Bobwhite management occurred on at least 3,217,523 acres in 2019—78 percent of that on private land, according to the latest edition of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative’s (NBCI) State of the Bobwhite 2020 report, the 10th such report since its inception in 2011.
Other highlights of the report include:
- Details of a new application made available by NBCI to the states, Collector, which negates the need for paper forms for various field surveys. The application increases the efficiency and application of field data being collected by the states and, in turn, transmitted to the NBCI databases at the University of Tennessee. It is customized to accommodate data collection done in accordance with the various NBCI-required bobwhite focal area protocols in Coordinated Implementation Program, and synchronizes with the existing systems;
- A look at a massive bobwhite telemetry project in Oklahoma utilizing the newest six-gram, solar-powered GPS transmitters that are providing researchers with up to 18 precise points per day per bird, versus the two per day usually collected in the field—and delivering the information when biologists need it at their fingertips;
- A deep dive into the new Native Grasslands Alliance established by NBCI and partners to continue the push for the conservation of existing native grasslands and establishment of a clear path to increased use of natives in USDA Farm Bill conservation programs;
- A profile of Alabama’s Boggy Hollow Quail Focal Area, approximately 7,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat inside Conecuh National Forest, and the partnerships that are making it happen;
- And, another partnership in South Carolina that has resulted in strategies to assist in management of private lands in close proximity to US Forest Service lands. The result was the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Collaborative Landowner Assistance Program (CLAP), which implements habitat management beneficial to bobwhites and other early successional species on those lands.
State of the Bobwhite 2020 is a range-wide snapshot of population, hunting, and conservation status of the northern bobwhite, as well as features on various projects of interest around the core bobwhite range. The digital version may be accessed at https://nbgi.org/download/nbcis-bobwhite-almanac-state-of-the-bobwhite-2020/. Hard copies shipping to the 25 states and Washington, D.C., this year will include a link to a short online survey that focuses on the overall value of the report to the reader as well as specific questions regarding content, size, and format.
About NBCI
Headquartered at the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture/Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, NBCI is a science and habitat-based initiative of the National Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBTC) to elevate bobwhite quail recovery from an individual state-by-state proposition to a coordinated, range-wide leadership endeavor to restore wild bobwhites on a landscape scale. The committee is comprised of representatives of 25 state wildlife agencies, various academic research institutions and private conservation organizations. Support for NBCI is provided by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, 25 state wildlife agencies, the Joe Crafton Family Endowment for Quail Initiatives, the University of Tennessee, Roundstone Native Seed, and Lotek.
Media contact: John Doty, jdoty3@utk.edu
