New Pheasants Forever chapter in Pennsylvania: Outdoor Insider
Penn Live
Marcus Schneck
Pheasants Forever has launched its newest chapter in Allegheny County.
Known as the Greater Allegheny Chapter of Pheasants Forever, the group will focus on restoring upland habitat for pheasants and other wildlife, while educating younger generations on the importance of wildlife habitat conservation.
“Pheasants Forever’s No Child Left Indoors Initiative has become a main focus of our chapter here in Allegheny,” said chapter president Mark Rozum. “We believe that young people will determine the future of our state’s wildlife and it is our personal mission to give them an opportunity to experience the outdoors while learning about the importance of habitat conservation.”
Pheasant populations in Pennsylvania have been on the decline for a number of years, making the restoration of wildlife habitat throughout the state more vital than ever.
According to the Northeast Upland Game Bird Technical Committee report for 2015, the primary causes for these declines are loss of farmland habitat and intensification of agricultural practices on remaining cropland acres.
Pheasants Forever chapters across Pennsylvania are working to confront those issues by continuing restoration of wild birds in designated recovery areas, contributing local funding towards sound habitat management practices, and encouraging bird hunters to have a voice for upland wildlife.
Pennsylvania is home to 13 chapters of Pheasants Forever, one chapter of Quail Forever, and more than 2,500 members.
Championship fishing rods auctioned for veterans
Aaron Martens, who won his third Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title five top-10 finishes, including two victories, in 2015, is auctioning off the Enigma rods he used to win the title to benefit the Wounded Warriors In Action Foundation, which supports world-class outdoor experiences for wounded combat veterans.
“I can’t think of a better cause to contribute these rods to than an organization dedicated to getting Wounded Warriors in the outdoors,” Martens said. “Those injured soldiers put our freedoms above their own personal safety to protect our way of life. No price can be put on that.”
A total of 30 rods will be auctioned off on eBay. Some of the rods are casting, some are spinning and they vary in actions and sizes.
“All of these are the Enigma rods I used all season on the Elite Series,” Martens said. “Some of them are one-of-a-kind prototypes that I was experimenting with when designing the rods. Some of them are the ones I used to win on Havasu and on the Chesapeake. They are special rods to me, but I want people across the country to bid on them to raise money so we can get these amazing Warriors into the great outdoors where they can experience miracles.”
WWIAF was founded in 2007 by retired Lt. Col. John McDaniel who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years.
McDaniel’s vision was to harness the healing powers of the great outdoors by arranging exceptional fishing and hunting experiences for combat wounded veterans at no cost to them.
Today WWIAF serves more than 200 Wounded Warriors a year across 36 states and three foreign countries.