UA Flushes & Noteworthy Points
compiled by Tom Keer
Illinois Birddog Rescue and the Homeless Hunters
Relocation efforts will hopefully jump start sage grouse breeding in Montana. (Photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Montana Sage Grouse Restocking Program According to the Billings Gazette, 80 Montana sage grouse might find themselves relocated to North Dakota in 2014 and 2015. Two batches of 40 female sage grouse are being considered to help supplement the dwindling populations in southwestern North Dakota. “It’s a fairly well thought-out plan,” said George Pauley, of Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Park’s wildlife division. “They’ve gone to pretty significant lengths to come up with the best possible practices to ensure it is a success.” The commission approved exploring the issues surrounding the birds’ decline, and an environmental assessment would be included. Initial reasons cited for the game birds’ decline are numerous. An outbreak of West Nile virus in 2007 reduced the sage grouse population by 50 percent. In following years, sage grouse numbers declined due to poor nesting conditions at a rate of 5 percent per year. In 2012, only 72 males were counted on 12 leks. Last year’s drought might have a profound impact on the beleaguered population, too. These conditions have resulted in a population so low “that natural reproduction may not be covering natural mortality,” said Aaron Robinson, the upland bird biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. “One of our thoughts is that we may be experiencing a genetic bottleneck where bringing in new genes from Montana may help,” he added. This proposed restocking initiative wouldn’t be the first time that Montana has supplied sage grouse to boost other populations. In 2010 and 2011, northeastern Montana’s Phillips and Valley counties supplied 40 sage grouse to boost populations in southeastern Alberta, Canada. The number of birds there had dropped to about 100.
Abandoned bird dogs get a second lease on life through the Illinois Birddog Rescue. Some even become award winners! (Photo/Illinois Birddog Rescue)
Unfortunately, many hunting dogs find their way into animal shelters across the country, but Lisa Spakowski chose to do something about it. In October, 2001 she founded Illinois Birddog Rescue (IBR), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to rescuing, vetting, and ultimately placing American Field Bred English pointers and setters in new homes. “In the past 12 years, IBR has saved over 1,000 dogs and puppies,” Spakowski said. “There are numerous reasons these great dogs are mistreated and abandoned. The similarity of many of our rescues is that these pointers and setters were bird dogs that didn’t live up to their owner’s goals. Some might not have won enough field trials, others may have become too old to hunt, or perhaps a female couldn’t have puppies. Other situations come into play, too. Some families might not be able to properly maintain their dogs. More recently the difficult economy and job loss are two main reasons. All of that results in dogs from distinguished pedigrees having an opportunity for a second hunting career.” Mistreated and neglected dogs suffer from a variety of health issues. Malnutrition, dehydration, heartworm, Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are common afflictions, but some dogs suffer from gunshot wounds, ligament tears, and broken bones. “Depending on the foster care openings, IBR brings in between 80 and 100 pointers and setters from the Midwest and several surrounding states and have adopted dogs to families on both coasts and Canada,” Spakowski said. “Our tick-borne disease testing and treatment program has helped many abandoned dogs regain their natural hunting instincts, and many have been adopted by hunting/pet homes. While we place many homeless pointers and setters of all ages with families who are looking for a family pet and companion, we also help many senior dogs find wonderful retirement homes and hospice care for these great dogs. All IBR
4 The Upland Almanac | Summer 2013
UA SU13.indd 4
3/18/13 9:04 AM
dogs receive the medical attention and the love that they have earned. So regardless of the next step, our goal is to remove these pointers and setters from harm’s way, to identify and to treat their ailments and diseases, and then place them in caring foster homes until we can evaluate if they have hunting potential or would be better suited to a pet home. It’s a labor of love, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Spakowski is not a bird hunter, but she has entered her own personal rescues setters in the AKC Hunt tests and the FDSB Walking Field trials since 1999. Her dog Gavin received his AKC Junior Hunter and got four perfect scores for hunting, bird finding, pointing, and trainability. For more information about adopting a pointer or a setter or to make a donation: www.illinoisbirddogrescue.org.
Lesser Prairie Chickens: To List or Not To List After decades of concerns about the condition of the lesser prairie chicken population, conservationists and biologists have reached across party lines to join forces to keep the bird from being listed as an endangered species. The Western The TRCP, the WAFWA, and the governors of Texas, Colorado, Association Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico are banding together to of Fish and help protect the lesser prairie chicken habitat. Wildlife Agencies (Photo/Larry Lamsa) (WAFWA), along with multiple stakeholders like the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) is working to stabilize and to increase the population of a favorite game bird in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico. The lesser prairie chicken is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Program in September 2013, a listing that would likely have an effect on future hunting seasons. Ed Arnett, the Director of the Center for Responsible Energy Development for the TRCP, is working closely with the WAFWA’s Grassland’s Coordinator, Bill van Pelt. Both men are studying the unstable bird population from very different perspectives, and their deeper understanding suggests that success may be closer at hand than previously thought. “We’ve seen tremendous swings in the population of the
lesser prairie chicken,” Arnett said. “In the mid-1990s, their numbers were perilously low. In the mid-2000s, we saw a brief recovery. Then in 2008 their numbers declined again.” In early 2012, WAFWA formed several committees to activate the decades of research to develop comprehensive land-use planning and mitigation efforts with a goal of stabilizing the bird population. The lesser prairie chicken’s range is in the grasslands found in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico. The birds favor large-track grasslands of 25,000 acres or more. Finding these large parcels becomes more challenging every year as farming practices and land development alter the terrain. In other instances, habitat fragmentation occurs as a result of the other expansion projects. Roads to support oil or natural gas drilling or the construction of cell phone towers or the running of power lines negatively affect breeding leks. The lesser prairie chicken has a friend in Arnett, whose focus at the TRCP is on energy. Armed with a doctorate in biology and as certified wildlife biologist, Arnett has a macro-view for TRCP to develop a mixed-use, integrated land-use plan. “Our focus is on conserving and improving habitat. By working directly with biologists from state and federal agencies, we’ll see tremendously positive side effects of all animals. Similar land-use and mitigation planning efforts will help declining sage grouse as well and quite possibly mule deer, too.” Bill van Pelt agrees. “The ideal habitat for the lesser prairie chicken is a tract of 25,000 continuous acres of grasslands. Grasslands projects are interesting because of their fast speed in maturation. We can create an ideal bird habitat in an incredibly short five- to eight-year time frame. The complexity is where the balance is essential for stability. As easily as the habitat improves, it can also deteriorate. Fires, drought, or flooding, for instance, can damage habitat very quickly. WAFWA partnered with other agencies through the Farm Bill and have enrolled over 3,000,000 acres into conservation. That’s a significant amount of land that will help us reach our goal of an ideal bird count which would be 66,000 birds occupying 6.3 million acres. We currently have some 37,000 birds and need to group the five states together and create an overarching conservation platform. We helped form the LPC Interstate Working Group to network across state lines and to help us keep improving lesser prairie chicken counts and therefore keep a favorite species from being listed as endangered.” In 1995, the lesser prairie chicken was a candidate for review, but concerns for other species reprioritized its listing. From 20082010 the bird held the highest-need ranking, but legal wrangling prohibited it from being listed. In 2012, a range-wide arrow survey allowed the WAFWA to compare populations at higher ranges, and it was the first time that they used that type of study. Listing status will be decided on in September 2013. For more information: www.wafwa.org/html/prairie_chicken. shtml. See also: The update from the North American Grouse Partnership in the “For the Birds” department in this issue. The Upland Almanac | Summer 2013 5
UA SU13.indd 5
3/18/13 9:04 AM
UA Flushes & Noteworthy Points
compiled by Tom Keer
participants.” Part of the proceeds from the festival will go to the Deep Portage Hunters who frequent Conservation Camp near Hackensack, Minnesota’s Pineridge Grouse Camp Minn. Underprivileged kids come from during October and November are all over the state to learn about grouse, routinely surrounded by fine double woodcock, pheasants, ethical hunting, barrels. On July 20, 2013, the shotguns nature, and the outdoors. They also learn will remain in their cases while the about shotguns and gun safety, and their Double Barrel Blues Festival kicks off. weeklong program culminates in their Getting kids like Wylie Snyder from Princeton, Minn., involved According to Jerry Havel, the receipt of their Minnesota hunter safety in bird hunting is the focus of Pineridge Grouse Camp’s Double owner of Pineridge Grouse Camp and Barrel Blues Fest. Wylie shot these birds over his own setter named certificate. the founder of the festival, “My wife The award-winning lineup includes Gracie. (Photo/Nancy Whitehead) Brenda and I sort of stumbled into the three primary musicians and their bands: event. In the mid-1990s, we created from the Twin Cities, G.B. Leighton; The Outdoor Kids’ Foundation where we raised and donated New Mexico-born and bred Ken Valdez; and Iowa’s Kevin Burt over $100,000 to sporting camps and organizations. The Double and Big Medicine. Barrel Blues Festival is an extension of that original program, Tickets are $45 in advance/$55 on the day of the show, and and we’re relaunching it at a time when we should be looking camping is available by reservation. For more information check to preserve our upland bird hunting heritage by introducing new out www.doublebarrelbluesfest.com or call Havel at 218-301-6083.
Double Blast of Blues
Quail Unlimited Ceases Operation Quail hunters have lost a major conservation organization. As of late January 2013, Quail Unlimited has closed its doors. According to a press release from Quail Unlimited’s president Bill Bowles, the decision did not come easily. “This has been a valiant effort by everyone, and we should all be proud. I would personally like to thank every member for your support. Our great staff and our great Board of Directors have stood the test, and they have given their very best effort. However, the entire Board of Directors and I have made the difficult decision to cease Quail Unlimited operations and go out of business effective immediately. “There are a few large challenges that we are about to be faced with. Could we possibly overcome them? We might be able to, but it would require money that we do not have and it would be a huge distraction from our basic purpose — quail and youth.” Quail Unlimited was beleaguered by a plethora of issues that resulted in a major shake-up in 2009. At that time, longtime president Rocky Evans resigned for health reasons, and Craig A. Alderman, the organization’s marketing director since 2006, was appointed by the board to replace Evans on an interim basis. After seven months, Alderman was dismissed by the board in a split vote, followed by the
resignation of six additional board members. The $6 million annual budget was drained, and the 24-person staff was released. Allegations of financial scandals as well as the misappropriation of firearms swirled in both the print and cyber worlds. At the core of the issue, chapter memberships and donations had dropped by over 90 percent. In QU’s heyday there were over 30,000 members. Other issues cited as possible reasons for the organization’s decline were its chapter funding model, poor communication between the board of directors and the executive management team, and generally poor management processes. In his statement Bowles said, “I’m left to reflect on how best to accomplish those goals in light of QU’s end, which leads me to recommend Quail Forever as the future of quail conservation in America. … “We share in an obligation to our mission of supporting quail and youth. It is time for us to assure ourselves that we stay focused on our mission. It is my firm belief, at this time, that our beloved quail need us to unite our efforts. We hope you will support [Quail Forever] in these efforts. We all know that we are stronger when we work together for a common goal. Our quail and our youth will benefit from your membership in Quail Forever. QF supports its members and chapters in a way that we will all be proud of.” Backing up his thoughts with action, Bowles has accepted a position as QF’s Southeastern regional director.
6 The Upland Almanac | Summer 2013
UA SU13.indd 6
3/18/13 9:04 AM