VOLUNTEER

NEWSLETTER Winter 2019

Mark Your Calendar

26th Annual Dinner & Auction, Wednesday, May 1 st, 2019

BMO Centre

RON CAREY NAMED CHAIR FOR 2019

Ron was born in 1939 in Regina, Saskatchewan. He was orphaned as a baby and was taken in by his mother’s grandparents. The first 3 years of his life were spent at Waterways and Fort Smith. He was taken in and raised by Florence Whitelock at Czar Alberta. Florence passed away when Ron was fourteen years of age. He then went to Irma Alberta completing his schooling and, and working on Harry Long’s Herford ranch until he was seventeen.

At the age of seventeen, Ron went to work on the oil rigs, becoming involved in an industry that would become his life’s work. During his first few years in the oil patch the majority of the activity was in the winter. During the summer months Ron worked on road construction, operating crawler tractors and earth moving buggies building roads or driving trucks to move rigs. In his words “I was never without a job. When the rigs were operating, I was on one. When they were shut down, I would get a job doing whatever was available.”

Ron worked his way through the ranks with numerous drilling contractors; while working for Cascade Drilling in Fort St. John in 1963 Ron was hired by Security Rock Bit a division of Dresser Industries. which would be the start of his drill bit career. After working long hours for little return for 10 years, he started his own company in 1973 – J & L Supply Co.

Philanthropy isn’t always about cash in hand. Sometimes, with dedication, passion and plain old hard work, a person can make a meaningful difference. That’s a good way to describe Ron Carey. He’s a proud financial supporter of organizations like STARS air ambulance, Alberta Children’s Hospital and a myriad of community sporting associations and conservation initiatives, but it’s his long-time passion for automotive, oil and gas memorabilia that gives Albertans a unique and lasting legacy.

Carey’s generous donations of collectibles have made the Gasoline Alley museums at Calgary’s Heritage Park Historical Village and Irricana’s Pioneer Acres possible. The Carey collection at Heritage Park alone is valued at more than $5 million. Even more significantly, these are old cars, trucks, gas pumps, signs and other items sourced from farms, auctions and elsewhere that Carey has restored and preserved with his own hands with support from many others.

One of Carey’s other passions in life is the pursuit of wild sheep and accordingly, Ron has a trophy room that is reputed to be one of the very best and largest sheep collections the world over. Ron has over 36 species of sheep alone which represents a sheep from every country in the world that have wild sheep as well as 24 from the Capra (goat) family. With over 100 mounts and a mountain as a feature wall, Ron’s trophy room is one for the record books.

Ron and J&L Supplies have been supporters of all conservation efforts here in Calgary for decades, being a prominent sponsor of Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited. Ron’s connection to conservation however, ended on top of the mountain – south of the Border.

Ron has been a leader in the sheep world for many years. He spent 9 years as a national board member of the Wild Sheep Foundation – the leading conservation organization focussing on the conservation of wild mountain sheep around the world. During his tenure Ron became a Summit Life member and a member of the Marco Polo Society. Now, more in an advisory/mentor role Ron focuses his energy with the society on recruiting new folks to the sport.

Ron was and is a lot of things including a prominent businessman, however, above all he is a family man first. Ron and his wife Billi enjoy time with family and friends here in Calgary and in Phoenix. Ron can be found most days down in his shop– puttering away on another project – probably a gas pump.

WHERE DID THEY ALL GO?

The fall of 2018 is a good one to have behind us from an upland hunting perspective in

southern Alberta – it was simply - tough out there. Populations of upland birds were

down significantly across the board. Alberta Conservation Association surveys

revealed some areas were down as high as 85% in Hungarian partridge.

There were all kinds of stories of no birds at all where there were dozens in prior years.

Farmers that were feeding several hundred roosters this past March up on the Red

Deer – hardly seen a brood come June. Same stories on the Milk River Ridge – same

on the eastern slope of the Cypress Hills. Lots of birds last winter and they seemed to

make it through to April – then there was nothing. What happened - where did they go?

As per normal in nature there may not be only one smoking gun. Some say – it is as

simple as – we had the worst winter in over 3 decades. Folks, may be able to point at

some other years with more snow and/or more cold weather, however, I would bet that

not many could point to a longer winter with snow that covered the prairie for a longer

period than last winter. It started in early November and there was still a foot of snow in

late April across most of southern Alberta. It really was the winter that never ended.

The length and severity of the winter greatly weakened the birds as they had very little

energy reserves left for defending themselves, breeding and successfully raising a

brood. Those that did muster the energy to breed no doubt had smaller clutches of

eggs, which results in smaller broods. Scientists will point at this lack of recruitment as

being one of the major drivers in the population decline.

Timing is everything and the delayed spring was not good for upland gamebird

production. The raptors were migrating through while the snow still covered the prairies

and there was hardly any habitat that was available for thermal cover. The migration

occurred at the same time as when the Huns broke up into pairs. Now the young and

weak birds were fully exposed on a big white backdrop. To boot the number of snowy

owls that wintered on the Alberta prairies was exceptional, in large part due to the high

numbers of prey in the form of upland gamebirds that existed across the south for the

last few years.

Then came a quick melt and with it – overland flooding. The county of Taber and others

were in a state of emergency with fields flooded throughout the south – limiting pair

space and nesting space for breeding upland birds. Ironically, the county had recently

“cleaned” all of their ditch infrastructure, which certainly contributed to the amount and

length of surface water on the landscape. Healthy vibrant stands of vegetation is best

for absorption and moisture management in ditches.

Overland flooding was followed by one of the driest May and June’s in years. Some

wonder if there was enough humidity in the ground for the nests of upland birds to be

successful. Which one of these factors wreaked the most havoc on our upland

population last year may never be known – as mentioned in the beginning – maybe it

was simply a result of the worst winter in over 3 decades.

MOVING FORWARD

There wasn’t much we could do about last winter, except for minimizing the impact of

flooding. To this end we will continue to focus on means to improve edge management

by working with local municipalities. The role of wetlands on the landscape cannot be

stated enough either. The wetlands and the associated cattail stands and riparian

zones act as sponges in controlling flooding and provides excellent thermal cover for

wintering upland birds.

Trespass grazing of ditches and right of ways is rampant in many areas of southern

Alberta. This infrastructure is important for flood and drought management, filtration,

pollinator success and biodiversity, not the least of which are upland game birds that

depend on this edge effect.

Other issues that we will continue to focus on is proper placement of green

infrastructure, which is code for keeping wind mills and solar panels off of our native

grass. Grassland conversion continues to be an issue, which is a concern as native

grass is the rarest ecotype in north America – there is about 2% of it left. The sale of

crown land seems to be the enabler on this front and it is seemingly happening and an

increased pace in a not so public manner.

Our on the ground habitat work moving forward will continue to focus on securing land

for perpetuity. The Chinook purchase we were part of last year is a real gem and

possesses some of the very best pheasant habitat we have in southern Alberta. I

managed one field trip out there during the last week of November and we managed to

take the largest wild rooster of the year – a 40 bar beauty that ended up to be the

biggest rooster ever harvested by long-time supporter Tom Spoletini.

Supporter Tom Spoletini with his biggest wild rooster to date

Water quality issues will continue to lead conservation enhancement efforts in southern

Alberta. The success of the Milk River Ridge Reservoir Water Quality Initiative has led

to other jurisdictions to take note. Plans are under way to work with a major irrigation

district to examine the health of the riparian habitat on all existing reservoirs, water

bodies, ditches and canals. This will provide an excellent opportunity to leverage funds

from various pots of money that in the end will greatly benefit wild upland gamebirds.

Pheasant hunter numbers are up once again, helping Alberta celebrate the fact that we

are the only jurisdiction in north America where hunter numbers are not in decline.

Hunter numbers historically have tracked population trends. So, to see an increase in

pheasant hunter tags in a year like we had is pretty incredible. I would be remiss to not

acknowledge the professional and excellent manner that the Alberta Conservation

Association is doing in managing the pheasant release program. There is little question

that this program has some reflection on the pheasant hunter number trends.

PHEASANT HUNTING LICENSE SALES IN ALBERTA – A POSITIVE TREND

Year Resident Non-Resident NR - Alien TOTALS

2007 6,229 454 146 6,829

2008 6,501 441 134 7,076

2009 6,070 415 77 6,562

2010 5,344 319 57 5,720

2011 5,313 315 59 5,687

2012 5,734 313 46 6,093

2013 6,169 324 58 6,551

2014 7,111 325 68 7,504

2015 7,671 333 52 8,056

2016 8,553 406 79 9,038

2017 8,575 426 78 9,079

2018 8,687 408 70 9,165

Since its inception in 1993, Pheasants Forever Calgary has contributed to the purchase

of over 4000 acres of critical upland bird habitat across southern Alberta and to the

restoration and enhancement of an additional 11,500 acres, all on lands open to the

public for hunting. Thanks to those who supported Pheasants Forever Calgary over

these past 25 years, all Albertans can enjoy these special places for many years to

come.

Lethbridge College 2nd Annual First Pheasant Mentor Hunt Pheasants Forever Calgary (PFC) and Alberta Hunter Education Instructor’s Assoc. (AHEIA) joined forces to host the second annual Lethbridge College First Pheasant Mentor Hunt. The program was delivered to 18 students from the Environmental Science Program. As these folks represent future conservation leaders in the field PFC believes exposing the sport of pheasant hunting is important to provide these folks with perspective and understanding of the in and outs of pheasant hunting if they are going to be well rounded managers in the conservation arena. Kris and Sarah Marthaller of Mosquito Creek Kennels and Gamebirds, Randy Blanchard of Blackfoot Kennels, Cornel Yarmoloy from Backcountry and Hunters Anglers (BHA) and PFC’s president Bob Merkley provided first-class dogs and handling for the students. Derek Hallgrimson, Carson and Kade McCormick from Ducks Unlimited (DU) and Brandon Gorham were mentors.

Phil Evans and Brian Ness, level 1 National Sporting Clay Instructors, ran the participants through an upland bird simulated shooting exercise. Other highlights included an upland bird seminar by Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) biologist Dr. Doug Manzer. The day ended with a pheasant cleaning workshop and a cooking demonstration. Sarah Marthaller provided pheasant tasting event to close the day off. Special thanks to Scott Haggins for use of the Enchant Hilton for this special event. The ranch is home of ACA’s experimental plots for optimizing upland bird populations and provides the perfect location for this educational event. Scott and his long-time hunting buddies make sure that all involved are well fed and taken care of. Thanks to Blackstone Drilling Fluids for sponsoring the meals and Kerry Edwards of Lethbridge College for organizing the mentees.

President and Mentor Bob Merkley with 3 Lethbridge College Mentees

The Mentees receiving some shooting coaching

One of the hunting crews out hunting

First Roosters – The smiles say it all!

The Whole Gang

WELCOME TERRI BASS TO THE FLOCK

Please welcome Terri Bass as our new Administrative Assistant for Pheasants Forever

Calgary. Terri brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position as well as a

personal passion for the mission. Terri grew up and currently lives in High River with her

husband Neil, youngest son Steel and 2 trusty labs

In Terri’s words “My work history is one that has enabled me to be close to home while

raising my family and building my skill set through the diverse companies I have been

employed by.”

Terri’s roles have always involved working for the GM's and VP's for such business's as

Cargill Foods, Alcatel, UFA and Western Financial Group.

Over the years Terri volunteered on numerous boards and committees including

Chairperson - Cargill Foods Donations Committee and President - High River Minor

Hockey,

After the flood of 2013 the Bass’s had to relocate from their home in High River.to an

acreage just west of Town and have rediscovered the love of country living. That is

where she can be found most days other than when she is at the rink both through the

winter and spring for her youngest son's hockey practices, games and tournaments.

FAREWELL, GOOD LUCK & BEST WISHES TO MARGO WEBER

It is with mixed feelings that we bid adieu to Margo Weber after 1 short year with PF

Calgary. Margo had a positive influence on moving the organization forward in a

positive manner. Her personality and professionalism will be missed. Margo is

returning to motherhood for the short term where she is needed and wants to be.

UPLAND GAMEBIRD CHOWDER

by Scott Leysath

The Sporting Chef’s Favorite – WILD GAME RECIPES

Reminiscent of New England clam chowder, this dish is exceptional with a mixed bag of

light -fleshed gamebirds.

3 cups upland game birds, boned and cut into bite size pieces

16 slices lean bacon, coarsely chopped

1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

½ cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 cup celery, coarsely chopped

1 ½ pounds new red potatoes, skin on and quartered

1 cup game bird stock or chicken broth

1 quart whole milk

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or similar hot sauce and white pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Place on paper

towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings, and sauté the onions,

bell pepper, celery and potatoes for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the game bird pieces and

continue to cook until the onions are translucent and the meat is lightly browned. Add

the stock, milk, cream, Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a

simmer and add hot sauce to taste. Stir occasionally and cook until the potatoes are

tender. Add bacon and season with salt and pepper.

IMPORTANT DATES

Calgary Boat and Outdoor Show – Feb 7-10

26th Annual Dinner and Auction – Wednesday, May 1st

2nd Annual Pheasant Fever – Team Buddy Shoot – Saturday, June 1st

16th Annual Director’s Invitational Shoot – Thursday, September 5th

Spruce Creek Upland Club First Time Pheasant Hunt – Saturday, Sept. 14th

2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bob Merkley – President

Harvey McKernon – Vice President

Mike Mannas – Treasurer

Mike Perkins – Secretary

Perry McCormick – Managing Director

Tom Bratrud Bill Friley

Scott Haggins Chris Kolozetti

Glen Rumpel Nick Stanford

PLEASE SUPPORT ALL OF OUR GENEROUS 2018 SPONSORS

We've moved!

Please record this change in your records. Our new PO Box is:

Pheasants Forever Calgary

PO BOX 5021

Station ‘A’

Calgary, AB, T2H 1X!

PHOTO CONTEST WINNER AND FRONT COVER – PAUL STORWICK

WE NEED YOUR HELP

February 8,9 &10 – BMO Centre

We need a few good people to work our booth.

Morning or afternoon shifts available.

Please contact Perry or Terri at (403)995-9960

or by email at perry or terri @pfcalgary.ca

COMING SOON

PLEASE HELP BY TAKING A BOOK TO SELL

WINNER’S of 2 -28’s RAFFLE

1st – KYLE GURNSEY

2ND – GRAHAM BECKER