Pheasants Forever Annual Benefit Banquet held at the fairgrounds

Pheasants Forever Annual Benefit Banquet was held on Friday. The banquet went from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and was held at the Nuckolls County Fairgrounds. Many attended the huge event, and the evening was filled with events.

Pheasants Forever is a non-profit organization organized to conserve Nebraska's wildlife habitat and traditions. The organization's primary mission is the conservation of pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education and conservation advocacy.

The organization began in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1982, as a response to the state's declining pheasant numbers. The decline was thought to be the result of substantial losses of suitable habitat. The organization was created to turn former grassland acres back to wildlife habitat. The organization's headquarters is still located in St. Paul. The organization has a current website filled with information that will help nature enthusiasts enrich and support nature and wildlife.

More than 145,000 members and other volunteers have developed more than 10 million acres of habitat for pheasants and other forms of wildlife since the group began. Six hundred chapters complete more than 35,000 projects every year.

Adult membership is open to a wide variety of people, including hunters, non-hunters, farmers, ranchers, land owners, conservation enthusiasts and wildlife officials. Members receive invitations to special events and habitat project tours. An annual membership is only $35, which funds Pheasants Forever's award winning magazine, professional services of regional biologists and representatives, national conservation education programs, and state and federal legislative advocacy.

The youth membership is $15 per year, which includes a subscription to Forever Outdoors (published four times a year). The magazine contains stories about upland bird hunting, sporting dogs and other outdoor topics. A membership card and decal are also included.

The youth are invited to local chapter events such as youth mentor hunts, conservation field days and youth banquets. The Youth Learn to Hunt Program is special. Each youngster is paired with an adult mentor for an entire day, with the goal for mentors to share firsthand knowledge regarding hunting, wildlife and outdoor activities. Pheasants Forever is committed to getting youngsters outdoors to learn firsthand about natural resources, foster a love for shooting sports and to learn the safe handling of firearms. In addition is seeks to educate young people about hunting conservation and develop conservation minded citizens and future leaders.

Several programs and groups, within the organization, are offered to all members. Habitat tours, prescribed burn workshops and the habitat share partnership, are some of the activities. The habitat share partnership is a collaboration between Pheasants Forever and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission that matches funds to complete habitat projects on public wildlife management areas. Open fields and water programs provide access to places for hunting, fishing and trapping. The Conservation Stewardship Program helps producers earn payments for managing their land to conserve wildlife and pollinators. The Next Step Hunt Program coordinates and schedules hunts with participating controlled shooting areas.

It's Pheasants Forever's vision that current and future generations of hunters and conservationists are able to enjoy abundant populations of wild pheasants and quail. Tax deductible donations support habitat conservation and education projects.

Wildlife habitat faces monumental challenges in an ever changing world. Agricultural expansion, a growing population, water wars, urban sprawl and oil and mineral exploration are all threats to wildlife habitats. If there are to be places for wildlife going, the organization believes we'll have to work harder, be more creative and build more partnerships. An advantage today is more people than ever before care about wildlife, which also makes it a time of opportunity. There's room for wildlife habitat, on every piece of land great or small, which supports all wildlife and protects the land and wildlife for future generations to come.