July 8, 2004
Press Release

Pheasants Forever Television – On the Air Fall 2005
Ron Schara to host and produce new series on Outdoor Life Network

St. Paul, Minn. – June 30, 2004 – Pheasants Forever (PF) announces a partnership with four-time Emmy winner, Ron Schara Enterprises, to create Pheasants Forever’s first television series.  The 26-episode series will begin airing in the fall of 2005 on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), a national cable network.  The show, titled Pheasants Forever Television, will feature pheasant hunting and the hunters that pursue the king of game birds.  Likewise, the show will focus on PF wildlife habitat efforts that are working to ensure the future of the sport and a healthy environment.  A sneak peak of the show is scheduled for the Saturday night banquet at Pheasant Fest 2005 to be held in Omaha, Nebraska this January 15^th.

Ron Schara will be the show’s host and executive producer.  Schara is best known for his NBC-affiliated “Minnesota Bound” and ESPN2’s “Backroads with Ron & Raven.”  However, Schara has a myriad of television, radio, and print credentials to his name.  His ever-rising national popularity has been achieved by letting the story happen through those who live it.  Additionally, Schara is a PF life member and a life-long pheasant hunter.  As a northern Iowa native and Minneapolis resident, Ron has maintained his passion for pheasants and has frequently covered PF in his radio and television shows, as well as in his Minneapolis Star Tribune column.

“For many years, we’ve watched other conservation organizations enter into the television show world,” explains Pheasants Forever President and CEO Howard Vincent.  “We’ve always been reluctant to join the fray.  We wanted to make sure that a TV show wouldn’t financially detract from our ability to put wildlife habitat in the ground.  Ron Schara understood our concerns and addressed them.  Ron truly understands PF and believes in our mission.  He is the best possible host for a Pheasants Forever show.  His humble manner will allow this show to focus on the true stars of Pheasants Forever Television – farmers, ranchers, landowners, hunter-conservationists, and PF volunteers that are out there making a difference for wildlife habitat.  Truly, the most difficult aspect of this negotiation was with Raven.  That dog drives a hard bargain.”

“Pheasants Forever Television will be a variety show where the pheasant is the star, along with the people who help to expand wildlife habitat,” adds Schara.  “I believe in Pheasants Forever.  It’s an organization with a lot of integrity.  That’s why I’ve been a life member since 1997, and that’s why I’m so excited about this new project.”

Pheasants Forever is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education.  Such efforts benefit landowners and wildlife alike.  Pheasants Forever has more than 108,000 members in over 600 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information about Pheasants Forever, please visit www.pheasantsforever.org.