Pheasants Forever plans 40th anniversary banquet
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MARSHALL -- The Lyon County Pheasants Forever chapter has many reasons to celebrate on its 40th anniversary.
The group will host its annual banquet at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Red Baron Arena. A crowd of more than 200 people is expected. There will be games and prizes in addition to the meal.
Jack Buysse, one of the club's founders, said Lyon County's chapter took shape with the support of Pheasants Forever organizers from the Twin Cities.
A goal was to expand the number of pheasants in ways that would be good for wildlife and that would lead to better hunting opportunities.
"We talked about places we'd go to hunt," Buysse said. "We didn't hunt that much in Minnesota back then because we just didn't have enough birds. We decided to do something that would change that."
He said many of the first habitat restoration efforts were accomplished by working with landowners. The chapter often bought grass seed for habitat plantings. It eventually purchased a planter and began to sponsor tree projects,
Pheasants Forever is helped by how all of its proceeds can stay within the county. Money raised each year goes toward land purchases and habitate restoration.
"Everything we raise stays within the county," Buysse said. "The more we raise, the more we can invest in habitat improvement. The national office sometimes steps in to contribute. That helps to make some of the larger projects affordable."
He said older hunters notice a huge difference in pheasant habitat compared to 40 years ago. Pheasants were abundant in the mid 20th century because of federal Soil Bank plantings, but numbers declines after much of the land went back into farm production.
"Now we have many more pheasants," he said. "They've made a comeback as our projects keep adding up. It's a good thing for both wildlife and recreation."
Lyon County Pheasants Forever President Mark Radke said a total of 4,700 acres of land in Lyon County has been purchased for habitat since the local chapter was founded. It's the equivalent of about seven sections of land or about a fifth of a twonship.
The chapter also donates $2,500 annually to three local sporting clay target shooting facilities. It also sponsors an annual youth hunt that includes guests from the Twin Cities.
"We're very happy with what we've been able to accomplish over the years," Radke said. "We have valuable partnerships with conservation offices and other sportsman's groups. It's great to be part of the effort to enhance wildlife."