March 21, 1982: Birds have a new friend: Pheasants Forever

Editor's note: In 1982, Dennis Anderson, writing for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, produced a series of columns about the plight of Minnesota pheasants. In one, dated March 21, 1982, he founded Pheasants Forever. That column is below. Also available at startribune.com/outdoors is reader reaction to the idea published in the same edition, and a column from June 27, 1982, following up on the naming of a founding board of directors. Both columns appear here and on startribune.com with permission of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
A lot has happened since I wrote two weeks ago about the need for a Minnesota upland bird restoration program.

First and foremost, I discovered many Minnesotans agree such a program is needed and needed now, before birds, and particularly pheasants, disappear. More than 100 letters (names of writers appear at the bottom of this page) and half that many phone calls were proof of that.

All who wrote or called favor a program to help birds, and the vast majority favor the plan I outlined. Briefly, it calls for a new state upland bird stamp to be required of hunters, the funds from which would be used for the benefit of quail, pheasants, partridge and grouse. Habitat development would be the plan's keystone, but restocking and predator control also would play roles. In those respects, the program would resemble one begun in South Dakota five years ago.

Key points made in the letters I received were:

• Upland birds, particularly pheasants, are declining in number. Further, diminishing habitat is to blame.

• Nearly all agree a pheasant stamp is the way to go, but only if funds are dedicated to the Minnesota DNR for the exclusive benefit of upland birds.

• Nearly all agree farmers must be provided with an incentive to spare or develop sheltered areas. In most instances, this would be in the form of money provided by upland bird stamps. Farmers and other landowners would be paid on a per-acre basis to provide habitat, which could be further developed by the DNR. (Most of this property would be marginal as cropland.)

As it turns out, hundreds -- thousands -- of Minnesota and Wisconsin residents are willing to work toward that end.

Because of that show of support, I -- and a handful of others --have taken the following actions.

• We've formed a group called Pheasants Forever. At first, the organization will work in Minnesota. In the future, chapters may be formed in other states. The group will be organized as a non-profit corporation (a lawyer has volunteered to help gain that status), to which tax-deductible contributions can be made. In that vein, $3,000 already has been pledged by Twin Cities corporations, and more is expected. The money will be used to cover start-up costs.

• The group's first goal is to ensure the passage of a state upland bird stamp during the next session of the Legislature. Beyond that, it'll work to ensure that a healthy population of pheasants has a home in Minnesota forever. To do this, Pheasants Forever will work with, and --with luck -- eventually employ wildlife biologists. Also, it'll work in concert with the Minnesota DNR and with groups such as the Future Farmers of America and 4-H.

• David Maass, two-time federal duck stamp winner, has volunteered to design the organization's logo.

As I said, a lot has happened. But it's been satisfying. Most of all, I've come to realize that we --each of us -- have the opportunity to make a difference, and for the better.

I think the low-water mark on habitat loss has finally been reached. Pheasants and other upland birds now have friends who, together, will ensure their well-being.

It'll be a while before Pheasants Forever is ready to accept memberships. So please, don't send money.