25 Pioneering Partners and Sponsors (part 4 of 5)
Happy 25th Anniversary Pheasants Forever! This fourth part of a five-part series marks Pheasants Forever's 25th Anniversary. These anniversary articles are intended to thank and honor the pioneers of Pheasants Forever who made 25 years of upland wildlife habitat conservation possible. The past quarter century, you, our hard working volunteers, members and partners, have made this organization a recognized force in the conservation world on many levels. We owe our success to you!
PF has been blessed with many valuable public and private partners the last quarter century, too many to mention in one article. Following are but a few of the outstanding public and private partners that have made PF a national conservation powerhouse. Thanks everybody for a job well done over the years! With that, we continue our 25th Anniversary coverage this issue by honoring "25 Pioneering Partners and Sponsors".
The last article in our 25th Anniversary series will be "25 Pioneering Youth Leaders" in the Summer.
25 Pioneering Partners and Sponsors
PF has been blessed with many valuable public and private partners the last quarter century, too many to mention in one article. Following are but a few of the outstanding public and private partners that have made PF a national conservation powerhouse. Thanks everybody for a job well done over the years!
Apple Auto Group/Mark Gulbrandson
Gulbrandson grew up in North Dakota living the outdoor life and decided to give back through Pheasants Forever's "Build a Wildlife Area" program, which helps purchase habitat for permanent protection in several states. "Both Mark and his company have also provided support for our Legislative Action Fund, PF's program to support federal conservation-related legislation," said Joe Duggan, PF's VP of corporate relations and marketing.
Browning
The sales of Browning's quality guns, PF logo clothing and other merchandise the last five years has helped PF raise funds to power our habitat mission. Find their products in this magazine's MarketPlace catalog, at your local chapter event or local retailers. The company has also generously supported the "PF TV" cable program.
Cabela's
Cabela's, based in the pheasant haven of Nebraska, has served as the presenting sponsor for three National Pheasant Fests. True to form, Cabela's also recently became a sponsor of Quail Forever (QF). Thanks guys. We love your stores, your products and those awesome wildlife sculptures and displays too!
Chevrolet
The future of PF corporate sponsorship sped into sight January 1, 2008 when Chevrolet became PF's first major national automobile sponsor. Chevrolet, makers of the Avalanche, Colorado and Silverado pickup trucks, is now PF's Official Automobile. Thanks for helping PF drive into the future in style!
Control Data
Minnesota-based Control Data, which is no longer in business, is notable for being PF's first corporate partner. Norb Berg, who worked for the company, helped PF by loaning us a clerical employee for a year (Dorothy Johnson), office space, furniture and other help during those crucial initial months. Berg later served as chair of PF's National Board of Directors.
County Conservation Boards & Soil and Water Conservation Districts
These two county level conservation agencies have partnered with PF chapters around the country on numerous projects with both funds and tech support. They are key partners in developing habitat projects with farmers, ranchers and other private landowners. Many of these faithful public servants are also chapter officers and volunteers. That's dedication.
DeKalb/Monsanto
DeKalb/Monsanto joined up with PF in the mid-1980s, donating seed to local chapters that in turn gave it to agencies and landowners for wildlife food plot projects around the country, according to Jim Wooley, PF's first biologist and now Quail Forever (QF) director of field operations. Since the early days of PF, the company has donated "literally tens of thousands of bags of seed for wildlife," Wooley said. These donations have resulted in hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat for game and non-game wildlife.
"Food plots are an important piece in the puzzle in creating and managing wildlife habitat. DeKalb/Monsanto's donations to our national office and chapters have been significant. PF/QF, agency partners and landowner cooperators are deeply appreciative of what the company has done," Wooley said.
Federal Premium Ammunition
Every time you purchase a box of Federal/Pheasant Forever shotgun shells, Minnesota-based Federal makes a donation to PF. The Federal product marks the first time co-branded ammunition was available on the U.S. market. "The ammo is first rate too. I've been shooting it all my life," said PFJ editor Mark Herwig.
Game Fair
Minnesota's Game Fair is a six-day regional outdoor hunting, dog, shooting, product extravaganza that attracts some 50,000 people each year. Game Fair's owner Chuck Delaney has helped PF promote conservation at his popular fair in many ways, including setting up the "Pheasants Forever Hill" where PF has sold numerous memberships, PF products and promoted our many conservation programs. The August fair is a hoot too. Come if you get a chance.
Gander Mountain
This chain of 113 sporting goods stores around the nation was an early and strong supporter of PF's Build a Wildlife Area program. Gander enthusiastically supports the acquisition of wildlife areas for conservation and public hunting.
Lamar Outdoor Advertising
Dallas Strube and Paul Gagnon at Lamar have put up PF promotional messages on thousands of their temporarily vacant billboards over the years. They have promoted PF membership, banquet attendance and many other PF events, helping us raise considerable funds for wildlife habitat. Thanks much guys! We need more like you out there fighting for the birds.
Miller Brewing
For the last 15 years, Miller Brewing has sponsored PF's Print of the Year (POY) program. This is the most successful partnership in PF history as far as funds raised for our wildlife habitat programs. The 2007-08 POY is by Minnesota's Jim Hautman entitled "Memory Lane." It is available at your local PF banquet or in this magazine's MarketPlace catalog. Here's to Miller time!
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
NFWF, a non-profit established by Congress in 1984, recently administered a $1 million Wal-Mart Acres for America grant to PF. It has also donated funds to PF for conservation easements in South Dakota, grants for the Minnesota "Steve Kufrin Memorial Wildlife Management Area," funded a land acquisition that connected two large wildlife areas in Minnesota and helped fund salaries, computers and travel for PF Farm Bill Biologists in South Dakota.
Meredith Publishing & New Holland Tractors
New Holland, maker of fine tractors for habitat projects, underwrites a unique partnership between PF and Meredith Publishing, publisher of Successful Farming and Living the Country Life magazines. Meredith and PF produce habitat articles that run in Meredith and PF publications, providing valuable promotion for both.
Pete Mrozinski
Mr. Mrozinski provided many cash infusions to PF in the early days, one for $25,000 according to Jeff Finden, PF co-founder, former PF CEO and current National Board Member. His Artech Displays Company also produced exhibit displays for PF that were used to promote the fledgling organization. Mrozinski now volunteers with the Chisago County Chapter, Minnesota. "He did a lot for us and never asked for any credit. Heck, he'll probably be ticked at me for mentioning him," Finden remarked.
Outdoor News
Outdoor News, publisher of leading hunting, fishing and conservation newspapers in seven states, was a founding partner of PF's Build a Wildlife Area land acquisition/public hunting program. The newspapers frequently cover PF's many programs, providing valuable publicity for PF and the cause of conservation.
Purina Pet Care
Purina was PF's first major corporate partner. They participated in chapter banquets across the country and were important to the bird dog events of National Pheasant Fests 2003, 2005, 2007, & 2008.
Ron Schara Productions
Ron Schara is the affable, smooth-voiced owner and host of Pheasants Forever Television on the Versus Cable Network. The program gets the PF conservation message out to tens of thousands across the nation. Schara was there for PF many years before PF TV started in 2005. He has featured and promoted PF on his other cable program, On the Road with Ron and Raven, as well as on the local NBC television outlet in Minnesota's Twin Cities. Sales of his Raven plush black lab puppies have raised considerable funds for various PF programs.
Small business chapter sponsors
We'd like to thank the thousands of local businesses, too numerous to mention in this column, that have supported our local chapters the last 25 years. Their donations of cash, prizes and in-kind contributions have helped our chapters raise millions for local habitat projects and youth education. Practically every chapter project you've seen or hunted has been paid for in part by these small business supporters! Please return the favor by finding out who these businesses are and patronizing them.
State departments of natural resources
While too many to list, our nation's state departments of natural resources have partnered with PF on countless habitat projects with technical support, matching funds and valuable contacts with landowners. They promote our programs in their public magazines, refer landowners to us for help, administer the pheasant stamp programs we've helped pass and work with us in their state legislatures in support of habitat and hunting. Keep buying those hunting licenses, guns and ammoâit's what keeps these valuable agency partners operating.
Star Seed Company
Star Seed, based in Osborne, Kansas, has been a PF partner since 1995. During that time, the company has worked with PF biologists across the country to develop and promote the use of improved seed mixtures for wildlife on hundreds of thousands of acres. By working together, PF biologists and Star Seed have been able to craft mixtures for USDA conservation programs that produce increased and longer lasting wildlife benefits, provide seed mixtures to landowners at a reduced cost and save the federal government cost share funds.
Examples of the improved, wildlife-friendly mixtures developed with Star Seed can be viewed at www.NebraskaPF.com. Star Seed believes so much in the mission and accomplishments of PF that it has both been a sponsor at every Pheasant Fest event and instrumental in forming the Osborne County PF Chapter in its hometown.
"Partnerships with private businesses like Star Seed have been a critical component of the success that PF has had over the past 25 years, " according to Peter S. Berthelsen, PF senior field coordinator.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)
PF and the USFWS have partnered on too many projects to count. There's been a highly productive project pipeline between our two organizations since PF was founded. Waterfowl Production Areas, National Wildlife Refuges and countless private land habitat projects have been completed due to our partnership. When a good piece of habitat comes up for sale and the Service doesn't have the money right away to beat the developers to the bank, PF has ponied up the money countless times. Likewise, many PF-initiated projects have gone forward because of Service matching funds, technical expertise and savvy.
U.S. Department of Agriculture's FSA and NRCS
Congress and the President pass Farm Bill conservation programs into law, but it's the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service that put the acres of habitat into the ground on America's private lands. The last few years, these agencies have partnered with PF in hiring biologists and others to promote Farm Bill conservation programs, plan, finance and get them in the ground. We can't thank these dedicated and invaluable public partners enough for all their years of service.
Young Family Foundation, Waterloo, Iowa
This foundation has supported Iowa PF and natural resource conservation in general for decades. The foundation has been a major backer of the Blackhawk Co. Chapter, were the original sponsors of the Iowa Shoot for Conservation land acquisition program, helped buy many public hunting areas in northeast Iowa and purchase habitat equipment for PF habitat specialists, particularly prescribed fire equipment.
U.S. Bank
For three years, U.S. Bank's PF Visa Card Program has generated over $100,000/year for PF's habitat and education programs. U.S. Bank has also supported Pheasant Fest, Minnesota's Game Fair, attended hundreds of banquets helping chapters sign up card holders and raise funds. For details on how to participate in this successful program, please call Anthony Hauck at PF National at (877) 773-2070.
