Lyon Center Collaboration at 2025 Kansas Governor’s Ringneck Classic Spurs 2026 Momentum
The Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at East Texas A&M University showed up big at the 2025 Kansas Governor's Ringneck Classic hunt in Colby, Kansas. Dr. Kelly Reyna, founding director of the Lyon Center, fielded a hunting team and served as keynote speaker for the highly anticipated event.
“We're honored once again to have Dr. Reyna and the Lyon Center for Gamebird Research join the annual Kansas Governor's Ringneck Classic,” said Justin Jamison, president of the Ringneck Classic's board of directors. “The work Dr. Reyna and his team are doing to develop solutions for sustainable gamebird populations goes hand-in-hand with our core tenet of creating sustainable habitat for gamebirds in Western Kansas.”
Rooted in Conservation and Community
Founded in 2011 by Governor Sam Brownback, the Ringneck Classic promotes hunting and tourism in Northwest Kansas through its support of increased participation in shooting sports and wildlife habitat conservation initiatives. In 2016, the event's board of directors elected to designate the Classic's annual proceeds to the Northwest Kansas Conservation Foundation, which allocates funding for habitat improvements and wildlife conservation in the region.
Businessman and co-founder Jim Millensifer helped land the Ringneck Classic in Colby, Kansas. He said the event's economic impact on the region continues to grow. Sponsorships and the Classic's volunteer board are the final pieces that allow all of the event's proceeds to go toward funding habitat and conservation projects and supporting new hunters and shooters.
“It has always been the board's goal to underwrite this event with sponsorships, and that was tough in the early years,” Millensifer said. “It took time to translate our mission and the good work we do into relationships with sponsors like Conestoga Energy, Federal Ammunition, and TriStar Arms. These partnerships positioned us to bring on more sponsors like the Lyon Center for Gamebird Research and others who support our mission.”
Restoring Connection Between Wildlife and Agriculture
Reyna's keynote, “Common Ground for the Next Generation,”revealed how his first family quail hunt, at the age of 10, turned him into a hunter, and how he soon realized that “no matter how good a shot you are, no matter how well-trained your dogs might be, without good habitat and healthy land, there are no birds.” He explained, “Through the last century, the partnership between the plow and the shotgun shaped some of the most abundant wildlife our nation has ever seen. And that balance—between agriculture and wild country—built something special: a rural America that could feed the world and raise pheasants and quail at the same time.”
He then focused on the problem, “But over time, things have changed. Today's farmers face pressures that folks a generation ago could never imagine—rising costs, tight margins, regulations, and markets that shift overnight. Hunters, too, see the changes: fewer birds, shorter seasons, and less access to the land we love. Across the country, pheasant and quail numbers have dropped, in some places by more than 80%. And it's not because anyone stopped caring; it's because the world changed. Farms got larger, cover got thinner, and the space between us and the wild got a little bit smaller.”
“The solution is achievable,” Reyna said. “Reversing the decline of gamebirds will require a paradigm shift in agriculture—one where farmers and ranchers intentionally integrate gamebird management into their operations at a population scale. Restoring the balance between agriculture and wild country will help ensure the fields we hunt today are full of birds for our children and grandchildren tomorrow. Because if we bring together our science, your land, and a shared love of the hunt, there will be quail and pheasants forever.”
The Lyon Center for Gamebird Research is building a future for gamebirds through innovative research aimed at discovering solutions for sustainable gamebird populations and training the next generation of gamebird professionals to carry the work forward.
“The Kansas Governor's Ringneck Classic shows what's possible when hunters, farmers, and conservation partners unite to invest in research, habitat, and the future of gamebirds,” Reyna said of the event.
Integrated Wildlife and Agriculture in Action
The Lyon Center's hunting team included Dr. Kelly Reyna, Lyon Center board member Fidel Baca, Lyon Center Research Fellow Garrett Rushing, John Massengale, Tom Pruett, J.C. Goodin, Brandon Spears, and Josh Meeks.
Regional farmer Gary Shaw and his son, Ryan—a farmer and hunting guide—invited the team to a Sunday hunt to show how he has integrated gamebird management into his farming enterprise.
“The Shaws hosted an incredible hunt and provided unparalleled hospitality,” Reyna said. “The Shaw Farm is a direct representation of how restoring the balance between agriculture and wild country can produce an abundance of pheasant and quail.”
Lyon Center board member Baca said it was an incredible experience.
“The Kansas Governor’s Ringneck Classic team treated us like family, and the welcome from the local farm community was gracious and heartfelt,” he said. “I'm already looking forward to the next Ringneck Classic.”
He was inspired by farmers and hunters collaborating on conservation efforts aimed at improving the land and habitat necessary to ensure long-term sustainability for crops and gamebirds. “That's more than a noble cause,” Baca said. “It's the tip of the spear at a critical turning point in conservation. Dr. Reyna's inspiring speech touched on the key issues: healthy habitat, cooperation, and restoring the land that supports our hunting heritage.”