April S.A.Q.F. Update

March 29, 2021 / SAQF

Overview:

Our schedule for the 21/22 season is below. We are assuming once most have received the COVID vaccine and case numbers go down we can resume a more normal schedule. We will follow national, state and local guidelines and will adjust our activities and schedule as required.
Severe drought in Southern AZ continues with below normal rainfall over the winter.

Habitat:

We continue to build numerous loose rock dams on our Coronado National Forest Grasslands Project. National Forest Foundation, Fisher Foundation and AZSFWC are some of the significant donors supporting this work. Our loose rock dams help during below average rainfall years by slowing runoff to keep water in the soil longer. We now have volunteer days on the schedule including some weekend days. We will get more detail out as we get closer but its a good opportunity to get out in the sunshine and help out. We will keep the work close to the road and away from steep areas
Borderlands Restoration provides SAQF a monthly written report of work completed. In Our total number of erosion control structures installed this season is nearing 300. A number of native seeds have been collected from the CNF, cleaned and will be planted via seedballs in the drainages this summer before monsoon. This contract also includes conservation training and work on the grassland project for high school students this summer.
SAQF completed installing the BLM provided quail escape ramps on the Rose Tree Ranch. We have also acquired a few escape ramps that can be used on non BLM lands.

Grazing on Public Lands:

Due to the extreme drought combined with grazing many of our public grasslands took a big hit this last year. We submitted many of our observations to USFS and received positive feedback. As a stakeholder in the public grasslands we will set up one of our meetings next year to better educate our members on how grazing on public lands is managed and provide feedback to the land managers.

BANWR & Masked Bobwhite Recovery:

The ongoing drought has not benefitted masked bobwhite reintroduction efforts on BANWR. However, masked bobwhite are present on the refuge landscape, demonstrating their ability to adapt to the harsh conditions. Additional masked bobwhite wearing radio transmitters were recently released on the refuge, where they join existing winter coveys and provide opportunities for biologists to track the survivability and habitat use of the wild birds.
BANWR staff is planning habitat work on Wednesday and Thursday, 21-22 April. Please contact Dawn Brown at dawn_brown@fws.gov if you are able to help.

Chapter and QF National Finances

Without a banquet this year we are working other sources of funding to support out habitat, public land and R3/Youth events. Every cent the chapter collects remains with the chapter for local work. Donations that are sent to the national organization are used at the national level and not made available to the chapter.
Our banquet profit from merchandise, raffles and auctions averages about $100 per person. If you are able, consider a donation directly to the chapter. You can use a credit card at https://ch3163-southern-arizona-quail-forever.square.site. A big thank you to those that have already done this.
QF National receives much of its funding through individual memberships. Many of you renew your QF membership at our banquet. You can keep your membership current by by renewing at https://quailforever.org/getdoc/91f8dfad-47ad-46d6-af54-5649db42671f/Membership.aspx. This video is an appeal from the PF/QF President/CEO – youtu.be/VPea0dKPWok.

Access to Public Lands:

-Meadow Valley road bypass is still moving forward. The public comment period for the NEPA is complete. CNF road manager is working to have a road in place for the 21/22 season. Both AZSFWC and AWF have written letters of support for this project.
The conservation easement and public access easement on ranch land near Tombstone has been completed. Both AZ QF Chapters provided funding plus we received a grant from AZSFWC. Signage for access has been installed and a gate is in work.

PF/QF Legislative Action Fund (LAF)

SAQF made a $1000 donation to LAF. The PF & QF Governmental Affairs team continues to work a number of priority legislation initiatives on Capitol Hill. One initiative is Hunt Fish 30X30, which falls under President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling The Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The goal of this initiative is to conserve “… at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” The Hunt Fish side of this is to ensure hunters and anglers get a seat at the table to determine how these public lands and waters will be used.

AZ Sportsman for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC) and Arizona Wildlife Federation (AWF):

SAQF is part of AZSFWC. You can sign up for their enews at http://azsfwc.org. This allows us to better coordinate with other wildlife groups and better communicate with AZ G&F leadership. We are part of over 10,000 AZ sportsman represented by this organization. We are also an affiliate of AWF which allows us to pool volunteer help and communicate with other wildlife and conservation organizations.
Please consider purchasing a AZSFWC license plate to support wildlife when you renew your current AZ plate through Service Arizona. The fee for this license supports the conservation grants provided by AZSFWC. Our Family Day/Youth Hunt has received AZSFWC grant support the last two years.

Chapter Website, Facebook and Instagram:

If you see an error or have a recommendation for improvement, please let us know. We are always looking for pictures, stories or articles to add. We have added instagram to our social media offerings. If you see something that would be worthwhile to cross post, please send it to Dave Brown (browndave27@gmail.com) or Kerry Newberry (newberry.kerry@gmail.com). Check out or participate in our ongoing pointing dog photo contest on facebook.

Future dates:

14 & 17 Apr Grassland Project Volunteer Days
4 & 8 May Grassland Project Volunteer Days
8-10 Oct Scaled Quail and Box Turtle Count
15 Oct Desert Quail Opens
Nov/Dec TBD Fall Road Cleanup
3 Dec Mearns Quail Opens
5 Dec QuailFest Fairgrounds
9 Dec Fall Meeting Green Valley
20 Jan Winter Meeting Sonoita
29 Jan Banquet
6 Feb Quail Closes
TBD Feb Wing Bee
25-27 Feb Family Days
TBD Winter Road Cleanup
Note 21-22 AZ Quail Season Dates Pending AZ G&F Commission Review