For Immediate Release

CRP Listening Session Coming to Heart of Southern Quail Country on Tuesday

Quail Comments Needed to Help Save Conservation Reserve Program

Saint Paul, Minn. - October 01 -

On Tuesday, October 6th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold its second-to-last public listening session on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in Albany, Georgia. Last month, the USDA began these CRP listening sessions with the first of nine stops located in Spokane, Washington. At that first session, the USDA announced one of their policy options was to drop CRP enrollment to 24 million acres nationwide; a completely unacceptable proposal from Quail Forever's perspective.

"The Conservation Reserve Program is the single best tool we've got for bringing bobwhite quail back to America's landscape," explained Kim N. Price, publisher of the quail publication, Covey Rise, and member of QF's National Board of Directors. "We should be talking about how we can add more acres to the program, not less. In particular, we need to double the best thing we've got going for quail - CRP's Bobwhite Buffers program."

"Bobwhite Buffers," or Conservation Practice 33 of CRP, was created by USDA in 2004 to establish the edge habitat along fields, streams and woods that bobwhites love. The USDA has established a goal of 250,000 acres for the program, but over 210,000 of those acres are already under contract, and some states have already maxed out their acreage allotment. QF believes the USDA should immediately double Conservation Practice 33 because of its effectiveness at achieving the goal of producing more quail.

If you can make it to Albany, Georgia on Tuesday, the CRP listening session will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern (Phone 229.888.1590). If you cannot be in attendance, there are a variety of other options for voicing your support of CRP's quail benefits. In whatever form you choose, Quail Forever offers the following suggestions for your comments:

• Request USDA implement CRP at its maximum acreage of 32 million acres, and that USDA request additional authority for an expanded CRP of at least 40 million acres from Congress.

• Call for a new CRP General Signup.

• Request the Bobwhite Buffers practice double in authority from 250,000 to 500,000 acres nationwide.

• Call for immediate implementation of quail-friendly burning and thinning practices created in 2008 Farm Bill language for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program.

• Request that CRP's State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program be doubled in authority from 500,000 to 1 million acres nationwide.

• Ask that all Continuous CRP including CRP SAFE and CRP Bobwhite Buffers, be made available to all expiring contract holders

"If you're a quail hunter, or simply love to hear their whistle, please join Quail Forever and voice your support for CRP during this critical time," implored Price.

Public comments on CRP are due by October 19, 2009.

• Email comments to CRPcomments@tecinc.com

• Submit comments online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov

• Mail comments to: CRP SEIS, c/o TEC Inc., 8 San Jose Dr., Suite 3-B, Newport News, VA 23606

• Fax comments to: (757) 594-1469

For additional information, please contact Dave Nomsen at (320) 491-9163 or via email at DNomsen@quailforever.org.