Rob Peterson, 53, of Colorado Springs, Colo., has donated his 640-acre property near Cimarron, Kans., to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever as part of the organization’s Grassroots Conservation Campaign, furthering PF’s habitat mission and generously providing a place for future hunters and outdoorspeople to enjoy forever.  Peterson, a long-time PF member and Pikes Peak Colorado Pheasants Forever chapter co-chair, noted that his father’s passion for the outdoors and the time they spent hunting and fishing are the main reasons to make Pheasants Forever the recipient of his major gift.

Peterson, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, grew up in Minnesota where he learned to appreciate the outdoors with his father, Robert Peterson, Sr., through countless hours hunting and fishing. “We spent a lot of time in the outdoors with each other,” Col. Peterson said. “The success of the hunt was not always a big deal to us.  It was the experience of spending time together that we valued most.”  Those outdoor experiences are what shaped his dream for honoring his father’s memory. In 2010, during one of the last conversations Rob had with his father, he told his dad of his plan to dedicate a piece of land in his memory so his outdoor legacy could live on forever.  Shortly after this conversation, Rob’s father lost his battle with cancer.

The property is currently being converted to productive wildlife habitat. “Habitat is my vision, because I realize if we don’t have the habitat, the upland hunting is going to dry up,” Col. Peterson said. “If we don’t have the habitat, we can’t ensure there will be an opportunity for young people to hunt 20, 30, 40 years from now.”

“We are extraordinarily honored that Col. Peterson chose Pheasants Forever to fulfill his dream and honor his father’s memory,” said Howard K. Vincent, President and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, “His generosity is a defining characteristic of a visionary, using his abilities to further what he is passionate about. This gift will Make a Lasting Impact for years to come, and I applaud Col. Peterson for joining Pheasants Forever’s Habitat Legacy Society though this generous legacy contribution.”

Col. Peterson credited Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill biologist program for providing expert guidance with the grassland restoration through the federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and PF Development Officer Jordan Martincich for helping execute the gift through the organization’s Grassroots Conservation Campaign.

“Rob’s father had a passion for the outdoors and the legacy partnership formed with Pheasants Forever means the Peterson family values and traditions will continue forever.  We hope others join the Peterson family in their vision of permanently protecting wildlife habitat forever more,” Martincich said.

Col. Peterson will continue to manage and enjoy the property throughout his lifetime. Upon his passing, Pheasants Forever will oversee the property for wildlife habitat and public use.  In addition to the land gift, Col. Peterson has donated a significant portion of his estate to Pheasants Forever with the goal of furthering the outdoor traditions that both he and his father enjoyed. 

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I wanted to share a few more picture collages of our rural life that we enjoy so much.

One of my favorite things to can in the pressure canner is vegetable soup. I make mine with tomatoes, corn, potatoes, okra, peas, butterbeans, onions, peppers, and a little bit of cabbage.

This is Jack. He is a Mammoth Donkey.

He is a good watch donkey that helps keep coyotes and other wild critters away from the cows and goats. Plus he knows how to ham it up for the camera too!

These are Coturnix/Cortunix (I see the spelling both ways on the internet) or Pharaoh Quail. They are easy to raise. Around 6 weeks of age the female start laying the pretty speckled eggs. We  set and hatch the eggs in the incubator. About 19 days later the baby quails will hatch.

We usually plant Silver Queen corn. It is white sweet corn on a short stalk. This year we tried Silver King which is very similar to Silver Queen but has a bigger ear and a taller stalk. I think I will plant the Silver King again next year. It really produced well this year.

Silver Queen corn is in the pictures.

In September it is time to "put up" the pears. We have 2 Kieffer pear trees and 1 Moonglow pear tree. The Moonglow is a soft pear that is good for eating right off the tree. The pears mature earlier than the Kieffer pears do.

My favorite way to preserve the Kieffer pears is to make pear sauce. You can use it just like apple sauce.

You can see how I make it here –> Chunky Pear Sauce with Orange Peel

I add orange juice and orange peel to mine. The citrus acid helps keep the pears from browning.

I also slice and canned the pears in light syrup water (regular sugar and water).

We (my husband and I) put a new roof on the house a couple of years ago.

The we recycled the old metal roofing and used it on the chicken house we were building. The wood came from trees off the farm. My husband sawed the lumber on the sawmill.

This is BadBoy Rooster. Or was Bad Boy Rooster. He was a Golden Polish Rooster and he loved to chase me around the farm. He also like to attack the other chickens and that was why he was not in the chicken house with them.

FarmMan traded BadBoy Rooster for a very nice wicker rocking chair. It is much nicer to rock than run!

Some of the free sky shows over the farm.

Random barn pictures. The rooster is a Light Brahma chicken.

I found a pattern at a thrift shop for 25 cents last year and put it to good use. I made the grandchildren rabbits for Christmas. I was worried they may not like the rabbits with all the high tech. gadgets out now. But you know what? The rabbits were the kids favorite thing! They still sleep with their rabbits now.

This is just a small part of our life on a rural farm in Georgia. I hope you enjoyed it. You can see more here on my personal blog –> Life on a Southern Farm.

Have a great day!