Quail Forever Missouri State Habitat Meeting Slated for March 14 & 15
Quail Forever 03.06.14
Missouri Quail Forever (QF) and Pheasants Forever (PF) will hold its 2014 State Habitat Meeting March 14 & 15 at The Courtyard by Marriot in Columbia, Missouri. The event is for QF and PF members interested in improving Missouri’s upland habitat and in strengthening youth conservation efforts. The 2014 State Habitat Meeting is sponsored by That Dog Can Hunt TV and MidwayUSA.
Open to the public, the state meeting is a chance for local sportsmen/women and chapters to meet with professionals and discuss concerns and opportunities regarding the upland wildlife in their area. The habitat heavy event will also focus on youth, women, and dog enthusiasts in Missouri. Representatives from Quail Forever, Pheasants Forever, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and local landowners are slated to present on landscape challenges and success in the state, all with an emphasis on bobwhite quail, pheasants and other upland wildlife.
“We are expecting to have an outstanding event this year thanks to our volunteers, our partners and our sponsors,” said John Wallace, Quail Forever’s Missouri regional representative. “I am greatly looking forward to meeting with individuals from across the state who are ready and willing to help ensure Missouri’s upland hunting heritage continues.”
The 2014 Habitat Meeting will kick off with a social on Friday evening (March 14th) where attendees can share habitat project success stories, hunting stories, or just visit with QF Staff, MDC biologists, and other chapter leaders during a social hour. The event will continue on Saturday with a variety of upland wildlife management seminars.
Saturday’s keynote speakers include:
Missouri’s State of the Quail Address. Scott Sudkamp, MDC Small Game Coordinator. Scott will present an update on the statewide bobwhite population status, MDC’s Revised Bobwhite Recovery Plan, and agency position on quail and small game management. Of special interest will be results from population surveys in several Quail Focus Areas, which suggest that habitat management efforts are having a positive effect.
Why Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever? Howard Vincent, President & CEO of PF/QF. Howard will be talking about the reasons why he believes in this organization and its unique grassroots model. He will also be highlighting record breaking numbers at PF/QF nationally.
2014 Farm Bill Update. Dave Nomsen, QF Vice President of Governmental Affairs. Dave will be providing an update on the newly passed 2014 Farm Bill and what it means for the future of USDA conservation programs and habitat here in Missouri.
Other wildlife professionals will also be on hand to present about quail management on public land, harvest strategies for pheasants and quail, native pollinators, cattle grazing as a management tool, how to improve youth outdoor events, landscaping with native plants, and much, much more! After the seminars, join Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever in the Volunteer Appreciation Reception Banquet, with a cocktail hour, annual chapter awards presentation, along with plenty of opportunities to win great prizes at raffle drawings and silent auctions!
Missouri is Quail Forever’s largest membership and chapter-based state with 23 Quail Forever chapters, five Pheasants Forever chapters and over 3,100 QF/PF members. Since 1989 Missouri Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and local chapters have spent more than $1,030,000 on improving over 100,000 acres of habitat in Missouri.
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
