Photo by Deb Gau The Governor’s Pheasant Opener kicked off with a banquet Friday night at Southwest Minnesota State University. Above, Brad Strootman presented Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith with this year’s official pheasant opener shirt.

MARSHALL — There were many special guests at the Governor’s Pheasant Opener, but the focus of the celebrations at a Friday night banquet was on the hunt, and the importance of conservation for keeping Minnesota’s pheasant population healthy.

In an address to the banquet crowd, John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism, said it was appropriate to talk about the environment at the pheasant opener.

“When I talk about why people travel to the state of Minnesota . . . they travel here because of our natural resources,” Edman said. “They travel here because of our lakes and our rivers, our forests and our prairies.” Those natural resources serve as habitat for wildlife, and in turn support hunting and the economies of Minnesota communities, he said. “We all care about this environment that we have in the state of Minnesota.”

The Governor’s Pheasant Opener kicked off with a schedule of special events Friday, including a banquet at Southwest Minnesota State University. The speaking program at the banquet featured several dignitaries, including Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

“This is a spectacular event,” Dayton said of the opener. Thanking Marshall area organizers, he said, “Once again you’ve outdone yourselves.”

One important part of the evening was the announcement of next year’s host city for the Governor’s Pheasant Opener. In 2018, it will be Luverne’s turn to host the event, announced Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr.

In short speeches by officials at the banquet, the topic of conservation was one that came into a lot of focus. Dayton complimented area conservation groups on the establishment of the new James Meger Wildlife Management Area.

“What drives the pheasant population is habitat,” Dayton said. “This will be a magnificent site for people to enjoy, but also for wildlife.”

Conservation will also be an important topic at the national level, speakers said. Minnesota was “extraordinarily fortunate” to have federal legislators on the agricultural committee, Landwehr said. Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson would have an important job ahead of them as they worked on the next Farm Bill, he said, and that bill would be important for helping to conserve pheasant habitat.

“Conservation is going to be up front and center” for the next Farm Bill, Klobuchar said. “The way politics has changed some, it actually has some advantages for conservation in terms of the votes that we need to get the bill passed, at least in the Senate.”

“That is something that brings people together across the aisle,” Klobuchar said of hunting and conservation interests. For the next Farm Bill, she said. “We have to do things that help with habitat, and help with wildlife. I’m committed to that, and we’re going to get this done.”

Some other special recognitions also took place at Friday’s banquet. The family of wildlife artist James Meger were presented with a print by Tyler artist Erik Gile, which showed the James Meger WMA. Sponsors, local landowners and organizers who helped make the Governor’s Pheasant Opener possible also received special recognition.

“We had an unbelievable outpouring of people who came forward and said, ‘Use my land,’ people who came forward and said ‘I will gladly guide those (hunters),'” said Cal Brink, executive director of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce. The hunt couldn’t have happened without their support, Brink said.

“There’s a lot of work that went into this, to really make sure that everything is presented as well as possible, so everyone has the best possible experience,” said Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes.