Contacts
Greg Brown 612-713-5452
Scott Flaherty, 612-713-5309
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director Mamie Parker
will join thousands of upland bird hunters, conservationists, exhibitors
and other outdoor men and women during Pheasants Forever’s Pheasant
Fest, Jan. 14-16, 2005, in Omaha, Nebraska. Ms. Parker, who oversees the
Service’s Fisheries and Habitat Conservation programs in Washington,
D.C., will present a special Award of Appreciation to Pheasants Forever to
recognize the organization’s enormous contributions as a partner in
restoring and conserving wildlife habitat throughout the United States.
“ Pheasants Forever was the first non-governmental organization
to step up and actively partner with the Service when we began our Partners
for Fish and Wildlife program in the late 1980s,” said Greg Brown,
chief of the Private Lands program in the Service’s Great Lakes-Big
Rivers Region. “Since 1989, Pheasants Forever has helped us to restore
and conserve thousands of acres of grassland habitat that has benefited numerous
migratory birds and other wildlife.”
The Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife program
assists private landowners to restore, protect, develop and maintain wildlife
habitat through partnerships between the Service, state fish and wildlife
agencies, local agencies, communities, individuals and conservation organizations
including Pheasants Forever. This successful program is accomplished through
the voluntary cooperation of landowners who offer drained wetlands and degraded
uplands to restore as wildlife habitat.
Habitats are restored at no cost to participating landowners,
who agree to protect their restored wetlands and uplands for a minimum of
10 years. Through their voluntary cooperation, landowners retain all previous
ownership rights and responsibilities, including the right to limit public
access, on their restored habitats.
In addition to the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program,
the Service will have representatives from its Fisheries, Ecological Services
programs and National Wildlife Refuge System available to answer questions
and provide information during the Fest.
The Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System has a long
tradition of working with conservation organizations, such as Pheasants Forever,
to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources. In addition,
many refuges offer opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and
other wildlife-dependent recreation. Most recently, Pheasants Forever joined
with other government and non-government agencies to help the Service establish
Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota.
The Service’s Federal Duck Stamp display featuring the
entries from some of the nation’s top wildlife artists will be on display
during the Fest. “Teddy Roosevelt,” portrayed by James Foote,
a Roosevelt historian and popular T.R. impersonator from New York, is part
of the Service’s contingent at the Fest. Foote, as T.R., will provide
monologues on hunting, conservation and the life of Teddy Roosevelt during
the event. Refuge system staff will also be operating a computerized firearms
safety training simulator that allows youth hunters to learn about gun safety
while on a computer simulated hunt.
Pheasant Fest is open to the public Friday, Jan.14, from 3-9
p.m.; Saturday, Jan.15, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Jan.16, from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission price for adults is $8 and $5 for children 12 years
old and younger. More information about Pheasant Fest is available online
at http://pheasantsforever.org
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national
fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological
services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers
the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat
such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to
state fish and wildlife agencies.
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