Transcript Wild Pheasant Reintroduction Into Central Pennsylvania CREP

Wild Pheasant Reintroduction
Into Central Pennsylvania CREP
• Why try to reintroduce wild pheasants in
PA?
• Why in Central PA?
• Why now?
The Plan
Start Date Winter 2007
• 300 pheasants trapped and released for 3
consecutive years.
• Release areas in Western Columbia,
Montour and Northern Northumberland
Counties.
• Release areas decided by favorable habitat
• Radio tagging of birds and nesting studies
• Lands closed to pheasant hunting for 6
years
Why Wild Pheasants?
Why spend thousands of dollars
to bring in wild pheasants from
South Dakota? Hasn’t the
Game Commission been
releasing pheasants for years?
Wild Pheasants Vs. Game Farm
• SD biologist Tony Leif’s hen study
in SD 1994
• 8 week old young pheasants
produced per 100 hens
180
• Game Farm Hens -16 160
140
120
• Wild Hens- 169
100
80
60
40
20
0
Game Farm
Wild
Why Central PA?
Montour County
Acres in soil bank 1964= 6,819
Acres in CREP and CRP 2008= 7,609
Historical Class 1 Pheasant Range In Red
-
0
1.5
Northumberland County
3
6 Miles
Montour County
Columbia County
Millville
Turbotville
Watsontown
Study Area Core
Milton
Danville
Legend
Water
Conifer Forest
Quarries
Low-density Urban
Mixed Forest
Coal Mines
High-density Urban
Deciduous Forest
Transitional
Hay/Pasture
Woody Wetland
Row Crops
Emergent Wetland
The Problem
Dilution Is The Solution
CREP
Harvested Corn
Wild Pheasant Releases
Over 900 wild pheasants from Montana and South Dakota
have been released in the reintroduction area. The average
rooster to hen ratio is about 1:5.
Results from the First Two Years
We are using flushing surveys and spring crowing
counts to monitor survival. Early results cause us to be
optimistic.
Flushing Surveys
2008 - 140 birds total
2009 - 252 birds total
Spring Crowing Count Route Through Release Area
2006 – 1 Rooster (before start of program)
2007- 9 Roosters
2008- 16 Roosters
2009- 25 Roosters
These surveys and crowing route only measure a part
of the release area.
Why Now?
• CREP is a 10 or 15 year agricultural
conservation program that started in 2000
providing thousands of acres of nesting cover.
• Success of this wild pheasant program can be
used to renew current contracts and expand
additional CREP programs.
• Many other threatened or endangered
grassland wildlife benefits from this program.
•It is imperative that these CREP programs be
continued or the plan will fail in the future.
What Do We Expect To
Get Out Of All This?
MORE!
MORE OF THIS
AND THIS
AND THESE
AND THIS
AND THIS
Financial Contributors to the Project
• For more information visit our
web site at:
• www.centralsusquehannapf.org