OMAHA - At Pheasants Forever's National Pheasant Fest, Nebraska and Iowa landowners will get free one-on-one attention from expert wildlife biologists at the new Landowner Help Desk, designed to provide property owners with a unique opportunity to explore options for creating wildlife habitat on their land.

Event organizers said the Help Desk provides landowners with "one-stop shopping" for information about enrolling private lands in federal, state and local conservation programs to benefit wildlife.

PF's National Pheasant Fest is slated for Jan. 14-16 at the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha.

"Using computer software, expert wildlife biologists will be able to look at a landowner's property through aerial photographs," said PF spokesperson Bob St. Pierre. "Landowners just need to bring the legal description of their property including township, range and section. From that description, the biologists will be able to find aerial photos of any property on the computer," he said. St. Pierre said using those aerial photos, the biologists will discuss the landowner's conservation options.

He said the biologists are familiar with federal conservation programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

"Those programs include the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and Grasslands Reserve Program, to name a few," St. Pierre said. "In addition to federal programs, the biologists will be knowledgeable about state and local PF conservation programs and will be able to discuss steps for enrolling in all eligible programs."

Landowners will also be able to discuss potential cost-share options, as well as average land rental rates, St. Pierre said.

National Pheasant Fest 2005, presented by Cabela's, promises to be the country's largest event for upland hunters, sport dog owners and wildlife habitat conservationists. Nebraska's 59 PF chapters and Iowa's 102 PF chapters will also conduct their annual state meetings at the event.

For more information about PF and Pheasant Fest 2005, go to www.pheasantsforever.org.