News:
Press Release
April 8, 2009
Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation Announces Partnership with Pheasants Forever to Benefit Wild Pheasant Reintroduction.
State College (April 8, 2009) Russ Schleiden, Chairman of the Board of the Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation, announced that the Foundation is joining with Pheasants Forever, California University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Game Commission to support ongoing efforts to restore wild pheasant populations to Pennsylvania. The Foundation is providing $5,000 to support ongoing efforts by California University of Pennsylvania, Pheasants Forever and The Pennsylvania Game Commission, to reintroduce wild pheasants trapped in Montana and South Dakota to three project areas in Pennsylvania. “Restoring wild ring-necked pheasants to Pennsylvania is important to maintaining Pennsylvania’s hunting heritage.” said Vern Ross, Executive Director of the Foundation.
Initial reintroduction efforts were centered on the Pike Run Watershed in Washington County following more than five years of habitat development by crews from California University’s Environmental Program, Pheasants Forever and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The first wild birds have reproduced successfully and are expanding their range. Wild crowing males can be heard throughout the watershed this month as they attract hens for mating. Releases in the Pike Run watershed were completed last winter.
Releases this year took place on a large project area in the vicinity of Turbotville and Greenwood Valley in Columbia and Montour Counties and in Brothers Valley in Somerset Valley. The 300 wild birds from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana released in Montour County completed the release phase for that project area. Telemetry studies and crowing call counts by Game Commission staff and Pheasants Forever volunteers have indicated that this population is also reproducing and growing.
Brothers Valley became the third release site in the state this winter with 350 wild birds that were moved from the Fort Peck trap sites. Trapping was led by Jesse Putnam, an employee of Habitat Forever, through an agreement between California University, Pheasants Forever and the Fort Peck Tribes. A crew of four, including one member of the tribes ran the trapping operations in one of the worst winters that northeastern Montana has seen in many years. Foundation funds were specifically used to support the trapping effort, in fact nearly all of the funding for the three initial projects was provided by the R.K. Mellon Foundation, Pheasants Forever and private donations. “It has been a long process to go from our initial habitat restoration efforts with the Game Commission starting about 15 years ago to the point where wild pheasants can be heard crowing in numerous areas of Pennsylvania”. I am very encouraged by the interest and excitement that has been building around the wild pheasant program” said Jose Taracido, Wildlife Conservation Specialist with California University of Pennsylvania
“Pennsylvania has a long history of pheasant hunting. In the early 1970’s Pennsylvania harvested more pheasants than South Dakota and while we do not expect to see those numbers again, we believe that we can restore wild pheasants to much of our farming landscape” said Chairman of the WFEEF Board Russ Schleiden. The Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation was established to provide permanent private support for the wildlife habitat enhancement, wildlife research and education, land preservation, and for the establishment of a Wildlife Education and Research Center in State College. The Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit Foundation. For more information about the Foundation’s projects or to contribute to the pheasant restoration project go to www.wildlifeforeveryone.org.
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