RICHMOND — Landowners with an interest in quail management, hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and others will enjoy learning about one of Texas’ most iconic avian species during the Quail Appreciation Day on March 21 in Richmond, said event coordinators.
The event will be from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Long Acres Ranch, 2335 Williams Way Blvd. It is presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Quail Coalition.
Cost is $10 for early registration and $20 at the door, and lunch is included.
“At Long Acres Ranch, located southwest of Houston, we will present a full day of programming focused on quail ecology, habitat and management challenges that includes a mixture of lecture and hands-on activities,” said Dale Rollins, state coordinator for Texas A&M AgriLife’s Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative, San Angelo. “Participants will spend time both inside and outside the classroom.”
Rollins said the program will include the demonstration of several techniques used in the Texas Quail Index monitoring program, including call counts, habitat evaluations and dummy nests. The agenda also will cover quail anatomy, predation management and exotic grasses, plus include a bird dog demonstration.
“Our goal will be to help people think like a quail,” he said. “We’ll be doing activities to help participants see the world through a quail’s perspective.”
Amanda Gobeli, AgriLife Extension associate with the Texas A&M Institute of Natural Resources, College Station, and an event presenter, said the most recent series of quail appreciation days have been directed at urban populations.
“Although there’s not a lot of quail habitat in the cities, we’ve found there are a lot of people still interested in the birds as wildlife or as a species to manage on their remote properties,” Gobeli said.
Participants will have the opportunity to meet experts in wildlife and natural resource conservation and ask them questions. They will also get the opportunity to interact with live, tame quail.
Space is limited, so attendees are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.
To register, go to https://www.texas-wildlife.org/resources/events/quail-appreciation-day1. If having difficulties with registration, call TWA headquarters at 210-826-2904.
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Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Dale Rollins, 915-653-4576, dale.rollins@ag.tamu.edu
Amanda Gobeli, 325-653-4576, agobeli@tamu.edu