday, February 7, 2022

2nd Birds, Buds, & Brew Night today!

  Our 2nd Birds, Buds, & Brew Night is tonight.  The St. Clair County Pheasants Forever Chapter #74 hopes to see you at the Murphy Inn tonight, Monday, February 7th.  We will be raffling off a PF Edition Henry Golden Boy 22 mag.  Tickets will be $10 each or 3 tickets for $20.  Only 125 tickets will be printed.  If we do not sell a minimum of 100 tickets the raffle will revert to a 50/50 raffle.  Drop in between 6:00 P.M. and 9:30 P.M. for pizza and a drink.  

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

35th Annual Banquet is just around the corner!

The 35th annual St. Clair County Pheasants Forever Chapter #74 Banquet is shaping up to be one of our best.  We were prepared to have our banquet in March of 2020 and had to cancel it due to the pandemic.  As unfortunate as the cancelation was, our chapter had secured all our prizes for the event.  Since that time, we all know how difficult it is to find a variety of firearms.  Well, we have a GREAT variety of firearms, outdoor related equipment, and unique items available to be won at our banquet.  One example of the raffles that can be won is the raffling of a PF Sig Sauer P320 Nitron Full Size 9mm handgun.  There will only be 200 tickets available for this special raffle at $10 a ticket.  

 

Another raffle will be our special “$20 Ruger 6-Gun Package Raffle”.  One winner will win a Ruger 57 handgun in 5.7x 22 mm, a Ruger American 450 Bushmaster with a Go Wild Camo stock and a Leupold Scope & case, a Ruger American 22 mag with a Go Wild Camo stock and a Weaver Scope & case, a Ruger LCP II (lite rack) in 22 long rifle, a Ruger American 6.5 Creedmoor with a Weaver Scope & case, a Ruger EC95 9mm pistol, and Ruger branded items.  Tickets will be $20 each or 7 for $100.00.

 

Other prizes that can be won are a Champion  2000w Inverter Generator, a Makita Tool Package, a Hunting Blind Package, and over 30 plus guns to be won by banquet attendees.  We also have unique PF items that highlight our chapter.  Our live auction and silent auction have some awesome items available including PF prints of the year.

 

There is a limited number of tickets still available for the banquet.    Tickets this year are $70 for a regular membership, $35 for a spouse ticket, $55 for a student ticket (full membership, 25 years old or younger), and $20 for a Ringneck membership (18 or younger).  The banquet will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Perch Point Conservation Club.   The doors will open at 3:00 P.M. with dinner being at 5:30 P.M.  To purchase tickets, contact a Board of Director or visit VF Sports at  4136 Lapeer Road, Port Huron, MI., 48060.  Tickets are selling fast so  get yours today!

 

 






Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Applaud USDA General and Grassland CRP SignupsEncourages landowners to submit applications citing higher payment rates and other incentives

 

St. Paul, Minn. – Jan. 26, 2022 – Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (USDA- FSA) announced a general signup for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) running from January 31st – March 11th, 2022, and a Grassland CRP signup from April 4th – May 13th. CRP has long been the nation’s most important tool for targeting environmentally sensitive lands with conservation practices that produce wildlife habitat, cleaner waters, healthier soils, and a more resilient climate. Landowners should visit their nearest USDA Service Center to learn more about general CRP eligibility.

 

“At a time when the country is looking for opportunities to improve the environmental and economic health of our nation, CRP once again shines as a tool for American farmers, ranchers, and landowners,” stated Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s director of governmental affairs. “CRP enables producers to enroll difficult-to-farm acres in the program to improve soil health, water quality, climate resiliency and wildlife habitat, and is a key part of the ecological and economic safety net for rural communities.”

 

The Conservation Reserve Program has supported wildlife populations and rural communities since President Ronald Reagan signed CRP into law on December 23, 1985. The program reached peak enrollment in 2007 with 36.8 million acres, corresponding with modern-day highs for upland bird harvest in many Midwestern states. Producers and landowners enrolled 4.6 million acres into CRP signups in 2021, including 2.5 million acres in the largest Grassland CRP signup in history. There are currently 22.1 million acres enrolled with a 25.5-million-acre cap set for fiscal year 2022. Additionally, producers and landowners can enroll acres under the Continuous signup, including through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.

 

“We highly encourage farmers, ranchers and private landowners to consider the enrollment options available through CRP,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “Last year, we rolled out a better, bolder program, and we highly encourage you to consider its higher payment rates and other incentives. CRP is another way that we’re putting producers and landowners at the center of climate-smart solutions that generate revenue and benefit our planet.” 

 

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, along with the USDA-NRCS and other state wildlife partners, currently employ partnership biologist positions throughout the country to assist landowners with general CRP signup enrollments – landowners are encouraged to contact their nearest USDA Service Center or local Farm Bill biologist today.

About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
 
Pheasants Forever
including its quail conservation division, Quail Foreveris the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 120,000 members and 780 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $975 million on 560,000 habitat projects benefiting 22 million acres nationwide.
 
Media Contact
Casey Sill

csill@pheasantsforever.org

402-657-4143