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Pheasant Summit Action Plan Kevin Lines – Pheasant Action Plan Coordinator Greg Hoch – Prairie Habitat Team Supervisor 23 June 2015 MN Pheasant Summit • Governor Dayton requested a Pheasant Summit to address concerns about pheasants and hunting. • Held Dec. 13, 2014 at SW MN State University in Marshall. Concern for Pheasants and Hunting • SW MN habitat is disappearing • Wildlife and hunting follow • Many other impacts A Call to Action • • • 300 conservationists, hunters, farmers and government officials attended the summit to offer their views and technical advice. 740 provided on-line input prior the summit. 1,000 people helped to identify priorities, action items, and strategies for public and private lands. Summit Process • Used pre-Summit online survey to identify key action areas: private lands, public lands, hunting opportunities • At Summit, used group processes to develop list of highest priority actions • Post-summit, Technical team refined data, Steering Committee provided implementation input • Final document will be released soon Development Teams Steering Team Technical Team Hunting Works for MN MN Farmers Union MDA PF BWSR MN Farm Bureau DNR MASWCD NRCS DOT PF BWSR FWS Xerces DNR MASWCD MDA Final 10 Action Items (Draft) 1.Identify in each county of the pheasant range, at least three, 9 square mile habitat complexes where the landscape meets the goal of 40% permanent nesting cover and focus management into those complexes that meet this criteria 2. Increase enrollment of permanent conservation easements and the rate of enrollment and retention in nonpermanent conservation programs such as Conservation Reserve Program. 3. Increase education and marketing of private lands conservation programs through the Farm Bill Assistance Partnership (FBAP). (continued) Final 10 Action Items (Draft), cont. 4. Accelerate acquisition of public lands open to hunting across the pheasant range including State Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and Federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA). 5. Increase management of habitat on both public and private grasslands. 6. Develop and implement a comprehensive buffer program. 7. Increase roadside management for improved pheasant habitat. (continued) Final 10 Action Items (Draft), cont. 8. Secure federal funding to support the Walk-In Access (WIA) program in the pheasant range in Minnesota. 9. Expand public education about grassland and pheasant conservation issues and support hunter recruitment and retention. 10. Expand monitoring and research capacity for both habitat and population studies of grassland wildlife and clearly communicate these results to the public. Landscape Approach 3x3 mile habitat complexes Implementing with Partners This will be a COLLABORATIVE process with local, state, and federal agencies as well as nonprofit conservation partners LSOHC Support is Key • Habitat work in the pheasant range is expensive and slow • Meaningful gains will only be realized with significant investment over time • The future of wildlife and hunting in SW MN – and not just for pheasants – will depend on the actions we take in the next few years • Only with a strong commitment from LSOHC to fund projects will MN be successful Thank You for Your Support! Questions?