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Pheasant Guy’s Waterfowl Work Earns Him a Heron
PF’s Nomsen honored with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Great Blue Heron Award.

Pheasants Forever

Austin, Texas –-(AmmoLand.com)- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has presented Pheasants Forever’s Dave Nomsen with a National Great Blue Heron Award in recognition of his wetland and waterfowl conservation work. Nomsen, who is Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Vice President of Government Affairs, received the award yesterday at the Waterfowl Working Group meeting of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies gathering in Austin, Texas.

The National Great Blue Heron Award recognizes participants whose activities with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee results in substantial benefits to waterfowl and other wetland-associated migratory bird populations of North America over a long period of time. Nomsen has been a conservation leader on a national scale for nearly two decades, with his work extending beyond pheasants, quail and other upland birds to a wide array of wildlife.

Nomsen’s influence helped shape the last three federal Farm Bills – 1996, 2002, & 2008 – and he became one of the nation’s loudest voices in support of the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) wildlife legacy. CRP land in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and North and South Dakota is some of the most productive waterfowl habitat in the world, contributing more than 2 million ducks annually. Most recently, Nomsen helped the creation of a new CRP practice called Conservation Practice 38, better known as the State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice, which has allowed many states to create new wildlife and wetland conservation initiatives. And through his leadership, local Pheasants Forever chapters have restored 60,000 acres of wetlands across America.

Nomsen has also served on North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Council since 1999. His first appointment by the Secretary of the Interior under President Clinton and then subsequent re-appointments by President Bush’s administration showcased Nomsen’s ability to bridge parties in the name of conservation.

“Wetlands and waterfowl conservation have always been as near and dear to my heart as upland conservation – both are equally important, and equally connected,” said Nomsen, who points to his early work with the with South Dakota’s Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit as the source of his most important knowledge about wetlands. “While this award is quite an honor, it is ultimately reflective of the passion of the 125,000 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members across the country. It’s an honor to represent a group of such dedicated conservationists.”

Past recipients of the National Great Blue Heron recognition have included former Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Chairmen Jim Range, U.S. Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Delta Waterfowl Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.

Nomsen is a Clear Lake, Iowa native, where his father, Richard Nomsen, was the chief pheasant biologist for the Iowa Conservation Commission (now the Iowa Department of Natural Resources). Nomsen received a master’s in wildlife management from South Dakota State University. He has been with Pheasants Forever since 1992, where he began as Pheasants Forever’s wildlife biologist for Minnesota. He makes his home in Garfield, Minnesota, with his wife, Melanie, and his Labrador retriever, Nellie, and Springer Spaniel, Little TR.

About:
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 125,000 members in 750 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org

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Help Save the Conservation Reserve Program

Conservation Reserve Program

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)-We have reached the most critical juncture in the history of the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), undoubtedly the most successful conservation program in modern times. Since 2005, over 4.2 million acres have expired, and over the next five years, another 21 million more acres are slated to expire. That makes participating in the public comment period and public meetings about CRP in September and October the most significant action you can take as a Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever supporter this autumn.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has asked the public for comments on the Conservation Reserve Program and scheduled nine public meetings from September 15 through October 8 to solicit comments on the program. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have identified a platform of three action items to communicate during the public comment period and at the public meetings.

Immediate Need for a New CRP General Signup
Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has no plans for a new CRP general signup to re-enroll or replace expiring acres.

“The stated intent of this public comment period is to find ways to make the Conservation Reserve Program more effective for producers, and increase the environmental and wildlife benefits of the program,” said Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Vice President of Government Affairs, “Those goals are unachievable without a new CRP general signup.”

1 Million SAFE Acres
Conservation Practice 38, better known as the State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program, allows states to cater CRP to specifically address key wildlife and habitat needs within a state. Currently, there are over 200,000 acres enrolled in SAFE nationally, and the USDA has established a goal of 500,000 acres for the program. But demand for SAFE acres in states such as South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska has been so strong that they are at or near their initial SAFE acreage guideline. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are pushing for an additional 500,000 acres nationwide for the program based upon strong interest and demand for SAFE in multiple states.

“A 1-million-acre SAFE program is the progressive step needed to maintain the strength of CRP and create critical habitat for wildlife,” Nomsen said.

Double Bobwhite Quail Buffers Program
Conservation Practice 33, or “Bobwhite Buffers,” establishes the edge habitat along fields, streams and woods that bobwhite quail need. Currently, there are over 200,000 acres enrolled nationally, and USDA has established a goal of 250,000 acres for the program.

“This program has been a resounding success and has proven to increase bobwhite quail populations where acres exist. But to realistically push the bobwhite beyond its current near-threatened status, the USDA needs to allocate additional acres for this important quail program,” added Nomsen.

Public Comments on CRP Due by October 19, 2009

• Email comments to CRPcomments@tecinc.com
• Submit comments online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov
• Mail comments to: CRP SEIS, c/o TEC Inc., 8 San Jose Dr., Suite 3-B, Newport News, VA 23606
• Fax comments to: (757) 594-1469

DON’T LET THE sun set on the Conservation Reserve Program! Make your voice heard at public meetings or submit comments online!

CRP Public Meeting Schedule
Sept. 15, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Spokane, Wash.
Hilton Garden Inn

Sept. 17, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Great Falls, Mont.
Hampton Inn

Sept. 21, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Moorhead, Minn.
AmericInn Lodge and Suites

Sept. 23, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Manhattan, Kan.
Clarion Hotel

Sept. 25, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Springfield, Ill.
Hilton Garden Inn

Sept. 29, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Marriott Hotel

Oct. 1, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Clovis, NM
La Quinta Inn and Suites

Oct. 6, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Albany, Ga.
Hilton Garden Inn

Oct. 8, from 5 – 7 p.m.
Harrisburg, Pa.
Courtyard by Marriott

About Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 125,000 members in 750 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information about Pheasants Forever, please visit www.PheasantsForever.org

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