LINCOLN, Neb. – The Southwest Focus on Pheasants Partnership was given the Wildlife Conservationist of the Year award on Feb. 2 in Kearney. It was presented by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants Forever (PF) for outstanding efforts promoting the ideals of conservation and working in a partnership.

The award was presented at the PF state habitat meeting.

The Southwest Focus on Pheasants, formed in 2010 to improve pheasant hunting by creating more and better habitat, encompasses more than 950,000 acres in Hitchcock, Hayes, Frontier and Red Willow counties. It has impacted more than 15,000 acres.

The key partners include Game and Parks, PF, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Research Unit, UNL Extension Service, landowners and volunteers.