Outdoor News Daily

Research shows that bobwhite quail numbers across the nation have been in gradual decline since the 1960s, but Oklahoma remains a great holdout for the long-celebrated upland bird.

Despite its location along the western fringe of the bobwhites native range, Oklahoma offers some of the best quail hunting and habitat in the nation including large, contiguous tracts of outstanding mixed grass prairie as well as portions suitable for restoration.

At its March meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission heard a presentation from wildlife biologists highlighting efforts to benefit bobwhite quail and fight downward trends.
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Ice is disappearing fast on many New Hampshire waterbodies, creating dangerous conditions in places. With warmer weather expected in the coming days, the situation is likely to become even more treacherous, according to Col. Martin Garabedian, New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Chief.

“We’re urging all outdoor enthusiasts to use extreme caution on the ice from this point forward,” said Garabedian. “We’ve had reports that ice conditions are hazardous and changing daily on many larger lakes and ponds, especially around inlets and outlets.”

Fish and Game is strongly encouraging ice anglers not to wait for the April 1 deadline to remove bobhouses from the ice, and to use extreme caution as they do so. “Keep a close eye on ice conditions and get bobhouses off the ice as soon as you can, safely,” said Garabedian.
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The Department of Natural Resources and Environment announced today that applications to nominate forest land for enrollment in Michigan’s Forest Legacy Program are now available online. Applications and other Forest Legacy Program resource information can be found online at www.michigan.gov/privateforestland.

Completed applications and all required documentation must be postmarked and submitted to the Forest Legacy Program by Friday, June 18, 2010.

The purpose of Michigan’s Forest Legacy Program is to use federal funds and matching funds to purchase development rights and conservation easements, or fee simple interest, on those environmentally important forests threatened by conversion to non-forest uses within designated geographic areas, known as Forest Legacy Areas.
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Missouri has been lucky so far this winter, but the threat of wildfires could return quickly with dry, windy weather.

Bill Altman, forestry field programs supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said cold, wet weather so far this year has prevented large-scale problems with forest and grass fires. However, one of the primary requirements for a bad fire season – fuel – remains abundant.

“The big wind storm we had in the Ozarks in May of 2009 and the ice storm along the Arkansas line earlier that year put a lot of downed timber on the ground,” said Altman. “That added to tons of woody debris from devastating ice storms in 2008. Under the wrong set of conditions, all that fuel could create serious problems for property owners and firefighters.”
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