Pheasants Forever

Pheasants Forever. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Naturalists and sportsmen will soon have another area to enjoy. Ryan Storm is the regional rep for Pheasants Forever who has acquired a 2,700-acre ranch near Hamer, Idaho. The ranch acquisition, Pheasants Forever's largest wildlife habitat project in Idaho, will eventually be opened for public hunting and outdoor recreation. STORM: It's actually a piece of property we've been working on in a joint venture between NRCS which is a part of USDA and also with the family and with local chapters in Idaho and the eastern side of the state we were able to bring together enough sustain able resources in order to purchase the property and the family also gave a partial donation of the property in order for us to acquire it. The family donating the property wish to remain anonymous. Storm says that the work is just beginning. STORM: NRCS along with Pheasants Forever and Idaho Fish & Game are going to be doing restoration on the property because the family did enroll part of the property into one of the farm bills which is the Wetland Reserve Program, the WRP program and that part of the property, 950 acres, was enrolled in a lifetime wildlife easement. That kind of program is completely transferrable to the next buyer of the property. He says that the 950 acres is in the middle of the property. STORM: It's going to be enhanced for wildlife and a lot of the property will be enhanced for waterfowl and uplands, specifically pheasants but that will also sustain huns and hopefully we will get some grouse in the area as well. Eventually the property will be open to the public. STORM: Once we do finish the enhancement of the property our intent is to hand part of the property to Idaho Fish & Game and then part of the property to the Fish & Wildlife Service. Both of those entities own property on either sides of the property at this time. And when that takes place the property will be approximately 21-thousand acres in total that will either be wildlife refuge, open for public access and part of the Mudlake WMA, the Wilderness Management Area or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Camas Creek Wildlife Refuge. For more information on Pheasants Forever visit their website at www.pheasantsforever.org. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.