Dayton Releases Details of Minnesota Pheasant Population Restoration Plan

NICOLLET, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton is out with a 10-point plan for turning around a long decline in Minnesota's pheasant population, with some steps already underway and other goals that will be closely tracked for signs of progress.

Dayton and key advisers appeared at a southern Minnesota conservation club Monday to detail the plan. It seeks to enroll more cropland land in conservation programs, improve habitat management on public and private lands and acquire land dedicated to pheasant development.

The Democratic governor cited recently enacted legislation to increase buffer zones around waterways as a move forward.

The plan builds off a summit convened last year to tackle a sagging pheasant population. The 2015 pheasant index is 39 percent below the 10-year average and 59 percent below the long-term average.