4-H members release dozens of pheasants into the wild north of Lethbridge: ‘It’s a great experience’

Members of the Lethbridge TNT 4-H Multi Club released 130 pheasants into the coulees north of the city Friday afternoon as part of a project to bolster the wildlife habitat in the province.

“Pheasants actually aren’t native species to Alberta,” explained Jalen Hulit, a biologist with the Alberta Conservation Association. “But they do hold a very valuable place in Alberta as they are hunted by Albertans — they have been for many years.”

Hulit said the ACA gave 9,000 birds to 4-H members across the province in May, with the intention of educating children and youth about the process of caring for animals.

“It teaches them proper habitat to release wildlife, because not only is this habitat good for pheasants, but it’s good for a majority of different species.”

While 4-H member Nathan Clark said the birds were fairly low-maintenance to raise, there were some difficulties.

“The struggle was just trying to keep them alive in a big outdoor pen,” he admitted. “It was hard to see if any of them were dead.”

Clark added this was his first year raising the birds with the help of his family, and the end result was a highlight of the experience.

“Releasing them today was probably one of the best parts because I know we’re helping the community, helping the birds,” he said.

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Clancy Holthe, project lead for the TNT 4-H Multi Club, said his interest in the pheasant project dates back to the 1970s when he was a member himself.

While the project has been on-and-off over the years, Holthe said he hopes to see it grow and succeed.

“When you look out at places like this and see pheasants running around, it’s great,” he said.

With one year left in the club, Reed Skiba encourages other youth to consider joining if they are looking to care for a fairly low-maintenance animal.

“If you don’t want to have something like cats, dogs, or cattle where it’s hands-on, it’s a lot of fun watching them grow, raising them, releasing them,” said Skiba.