Fargo, N.D. - May 19, 2010 - Students at North Dakota State University (NDSU) have formed the state's newest Pheasants Forever chapter. Known as the NDSU Pheasants Forever Chapter, the group joins Iowa State University as the only collegiate-based Pheasants Forever chapters in the nation.

NDSU Pheasants Forever is likely to be recognized as an official NDSU club. The chapter is led by NDSU undergraduate natural resources management student Jamie Kiecker, a Bowman, North Dakota, native and the chapter's first president. "Quite a few of the chapter's forming members are natural resources management majors, or in related field majors, so wildlife and conservation are on our minds and some of our goals." The chapter is initially comprised of mainly NDSU students, though anyone with an interest in joining is welcome.

As a Pheasants Forever chapter, NDSU Pheasants Forever will hold annual fundraising events, and then use those funds to accomplish wildlife habitat projects and public awareness for conservation. The NDSU chapter will function like all Pheasants Forever chapters. Pheasants Forever provides its local chapters the ability to decide how 100 percent of their fundraised dollars are spent. This local control gives chapters and members the ability to make things happen for wildlife in their communities, while belonging to a national organization advocating for wildlife and conservation in policy discussions in Washington, D.C.

"NDSU students are now in the unique position of getting a public education while helping out wildlife in their big backyard known as North Dakota," said Jesse Beckers, Pheasants Forever Regional Wildlife Biologist in North Dakota and a 2007 graduate of NDSU with a degree in natural resources management, "It's never too early to start giving conservation a helping hand, as these NDSU students are showing. NDSU is a rapidly growing institution, so we're hoping to garner a great deal of support when fall classes start and establish a Pheasants Forever tradition on campus that's here for years to come."

North Dakota State University Pheasants Forever

• NDSU Pheasants Forever has named Victoria Albers from Center, North Dakota, chapter treasurer; Phil Robins, a pheasant hunter and NDSU animal science major from Herford, Colorado, as banquet chair; and Mike Slotten, a pheasant hunter and NDSU natural resources management major from Fargo, North Dakota, as youth/education chair.

• NDSU Pheasants Forever's next meeting will take place after the fall semester at NDSU convenes. For more information about the group, contact Jamie Kiecker at (701) 793-3343 and jamie.kiecker@ndsu.edu.

North Dakota is home to 27 Pheasants Forever chapters and more than 3,300 Pheasants Forever members. For more info on "The Habitat Organization" in North Dakota, contact Jesse Beckers at (701) 202-8120 and jbeckers@pheasantsforever.org.

Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.