Tennessee State Gamebird to Benefit from Quail Forever’s Three New Employees
Quail Forever 04.11.13
Positions include state field representative and two Farm Bill wildlife biologists
Quail Forever (QF), the leader in national quail conservation, announces the addition of three new positions in Tennessee. These positions include the state’s new Quail Forever field representative, Andy Edwards, and two Farm Bill wildlife biologists, Kevin Edge and Brittney Viers. Edwards will work with chapters and volunteers to further Quail Forever’s grassroots model, while Edge and Viers will work with Tennessee farmers and landowners to bring back Tennessee’s state gamebird – the bobwhite quail.
“Tennessee has a long history of quail hunting, and the addition of these new Quail Forever positions will help restore the state’s gamebird to populations that can be enjoyed by all,” says Rick Young, Quail Forever director of field operations, “Andy has long been a part of our organization through his leadership as a QF volunteer and former QF field representative, and we expect chapters to see that same leadership as he aids them in their grassroots efforts. In addition, both Kevin and Brittney are anxious to get their boots on the ground and assist landowners in implementing conservation programs that will benefit both the state’s landscape and wildlife.”
Quail Forever Field Representative: Andy Edwards, a Tennessee native and former Quail Forever field representative, will be leading Quail Forever’s team in “The Volunteer State.” Originally from Pulaski, Edwards grew up on a farm where he learned to appreciate the state’s wildlife. Graduating from the University of Tennessee, Edwards went on to get his Master’s in Bear Research.
An avid outdoorsman, Edwards knows the importance of conservation on Tennessee’s landscape and getting the next generation involved with land ethics. “I grew up experiencing all that Tennessee had to offer and am excited to help work with our chapters and members to restore the state’s upland populations. Getting youth involved with the outdoors hunting is a large component of Quail Forever and my personal mission. Without them, we will lose our state and country’s most vital conservationists – hunters.” Edwards can be contacted 931-638-9478 or via email.
Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist – Kevin Edge: A Navy veteran, Edge will be stationed in Brownsville at the Brownsville USDA Service Center, covering Haywood, Madison, Crockett, Lauderdale, Tipton, Fayette, and Hardeman Counties. In his new role with Quail Forever, Edge hopes to develop programs and implement wildlife habitat that will improve coexistence with wildlife in the state. He holds a Wildlife Biology degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin, graduating in 2012.
Prior to joining Quail Forever, Edge was a biological science technician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Edge can be contacted at 731-819-4014 or via email.
Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist – Brittney Viers: Having worked with various state and non-government, habitat based agencies, Viers’ primary goals are to restore and/or improve Tennessee’s early successional habitats, such as native grasslands, fallow fields with patchy shrubs, and wetlands. Her focus has been and will continue to be restoring the populations of bobwhites, grassland songbirds and other species of conservation concern.
She will be stationed in Huntingdon at the Huntingdon USDA service center and will cover twelve counties in the region. Viers received her Bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology and Master’s in Biology from Murray State University in Murray, KY. Viers can be contacted at 731-209-4153 or via email.
Edge and Viers’ Farm Bill wildlife biologist positions were made possible through a partnership with the Quail Forever, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), and Quail Forever chapters. The Farm Bill wildlife biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners about the benefits of conservation programs, as well as assist those landowners after programs have been implemented. Pheasants Forever first employed Farm Bill wildlife biologists in 2003 with four positions, and now has over 100 partnership positions across the country. In 2012, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife biologists made over 21,600 landowner contacts, resulting in 656,702 acres of wildlife habitat improvement.
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
