May Newsletter

April 29, 2021 / SAQF

Overview:

Severe drought in Southern AZ continues with below normal rainfall over the winter and spring which will support fewer birds.
Our schedule for the 21/22 season is below.  We are planning normal events for next year.  We will follow national, state and local guidelines on COVID and will adjust our activities and schedule as required.
Do you have a plan to keep your dogs and yourself in shape during the summer?

Volunteer Opportunities:

We have two workdays planned on 4 and 8 May at our grasslands project SW of Montezuma Pass along the border.  We will meet at 8:30 and end around noon.  Even an hour or so of help would be appreciated.  These are the last opportunities planned for this season.  The Borderlands Restoration Network (BRN) crew and most volunteers are fully vaccinated.  If you are not vaccinated, recommend clear social distancing on site.
Directions to Work Site:The restoration work for these even will occur on the southwest side of the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista and Hereford.  We will meet on site.  Take Highway 92 south out of Sierra Vista through Hereford a few miles looking for the sign to Coronado National Memorial.  Turn right on Coronado Road and drive through the memorial up the mountain to Montezuma Pass.  At the pass, the road becomes West Montezuma Canyon Road (FS 61) follow it down and take the first left on FS 4781 (this road is just east of Copper Canyon).  On FS 4781 take a right at the “t” intersection to the restoration site about 500 yards down. If you arrive late and have trouble locating us, please call Restoration Program Manager Tess Wagner at 734-274-0411 or Zack May at 520-301-8135 and we will come find you!
Restoration Work:The Watershed Restoration Crew from BRN will show you how to build rock structures to slow water flow, increase infiltration, trap sediment, and establish vegetation, mitigating problematic erosion on-site. Later in the year, these areas will be seeded to encourage the establishment of native plant communities that provide important habitat for Montezuma Quail.
What to bring:

  • Plenty of drinking water
  • Close-toed boots or shoes
  • Long pants
  • Sun protection including: a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, and sunscreen
  • Work gloves
  • Snacks or lunch

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.SAQF completed installing the BLM provided quail escape ramps on the Rosetree Ranch.  We have also acquired a few escape ramps that can be used on non BLM lands.  We are currently planning significant habitat work on the Rosetree.

Grazing on Public Lands:

Due to the extreme drought combined with grazing many of our public grasslands took a big hit this last year.  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.  We are working procedures with CNF to report grazing issues to their range manager.

BANWR & Masked Bobwhite Recovery:


We worked 21 and 22 April on habitat improvements at BANWR along with partners from Friends of BANWR, AZ Wildlife Federation and Sutton Avian Research Center.

History of Conservation:

Check Station circa 1960

An enjoyable and educational read.  https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/hunting/greatest-conservation-milestones-in-hunting-fishing-history/

Ads for Chapter Members:


Wirehair Puppy

As you have seen in the past we are willing to let folks know if you have dogs/pups or other items that other members may be interested in.  This is only for private sales vice commercial.  The chapter does not endorse nor have we vetted any of these ads.

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.   A big thank you to those that have made donations directly to the chapter.  At present the chapter in good financial shape.
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:

Hog Canyon Sign in Box

-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.  AZSFWC is currently doing a sweepstakes for a new Ford Bronco.

Chapter Website, Facebook and Instagram: 

Visit the Chapter’s Facebook and Instagram Sites


 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).   We just completed another pointing dog photo contest on facebook.


Future dates:

  • 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 are now Official.  The next season AZ regs are out.