New Waterfowl Production Area Honors Finden, Pheasants Forever’s First Executive Director

A dedication ceremony for the new Finden Waterfowl Production Area near Starbuck, Minn. The Finden Waterfowl Production Area project is in recognition and appreciation of the wildlife conservation leadership of Jeff Finden and his family.

One of the founders of Pheasants Forever, Jeff Finden was Pheasants Forever’s first staff member and served as the organization’s executive director from 1982 until his retirement in 2000. Finden, in fact, headquartered the fledgling Pheasants Forever organization in his home’s basement from 1982 until 1986.

The new, 280-acre Finden Waterfowl Production Area is a permanently protected area of wildlife habitat and was made possible, in part, by a grant from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund (created by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment), a North American Wetland Conservation Act grant, Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area fund and many other partners and donors. The area will be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and open to public hunting and outdoor recreation.

WHO: Jeff Finden and family, Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever’s President and CEO, Pheasants Forever national board members, representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

WHEN: Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Starbuck, Minn., Pope County. From Main Street and MN TH 28 in Starbuck, Minn., go west on MN TH 28 for 3 miles. Turn south (left) on 320th Avenue. Go 1 mile.

Contact:

For more information, contact Anthony Hauck (651) 209-4972

Pheasants Forever

Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.