The Brazil Times reports that the USDA has approved the reallocation of 6,000 acres to Indiana through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative entitled State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE).

"SAFE acres are devoted to four project areas for the purpose of benefiting specific threatened and endangered species in Indiana.SAFE practices target the habitat rehabilitation for the Northern Bobwhite Quail, Henslow's Sparrow, Sedge Wren/Grasshopper Sparrow and Indiana Bat."

Read more HERE.

Columbia, Missouri - Producing biofuel crops can help the environment and ease demand for fossil fuels - or it can do exactly the opposite, depending on how farmers manage the land. University of Missouri researchers have received a $250,000 federal grant to demonstrate techniques for growing biofuel crops while supporting wildlife, protecting soil and water, and bolstering the farmer’s profits....With matching funds from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the nonprofit conservation group Quail Unlimited and others, the award package for MU will total more than $500,000. Read more about it from Checkbiotech.org HERE.

Robert Perez and Steve Lightfoot write in the September issue about the plight or the bobwhite in Texas and the many organizations trying to help reverse the trend, including the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, headquartered at the University of Tennessee. Read the story HERE.

From AgriLife Today in Texas:

AMARILLO – Quail counts in nine major wildfire locations are being made this summer to determine the impact wildfires have had on the birds and their habitat, according to two Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialists.

In what is being termed Operation Phoenix, after the mythological bird of fire reborn from the ashes, AgriLife Extension personnel will monitor three times in each location for three years, said Dale Rollins, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist in San Angelo.

Read more HERE.