Randolph County, Illinois is Home to Newest Chapter of Quail Forever
Chapter's next meeting is set for Tuesday, October 24th
Source: Quail Forever
Published: Oct. 04, 2006
RED BUD, IL - Quail enthusiasts from Randolph County, Illinois have formed the 10th chapter of Quail Forever (QF) in the state. The group plans to focus their efforts on quail habitat restoration and youth conservation education.
The group has set Tuesday, October 24th for their next meeting. "I grew up on a farm in Washington County, Illinois and can remember our fields filled with bobwhite quail coveys," reported Dusty Kolweier, a Red Bud resident and one of the chapter's leaders.
"Today, there just aren't the quail populations in southern Illinois there once was. Our chapter hopes to turn things around for quail in Randolph County."
The U.S.'s quail populations are in trouble. Bobwhite population losses over the past 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country.
Illinois has not been immune to the quail decline having watched their annual quail hunting harvest fall from 2.5 million bobs in 1956 to just over 250,000 birds in 2005. 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.
"I love to quail hunt and I love the outdoors, but starting this chapter isn't about a bunch of guys with their bird dogs and shotguns. All of us care about quail, the future of quail hunting as a family tradition, and we are starting this chapter to contribute to our community and the standard of living we all enjoy here in Randolph County," explained Kolweier.
According to Tim Caughran, QF's regional wildlife biologist for Illinois, "undisturbed nesting cover is the biggest habitat issue for quail in Illinois. Along those lines, the conversion of fescue grasses to native species will be a major focus for the chapter."
The chapter's habitat efforts will also include landowner conservation forums to promote enrollment in local, state, and federal conservation programs.
Specifically, chapter leaders point toward the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and a variety of practices available through CRP for improving area agriculture lands for wildlife, while helping stabilize production operations.
The chapter's youth efforts will focus on youth mentor hunts and youth conservation education activities.
Quail Forever was founded by Pheasants Forever on August 10, 2005 to address the nation's quail population decline. In the organization's first year of existence, 71 chapters have formed in 23 different states.
QF applies the successful Pheasants Forever model of empowering local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100% of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent.
Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever are the only national non-profit conservation organizations that operate through this truly grassroots structure. As a result, members see the fruits of their conservation efforts in their own communities, while belonging to a national organization with a broader voice in Washington D.C. on federal conservation policy.
Since Pheasants Forever's creation in 1982, the organization has improved over 4 million acres of land for wildlife. The next meeting for the new chapter will be held on Tuesday, October 24th at 7PM.
The meeting will be held at the VFW in Red Bud. The public and media are encouraged to attend. For more information about the meeting and the new chapter, please contact Dusty Kolweier at (618)282-3055 or via email at dkoweier@yahoo.com.
To learn more about starting a Quail Forever chapter in Illinois, contact Tim Caughran at (618)467-2586 or via email at tcaughran@quailforever.org. Kolweier added that attendees to the next meeting will be picking an official name for the new chapter.
He encourages Randolph County residents to attend and participate in the new organization's efforts.
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