Pheasants Forever chapter forms in Nevada 's Great Basin
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 04/03/2014 - 8:15am
Passionate outdoorsmen recently formed the newest Pheasants Forever chapter in Nevada, known as the Great Basin Pheasants Forever chapter. The group will focus its attention on habitat improvements, increasing pheasant populations, and youth outdoor participation in the Great Basin area.
The Great Basin chapter was drawn to Pheasants Forever’s unique model, which empowers county and local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent.
"Our chapter will work to put habitat on the ground, raise awareness for conservation in Nevada and instill an appreciation of the outdoors in youth. Without youth, we don’t have a hunting future,” said Tim Ricketts, the chapter’s newly elected president.
Ricketts is no stranger to the outdoors; he has been chasing upland birds in Nevada since he was 13 years old. Today, Ricketts raises German shorthaired pointers and owns Nautydog Gun Dog Kennels.
“We also wouldn’t have a hunting future without champions of wildlife like longtime Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever supporter Ed Holland, who was instrumental in helping us get this chapter started,” continued Ricketts. “Our chapter’s five-year goal is to raise funds for our mission, a land acquisition of 2,000 acres, host an annual trap shooting every Father’s Day, and start a summer.
In recent years, severe drought and agricultural changes in Nevada have caused upland bird numbers to fall; however, the Great Basin chapter is highly motivated to improve the habitat conditions for pheasants in an effort to give them every opportunity to thrive.
Dan Connelly, Pheasants Forever regional wildlife biologist for Nevada and California, said, “Weather and habitat have the greatest impact on wildlife in Nevada. We can’t control the weather in Nevada, but we can control the habitat impact, which is exactly what the Great Basin chapter will do. They’ve already hit the ground running, and I am excited to see what they will accomplish.”
The Great Basin chapter has nominated Joe Crim as treasurer and Willie Molini as habitat chair.
The Great Basin chapter will host all of their chapter meetings on the first Thursday of every month. Their next meeting will be held on Thursday, April 3rd at the Lovelock Community Center at 6 PM.
For information on the Great Basin chapter, please contact Tim Ricketts at (775) 843-7811 or email Ricketts. For other inquiries, contact Dan Connelly at (702) 606-6775 or email Connelly.
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 140,000 members and 745 local chapters across the United States and Canada.
Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure.
- 000
- appreciation
- April
- Awareness
- birds
- California
- Canada
- center
- Champions
- community
- Community Center
- Community,
- conservation
- county
- day
- dog
- drought
- Fall
- great basin
- Habitat
- Helping
- information
- local
- meeting
- Members
- mission
- Nevada
- Nonprofit
- Opportunity
- Organization
- Outdoors
- Outdoors
- President
- regional
- running
- severe
- Shooting
- summer
- United States
- weather
- Youth
- hunting
- wildlife
