CONSERVATION CORNER
New Program For Quail Offered
by James L. Cummins

President George W. Bush has launched a new conservation initiative to protect and increase wildlife habitat. It will create 250,000 acres of habitat for bobwhite quail. The initiative will have tremendous benefits for Mississippi.

"I'm ordering the Secretary of Agriculture to help protect 250,000 acres of grasslands, which are the home of several species of birds, including the Northern Bobwhite Quail," explained President Bush. "By expanding this program, our goal is to increase the quail population by about 750,000 birds a year." The Northern Bobwhite Quail Habitat Initiative is a part of the Conservation Reserve Program. It will provide $125 million in payments to private landowners through 2007. It is limited to 250,000 acres. Enrollment will be targeted to the Southeast, where there is the greatest potential to restore bobwhite quail habitat.

Numbers of bobwhite quail, an important species to hunters in the Southeast have declined dramatically over the last 25 years. Their habitats are disappearing due to urbanization, increased grassland cultivation and a transitioning of once grassy fields into woods and forests.

The program introduces a conservation practice intended to create 250,000 acres of grass buffers along agricultural field birders. In addition, the initiative will reduce soil erosion and protect water quality by trapping field sediments and nutrients.

The continuous program sign up for the bobwhite quail will begin October 1, 2004 at local Farm Service Agency offices. Signup will run until the total acreage has been enrolled or until December 31, 2007, whichever comes first.

Bobwhite populations will greatly benefit from this national initiative. Due to the intense interest in quail throughout its range, the Southeast Quail Technical Committee has been formed and charged with developing a national plan for restoration of quail. This plan has set goals of stabilizing populations in 5 years and restoring populations to 1980 levels in 20 years.

This initiative provides technical assistance and cost share to enhance habitat on private lands. It is primarily directed at providing nesting and brood rearing habitats. Technical assistance on bobwhite habitat management will be provided. Landowners will receive assistance for establishing and maintaining specific types of early successional habitats.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their web site is www.wildlifemiss.org.