Miles City, Mont. – February 8, 2008 – Pheasants Forever (PF) is thriving in Montana thanks to a new Montana-specific regional wildlife biologist position. Dan Hare, formerly the PF regional wildlife biologist in North Dakota and Montana, is now focusing solely on Montana. Already, Hare and conservation leaders in Miles City have created the Tongue River Chapter of PF, the state’s 17th PF chapter.
“For the first time, Montana will have Dan Hare as its own biologist to impact pheasants and other wildlife in regions across the state,” remarked David Bue, PF’s Director of Development. “His impact can already be seen with the newly created Tongue River chapter. Pheasants Forever is also furthering its commitment to working in conservation with Montana’s local chapters, state agencies and other partners in wildlife enhancement.”
Montana-Specific Regional Wildlife Biologist Position
Hare officially took over as full-time regional wildlife biologist in Montana on December 1, 2007. He has been with PF for 10 years as the biologist for North Dakota and Montana. His new Montana-specific biologist position was made possible through a private donation to Pheasants Forever’s Grassroots Conservation Campaign. The Campaign is a $25 million initiative dedicated to conserving and enhancing North America’s wildlife resources and America’s hunting tradition.
“PF is taking a more direct approach to pheasant and wildlife populations in Montana,” remarked Hare. “I am very excited to be able to focus solely on Montana. I am happy to be working full-time in Montana with local chapters and state agencies in benefiting habitat, securing grants and getting our youth outdoors all across this great state.”
Prior to working for PF he was a private land coordinator for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Hare plans to be based in or near Helena, Montana.
For more information on PF in Montana, to start a chapter or join one of the state’s 17 existing chapters, contact Dan Hare at (406)465-8126 or via e-mail at dhare@pheasantsforever.org. For more information about Pheasants Forever’s Grassroots Conservation Campaign, contact David Bue, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever Director of Development, at (218)834-3335 or via e-mail at dbue@pheasantsforever.org.
Tongue River Chapter of Pheasants Forever
Area leaders have started the Tongue River Chapter of Pheasants Forever as a direct response to the Tongue River Ranch land acquisition made possible by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and PF in 2007. Located 30 miles southwest of Miles City, the Tongue River Ranch consists of 20,284 contiguous acres in Custer County. The chapter plans to complete individual habitat enhancement projects on the land to benefit an array of wildlife including pheasants, sharptails, Hungarian partridge, mule deer, whitetails, antelope, Canadian geese, ducks, and turkeys.
“This new land acquisition by the state provides a great opportunity for conservationists and outdoorsmen in Montana,” commented Tongue River chapter president Bryce Christensen. “We have seen how PF has been successful in implementing habitat improvements and want to assist the state in making this a haven for the vast variety of wildlife present.”
The chapter will hold its first banquet on March 8th to raise funds for habitat projects and youth education events for the upcoming year. Doors to the banquet will open at 5:30 PM with dinner and auction to follow at the Town and Country Club in Miles City. The media and public are invited to attend.
The Tongue River chapter has also elected Bob Herrington as treasurer, Kelly Radue as habitat chair, Travis Muscha as banquet chair, and Erin O’Connor as youth education chair. The chapter’s next meeting will be on February 12th at 5:30 PM. Meetings will be held on every Tuesday during the month of February at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional office in Miles City. Following the banquet, meetings will be held the last Tuesday of each month at the same time and location. For more information about the chapter contact Christensen at (406)853-4700 or via e-mail at bac@midrivers.com.
The first Montana chapter of PF was formed in 1987. Since then, the state’s 17 chapters and 1,400 members have spent over $1.7 million to complete over 880 habitat projects, benefiting over 30,000 Montana acres for pheasants and other wildlife.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. PF/QF has more than 120,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.
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For additional information about Pheasants Forever, please visit www.pheasantsforever.org
