"When Quail Decline All Other Species Decline"

Biologists Concerned About Bobwhite Quail
Wed Oct 13, 7:32 AM ET
By ELLIOTT MINOR, Associated Press Writer
ASHBURN, Ga. - The bobwhite quail, which is disappearing in the Southeast, can make a comeback
and add millions of dollars to the rural economy if landowners are willing to make changes in the way
they manage their crops and timber to protect the birds' habitat, biologists
say.
Biologists gathered Tuesday at a field day devoted to the restoration of Georgia's official game bird
blamed loss of habitat, primarily from development and modern farming practices, for a 70 percent
drop in the Southeast's quail population over the past 20 years.
"The quail decline represents an ecological problem and an economic problem," said Reggie Thackston,
a Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologist. "We are losing $45 million a year associated
with quail hunting."
"Quail are an indicator species," he said. "Where quail are in decline, all the other species are declining
in that environment."
The rich and powerful, including Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites), visit south Georgia
plantations to hunt quail with dogs that flush the birds and shotguns to bring them down.
The 60 conservationists and landowners taking part in the field day rode trams around the Wolf Creek
Farm to see examples of habitat and forest management that enhance quail populations by harboring
bugs for young chicks and grasses quails need for nesting.
Biologists cite the elimination of hedgerows and weedy strips between fields, and the reliance on
pesticides that don't discriminate between true crop pests and bugs that quail eat.
Randy Hudson, coordinator of the Wolf Creek project, said it has demonstrated that quail can coexist
with the cultivation of common Southern crops such as corn, peanuts and cotton. A major focus has
been enhancing habitat for nesting and brooding birds and making sure there's adequate food.
The state also sponsors an initiative that provides financial incentives for landowners in 15 counties who
want to improve the quail population, as well as technical assistance for landowners.
"The good news is that we know how to restore quail. They need three things: weeds, briars and bugs,"
said Thackston, who coordinates the program.
On the Net:
Wolf Creek Quail Restoration Project: http://www.emergingcrops.org/wolfcreek/initiative.asp
Bobwhite Quail Initiative: http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us