WESSINGTON SPRINGS, S.D. — Residents of the Wessington Springs area have formed South Dakota’s newest Pheasants Forever (PF) chapter. The Wessington Springs Chapter of PF will concentrate its efforts on local habitat improvement across east-central South Dakota’s Jerauld County.
The new chapter’s members like the opportunities PF gives them to do local conservation work, while at the same time giving them a voice on federal conservation policy in Washington, D.C. "Pheasants Forever has an abundance of resources and connections," said Rick Easton, the chapter’s newly-elected president and Wessington Springs resident, "We like the ability we now have to work with knowledgeable PF staff, and are thrilled to be part of a larger organization that can partner with other agencies on projects and fight for conservation on a national scale."
The Wessington Springs chapter is already planning a number of projects. "As far as habitat is concerned, the chapter will have a strong food plot seed program, and they will work to create more nesting cover in the area, which has been overlooked in the past," said Ben Bigalke, PF’s Regional Wildlife Biologist in South Dakota. Bigalke said the group is considering ways to become community-oriented in Wessington Springs, especially as far as youth education and public awareness are concerned. "For a new chapter, they have big goals and definitely see the big picture," Bigalke said.
The Wessington Springs Chapter of PF has also elected Trish Messmer as treasurer, Ron Ogden as habitat chairperson, Kendra Heydon of as banquet chairperson and Fred Krohmer as youth/education chairperson. All of the chapter’s organizers are residents of Wessington Springs.
The Wessington Springs chapter will hold its next meeting later this month. The media and the public are invited to attend. For more information regarding the chapter and the meeting details, contact Easton at (605)539-9051. If you are interested in starting a PF chapter in South Dakota, contact Ben Bigalke at (605)350-2409 or via e-mail at bbigalke@pheasantsforever.org.
The first South Dakota chapter of PF formed in 1986, and today the state is home to 32 PF chapters and 4,000 PF members. Those chapters have spent over 2.6 million to complete 13,342 habitat projects benefiting over 160,000 South Dakota acres for wildlife. PF is the only national conservation organization that empowers local chapters with the responsibility 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.
Since its inception in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent nearly $200 million on wildlife habitat projects and conservation education. Those funds have translated into 300,000 habitat projects benefiting more than 4 million acres across the continent. Charity Navigator, America’s charity watchdog, gives PF their highest rating of 4 stars. In fact, Charity Navigator says that PF outperforms most non-profits in America.
