Local wildlife to benefit from banquet in Millstone

MILLSTONE - Contributing to the welfare of local wildlife may be as easy as having dinner in the township on Nov. 10.

The Central Jersey Chapter of Pheasants Forever will hold its third annual banquet on Nov. 10 at the Clarksburg Inn, located on Route 524 in the Clarksburg section of Millstone.

Established in 1982, Pheasants Forever is a nonprofit 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. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., it has more than 100,000 members in over 600 local chapters across the United States and Canada.

Richard Toaldo, president of the Central Jersey Chapter, said the banquet is open to everyone concerned about wildlife populations, particularly the ring-neck pheasant.

"When it comes to conservation," Toaldo said, "there are a lot of people out there who would like to make a positive difference in the restoration and preservation of farmland wildlife, but just don't know how to do it."

Toaldo considers attending a Pheasants Forever banquet "an excellent way to contribute to a good cause."

"Our local chapter retains all of the money (exclusive of membership fees) raised [at the banquet]," he said. "Those funds are then turned into habitat work with farmers and landowners in our immediate area."

Pheasants Forever's system of local chapters allows 100 percent of net funds raised by its chapters to remain at the chapter level for local habitat projects, according to Toaldo.

Since its inception in 1982, the local chapter of Pheasants Forever has planted 22.8 million trees and shrubs, purchased more than 82,000 acres of upland and wetland habitat, and completed habitat projects on more than 2.7 million acres, according to Toaldo.

For more information about the organization or the banquet, contact Rich Toaldo at (732) 921-7594 or visit www.centraljerseypheasantsforever.com.