Quail & Upland Wildlife Federation Notes from the Road

Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation Notes from the Road

Harrisonville, MO –-(Ammoland.com)- As you read this I hope everyone has had a great start to their fall season and that you had a Happy Thanksgiving!!

As I was driving just a couple weeks ago threw the vast grasslands of the Flint Hills Native Prairies of Kansas on my way to the Ark Valley Chapter Annual Banquet in Wichita, KS I crossed into the heart of the Flint Hills where I was exactly 81 days after attending the National Bobwhite Technical Committee meetings.

When I was there in August it was an amazing 115 degrees on an extremely hot summer afternoon in the Flint Hills! Yes, that is right, 115 degrees and that is not heat index… it is the regular temperature!!

Ok yes, that is hot…. to say the least and I was then thinking, wow that is even hot for all wildlife out there on the prairie, especially the quail and the other grassland birds. Then this morning going thru the exact same spot in the heart of the Flint Hills, today just 81 days later it is only 34 degrees! Yes, that is an 81 degree difference in just 81 short days!!

And we wonder why quail and other wildlife have to be tough and be able to adapt to all weather extremes from one end of the spectrum to the other in a relatively short time period! It is actually hard to believe that large a change on the exact same prairie grassland in that short a time period will and does occur. Yes, I had my AC unit blasting full force in August and it could barely keep up and now the heater was turned up on high.

That is where the wildlife habitat work we all work so hard on comes into play. I always knew that it was important at various times of the year, but this reaffirmed it to me even more at this moment while driving thru the Flint Hills. Yes, summer thermal protection by shrubby cover, well managed grasslands, and woody cover areas is so vitally important in the summer for shade, thermal regulation for birds and chicks as well as for escape cover in the summer.

But then that same shrubby cover, well managed grasslands and woody areas are so equally, if not even more important in the winter season for escape from the elements and precipitation, thermal regulation and also for escape cover in an even more intense predation situation and time of the year.

So just as we have AC and Heat in our homes, offices and vehicles, the work we all do on wildlife habitat throughout the year is so crucial for the wildlife we manage that we need to remember that, so that we can assist them with their intense adaption to the great temperature extremes that occur each and every season and year.

Thanks for all the habitat work you do as you know it is definitely “Making a Difference for Wildlife One Acre at a Time.”

About:
Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation, Inc., a tax exempt 501(c)(3) conservation organization, was formed to serve its members and chapters nationwide, providing a strong local source of habitat focus on quail and upland wildlife and population recovery. Millions of dollars of habitat work have been completed by its members over the years on thousands of acres of both private and public lands, now that work continues with a renewed vitality. Our chapters from coast to coast, provide the grass roots, local habitat work that is making a difference each and every day. For more information or to join QUWF please visit our website at www.quwf.net.