This year, for the first time, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever will recognize a national “Volunteer of the Year.” Eight finalists – four from Pheasants Forever and four from Quail Forever – here been chosen, and among them is Scott Rall of the Nobles County Chapter of Pheasants Forever.
Rall has been volunteering with the chapter for 39 years and became president of the chapter in 2005. Since its first acquisition, the Nobles County Chapter has added 45 more parcels for public use, and Rall has been involved from the ground up on 35 of them. The Nobles County Chapter has been named the Pheasants Forever National Habitat chapter of the year three times under his stewardship — in 2010, 2014 and in 2021.
Over the course of the last year, Nobles County Pheasants Forever has added two more parcels of public land totaling 228 acres, and it also has three potential projects in the works for 2024. It was also the first chapter in the state to “adopt” all of the Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in its county through the Department of Natural Resources “Adopt A WMA” program. Chapter members spend many days afield removing fences, managing invasive trees and noxious weeds — in addition to all sorts of general maintenance efforts.
Additionally, the chapter also supports numerous activities designed to get kids unplugged from an electrical outlet, such as pollinator events, wildlife tours and different partnerships -- including with the local FFA chapter. Many of these activities attract up to 50 participants on a regular basis.
