President’s Corner -May 2018

A quick update to let you know what is going on with Southern Arizona Quail Forever.

-The Gambels around my house have started pairing off and we should start seeing chicks before long.  Overall desert habitat looks good but our last significant rain was in Feb.  Late spring moisture is important to provide the bugs chicks need to thrive.  Initial G&F call counts are not very positive.

-Our Apr road cleanup effort to help keep Hog Canyon access open was well supported with 11 in attendance.  All then attended the monthly fire station breakfast in Sonoita which helps support that volunteer organization.

-The elections are now complete, all member input provided supports the new volunteers.  The board will turnover on 1 Jul 19.  It is exciting to see new blood on the board including several younger members.

-Expect to see a request for member input on our bylaws later this summer.

-New board effective 1 Jul:

President – Zack May

VP – Dave Struyk

Secretary – Brian Tackett

Treasurer – Steve Geerligs

Banquet Chair – Steve Geerligs

Youth Co-Chair – Nick  Besenick

Youth Co-Chair – Tony Valentino

Habitat – Jim Littlejohn

Website/Social Media – Dave Brown

At Large – Steve Hopkins

At Large – Ron Walp

At Large – Howard Swenson

At Large – Linda Pfister

-The board has voted to hire Borderland Restorations to build loose rock structures in a borderland area about 30 miles SE of Sonoita.  Once we get a contract and permits are in place we will write a check to start work.  This organization has extensive experience working with forest service and will use low cost labor including prisoners and high school students.  They also

offer us the opportunity to provide “sweat equity” for those members that want to provide some hands on help.  Forest service is continuing to thin and cleanup that area for fire abatement using funds we provided to them in the past.  Dave Brown and I toured that area and their initial work looks good.  G&F has also indicated they may be able to provide some fairly significant funds to help with these projects.

-A Tucson based Boy Scout Troop is also interested in helping us with a habitat project, we hope to give them two options one close to Tucson and another that may require them to camp.

-Our tentative plan is to do a monthly chapter meeting Nov through Mar for the 18/19 hunting season and keep them on the third Thursday of he month.

-We are considering doing the Nov meeting in Vail and Mar meeting in Green Valley with the three middle meeting during the heavy snowbird season in Sonoita.

-Nick Besenick and Jim Littlejohn have volunteered to assess other venues that are offer improved presentation capability over Steakout.

–Please send me your thoughts on our meetings to help us provide what members want.

The Arizona chapter of BHA has scheduled a pint night in Tucson 17 May 6 PM at Sentinel Peak brewery 4746 Grant Ave.  BHA is doing good work to protect public land, access to public land and our right to hunt and fish.  This is an opportunity to stop in and talk to some of their members and see if you would have an interest in helping them out.  Questions on BHA can be addressed to justinnelson@outlook.com.

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