It’s easier to get momentum than it is to It’s easier to get momentum than it is to maintain it.maintain it.

Virginia’s QRI – “Momentum Madness”

Where we’ve been…

2

3

4

This is our second quail plan…

Which should tell you something about the momentum of the first

We did learn some lessons – number 1 is, if you do not have the support of your Board for the long haul, you are sunk.

Every effort has to be made to let those who want to see a quail plan know there are no quick fixes.

Initial momentum may be about charisma, excitement, etc. – but long term success is more about guts and perseverance.

5

Baking a layer cake…

1) The base, or foundation for long term success – 5 jointly funded positions – focus on quail full time

2) Increased and targeted cost-share – BMPs and WHIP / EQIP in 6 target counties – some statewide

3) QMAP – something for everyone, Quail Quilts and Quail Recovery Teams

What the QRI is NOT…

Will not restore quail statewide Not a cash cow for landowners Does not mean DGIF staff show up on your

farm, trap predators, create habitat, etc. Not a quick fix…none exist It will not invoke a miracle…will take sustained

effort

What the QRI is…

Restore quail across 6 focus areas (15 counties) Increases technical assistance and cost-share

program delivery An effort to target cost-share funds and habitat Demonstrate county scale population effects Builds interest, networking, importance Is a flywheel that will require a lot of inertia in the

beginning…in hopes a breakthrough is achieved at some point 8 to 10 years down the road

9

5 Private Lands Wildlife Biologists

Has been a very good partnership between DGIF, NRCS and CMI

Greatly reduces administrative burden for DGIF and landowners

These 5 biologists are the “heart and soul” of the entire QRI…their attention is solely focused on habitat development

Dramatically increases liaison between partners

5 Private Lands Wildlife BiologistsMajor accomplishments

Fiscal year Site visits New contacts

Management plans

Outreach sessions

Managed acres

Total farm acres

2010 251 235 104 47 1,168 21,080

2011 540 406 270 160 5,354 81,972

2012 429 397 295 276 5,145 32,955

2013 412 164 300 257 ? 41,160

Total 1632 1202 969 770 11,667 (?) 177,167

11

VDGIF funded Wildlife BMPs

2010 – 566 acres and $128,962.00 2011 – 782 acres and $219,139.00 2012 – 270 acres and $54,793.00 Approximately 1600 acres and $402,894.00 And there are $88,773.00 worth of projects

carried over to 2013 for a grand total of $491,667.00 plus all new sign-up to come this spring.

12

Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative Special grant through NRCS and the WHIP program Allowed targeting of the special WHIP funds specific to

the 6 initial quail focus counties Has brought in $256,000.00 in NRCS funds to support the

quail plan Funded 23 projects for an average of $11,130.00 per

project, or an average cost of $73.00 per acre Has funded a total of 3572 acres Combined CCPI and VDGIF BMPs approximately

$820,000.00 in habitat acres on the ground

13

14

Layer 3 – The Quail Management Assistance Program - QMAP QMAP serves landowners statewide regardless of

participation in government cost-share 278 landowners enrolled (67,732 acres 16% managed) Each year we have added more new applicants than

during the previous year, this year we topped 100 new applicants

They all get a certificate of appreciation, a management packet and enrollment on our list serve

Big part of QMAP is our list serve (maintained by CMI for free)

QMAP landowners by acres owned

15

16

Outreach, outreach and more outreach

Virginia Quail Council listserv – 100 contacts QMAP – listserv – all enrolled landowners on it Website updated Articles in Virginia Wildlife, QU Magazine and Covey Rise Articles in Richmond Times Dispatch, Federicksburg Star,

Roanoke Times and others Mass mailing on cost-share to 20,000 landowners in 15

target counties – have done 4 separate mailings Have been on Virginia public TV and radio, and on RFD-

TV nationally

17

Large Scale DVD outreach.

DVD – “Answering the Call: Virginia’s Quail Recovery Initiative”

Designed to appeal to landowners who are “on the fence” in deciding to participate

Highlights successes of real landowners Uses an emotional appeal “quail don’t need help 10

years from now, they need it now, and here is YOUR chance to be involved in conservation.”

2500 made, over 2000 distributed so far

18

Co-Coordinator hired…research and monitoring (Jay Howell) Monitoring / tracking is critical to detecting and

reporting success (Model Focus Areas) Maintain long term surveys, too. Research is key to identifying new opportunities Liaison to the songbird community...new survey

protocols help monitor species in addition to quail Non-game partnerships will be critical to landscape level

success Other research ongoing / planned

National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative

By having a strong national presence, it helps states maintain momentum

NBCI serves a key role which I think is to unite 25 state agencies, key NGOs, other partners under one umbrella

It is only really 3 years old with staffing Building momentum, but finding stable funding is a huge

key NBCI is a state initiative – your directors told us to do this

and they comprise the NBCI Management Board – so ultimately NBCI’s success depends on their leadership

19

Quail Quilts

Within target counties, places where clusters of projects start to develop

Key in on those, and further target outreach Looking for 1500 acres of habitat within a 6000 acres

area (about 10 square miles) (called Model Focus Areas by NBCI)

This is 25% useable habitat within that context Then plan intense monitoring to document successes Only 2 or 3 developing so far Need a public lands focus and help!!

20

21

22

23

Landowner and partner recognition

24

Recognizing and promoting success

Landowner signage has been developed Success articles in VW and other newsletters Success stories on National Bobwhite Technical

Committee webpage Field tours of farms where success has occurred Wildlife conservation awards through SWCDs (some

already occurring and have for years) Statewide recognition of wildlife conservationists is

needed badly

So why is maintaining momentum so challenging??? Personal / individual “leader” momentum Core team momentum Within agency momentum Public / landowner momentum Partner momentum National momentum

25

Why are so many quail biologists bald and gray?

26

Short term funding to fix long term problems “Fits and starts” as Steve Capel aptly described it High turn over among short term funded staff Time demands for hiring and training new staff can be

draining Please read the paper I made a copy for all of you (“The

Gassett Doctrine”) I will call it – from Quail 7 Why don’t upland game and non game birds (wildlife)

have the equivalent of what has been done for waterfowl?

Until we fix the funding problem…

27

Over abundance versus under abundance

Back in the good old days – everyone was focused on under abundance – everyone was focused on making more critters and habitat

In this era – ½ to 2/3 of many agencies’ biologist staff are focused on addressing over abundance

And many focused on under abundance focus on T&E species

So not only have agencies suffered losses in total staffing, they have taken on new missions that demand a high portion of remaining staff

28

Unexpected but unavoidable missions

29

Lines in the sand - polarization

You say either “some use of Pen-raised quail is OK” – or “NOT AT ALL” “NEVER!”

You say to landowners “well – sorry you don’t have 1500 to 2000 acres so there is nothing you can do for quail.”

You say “use of translocated quail that may not be genetically the same as local populations is unacceptable.”

You take the approach that habitat management is the only real solution, that there is no place for predator control, supplemental feeding, and use of parent-reared chicks (I term TTRS Birds).

30

Most important – never give up, what we do is important

Dr. Ralph Stanley – in his mid 80s – still touring Won a Grammy in 2002 – in his mid 70s “for best

male vocalist” Awarded honorary Doctorate of Music from Lincoln

Memorial University, in Tennessee Awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2006 Wrote book “Man of Constant Sorrow” with guest

writer Eddie dean

31