Lapeer County Pheasants Forever Habitat Program
The main focus of Pheasants Forever is habitat. Over 500 chapters across the United States and Canada are actively involved in planting habitat for wildlife as awhole, although the main focus is upland game birds like the ringneck pheasant. There are two things a chapter must do when it developes a chapter in a county or regional multi-county area. It must have an annual banquet to raise money for it's habitat program. The chapters are all classified under the national organization's 5013-C tax exempt non-profit status. Dues to join the national organization are the only finances that must go to national. All funds raised locally stay in the local chapter and are used for banquet expenses and the net profits are used to purchase seed, fertilizer, herbicide, and shrubs for windbreaks and food sources. An ideal habitat for ringnecks will feature nesting cover, food plots and wintering cover with protection from predators. Each chapter reserves the right as the donor to regulate how much habitat is given to each member. They may or may not limit the habitat to the county or area of the chapter. The Lapeer County Chapter does not limit this to a specific area as long as it is planted and not wasted. We do reserve the right to check on stands to make sure they are sewn each year.
It is truely amazing to see how habitat transformes empty neutral acres that are basically inert, into thriving habitat areas where all types of wildlife are drawn. It becomes quite a busy place for song birds, small game and big game. In 2001 the Lapeer County Chapter of Pheasants Forever took part in 145 projects within the chapter that provided 470 acres of food plots. In addition, 360 acres in 91 projects were planted for nesting cover. These numbers continue to grow each year and the chapter has no plans on capping these acres at a specific number. Our plans are to continue to present better banquets, make more money each year, and plant more habitat! We will shortly be posting information on planting habitat. We have as a chapter, also joined and donated monies to the State Habitat Program. Being a part of this insures the state chapter will also help our chapter with large habitat projects in developement. We are currently looking at a large habitat project of approx 120 acres in Northern Lapeer County.
The Lapeer Chapter along with the Genessee County chapter of PF is also working on plans to do a partners project with the MDNR to provide habitat on the Lapeer State Game area. This will provide increased habitat for wildlife on our public lands in which everyone can enjoy!
Our chapter is blessed with two experts on planting and cultivating habitat projects. Nathan Hager is Lapeer County PF's habitat chair and has a BS. in Natural Resoueces. Paul Knox is Lapeer PF's habitat specialist and also has a farm in Iowa. He keeps up to date in the latest developements in cultivating habitat. Stay tuned to GLS for some great tips on developing your own ecosystem for wildlife! Think Habitat!
