Chapter News Update - April 2023

2023 Habitat Day and Adopt-a-WMA Day

The 2023 Habitat Day or Adopt-a-WMA day will be held rain or shine on April 22 (See details below). Our goal is to really put an effort into the public lands we already own and improve them. We hope you, kids and young adults can join us for the day. We hope you will find it rewarding and your community service efforts will not go un-noticed.

Banquet Summary

The 2023 BCPF Annual Banquet was March 18, 2023 held at the Sleepy Eye Event Center. With nearly 350 people it was a success and we hope you enjoyed the event. We would like to sincerely thank our Emcee and Keynote Marilyn Vetter, President & CEO of Pheasants Forever. All of the money raised will be put to good use in Brown County. Some of these efforts are: support the high school trap teams; improve the WMAs with food plots, plantings; parking areas and signage.

“The Hunters Dream,” raffle was won by Joe P. of Springfield. Congrats to him on the raffle dreams are made of.

We would also like to thank Matt Mages for being our Auctioneer, Chuck Spaeth Ford; D&B Enterprises; Gutes Essen Catering; and Mary Ann and staff at the Sleepy Eye Event Center.

We hope to see you at the next Banquet in 2024.

Adopt-a-WMA Habitat Day

We will host our Habitat Day on April 22 this year. We hope you can join us for this give-back day. We will be getting our hands dirty so don't wear your Sunday bests.

Time: 9:00 am start on April 22.
Location: Wood Lake WMA, 320th Ave. and 1/2 mile north of 110th Street,
Mulligan Twp.
What to Bring: Gloves and hand saws if you have them.
What Will Attendees be Doing: Planting shrubs; removing invasive shrubs and removing barb wire.
RSVP: Brown County Adopt-a-WMA Habitat Day RSVP

At the conclusion of this event we will be hosting a lunch for all. We will be having hot dogs, chips and beverages. Please RSVP so we have enough food.

We hope to see you there!

Landowners there are a number of active programs you should be aware of:

WIA or Walk in Access program. Sign-ups deadline is May 1, 2023.
RIM (Reinvest in Minnesote) Wetlands. Sign-ups deadline is May 31, 2023.
CREP (Conservation Recovery Enhancement Program). Sign-ups deadline is April 28, 2023.
CRP (Conservation Reserve Program). Sign-ups are currently on-going.

In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and to plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. The program’s long-term goal is to re-establish valuable land cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length.

Under continuous CRP signup, environmentally sensitive land devoted to certain conservation practices can be enrolled in CRP at any time. Offers for continuous enrollment are not subject to competitive bidding during specific periods. Instead they are automatically accepted provided the land and producer meet certain eligibility requirements and the enrollment levels do not exceed the statutory cap.

For more information, including a list of acceptable practices, contact your USDA Service Center at visit fsa.usda.gov/crp. or reach out to Nate Fore - Brown County PF Biologist to inquiry. His contact details are below.

April 12 - May 31, 2023 - MN Spring Turkey Season(s)

April 22, 2023 – Earth Day & Adopt-a-WMA Habitat Day (9:00 am start)

July 15, 2023 – Youth Day Nicollet County Pheasants Forever (Tentative)

September 1, 2023 – MN Dove Season Opens (Tentative)

September 2-17, 2023 - MN Goose Season

September 2-6, 2023 - MN Teal Season

September 9-10, 2023 - MN Youth Waterfowl Season

September 23, 2023 - MN Waterfowl Season Opens

September 30 - October 29, 2023 - MN Fall Turkey Season

October 14, 2023 – MN Pheasant Opener (Tentative)

October 19-22, 2023 - MN Youth Deer Season

November 4-12, 2023 - MN Deer Firearm Season

November 25, 2023 – MN Muzzleloader Deer Opener

January 1, 2024 – MN Pheasant Season Closes

The monies we receive through donations, fund raising, and membership are critical to us enhancing or purchasing lands for all the public to enjoy. We encourage everyone to renew their membership to Pheasants Forever or upgrade to a Lifetime membership.

Pheasants Forever is the only national organization with a model of chapters keeping 100% of the funds they raise. While belonging to a larger national organization that has a voice on federal and state conservation policies, chapters are tasked with finding projects for their funds. Minnesota takes full advantage of this model using funds raised for projects locally as well as other areas in the state of Minnesota.

Go to https://www.pheasantsforever.org/Participate/Why-Participate.aspx

andhttps://www.pheasantsforever.org/getdoc/91f8dfad-47ad-46d6-af54-5649db42671f/Membership.aspx help us grow!

BROWN COUNTY PHEASANT’S FOREVER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
FOUNDED 32 YEARS AGO and SPENT OVER $4 MILLION in Brown County for HABITAT.
OVER 300 HABITAT PROJECTS benefiting OVER 3000 ACRES on PRIVATE land.
PRESERVED OVER 2500 ACRES for PUBLIC ENJOYMENT & HUNTING. Brown County has OVER 28 WMA/WPAs encompassing OVER 4600 ACRES.
PARTICPATED in OVER 2000 ACRES in Brown County land ACQUISITIONS that are now WMA/WPAs.
HOSTS AND PARTICIPATES IN ANNUAL MENTORED YOUTH HUNTS with more than 50 KIDS PARTIPATING
SUPPORT our LOCAL TRAP SHOOTING TEAMS.
PARTICIPATE in MN DNR Adopt-a-WMA program