Saint Paul, Minn. – September 29, 2008 – KFAN radio (AM 1130) will host the sixth annual Build a Wildlife Area Phone-a-Thon on Thursday, October 2nd from 7 to 9 PM. The FAN Outdoors Phone-a-Thon has generated over $20,000 in the first five years of the partnership. Since 2003, Build a Wildlife Area campaigns have led to the dedication of seven new wildlife management areas (WMAs) in Minnesota.
The Build a Wildlife Area campaign is unique in that all donations are tripled through matching grants from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Once matched, those dollars will be used by Pheasants Forever to acquire land critical as wildlife habitat. The land will then be turned over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for management, and opened to the public.
Since its inception in 2003, the Minnesota Build a Wildlife Area partnership has generated over $847,000 and acquired seven new Wildlife Management Areas in Minnesota totaling over 2,500 acres, all of which have been transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and are open to the public. The Anoka County PF Chapter, PF National, Game Fair, and Outdoor News partnered to develop the concept. Gander Mountain, Ron Schara, and Minnesota Bound have been the largest financial contributors during the six years of the campaign.
Hunters, conservationists, and KFAN listeners are invited to call Pheasants Forever’s National Headquarters toll free at (877)773-2070 during the Phone-a-Thon. Individual donations of $500 or more and corporate donations of $1,000 or more will be recognized with their name on the permanent monument to be placed at the next WMA purchased by the campaign. To learn more about the campaign, or make a donation on-line, log onto www.PheasantsForever.org.
After harvesting a modern-record 655,000 roosters last year, Minnesota hunters are poised for another season filled with flushes. During the broadcast, FAN Outdoors hosts “Captain” Billy Hildebrand, Minnesota DNR’s Mike Kurre, and PF’s Bob St.Pierre will be talking about the pheasant hunting outlook, the Minnesota duck hunting opener, and wildlife habitat conservation.
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 129,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.
