QF Partners with Field and Stream for Quail Restoration

On Saturday, June 15, Field & Stream will join the Bootheel Bobwhites Chapter of Quail Forever, and local volunteers in a one-day, hands-on outdoor conservation project to aid the group’s efforts to improve quail habitat in Missouri, as part of the magazine’s Hero for a Day program.

Now in its third year, Field & Stream’s Hero for a Day program works in collaboration with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., to connect volunteers with conservation workdays across the country and raise awareness of conservation group’s local efforts. The projects serve as a unique opportunity for residents to take action in sustaining and protecting fish, wildlife, and habitat in their area. Field & Stream will spotlight ten Hero for a Day projects throughout the spring and will report on the work efforts in the magazine and online.

In Missouri, where 93 percent of all land is private, 19 swaths of public hunting land are protected by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) as Quail Emphasis Areas—but establishing new quail habitat is still a challenge. These small gamebirds need connectivity between land types and gravitate toward areas where forest meets fields or wetlands. This is where the volunteer Heroes come in.

Help a new chapter of Quail Forever in the bootheel of Missouri to clear brush and trees and to build ideal escape cover for quail on private land that borders Crowley’s Ridge Conservation Area. In the afternoon, volunteers will pair off with experts from the MDC and the American Bird Conservancy to count calls and assess the quail population of Crowley’s Ridge.

“The Bootheel of Missouri has an excellent response rate to bobwhite quail habitat restoration and is ripe with possibilities for bringing this treasured game bird back to historic populations,” says Elsa Gallagher, Missouri Statewide Quail Coordinator for Quail Forever. “The Bootheel Quail Forever chapter members and partners are motivated about bobwhite quail habitat recovery and look forward to sharing this project with other volunteers who are as passionate as they are about quail restoration both in Missouri and throughout the country.”

Hero for a Day is an extension of Field & Stream’s Heroes of Conservation initiative, now in its eighth year, which profiles three exceptional conservation volunteers each month and awards them a $500 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Six Heroes finalists will be awarded $5,000 grants at the Heroes of Conservation Award Gala in October, and the 2013 Conservation Hero of the Year will win a new Toyota Tundra.

“We are excited to continue our involvement with the Hero for a Day program and lend our support to individuals making a difference in their communities through important environmental projects,” said Steve Appelbaum, National Manager, Engagement Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales.

“The Hero for a Day program lets Field & Stream readers invest in their passion for hunting and fishing by helping to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat,” said Mike Toth, Executive Editor of Field & Stream. “It’s a great opportunity to meet some of the nation’s most passionate conservationists, reconnect with the outdoors, roll up your sleeves and make a big difference in your community─all with just a single day’s work.”

INFORMATION FOR VOLUNTEERS

DATE: Saturday, June 15, 2013 (rain or shine)

TIME: 9 ─11 a.m.

PLACE: Look for Quail Forever signage marking an unnamed road off State Hwy Pp just outside Crowley’s Ridge Conservation Area in Puxico, MO 63960. Please arrive by 9 a.m.

For a map and direction, please visit fieldandstream.com/heroforaday.

ATTIRE: Please wear boots or sneakers and clothes that can get dirty or muddy. Bring sunscreen, lunch, water, and if you have them, work gloves. Expect to collect and carry brush, and to work around loud machinery, at times.

A limited number of Field & Stream/Toyota gift bags will be available for volunteers at each event. Volunteers over the age of 18 are also eligible to enter a drawing for a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the Heroes of Conservation gala.

For more information on Field & Stream’s Hero for a Day events, visit fieldandstream.com/heroforaday.

ABOUT FIELD & STREAM Field & Stream®, The World’s Leading Outdoor Magazine, is the world’s largest and most recognized outdoor publication. Devoted to the complete outdoor experience and lifestyle, Field & Stream gives its readers the knowledge and inspiration to pursue the sports they love. It celebrates the outdoor experience with great stories, compelling photography, and sound advice, while honoring the traditions hunters and fishermen have passed down for generations. Established in 1895, Field & Stream is the country’s largest-circulation special-interest magazine and is published 11 times per year by Bonnier Corporation. Bonnier (bonniercorp.com) is one of the largest consumer publishing groups in the United States and the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences, with more than 40 special-interest magazines and related multimedia projects and events.

ABOUT TOYOTA Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than two million vehicles in 2012. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

ABOUT QUAIL FOREVER

Quail Forever is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to quail restoration and upland habitat conservation. Quail Forever and its sister organization, Pheasants Forever, have more than 135,000 combined members and 720 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.

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Rehan Nana (651) 209-4973 or email Rehan