Quail Forever Conservation
To some, conservation is a word. To Quail Forever, it's a way of life - anything short of a holistic approach to conservation would be unacceptable. That's why Quail Forever provides the most efficient conservation model of any organization. QF's unique model empowers local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100 percent of their locally-raised conservation funds will be spent. Whether it's through improving habitat, informing the public about land management or educating future generations of hunting enthusiasts, conservation is the underlying principle in all we do at the grassroots level of our chapters all the way to Washington DC when we fight for strong conservation policy.
Quail Forever is honored to carry along America's rich tradition of conservation. Deeply engrained in Quail Forever's conservation approach are the teachings, philosophies and lessons of Aldo Leopold, one of the country's most renowned and well-respected conservationists. Quail Forever holds Leopold's work in such high regard that the organization's education arm is the Leopold Education Project (LEP), a curriculum based on Leopold's writings. Quail Forever's mission is tied to the theory that "knowledge is power," taking the works and writings of Leopold and applying them to the fields and forests of today. Leopold wrote of building a connection with the land, and Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever chapters make that connection today through all the work they do at the grassroots level.
Although we're extremely proud of the work we at Quail Forever have accomplished in our first year, we realize that when your work is conservation, the work is never-ending. We invite you to join Quail Forever in our quest to ensure a country rich in natural resources and long on people willing to work to preserve them. After all, natural resources - quail, pheasants and other wildlife and the land, air and water on which they live - are our greatest resources.
Growing Conservation in the Farm Bill
If you ask most folks to list the country's important laws for fish and wildlife, they probably would not mention the Farm Bill. Similarly, they might not immediately think of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers Farm Bill programs, as a powerhouse of conservation.
The pas three Farm Bills, however, have shaped more conservation programs for a longer period of time -0 and put more funding behind those programs - than any other suite of legislation. The more than $5 billion the USDA spends on conservation each year is two-and-a-half times larger than the entire U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget. And the USDA is proving everyday that it can balance the goals of maintaining a stable food and fiber supply while sustaining fish and wildlife populations...
This Farm Bill Booklet will give you some background on what the Farm Bill has done for conservation and the different programs included in the Farm Bill.
CP-33 Buffers DVD
Historically, idle or fallow grassy areas were common in agricultural landscapes along field edges. Although often perceived as unproductive or unavailable for farming, these idle areas provided important habitat for wildlife. However, as farming has more efficient, former idle areas such as fence rows and grassy field margins have been subsequently placed into production. Such practices have all but eliminated idle grass communities which formerly provided habitat for quail and other grassland birds.
In late 2004, USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Northern Bobwhite Quail Habitat Initiative began and is aimed at creating 250,000 acres of native grass buffers along agricultural field borders in 35 states. Under the Continuous CRP, financial incentives are available to producers for creating Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds (CP33) on cropland. Eligible producers will receive annual rental payments for the length of the contract (10 years), plus bonus incentives and cover establishment and maintenance cost-shares. Besides benefiting bobwhite quail and farm economics, these buffers will also benefit other birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and aquatic species. Additional environmental benefits include reduced soil erosion from wind and water, increased soil and water quality, and improvement of the overall on-farm ecosystem.
Program sign-up is underway at local FSA offices and eligible land may be enrolled at any time until a state's allotted buffer acres have all been enrolled or December 31, 2007. Producers interested in CP33 should contact their local FSA office for more information. Mississippi State University, along with number of cooperators, recently developed a DVD to promote the CP33 practice. The DVD was developed for agricultural producers, and explains both the economics and wildlife benefits of the CP33 practice. A brochure was also developed to assist national promotion of the practice. Both the DVD and brochure are effective tools that can be used by natural resource agencies, conservation groups and others to promote the CP33 practice to producers.
Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the DVD or brochure should contact Kristine Evans at:
Mississippi State University
Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries
Box 9690
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9690
email: koevans@cfr.msstate.edu
phone: 662-325-7491
Single copies are free, and larger orders can be purchased for a nominal cost. Don't miss out on this opportunity to promote quail habitat practices in your area!
National Conservation Leadership with Local Habitat Results
This 10 minute video gives a sneak peak to Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever's work in Washington D.C.. It also explains how those efforts create the tools local chapters need to create wildlife habitat in their own communities.
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| High 24.5 MB |
Medium 11.1 MB |
Low 3.1 MB |
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| *WARNING: this is a 10 minute video and may take some time to download. Copies of this DVD are available in a limited supply. Please send a request for a DVD copy to stpete@pheasantsforever.org |
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Recent Conservation News
Secretary of Interior Reappoints PF/QF's Nomsen to Wetlands Post
July 01, 2008
Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) Vice President of Government Affairs, has been reappointed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, made the three-year appointment. Nomsen has served as a member on the Council since 1999. His new appointed term will run through March of 2011.
The Council was established by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to review and recommend project proposals to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, which has the ultimate authority to approve funding for projects under NAWCA. Created on December 13, 1989, NAWCA is an international agreement that provides a strategy and funding for the long-term protection of wetlands and associated upland habitats needed by waterfowl and other migratory birds in North America.
...moreStudy: Wildlife Refuges Make Up Tax Costs
June 16, 2008
National wildlife refuges more than make up for their cost to taxpayers by returning about $4 in economic activity for every $1 the government spends, according to a federal study released Tuesday.
Overall, the refuges drew some 35 million hunters, anglers, birders and other visitors in 2006, supporting about 27,000 jobs, the study found.
...moreNew Quail Forever Chapter Forms in South Carolina's Richland & Lexington Counties
June 09, 2008
Wildlife advocates, habitat conservationists and quail hunters united to create the Midlands Chapter of Quail Forever (QF). This new chapter will focus its efforts within Richland and Lexington Counties. Landowners in Orangeburg County are also already interested in joining as well. Due to the lack of land management for area habitat, increased crop production, and suburban growth, the Midlands group of founding members decided to take action before the quail situation worsened.
"The quail populations in the area are struggling for a number of reasons," explained Andy Edwards, Regional Wildlife Biologist for QF. "We must combat the quail losses with not only habitat restoration and conservation, but using education as a tool as well."
...moreUSDA Publishes Annual Report Online About Conservation Reserve Program
June 06, 2008
USDA's Farm Service Agency Administrator Teresa Lasseter today released the Fiscal Year 2007 report on the nation's largest private lands conservation program, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
"There is significant on-going interest in CRP. It remains the largest public-private conservation partnership in America," said Lasseter. "The CRP has proven to be a dynamic and flexible program in achieving a wide variety of conservation goals, including helping protect sources for New York City's drinking water supply; providing habitat for game birds, endangered species and other wildlife; and preserving ground and surface water supplies in western states. This report demonstrates how participation in CRP helps preserve our nation's resources."
...moreImportant Days for CRP Ahead
May 30, 2008
Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) have a mix of reactions as a result of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement to open more than 24 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands to haying and grazing later this summer. While the move holds some habitat benefits, it does create problems for hunters this fall and sends the wrong message about the value of CRP to America. Also looming is the recurring discussion about “early-outs” from CRP contracts.
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