Chapter History

STEARNS COUNTY CHAPTER HISTORY

The Stearns County chapter of Pheasants Forever (SCPF) was the 9th overall Pheasants Forever Chapter formed in a grouping that has grown to over 600 chapters today. The Stearns Chapter was started in 1982 by a group of Stearns County residents concerned about the continued decline of pheasants and other wildlife in the area.

Pheasants Forever was the only organization that would allow the local chapter to keep all the money they raised and use it in Stearns County and surrounding areas. That made their decision to start a local chapter pretty easy.

SCPF held its first banquet in the Spring of 1983 at the New Munich Ballroom near New Munich, MN and saw an attendance of roughly 250. It didn't take long for the community to realize the benefits of local control of locally raised funds. Attendance has climbed so much that today's banquets attendace packs in approximately 500 people and generates much needed funds to accomplish their mission.

"We grew so much that we just had to move to a bigger facility," said Ralph Feld, SCPF Director. "We didn't want to have to turn people away so our only option was to go to a larger facility."

With the steady increase in banquet attendance SCPF ramped up its community efforts to give back as much as possible to the community that supports it so well. Since inception the SCPF has spent over 2.9 million dollars toward their mission, one of only a handful of chapters that can say that. Along with many acquistion partners SCPF has acquired 30 new and/or additions to Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's) totaling nearly 4,000 acres. SCPF also helps fund a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist in Stearns County - this position helps promote and enroll lands into Federal Conservation Programs. SCPF sponsors numerous local conservation events which include: Sponsor Day, Game Feed, Youth Day, Youth Hunts and partners with several organizations on projects to help make thier dollar go farther. SCPF also publishes a quarterly newsletter designed to promote pheasant and other wildlife habitat throughout Stearns County.

For more information about SCPF, check out the tabs to the left.

NATIONAL PHEASANTS FOREVER ORGANIZATION HISTORY

Pheasants Forever was co-founded in 1982 by co-workers at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch, outdoor editor Dennis Anderson and national advertising director Jeff Finden. Both recognized a need for habitat restoration and preservation to ensure the future of pheasants and other wildlife.

PF's first publication entitled "Rooster Tales," published in February 1983. This became the forerunner of today's Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation. The fledgling PF held its first banquet on April 15, 1983, drawing 800 people at the inaugural banquet. In January 2007, PF's third-ever National Pheasant Fest in Des Moines, Iowa, became the largest event in PF history, drawing over 24,500 attendees over a three-day span.

Twenty-five years after its inception, Pheasants Forever has become a grassroots, nationwide upland conservation movement - a national conservation powerhouse. The organization has grown to 110,000 members with over 600 chapters across the U.S. and Canada. Nationwide, Pheasants Forever has spent $260 million on program expenditures, which have helped fund 347,000 habitat projects affecting 4.4 million acres across North America. Along the way, PF has continued to employ the same unique organizational model of empowering local chapters to determine how 100 percent of their locally-raised conservation funds are spent. This local control allows chapters to see the fruits of their chapter efforts in their own communities.

Pheasants Forever will celebrate its 25th anniversary in January 18,19 & 20, 2008 at National Pheasant Fest at the RiverCentre in St. Paul.