Tracking pheasants

Bruce Crosby/McCook Daily Gazette

Jessica Laskowski of New York explains that the antenna on top of her truck is for tracking pheasants, not better television reception. She and fellow University of Nebraska graduate student Lindsey Messinger of Longmont, Colo., are working on the project in cooperation with the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Pheasants Forever and other agencies as part of the Southwest Focus on Pheasants Partnership project formed in 2010. With their advisor, Dr. T.J. Fontaine, they were awarded Wildlife Conservationist of the Year honors in February. Laskowski and Messinger are working to monitor the birds and analyze data to improve population size.