Welcome to our Habitat & Prairie Pages!

***11/18/2011 I just wanted to give you all a quick update of informtion for a couple programs the USDA-NRCS has going right now. There are active sign-ups for two programs right now. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) currently are open for applications. These programs offer cost-sharing for a number of different conservation practices. Both programs contain practices such as prairie establishment, prescribed burning, invasive species or brush management, as well as others for wildlife habitat establishment/improvements. EQIP also offers many additional practices more focused on active farmsteads and agricultural operations. Below are two links for both programs that will explain them in a little more detail. I believe the WHIP website needs to be updated yet, but it at least give the gist of the program and the available conservation practices. The deadline for the first wave of applications is February 3rd, 2012.

WHIP: www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip.html

EQIP: www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip.html

As always, the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) takes applications all the time. Those of you who have townships in your county eligible for the CRP-SAFE program, there is a continuous sign-up for that as well.
I don't have a good update on what the next Farm Bill will bring. I have heard a lot of different possibilities out there concerning conservation programs, CRP and WRP in particular. But nothing concrete yet. I will keep you all updated if I hear anything.
Please pass on this information to the rest of your chapter committee members and anyone else who may be interested in conservation programs. And please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks and have a safe and happy hunting season!

Eric




Eric Krueger ¦ Farm Bill Biologist
Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever ¦ 2912 Red Fox Run ¦ Portage, WI 53901
p. (608) 742-5361 ext.108 ¦ f. (608) 742-0194 ¦ m. (608) 444-9828 ¦ ekrueger@pheasantsforever.org

*** March 7, 2011 ¨C The 30 Pheasants Forever chapters and 7,500 Pheasants Forever members in Wisconsin contributed to nearly 400 wildlife habitat projects in 2010, benefitting pheasants and other wildlife on 9,765 acres of public and private land.

The 30 Pheasants Forever chapters completed 378 wildlife habitat projects in 2010, benefitting wildlife on 4,691 acres. The breakdown includes 38 nesting cover projects benefitting 567 acres, 67 habitat maintenance projects benefitting 2,638 acres, 271 food and cover plots totaling 1,419 acres, and one new land acquisition of 66 acres (all land acquisitions are accomplished in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and/or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other conservation partners, and opened to the public for hunting and outdoor recreation). Since the first Pheasants Forever chapter formed in Wisconsin more than two decades ago, chapters have completed 19,108 wildlife habitat projects, improving habitat conditions for wildlife on 128,568 acres.

Also in 2010, Pheasants Forever's five Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists in Wisconsin worked in partnership with 1,123 Wisconsin landowners and farmers to enroll 5,074 acres of habitat into federal and stateside habitat conservation programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Grasslands Reserve Program and the Emergency Wetland Protection Program. These acres have helped the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and partners meet wildlife and habitat goals in several landscape-scale habitat initiatives, like the Western Prairie Restoration Area, Central Wisconsin Grassland Conservation Area and Glacial Habitat Restoration Area. Since Pheasants Forever started its Farm Bill Biologist program in Wisconsin in 2007, Biologists have worked with 3,583 landowners to enroll 18,119 acres in conservation programs.

"Pheasants Forever leaves a local footprint, whether that's a chapter helping to improve habitat at a local wildlife management area or one of our Farm Bill Biologists acting one-on-one with a landowner regarding a conservation program," says Kevin Wallenfang, Pheasants Forever's Regional Wildlife Biologist in Wisconsin. Pheasants Forever empowers county and local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent - the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. As a result, chapter volunteers are able to see the fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy.

For more information about Pheasants Forever in the state or to discuss their native seed program, contact Kevin Wallenfang at (608) 798-2466 / Email Kevin.


Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management

***Should We Feed the Pheasants?
This winter you may already see pheasants along roadsides and up around building sites. You are concerned. The question is, ¡°should you feed the pheasants¡±? Unfortunately, many good©intentioned people who set out corn actually harm the pheasants more than they help them. Carefully consider the following:
1. Feeding must take place close to high quality winter cover of at least 10 acres, such as cattail sloughs and willow thickets. It is extremely rare for a pheasant to starve, but death by freezing is common. Poorly placed feeders actually draw the pheasants out and away from their protective winter cover. They cause birds to congregate and expend energy competing for the food. Instead of saving birds, poorly placed feeders will actually add to freezing deaths.
2. Feeders attract predators and expose pheasants to death by
predation. Many more pheasants are lost to predators each
winter than to starvation. Feeders give predators a focus point,
not unlike a bait pile. Feeding along roadsides expose pheasants
and other wildlife to getting hit by vehicles.
3. Once feeding starts, it must be continued. If pheasants are fed
for a period of time and then the food supply disappears, the birds
may become more stressed than if they had not been fed at all.
4. A poorly designed feeder may make an easy meal for more
efficient foragers such as deer and turkey, taking away any
benefits for pheasants.
5. Proper winter feeding may help the birds temporarily, but it is not an effective long©term plan.
THE KEY TO SAVING PHEASANTS IN THE WINTER IS HABITAT! Resources spent on establishing high quality winter cover will yield far greater results and the best winter survival rates. The lesson to be learned from a tough winter is that we need to plant more, high quality thermal cover in the spring.
Please do all you can to educate your friends and family on proper winter feeding. Better yet, get them involved in Pheasants Forever to more good habitat on the ground! By doing so, you will help ensure that we have pheasants¡­¡­¡­¡­.forever!
eger

*** 6/4/2010 WI Chapters Protect 719 Acres in 2009
Columbia County ¡§C40 acre Wolf parcel.
Now part of the Pine Island State Wildlife Area.
Completed by the Columbia County Chapter.

*** Summer Mowing for Weed Control
Your biggest task in the first few years of a prairie planting is weed control. Weeding, burning, and mowing are the most effective ways to control weeds.
In small areas, removing and cutting back weeds are the most efficient methods. The most challenging aspect of these tasks is distinguishing between prairie plants and weeds. If you aren't sure what a seedling is, wait a week and look again, but be sure to remove the suspected weeds before they flower and set seed.
The best way to manage a large prairie is through the use of controlled burns, and the best time of year for that is now behind us. Mowing and removing clippings is a good substitute for burning, particularly on smaller sites. If you start a prairie from seed, mowing is recommended during the first year to control weeds which grow more quickly than prairie plants. For the first few years, set the mower high (6" to 8") to avoid cutting desirable prairie plants. After 4 or 5 years mow once a year after the seeds have fallen, or preferably, in the early spring. Remove clippings to expose crowns for re©growth.
Prairie usually needs no herbicides, insecticides, or fertilizers. Dense prairie vegetation will discourage invading weeds although perennial grasses from adjacent turf can invade along the edges of the planting. The wildflowers will provide food for beneficial insects which will aid in controlling pest insect populations.

Eric Krueger
Farm Bill Biologist, Pheasants Forever
USDA-NRCS
2912 Red Fox Run Rd.
Portage, WI 53901
Phone: (608)742-5361 ext.108
Cell: (608)444-9828
Email: ekrueger@pheasantsforever.org
eric.krueger@wi.usda.gov