New Quail Forever Chapter Building Bobwhite Support in Southwest Oklahoma
Quail Forever 07.15.14
Upland conservationists and hunters in four southwest Oklahoma counties have formed the newest Quail Forever chapter in the state. Known as the North Fork Quail Forever chapter, the group, which covers Beckham, Greer, Harmon and Roger Mills counties, initiated to lead wildlife habitat conservation projects that benefit bobwhite and scaled quail.
The North Fork Quail Forever chapter has set out to do quail upland habitat projects on public and private lands. The popular, 19,000-acre Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area in Greer and Beckham counties is one local public tract that will benefit from the chapter’s presence and future habitat projects, work that will be appreciated by bobwhites and upland hunters alike.
“There is a tremendous amount of interest in conserving quail in these communities and across Oklahoma,” says Laura McIver, Quail Forever’s regional representative in the state. “People are recognizing the biggest issue for quail is the quantity and quality of upland habitat. And that’s where Quail Forever comes in.”
Quail Forever is dedicated to the conservation of quail, pheasants and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs. Quail Forever chapters promote local, state, and federal conservation programs which help landowners protect environmentally sensitive acres for quail and other wildlife. Quail Forever also employs a unique model of empowering local chapters with 100 percent control of the chapters’ locally-raised funds to complete habitat and youth education projects in the chapters’ own communities.
North Fork Quail Forever
• The North Fork Quail Forever chapter has elected James Clark of Elk City as president, Don Mooney of Sayre as vice president, M. Craig Puckett of Sayre as treasurer, Camala Hinkle of Carter as secretary/youth & education chair, Todd Rogers of Cheyenne as co-habitat chair and Keith Smith of Elk City as co-habitat chair.
• The North Fork Quail Forever chapter will hold its next meeting on Monday, July 21 at 6:30 pm at the Admin Building at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Sayre.
• For more information about the chapter, contact James Clark at (580) 515-0692 / email.
Quail Forever in Oklahoma
Oklahoma is home to five Quail Forever chapters. For more information about Quail Forever in the state, to join a chapter or inquire about starting a chapter, contact Laura McIver at (907) 750-2600 / email.
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.
