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months also has hurt numbers.
• Compared with the 10-year average, the number of pheasants per mile in 2013 was down 76 percent.
• Roberts said the state can share resources with Pheasants Forever.
• Her committee is tasked with finding ways to boost the pheasant population. The work group consists of legislators, cabinet secretaries, an SDSU dean and others.
• It met Monday for the fourth time and will complete a report for the governor by the end of the summer. Roberts said the group needs to find solutions that make everyone-- including farmers and conservationists -- happy.
• There are already eight biologists in the state with Pheasants Forever, situated in offices with the National Reserve Conservation Service, which distributes some funds through the farm bill.
• Task force member Jeff Zimprich, the state conservationist with the National Reserve Conservation Service, said a lot of people in the state are already committed to wildlife habitat.
• The committee and Pheasants Forever -- which has about 6,000 members in South Dakota -- will need good partners.
• Nomsen said large tracks with habitat are most helpful to pheasants, but a few acres here and there can be beneficial if managed correctly.
• Pheasants were introduced to the state in the 1800s, and Nomsen said the combination of grasslands, wetlands and croplands in the state suits the birds.
• They are a commodity here just like corn and beans, he said. "It's going to take more of a focus and targeted effort to continue to manage pheasants," he added.
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