By Bob and Ginny Riege

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton recently called for a Pheasant Habitat Summit on December 13, 2014, in Marshall, Minnesota.

The Minnesota Pheasant Summit will include hunters, farmers, policymakers, conservationists, key members of the Governor’s Cabinet and other stakeholders. It will focus on strategies to increase the state’s pheasant population and improve pheasant habitat to ensure future generations of Minnesota hunters have the opportunity to enjoy on of the state’s most popular and iconic game birds.

As anyone who’s spent much time in the outdoors knows habitat is the critical element when it comes to wildlife. Unfortunately, in the upper Midwest, habitat is becoming hard to find and because of this, in many areas, wildlife will suffer.

No one can blame a farmer or producer. With corn over $6 per bushel, bean over $14 per bushel and land taxes going higher, habitat or waste ground as some people call it, is disappearing at an alarming rate.

What is habitat? It’s an area that offers feeding, roosting, breeding, nesting, and refuge areas for a variety of bird and mammal species. When it comes to habitat, the larger the better, as smaller tracts of habitat create a lane or corridor for the predators to hunt, but every little bit helps.

In some areas, there are still sloughs, which are excellent habitat throughout the year, but they too are disappearing at an alarming rate.

The number one discussed topic will be how to improve habitat for pheasants. A pheasant needs a variety of cover in order to survive. The pheasant needs overhead cover in the daylight hours and needs roosting cover (off the ground) and dense cover for warmth, during the night.

Why is there less habitat in pheasant county 2014 than there was in 2007? According to the Department of Natural Resources. “ In 2007, Minnesota hunters shot 655,000 pheasants –the highest tally in more than 40 years. Last year, after losing 93,000 acres (145 square miles) of grasslands over the years, hunters bagged just 169,000 pheasants, the lowest in 28 years.”

Sadly the biggest losses are yet to come with the contracts of more than 290,000 Conservation Reserve Program acres expiring in the next two years.

Habitat and water quality go hand-in-hand. The quality of our water depends on having wetlands and natural vegetation barriers (i.e. forest, grasses, sloughs)

Drinking water comes from surface water, such as lakes and rivers, and from groundwater. Pollution in these sources affects the quality and safety of water available in your home and, if the problem is not detected, it can affect your health. Pollution of drinking water occurs because of contamination by human and animal waste, mining activities, fertilizer and pesticides from homes and farms, industrial wastes, hazardous wastes generated by dry cleaners and gas stations, landfills and improperly disposed-of household wastes.

Wetlands are nature’s sponges and filters; excess rainfall runs off of streets, yards, farm fields and feedlots. The plants in wetlands can absorb nutrients carried with rainwater runoff such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Wetlands also allow water to be metered into our rivers and streams at a slower rate, which reduces flooding.

Minnesota Pheasant Summit hopes to address some of these issues. As Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said, “ But the decisions we make today will determine whether future generations of Minnesotans will have those same opportunities.”