NEWS HIGHLIGHTS for the National (Northern) Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, National Bobwhite Technical Committee and the Southeast Quail Study Group.
These are active, exciting days in the NBCI world. Our 2002 NBCI restoration plan laid the foundation for a major transformation in the way we approach conservation of non-migratory wildlife species. Based on the cornerstone of increased partnerships, we are collaborating more with songbird enthusiasts and expanding to all states in the bobwhites’ range. Hence, there are new names for the organization, National Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBTC), and for the initiative, National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). The next step is a new NBCI plan designed to accomplish conservation that is more integrated with partner programs. Highlights of this transformation and changes in organization follow.
Summer 2010—The Annual Meeting of the National Bobwhite Technical Committee will be held August 3-6, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Wichita, Kansas: The Annual Meeting of the National Bobwhite Technical Committee will be held August 3-6, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Wichita, Kansas. The Steering Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 3rd. General sessions, poster sessions, committee meetings and business meetings will be Wednesday, August 4th and Thursday, August 5th. A field trip through the Flint Hills will be offered on August 6th. Click here for printable copy of the meeting announcement.
Winter 2009—NBCI Coordinator Donald McKenzie calls for unity in conservation efforts among NGOs. Coordinator McKenzie provides a commentary on the recent troubles at Quail Unlimited and the need for NGOs to keep their focus on conservation: “In our collective passion for quail hunting lies ultimate power to solve the problems. In the few years of NBCI implementation, we have witnessed and been part of the power of vision, unity, organization and collective action. Many are feeling hopeful for the first time in decades. The unraveling of QU is unfortunate in many ways, but we should not—indeed, we must not—lose sight of the big picture vision of the NBCI. Regardless of the final outcome of the grassroots re-shuffling, the bobwhite resource depends on our willingness and ability to unite. Surely our shared passions are more powerful—and more important—than our differences.” Click here to see the full commentary. NBCI Coordinator Don McKenzie can be reached at wmidm@centurytel.net.
Fall 2009—The NBCI was highlighted as an example of an outstanding conservation partnership in the 10th Anniversary Special Issue of The All-Bird Bulletin, the newsletter of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative Committee: The NBCI was highlighted as an example of an outstanding bird conservation partnership in the 10th Anniversary Special Issue of The All-Bird Bulletin, the newsletter of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative Committee. Getting Grasslands to Sing Again, pages 12 and 13 of the Bulletin, highlights the growth and partnerships of the NBCI. It also makes official the change of the name of the initiative from the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative to the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative. Click here for a copy of the Bulletin.
Fall 2009—NBCI/NBTC receives $375,000 Multistate Conservation grant for Liaison position with the Farm Services Agency, USDA: The National Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBTC) was awarded a 3-year, $375,000 grant to establish a full-time liaison to the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Washington, D.C. beginning in 2010. The liaison will provide biological technical assistance to FSA to refine conservation policy to improve habitat programs and practices in the Conservation Reserve Program in an effort to reach goals of the NBCI restoration plan. Inquiries about the FSA liaison position should be sent to NBCI Coordinator Don McKenzie at wmidm@centurytel.net.
Fall 2009—NBCI partners take steps to create a Management Board with Dr. Jonathan W. Gassett, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, named as interim Chair: National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) partners met at the annual meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in Austin, Texas, to establish an NBCI Management Board. Meeting participants included representatives from more than 20 entities, including state and federal agencies, universities, NGOs and the NBTC. Dr. Jonathan W. Gassett, Commissioner (Director) of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, agreed to serve as the interim Chair of the Management Board. Dr. Gassett will provide leadership, beginning in March 2010 at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. For more information contact NBCI Coordinator Don McKenzie at wmidm@centurytel.net.
Fall 2009—U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service releases new publication, Managing Working Lands for Northern Bobwhite: the USDA NRCS Bobwhite Restoration Project: Pete Heard, Director of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center, unveiled the newly published Managing Working Lands for Northern Bobwhite: the USDA NRCS Bobwhite Restoration Project at the NBCI Management Board meeting in Austin, Texas. The project’s 11 studies cover bobwhite and songbird management and landowner attitudes toward management. These findings resulted in an official NRCS Directive and technical notes to provide guidance for management of bobwhites and songbirds. The project was funded by $1.5 million in agricultural appropriations resulting from guidance provided by the 2002 NBCI plan. The project was led by Mississippi State University’s Dr. Wes Burger, with the assistance of Kristine Evans and Dr. Mark Smith, now with Auburn University. Click here for the project publication.
Summer 2009—Workshops for revision of the NBCI restoration plan were held in 25 states: NBCI’s revision coordinators, Drs. Bill Palmer and Theron Terhune of Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, Florida, conducted workshops in 25 core bobwhite states. Workshop participants, 500 strong, provided data and professional judgment for development of a GIS-based planning system. Completion of the new NBCI is expected in early 2010. Click here for more information.
Spring 2009—NBCI/Eastern Grassland Birds Initiative receives preliminary approval by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Pending approval in November 2009 by the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), NBCI’s proposal for an Eastern Grassland Birds Initiative (EGBI) is set to begin in 2010. The EGBI, a collaboration among Southeast Partners in Flight, American Bird Conservancy, Quail Unlimited, Inc., University of Tennessee’s Center for Native Grasslands and the Southeast Quail Study Group (i.e., National Bobwhite Technical Committee), has been recognized by NFWF as a “Keystone Initiative,” bringing together key ecosystems, wildlife species and natural resource partners. The geography of the EGBI includes 10 Bird Conservation Regions 22 Eastern Tallgrass Prairie, 24 Central Hardwoods, 25 West Gulf Coastal Plain/Ouachitas, 26 Mississippi Alluvial Valley, 27 Southeastern Coastal Plain, 28 Appalachian Mountains, 29 Piedmont, 30 New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast, 31 Peninsular Florida and 37 Gulf Coastal Prairie). The NBCI/EGBI will provide leadership for conservation of grassland birds via 5 staff positions focusing on policy development and implementation of conservation programs. Inquiries about the EGBI should be sent to NBCI Coordinator Don McKenzie, wmidm@centurytel.net.
Spring 2009—Southeast Quail Study Group expands scope range-wide to become National Bobwhite Technical Committee: The Southeast Quail Study Group membership voted unanimously to change the scope and name of the 14 year-old group to the National Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBTC). New bylaws can be found on the PUBLICATIONS page. This is one of the first steps in an effort to unite bobwhite enthusiasts throughout the species’ range. This transformation was initiated by the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative Committee of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In step with the new name of the technical committee, the name of the initiative is being changed from Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative to National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). The next step for the NBCI is revision of the 2002 restoration plan to reflect the range-wide expansion. Click here for more information.
Spring 2009—Southeast Partners in Flight and Southeast Quail Study Group meet together for annual meeting: The two leading Southeastern regional land-bird groups held their annual meetings jointly for the first time in March 2009, in Columbia, South Carolina. Led by Billy Dukes and Laurel Barnhill, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, this collaboration was the product of years of effort to build a strong working relationship between quail and songbird conservation communities. The meeting proceedings can be found on the PUBLICATIONS page.
Fall 2008 through summer 2009—University of Tennessee becomes permanent home of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative: The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) Center for Native Grasslands Management was designated as the new permanent home of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) by The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA). SEAFWA President Dan Forster signed a Memorandum of Agreement with UTIA designating the Center as the headquarters, as selected by SEAFWA. NBCI Director Don McKenzie is working closely with UT’s Dr. Keith Belli, Head, Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Department and Dr. Patrick Keyser, Director, The Center for Native Grasslands Management.
The first “NBCI marketing retreat” was held at UT, with the guidance of the UTIA Marketing and Communications staff. A strategic plan for achieving public support of NBCI implementation was outlined by the two dozen bobwhite conservation participants from 9 states. This outline provides a strong launch point for the NBTC’s Public Relations, Information and Education (PRIE) Committee, in collaboration with the anticipated new NBCI Outreach Coordinator, to be hired early in 2010.
Spring 2008—NBCI collaborates with Quail Forever and Quail Unlimited at North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference to spread the word about quail conservation: The Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) was the focus of 3 high-profile events at the 2008 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Arlington, Virginia: (1) A formal ceremony celebrating the transition of the NBCI to a range-wide initiative based at the University of Tennessee. This Quail-Forever sponsored, invitation-only reception gave state directors and leaders of other bobwhite conservation partners the opportunity to learn about NBCI accomplishments, recent developments and our vision for the future; (2) The second meeting of the NBCI Transition Board, including state agency directors and several key federal and non-government partners; (3) The Quail Unlimited annual NBCI Awards Ceremony.
Spring 2008—First-in-the-nation area to achieve habitat restoration goals of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative is in the lowlands of southeastern Missouri: The first-in-the-nation area to achieve the habitat restoration goals of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is in the lowlands of southeastern Missouri. The resulting increase in habitat and quail has benefitted quail hunters, bird enthusiasts and the local economy. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) stepped-down the NBCI plan with habitat restoration targets for each county in the state. The Scott County habitat restoration goal, in the midst of the intensively agricultural Mississippi Delta region, was 4,500 acres. This quail restoration success story was made possible by USDA Farm Bill programs.
This success validates the NBCI's vision—MDC's implementation strategy, the land's capability to produce abundant wild bobwhites, Farm Bill programs and USDA agencies' ability to deliver ample quality habitat, and landowners' willingness to provide wildlife habitat when incentives are right. Click here for more information.
Spring 2002—Southeast Quail Study Group publishes the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, a landscape-scale habitat restoration and population recovery plan for northern bobwhites: The Southeast Quail Study Group Technical Committee, an arm of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), published the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI), a landscape-scale habitat restoration and population recovery plan for the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). NBCI was developed at the charge of the SEAFWA directors, in recognition of (1) the continuing serious decline of bobwhite populations across most of the species’ range, and (2) the necessity for large-scale coordinated, collaborative action at the regional level. The NBCI plan can be found on the PUBLICATIONS page.
The plan focuses on population and habitat objectives needed to achieve the overall goal of recovering bobwhite densities to 1980 levels on remaining improvable portions of the landscape. The plan’s building blocks are the Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) developed for and utilized by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI). The intent of the BCR-based structure is to facilitate seamless integration of bobwhite habitat restoration efforts with those for migratory songbirds, and other wildlife that share the bobwhite’s habitats. The SEQSG and the SEAFWA directors anticipate mutual cooperation and collective action by bobwhite and songbird advocates ultimately will result in more effective and more substantial habitat restoration efforts for all early-successional species.
2010 Annual Meeting of the NBTC
NBCI Coordinator calls for unity in conservation efforts among NGOs
NBCI highlighted as an example of an outstanding conservation partnership
NBCI/NBTC receives $375,000 Multistate Conservation grant
NBCI partners take steps to create a Management Board
Managing Working Lands for Northern Bobwhite: the USDA NRCS Bobwhite Restoration Project
Workshops for revision of the NBCI restoration plan were held in 25 states
NBCI/Eastern Grassland Birds Initiative receives preliminary approval
SEQSG expands scope range-wide to become National Bobwhite Technical Committee
Southeast Partners in Flight & SEQSG meet
University of Tennessee becomes permanent home of the NBCI
NBCI collaborates with Quail Forever and Quail Unlimited
First-in-the-nation area to achieve habitat restoration goals of the NBCI
SEQSG publishes the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative
