First-ever Minnesota Pheasant Summit: Will it result in action or just talk?

What can be done to stem the recent dramatic loss of Minnesota's pheasant habitat, a declining pheasant population and the resulting precipitous drop in pheasant hunters?

That's the daunting task facing nearly 300 people expected to attend the first-ever Minnesota Pheasant Summit on Saturday in Marshall.

Gov. Mark Dayton, a pheasant hunter, called the summit in hopes of finding ways to boost the state's pheasant population, improve habitat and ensure that future generations will be able to pursue one of the state's most popular — and tasty — game birds.

"The goals are to have more pheasants, to have a better harvest and to invigorate pheasants hunters to stay [in the sport] and recruit others,'' said Mike Tenney, a Department of Natural Resources prairie habitat specialist coordinating the event.

Pheasants Forever, founded and based in Minnesota, will have a large contingent there.

"If we don't do something now, the next generation isn't going to have a place to hunt pheasants,'' said Joe Duggan, a PF vice president. "It's urgent."

The downturn for Minnesota pheasants and hunters has been dramatic. In 2007, hunters shot 655,000 ringnecks — the highest tally in more than 40 years. Last year, after losing 93,000 acres (145 square miles) of grasslands in recent years, hunters bagged just 169,000 pheasants, the lowest number in 28 years.

A wide net is being cast to solicit ideas. Hunters, conservationists, farmers, agricultural industry representatives, government officials and lawmakers have registered or were invited. The question is will the summit simply be more talk about the need for wildlife habitat, or will participants make realistic recommendations that can be — and are — acted upon by policymakers?

"I would rather have three or four very concrete action items that the department could move forward with and will have significant benefits — that's what I'm hoping for,'' said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr, himself an avid pheasant hunter.

"The question is: How do we get more grasslands and wetlands on the agricultural landscape, provide more hunter access, and get kids out there?'' Landwehr asked.

Though the challenge is daunting, he said, he's optimistic. The availability of Legacy Amendment dollars could help, he said.

Regardless of the outcome, the summit will shine a light on the issue.

Ron Schara, TV host of Minnesota Bound and a member of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (which recommends how to spend $100 million of Legacy Amendment funds yearly on game, fish and wildlife habitat), suggested the summit to Dayton last summer after South Dakota held one last year in response to plummeting pheasant numbers there.

Schara, Landwehr and Duggan all noted that the concern is broader than just pheasants. The grasslands and wetlands that pheasants need also provide habitat for other wildlife, from deer and ducks to bobolinks and meadowlarks.

"The pheasant is like the canary in the coal mine,'' Schara said.

And pheasant hunters long have touted the other benefits to wildlife habitat, including reducing soil erosion and improving water quality, Schara said.

"If we keep losing pheasant hunters, who will be left to give a damn?'' he said.

"We know we can't turn the train around completely [in that time], but what can we do to get us on the right track?'' Landwehr said.

Besides the wildlife and environmental benefits to boosting habitat, there's an economic impact, too, officials said. Pheasant hunters pump an estimated $100 million yearly into the state's economy.

"There is no tourism in southwestern Minnesota other than pheasant hunting,'' Landwehr said. "It's an important economic boost for those communities.''

And it's part of the state's hunting heritage. "It's one of my favorite activities,'' Landwehr said.

Said Tenney: "Pheasant hunters love what they do. It's not just bird hunting, it's time with a dog, time with friends and family. It's a way to recharge your batteries.''