OutdoorNebraska

12 A. FUNDING AND POLICY ENVIRONMENT: Pheasant popula ons across their range are strongly influenced by federal policies impac ng private agricultural lands. On an individual basis, states have limited ability to impact federal agricultural policy and establish habitat on private lands through federal conserva on and commodity programs. NGPC has tradi onally provided technical assistance to congressional and USDA staff as well as landowners on USDA conserva on program development and implementa on. The plan reinforces the need for conserva on partners across the pheasant range to ensure con nua on and improvement of federal conserva on programs for grassland habitat and hunter access. With the decline in federal incen ves for habitat conserva on, direct economic gain derived from providing pheasant habitat will be reduced, and the ability to offer a rac ve incen ves (financial or otherwise) to landowners in exchange for crea ng and managing habitat, falls heavily on states. However, funding for wildlife conserva on is facing challenges at the state level as well. This will require inves ga on of new and innova ve funding for habitat and access incen ves. The plan highlights the importance of partnerships in carrying this load. Because pheasants inhabit agro-ecosystems, private landowner contact, buy-in, and incen ve programs will be key to plan implementa on. Many conserva on partners in Nebraska have strong es to private lands, and many already have various incen ve programs in place. Partnerships create opportuni es that o en promote cross-taxa benefits; for, example, grassland improvement for pollinators contributes to a suite of species, including pheasants. Non-tradi onal partnerships can capitalize on the social importance of pheasants and pheasant hun ng to communi es and promote the universal benefits of healthy grassland habitats. As such, the plan encourages evalua on of current and new funding opportuni es for synergis c efforts between agricultural landowners, communi es and conserva on partners. Strategies • Foster public apprecia on of the tangible links between healthy pheasant popula ons and the health of broader wildlife, soil, water resources in the state • Strengthen and expand partnerships within and outside the conserva on community to capitalize on the mul ple societal benefits that pheasants and their habitats provide • Provide for the long-term security of current funding sources devoted to wildlife conserva on • Pursue addi onal funding sources to increase the capacity to create and maintain habitat on public and private lands • Create and promote feasible, a rac ve incen ves for private landowners to produce more and/or be er pheasant habitat • Work with our conserva on partners to ensure the federal Farm Bill provides more benefits to pheasants and other grassland wildlife Tactics Con nue to use current funding from hun ng permits, habitat stamps, federal aid, and other grant programs to efficiently and effec vely emphasize 1) provision of grassland habitat quan ty and quality, 2) improvement of access to those habitats for hun ng, 3) improvement of the recruitment, reten on, and reac va on rates of hunters, and 4) provision of accurate and mely informa on about game abundance and wildlife management to hunters Con nue to par cipate in and, if necessary, help create na onal, regional, state, and local conserva on partnerships that yield tangible benefits for pheasants and hunters, with par cular emphasis on including addi onal partners with different but overlapping interests (e.g., those interested in providing habitat for pollinators, non-game birds, etc.) Con nue our administra on's and staff's work with a wide array of partners to influence USDA conserva on and public access program op ons and implementa on rules at the na onal, state, and county levels, with special emphasis on work through the Associa on of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and its affiliates Assess the feasibility of pursuing alterna ve funding sources (e.g., a dedicated state sales tax, a special appropria on from the legislature, a non-was ng trust fund for pheasant conserva on, etc.) in collabora on with our conserva on partners

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