Champaign County Pheasants Forever

Champaign County Pheasants Forever is dedicated to building wildlife habitat in Champaign County, Ill.

The Champaign County chapter of Pheasants Forever (CCPF) raises money at an annual fund-raising banquet, and uses those funds to create and enhance wildlife habitat in Champaign County. It does that by providing free or low-cost grass, legume and food plot seed to landowners, along with free use of planting equipment.

For advice and assistance with your Champaign County wildlife habitat project, or to schedule use of CCPF planting equipment, contact chapter habitat chair Bruce Stikkers at 217-352-3536, ext. 3; Bruce.Stikkers@il.nacdnet.net.

The chapter's next fund-raising banquet will be held Friday, Aug. 21, 2009, at Hawthorn Suites in Champaign. For information, contact CCPF banquet chair Tim Brenner at 217-351-5002, Ext. 229; timothy.brenner@US.vesuvius.com.

If you would like to get involved with CCPF's habitat-building efforts, come to one of the chapter's meetings, which are held the first Monday of each month from February through October. The group meets at 7 p.m. in the Champaign County Farm Bureau building, 801 N. Bloomington Road, Champaign.

If you would like to join CCPF, contact chapter membership chair Janis Smith at 217-352-3714; janis26284@aol.com.

A Unique, Locally-Funded Habitat Organization

Pheasants Forever is the only national habitat organization that allows local chapter members to decide how their locally raised conservation funds will be spent. As a result, grassroots chapter volunteers are able to see the fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy.

Last year alone, chapter volunteers completed more than 20,000 habitat projects. At the national level, Pheasants Forever recognizes the impact federal Farm Bill policy has on wildlife habitat. Consequently, PF plays an active role in Farm Bill policy development and implementation, which includes the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is this country's single most effective conservation program benefiting soil, water, and wildlife.

Pheasants Forever has more than 110,000 members in over 600 local chapters across the United States and Canada. The national headquarters is located in St. Paul, Minnesota where the organization was founded.