Interest is strong in efforts to save the bobwhite quail in the Southwest as the native quail have disappeared in alarming numbers.
Published on: Aug 23, 2012
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Coke County will conduct a Quail Appreciation Day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 on the Wildcat Mountain Ranch near Robert Lee.
"The loss of native quail over the last decade has reached alarming proportions," says James Jackson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for Coke County. "The whole idea behind this program is to try and help people save what few birds are left.
"The agenda will lean heavily on proper quail habitat, what it is, and how to obtain it. We'll tour the ranch to see firsthand what the speakers are recommending. We'll also hear from experts trying to stem the decline. All in all, it should be an excellent time to learn how to best save America's favorite game bird populations in West Texas."
CROWDS TURN OUT. Evidence of the great interest in saving the bobwhite quail is clear in the big crowds that quail appreciation field days attract.
The morning program's presentation topics will include: Scoring Quail Habitat, Quail Research Updates, Operation Idiopathic Decline, a Bobwhite Brigade presentation, and a quail necropsy.
The afternoon portion will consist of a ranch tour highlighted by the ranch manager's goals and followed by travel to these three stops:
--Stop 1: Softball Habitat Evaluation Technique, Estimating Quail Abundance by Call County and Key Plants for Quail.
--Stop 2: Assessing Quail Nesting Cover Through the Use of Dummy Nests, Interpreting Nest Predation Evidence, and Assessing Predator Trends.
--Stop 3: Rangeland Recovery Following Wildfire-Operation Phoenix.
Attendees to the Quail Appreciation Day in Coke County with a valid private applicator's license can earn three continuing education units from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Individual preregistration for the daylong field day is just $15 by Sept. 10 and $20 thereafter. The registration fee includes a noon meal.
For more information or to preregister, you can call the Texas AgriLife Extension Service office in Coke County at 325-453-2461.
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