News Release Archives - May 2008
May 19, 2008
Partnership Will Benefit Private Landowners and Wildlife
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has entered into a partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Pheasants Forever to create and fund a Farm Bill biologist position in Jamestown.
Stephen Stensgard, a native of Fergus Falls, Minn. has been hired for the position. He is an employee of PF, and will assist NRCS with promotion, planning and implementation of Farm Bill programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Continuous CRP, Wetland Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program and others.
Kevin Kading, private lands coordinator for the Game and Fish Department, said Stensgard will function as the person private landowners should call for creating or enhancing wildlife habitat on their land. “Even though this is new, the template has been a proven success in many other Midwestern states,” Kading said. “This position is available to assist private landowners with Farm Bill programs from start to finish. Landowners can work with Stensgard to help develop plans and enroll their land in programs that will benefit their operation and wildlife habitat. The department is very excited about this opportunity with NRCS and PF.”
Farm Bill biologists have been employed with PF since 2005. Currently, 33 are working in seven states – Ohio, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and now North Dakota. Last year, Farm Bill biologists contacted and consulted 5,400 landowners, resulting in the improvement of 310,000 acres of land for wildlife.
Jim Inglis, PF’s Farm Bill biologist coordinator, said in a PF press release that North Dakotans have another resource for conservation information. "Our Farm Bill biologists possess knowledge of federal, state, and local programs that will assist landowners in finding the right program to meet their personal habitat and land use goals," Inglis said.
Michael Collins, assistant state conservationist for field operations with NRCS in Jamestown, said in a recent statement that it is a pleasure to have a Farm Bill biologist in the area to promote wildlife and spark a planning interest on private lands by using a variety of Farm Bill programs. “This is a great example of a cooperative effort with Pheasants Forever, North Dakota Game and Fish and USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and we look forward to good things to come," Collins said.
Stensgard, who is located in the Jamestown NRCS area office, has a degree in fisheries and wildlife biology from the University of North Dakota. He has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fergus Falls Wetland Management District in western Minnesota, and as a wildlife biologist technician with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. He can be reached by calling 701-252-2521 ext. 129.
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