The Crowing Post:  7/9/07

Pheasants Forever and FFA Team to Enhance Learning

PF and FFA working to develop today's youth into tomorrow's conservation leaders

Pheasants Forever (PF) has announced the creation of a national collaborative effort with the National FFA Organization to focus on building student leadership and instill a conservation ethic in young adults.

Through a variety of projects and programs, including schoolyard habitat projects, the effort will connect local PF chapters and members to their local FFA chapters and student members, benefiting school systems and communities. Schoolyard habitats are designed to establish working outdoor classrooms for students, which create environments that allow students to learn a variety of subjects through the outdoors.

"Both organizations realize that the youngsters our programs reach today will be future leaders in agriculture and conservation tomorrow," said Rich Wissink, PF Youth Program Specialist, "This new collaboration with the FFA gives young adults in high school the opportunity to satisfy their interest in conservation and wildlife management."

"This collaborative educational effort makes total sense for both organizations. It will connect PF members to local agricultural science education programs and local agriculture educators," said Lynn Campbell, Senior Regional Director with the National FFA Foundation. "As we continue to expand the understanding of agriculture and diversify the number and focus of programs for all our members - in areas such as natural resources, habitat, land stewardship and activities beyond production farming - combining efforts with Pheasants Forever seems like a natural fit."

The national collaboration is built upon innovative ideas PF chapters and FFA chapters have already initiated, including PF chapters providing financial support of the National FFA Wildlife Management Proficiency awards and providing gift subscriptions of the Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation to National FFA chapters. "At the local level, Pheasants Forever and FFA have been working together for a number of years, so this national collaboration is based on those local interests and successes," Wissink said.

One such project is a wildlife habitat project in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhusker Chapter of PF joined the Norris High School FFA chapter to plant and manage an educational prairie on school property. The 65-acre prairie, planted in April, will serve as a natural classroom where students can learn about agriculture, natural history and a conservation ethic. "The partnership makes sense for Pheasants Forever because many FFA members belong to farm families and they’re the future owners of rural land," said Ken Hesser, a board member with the Cornhusker chapter. "The seed planted in their minds is far more important than the seeds we planted in the ground," he said.

For more information on the collaborative educational effort between PF and the National FFA Organization, contact Rich Wissink at (715)722-0286 or via email at rwissink@pheasantsforever.org.

The National FFA Organization, which is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students through agricultural education, began in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America, changing its name in 1988 to reflect the ever-broadening field of agriculture. Today, there are more than 7,242 FFA chapters with 495,046 members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 habitat today….pheasants forever!