The Crowing Post:  08/27/07

Pheasants Forever announces the hiring of Brad McKinney as the Wildcat Hills Coordinating Wildlife Biologist stationed out of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He joins Pheasants Forever after recently retiring from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, where he served for 27 years.

Coordinating wildlife biologist positions are designed to help implement Nebraska's Natural Legacy Plan. They focus on specific geographic regions of the state, helping bring together different agencies and individuals to benefit the state's natural resources. McKinney's work will focus on the Wildcat Hills region of western Nebraska.

"We're very pleased to be adding the talents of Bard McKinney to our staff, and we're certain Nebraska's wildlife will be pleased, too," said Pete Berthelsen, Senior Field Coordinator with Pheasants Forever. This position is funded through a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), and the NGPC will oversee the day-to-day operations.

Most recently, McKinney held the position of Deputy Project Leader of the Crescent Lake/North Platte National Wildlife Refuge Complex, where for the past 17 years he has been working out of the Scottsbluff Complex office. "Having lived in Scottsbluff for the past 17 years and spending countless hours hiking among and enjoying the Wildcat Hills, I am excited about working with landowners to develop and improve wildlife habitat," McKinney said. "By offering assistance, both technical and financial, I believe we can make a real difference in how this biologically unique landscape can provide and sustain habitat for species of management concern into the future."

"The greatest threat to the 'Wildcats' seems to be an acceleration of development and fragmentation to what has historically been large tracts of land," McKinney said. "If we can help landowners financially provide for the needs of wildlife in ways that also complement their agricultural livelihood, we hope more landowners will be able to keep their lands within the family and intact. Large, unbroken tracts are needed for many of the plant and animal species we are focusing on and our landowner incentives are expected to maintain such."

McKinney is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a B.S. in Forestry and a M.S. in Public Lands Management. His wife Connie is an elementary teacher and they have two children, both students at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln: Katie, 21, and Michael, 19.

 habitat today….pheasants forever!