Volunteer Legend Virgil C. Voigt to Be Honored with 112-Acre Addition to Rich Valley WMA
Pheasants Forever 09.23.14
Pheasants Forever (PF) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will dedicate a 112-acre land acquisition addition to Rich Valley Wildlife Management Area in honor of Pheasants Forever volunteer legend Virgil Voigt.
A founding member of the McLeod County Pheasants Forever chapter, Dr. Virgil Voigt, DVM, still serves the chapter as a committee member working to protect and enhance McLeod County’s upland habitat. Founded in 1984, the McLeod County Pheasants Forever chapter was the seventh Pheasants Forever chapter formed in the country and has since ranked high in many different conservation categories within the organization including habitat expenditures, land acquisitions and overall funds spent for habitat conservation.
Known as the Virgil C. Voigt Tract, this addition to the Rich Valley Wildlife Management Area increases the total acreage of the property to 192 acres open for public hunting.
WHO: This event is open to the public. Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Pheasants Forever, McLeod County Pheasants Forever Chapter, Wildlife Habitat Conservation Society of McLeod County Inc., the National Wild Turkey Federation and other partners will be in attendance.
WHEN: Saturday, September 27, 2014 at 1:45 p.m.
WHERE: For the convenience and safety of all parties, shuttle service to Rich Valley WMA will be provided from Crow River Winery; parking on site is extremely limited. Crow River Winery is located at 19001 Memory Circle in Hutchinson, MN, or about 2 miles east of Hutchinson on Highway 7 located on the north side of the road. For questions or further directions, please contact Crow River Winery at 320-587-2922.
Contact
Jared Wiklund, Public Relations Specialist, (651) 209-4953
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.
