The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Southern Plains Grassland Program has awarded a grant totaling over $618,000 to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever which aims to improve wildlife habitat in Kansas and Texas. This funding will help private landowners address the dramatic woodland invasion of working grasslands across the Southern Great Plains.
"Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are thrilled to be awarded this grant,” said Jacob Swafford, private lands programs manager for The Habitat Organization. “With support from NFWF and our valued partners, we will deliver assistance to ranchers dedicated to maintaining and improving their grasslands for grazing and wildlife habitat in landscapes critical to species of concern. We are honored to be awarded this opportunity to deliver upland conservation practices on private lands."
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is the nation’s largest private conservation foundation, working with public and private sectors to protect and restore the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for both current and future generations. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has funded more than 6,800 organizations and generated a total conservation impact of more than $10 billion.
Habitat Strike Team
This project will restore over 5,000 acres by deploying a habitat strike team in Kansas to assist ranchers with conservation practices to improve grasslands. The team will implement brush management, prescribed fire, and strategic grazing practices. Removing eastern red cedars is also incredibly important as their invasion into grasslands has reduced forage for livestock producers and changed the structure and function of the grassland landscape.
Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (GRIP)
Efforts in Texas will focus on delivering technical and financial assistance to private landowners through GRIP. Working together with ranchers, over 16,000 acres of grassland in the panhandle of Texas will be restored and improved through brush management, prescribed burning, range planting, herbaceous weed treatment and wildlife habitat planting.
The collective efforts of the partners engaged in this project will result in over 22,000 acres of improved working private grasslands that will have increased function for producers and wildlife, including bobwhite quail and lesser prairie chickens. Private landowners, partners and team members will all work together to achieve results that align with the Southern Plains Grassland program.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 420,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education, and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000 habitat projects benefiting 26.5 million acres.
Media Contact
Mikayla Peper
715-294-0688
mpeper@pheasantsforever.org