National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grants to Conserve 140,000 Acres of Upland Bird Habitat

Projects aimed at working grasslands across the Northern Great Plains

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Northern Great Plains Program recently awarded grants totaling $2.8 million to Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) for wildlife habitat and working grasslands improvement projects across the Northern Great Plains. Restoration efforts will address private and public lands, benefiting landowners and wildlife throughout Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

The collective efforts of partners engaged in these projects will conserve various upland bird species including pheasants, bobwhite quail, sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie-chicken and greater sage-grouse. Over 140,000 acres of grasslands will be impacted, increasing productivity for ranchers and wildlife alike.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is the nation’s largest private conservation foundation, working with public and private sectors to protect and restore the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for both current and future generations. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has funded more than 6,800 organizations and generated a total conservation impact of more than $10 billion.

Nebraska Sandhills and Dakota Grasslands Largescale Restoration

Private landowners across key focus areas in Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota will receive technical assistance in implementing conservation practices across working grasslands. This work will be driven by encouraging ranchers and landowners to participate in federal, state and local programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and Pathway for Wildlife. Grasslands improvement efforts will be directed to public and private lands by implementing grassland management techniques, removing eastern red cedars, utilizing prescribed fire and working with existing tribe partnerships to expand restoration efforts.

Spring Creek Grazing Association Rangelands Restoration

PF & QF will continue to work with partners in Wyoming such as the Spring Creek Grazing Association and the Wyoming Game & Fish Department to improve working grasslands. The continuation of these efforts will boost livestock grazing on 28,300 acres and remove or modify 32 miles of fence to facilitate wildlife movement, promoting habitat connectivity for pronghorn, mule deer, elk and sage grouse. Team members will reduce predation of sage-grouse by burying power lines which birds of prey utilize as perching spots. Infrastructure improvements such as these benefit both wildlife and ranching sustainability.

About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 477,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000 habitat projects benefiting 28.8 million acres.