1st Area to Achieve Habitat Restoration Goals of the NBCI
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 benefited 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.
