Conservation News

Pheasants Forever Volunteers Jumpstart New Chapter in the Hoosier State

Focusing on community habitat initiatives and hunter recruitment

Pheasants Forever is proud to announce a new chapter formation in Indiana, based in Carroll and White counties. Located north of Lafayette, chapter volunteers are committed to implementing habitat work in their local communities, while introducing new hunters to the upland lifestyle.

“Habitat is our primary goal, specifically buffer strips along drainage ditches. We’d like to see an emphasis on this important habitat feature,” said Ed Davis, the president of the new chapter. “And getting new hunters involved, especially kids and women. Passing down that legacy to the next generation is huge.”

Davis and his brother-in-law first began thinking about founding the chapter two years ago, and a conversation about habitat on a pheasant trip to South Dakota finally solidified the decision.

“We’d traveled to the Dakotas for several years to hunt and always talked about how thick the pheasant population used to be in Indiana. But we’d seen the habitat loss firsthand,” Davis said. “We’re dedicated to helping restore pheasant habitat here in Indiana with the hope of pursuing ringnecks in our home state.”

The chapter held their first official meeting March 25 and are now planning their first event, a skeet shoot benefit at the Wildcat Valley Rifle and Pistol Club in Brookston, Ind. on June 26.

“I’m very excited to work with the Carroll-White County Chapter of Pheasants Forever,” said Nick Golias, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s regional representative in Indiana. “This chapter is eager to hit the ground running and they’re full of fantastic volunteers that bring a lot of experience to the table. Both of these counties are in our core pheasant range in Indiana with strong quail numbers as well, so they’re poised to have a great impact on our habitat mission and growth in the Hoosier State.”

Since the early 2000’s, North America has lost more than 50 million acres of grasslands, and less than 3 percent of the nation’s 90 million historical acres of longleaf pine woodlands remain intact today – critical habitat components for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. Pheasants Forever’s Call of the Uplands  national campaign is trying to address these issues by investing $500 million to help revive America’s grasslands and cultivate the next generation of conservationists. Chapters like the Carroll-White County Chapter of Pheasants Forever are in a prime position to help contribute to these goals with meaningful mission work in its local region.

The chapter will hold their meetings on the last Monday of every month. Hunters and conservationists interested in joining the chapter as volunteers are encouraged to attend. For more information about the chapter or to become involved, please contact chapter president Ed Davis at riflemaned@hotmail.com or at (765)-404-0389.  

For more information about Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in Indiana, to join a chapter or inquire about starting a chapter, contact regional field representative Nick Golias at (708)-408-0944 or at  ngolias@pheasantsforever.org.

About Pheasants Forever

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 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 567,500 habitat projects benefiting 22 million acres.

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