Now seven biologists helping to improve pheasant and quail habitat in Iowa
Iowa - October 24, 2011 - Pheasants Forever announces new Farm Bill Biologists in west-central and east-central Iowa. Dustin Farnsworth will cover Carroll and Crawford Counties, while Jeff Potts will cover Linn, Jones and Johnson Counties. The additional positions come at an especially critical juncture for Iowa, where the state's pheasant population is at a modern record low.
These two new positions are the latest results in Pheasants Forever's Reload Iowa effort, a statewide initiative to improve 1 million acres of wildlife habitat on private and public land in the state. Pheasants Forever now has seven Farm Bill Biologists in the state, who work to provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers?through one-on-one consulting?regarding the benefits of conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program).
Pheasants Forever now has seven Farm Bill Biologist positions in Iowa. "These positions are new to Iowa and will help the partnership provide conservation assistance in five new counties," said Steve Riley, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist Manager, "This represents a large stride for Pheasants Forever and the wildlife in Iowa." The positions were created through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), local soil and water conservation districts, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Pheasants Forever chapters and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Dustin Farnsworth - Carroll and Crawford Counties
Farnsworth grew up hunting and fishing in Iowa's Greene and Guthrie Counties, going on to complete a B.S. in ecology and an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University. Farnsworth's experience managing grasslands spans three different states and multiple agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, NRCS and Iowa State University. Farnsworth is also involved with his family's 6th generation family farm in Guthrie County. Farnsworth looks forward to working with Carroll and Crawford County producers and landowners interested in restoring phenomenal pheasant hunting to Iowa's landscape. Farnsworth can be contacted at (712) 792-1212 / Email Dustin.
Jeff Potts - Linn, Jones and Johnson Counties
Most recently, Potts worked as a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist in southwestern North Dakota. Potts grew up in south-central Minnesota, and earned his degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from South Dakota State University. Prior to joining Pheasants Forever, Potts was an integral member of the habitat and fisheries team at South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Jeff can be reached at 319-377-5960 ext. 3 / Email Jeff.
Iowa is home to 103 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters and more than 19,500 Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members. For more info, visit Iowa Pheasants Forever.
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 130,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure.
