Quail hunters and conservationists in Texas have added a new chapter of Quail Forever in the state’s South Plains region. Officially known as the Llano Estacado Chapter of Quail Forever, the new committee is focusing on habitat improvements and conservation education as a means to creating lasting impacts for bobwhite quail, scaled quail, and other wildlife in western Texas.
“We’ve formed our chapter with the goal to help restore a Texas tradition that has suffered from a lack of suitable wildlife habitat in the South Plains,” said Dustin McNabb, elected president of the Llano Estacado Chapter of Quail Forever. “Future generations deserve an opportunity to experience quail hunting and with any luck, our chapter can be part of the solution for the plight of bobwhite and scaled quail.”
The formation of the new Quail Forever chapter comes at a crucial point for the state’s quail population and amidst positive news for the future of upland game birds and other wildlife. Protecting and fostering a long-standing tradition of quail hunting in the state, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently appropriated $4 million in grants for quail habitat conservation. These appropriations will be allocated as part of the
Texas Upland Game Bird Strategic Plan with three quail focus areas identified in the state.
Leading up to the
2014 quail hunting forecast, the core of Texas quail hunting regions received needed rainfall in May and June which resulted in a flush of vegetation, insects, and a corresponding increase in bobwhite reproductive efforts. Vast expanses of suitable quail habitat exist in the rangelands of South Texas and in the South Plains, but quail populations fluctuate in these regions based on adequate rainfall.
Llano Estacado Chapter of Quail Forever
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The Llano Estacado Chapter of Quail Forever has elected Dustin McNabb of Lubbock as president, Joe Harriger of Lubbock as treasurer, Mark Green of Lubbock as banquet chair, and Robert Ward of Lubbock as vice president.
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For more information about the chapter or to become involved, please contact chapter president, Dustin McNabb, at (806) 781-3724 /
email.
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The chapter will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. at Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q (4930 S Loop 289 #300 - Lubbock, TX 79414). Hunters and conservationists interested in joining the chapter as a volunteer are encouraged to attend.
Quail Forever is the quail division of Pheasants Forever. Texas is home to six Quail Forever chapters, and over 1,500 members of "The Habitat Organization." For more information about Quail Forever or Pheasants Forever in Texas, contact Laura McIver, regional representative for Texas at (907) 750-2600 /
email.
About Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 140,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $508 million on 475,000 habitat projects benefiting over 10 million acres nationwide.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org