The primary goal of this cooperative agreement is to form a five-year partnership between the united states fish and wildlife service (USFWS) and pheasants forever to facilitate voluntary habitat…

Under a $400,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Partners for Fish and Wildlife program (CFDA 15.631), Pheasants Forever, Inc. will form a five-year partnership to facilitate voluntary habitat conservation work on private and tribal lands in the Prairie Pothole Region of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. The key products and services to be delivered include restoring, creating, and enhancing wetland, grassland, and riparian habitats to benefit a variety of bird species such as mallards, northern pintails, ring-necked pheasants, and grasshopper sparrows. The conservation practices to be implemented jointly by USFWS and Pheasants Forever include wetland creation, enhancement and restoration, native grass seedings, managed grazing systems, alternative livestock watering systems, and riparian enhancements. Over the five-year period, the partners aim to complete 30 individual habitat conservation projects.

The primary goal of this cooperative agreement is to form a five-year partnership between the united states fish and wildlife service (USFWS) and pheasants forever to facilitate voluntary habitat conservation work on private and tribal land that is mutually beneficial to the USFWS and pheasants forever. The partners for fish and wildlife program will be the USFWS lead for delivering all facets of this cooperative agreement. An emphasis will be placed on restoring, creating and enhancing wetland, grassland and riparian habitats that are vital to a wide variety of bird populations. Specific conservation practices to be jointly implemented by the USFWS and pheasants forever include wetland creations, wetland enhancements, wetland restorations, native grass seedings, managed grazing systems, alternative watering systems for livestock grazing plans, and riparian enhancements. The primary objective is to implement projects in the prairie pothole region (PPR) portion of south dakota, however funds can also be used to complete eligible habitat conservation projects in the PPR portions of north dakota and montana as needed to meet PPR-wide conservation objectives. Bird species to be befitted via these conservation actions include mallards, northern pintails, ring-necked pheasants, greater prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, grasshoppers sparrows, western meadowlarks, and upland sandpipers. Additional natural resource benefits will be provided in the form of improved grassland condition and enhanced water quality. During the full period of performance of this cooperative agreement IT is projected that 30 individual habitat projects will be completed.