Montana's Long-billed Curlews will be among the beneficiaries of the new RCPP award. Photo by Tim Zurowski/Shutterstock

Pheasants Forever (PF) was selected in April 2020 to receive a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) award from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and will partner with American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and other groups to implement a total of $761,000 in habitat delivery efforts in Montana. This will help farmers and ranchers restore habitat used by declining Northern Great Plains grassland birds, upland game birds, and waterfowl. Land stewardship activities implemented with this RCPP funding will enhance habitat for a suite of grassland birds, including the Long-billed Curlew.

The RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand the nation's collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. This Montana-focused initiative is part of the first round of funding through the 2018 Farm Bill, in which NRCS is investing $206 million in 48 partner-driven conservation projects across 29 states through its RCPP. Partners are making nearly $300 million in matching contributions.

“We are looking forward to collaborating on this effort with Pheasants Forever, NRCS, landowners, and partners to enhance habitat for birds on working lands in Montana,” says ABC President Mike Parr.

“Partnerships are how we collectively deliver landscape habitat improvements on private lands,” says Howard Vincent, President and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “We're excited for the opportunity to bring further voluntary USDA programs to farmers and ranchers through these RCPPs, while making an impact for wildlife and regional conservation efforts.”

“Collaborating with Pheasants Forever and its partners in this focused initiative will result in greater outcomes for Montana's grasslands than any of us could realize on our own,” says Tom Watson, NRCS State Conservationist for Montana.

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Media Contact: Jordan Rutter, Director of Public Relations, 202-888-7472 | jerutter@abcbirds.org | @JERutter
Northern Great Plains Regional Contact: Cheryl Mandich, Northern Plains Conservation Coordinator | cmandich@abcbirds.org

American Bird Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation. Find us on dariuszzdziebk.staging.wpengine.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ABCbirds).