Pheasants Forever trying to 'Save The Edges'

No organization does more to improve pheasant habitat than Pheasants Forever.

The not-for-profit conservation organization heads numerous projects to maintain, enhance and grow habitat for not only pheasants but quail and other wildlife in southern Alberta.

Projects include restoring wetlands, planting shrubbery, building feeding stations for wildlife and installing manmade protection for areas of focus.

“There are a number of tools as a conservation organization we use,” explains Perry McCormick, managing director for Pheasants Forever Calgary.  “We'll lease property that is good habitat for birds, or outright purchase properties and hold them for perpetuity for society and wildlife to enjoy.”

Pheasants Forever's major project on the go is called Save The Edges.

The organization says roadside ditches and undeveloped county right-of-ways provide sanctuary for a broad array of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. An agricultural practice known as “trespass farming” is threatening these last vestiges of intact wildlife habitat.

"Ditches and right-of-ways have been broken and farmed at an elevated rate in recent years. It’s not uncommon to see ditches farmed to within inches of the road grade. Further, corporate farming has led to larger fields, and many right-of-ways that at one time supported critical edge habitat on each side of the trail have disappeared. When undisturbed, these strips of land provide a wide range of benefits to all Albertans," Pheasants Forever said on their website.