AgriLife Extension fields third set of Quail Appreciation Days

Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, [email protected]

Contacts: Dr. Dale Rollins, 325-653-4576, [email protected]

Rebekah Ruzicka, 661-618-3956, [email protected]

SAN ANGELO – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a third set of Quail Appreciation Days across Texas this spring for landowners, naturalists and others interested in actively stopping the decline of wild native quail through proper quail management.

“These quail appreciation days are each a one-day workshop covering a wide array of topics related to quail management,” said Becky Ruzicka, AgriLife Extension wildlife associate at Dallas.

“Our goal is to have people go from the field days with a greater appreciation and understanding for all the intricate processes that contribute to having wild quail on the ground each year,” Ruzicka said. “We also want them to have a proper understanding on ways they can implement land management to give quail on their property the best chance possible to survive.

“So whether you just acquired your first place or are an old hand at quail management with 30-years experience, there will be some useful information for you at these appreciation days.”

All the programs share similar agendas, though each will be tailored to fit the area in which that particular appreciation day is set. All start with registration at 8:30 a.m. and conclude by 4:30 p.m.

More information on specific programs is available through the AgriLife Extension offices in the respective hosting counties. Dates and the counties conducting the workshops include:

– May 1, Jones/Haskell counties.

– May 21, Roberts County.

– May 28, Garza County.

– June 2, Knox County.

– June 3, Wichita County.

Each workshop will include presentations on quail physiology and management, plus an afternoon tour demonstrating management and habitat assessment techniques.

Individual preregistration is $10 and due one week prior to the field day and $20 thereafter and at the door.

Two Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be offered at each workshop.

“Last year was the first year since 2005 we have seen an increase in quail populations across the state, and we could be poised for an even greater rebound this year if the weather holds out,” Ruzicka said. “Rainfall plays a huge role in the number of quail we raise each year, but success comes only on land that provides high quality habitat.

“As with other species, top quality habitat is the bedrock necessary for any sustainable quail population, and we want those attending these quail appreciation days to go away knowing their options as private landowners statewide for filling a crucial role in not only the maintenance, but also the improvement of proper quail habitats.”

Ruzicka said the Quail Appreciation Day series is one component of AgriLife Extension’s Reversing the Decline of Quail Initiative. Other components currently being implemented include a series of research projects, a large-scale demonstration effort called the Texas Quail Index and “QuailMasters,” a series of continuing education workshops for serious “students of quail.”

For more information on this series or other components of the quail decline initiative, go to http://wildlife.tamu.edu/quail.