DSC, Quail VII, Quail Classic All Reminders ‘The Fire is Not Out’

DSC, Quail VII, PF/Quail Classic

All Reminders ‘The Fire is Not Out’

 
 Mike Black

Forestry Coordinator

 National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative

 
Those of us who have the privilege to work on a daily basis to maintain and restore Bobwhite quail habitat live a daily dilemma.

While working each day to raise the bar and make subtle but effective changes across the landscape, we have to listen to our friends, family and even other natural resource professionals who cannot understand why we work so hard to bring back what is, at least in their minds, a lost species.  Not only is it difficult to explain what we do, but we have to absorb the comments like “Why not look for Bigfoot – you would have better odds”.

The quail community is really pretty darn small, and we call and email one another routinely to give one another a pep talk and bring us back on course.  That is the nature of the job.  But the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to participate in some events that are well beyond and outside our routine meetings discussing policy, budgets and other activities promoting habitat on a landscape scale.

In the last few weeks I have had the chance to interact with not only the top quail biologists in the field, but even more importantly literally hundreds of quail hunters and landowners – and many who are both.We had a chance to staff a booth at the Dallas Safari Club Convention through the invite of the Texas Quail Coalition, and both attend and host the Quail VII national symposium in Tucson, Arizona focusing on both bobwhite and western quail species. Finally, NBCI had a booth for three days at the 2012 Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic in Kansas City.

Over the course of these three meetings I have had a chance to both sit in and learn from the top quail experts in the nation (Quail VII) and also spend over 45 hours talking to quail hunters and landowners about quail management and local issues – all in two weeks.  The discussions have been dismal and disheartening at times, but I can assure you the fire is NOT out!

Tom Dailey (NBCI assistant director/science coordinator) and I had the chance to meet and talk to hundreds of quail hunters and landowners – many were both - at the recent Pheasant Fest event.   Men, women, families and friends each talked of both their passion and despair for the state of bobwhite quail all across the country. Some were after “silver bullets," ... quick, immediate solutions.But they were in the minority.The majority we talked to fully understand the long-term efforts required in maintaining, improving and creating bobwhite habitat on a landscape scale.One landowner said it all, “Without good habitat the rest of the issues don’t matter – even in the years of good weather.” 

Many of the hunters and landowners had driven hundreds of miles, used vacation time and spent money on hotels, fuel and meals to attend the event, attend seminars and receive assistance from various state agencies and the on-site landowner workshops.  That was truly impressive! All of these folks had the same story – it was not just about a bird, but a way of life that has largely disappeared. All shared memories of hunts with family, friends and neighbors. Many have come to realize that in the past both quail and quail hunting were a by product of the land – now we have to manage the land for quail.  The agricultural landscape has changed, forest management has changed and pressures from urbanization and a manicured landscape continue to grow. Idle and feral land – so good to quail – has largely disappeared, and quail are left with a fraction of their former landscape.

I could have easily left these meetings and spent the long hours driving back home discouraged and hesitant to believe that we can make a difference. However, I am keenly aware of the tremendous passion and resolve of thousands and thousands of quail hunters and landowners to not give up on this bird, the habitat, the land and a way of life full of memories. They are counting on us.

And the Fire is NOT out !!