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Quail Unlimited Partners with SEAFWA To Support NBCI Coordinator Position

At the recent spring meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), the wildlife agency directors were advised that Quail Unlimited would partner with them to provide funding for the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) Coordinator position for the next three years. The amount required to fund this position is $75,000 per year for three years and the funding will begin in 2007. The funding was made possible by Quail Unlimited and Budweiser committing future funds from the Help Budweiser Help The Outdoors program to NBCI.



The announcement was made on behalf of Quail Unlimited by Dan Forster, Director of Wildlife Resources with Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Forster also serves as Chairman of the NBCI Committee for SEAFWA . Forster stated, I am very pleased to make this announcement on behalf of the Quail Unlimited organization which shows their commitment to NBCI and its national goals. He also provided information to the other directors on the amount of funds and habitat projects that Quail Unlimited chapters had been responsible for in the last two years. In 2004 and 2005, almost 2.3 million dollars were invested in projects and over 185,000 acres affected that were directly related to the goals and objectives of NBCI.



The NBCI is a national recovery plan for bobwhite quail developed in 2002 under the guidance of Dr. Ralph Dimmick, a retired professor from the University of Tennessee, along with several other wildlife biologist co-leaders. The main goal of the habitat based plan is to restore northern bobwhite populations on their range to levels that existed in 1980. The plan was completed by the Southeast Quail Study Group which was formed under the auspices of SEAFWA. That group consists of biologists from state, federal and private organizations including biologists from Quail Unlimited.



Don McKenzie, with the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) has been serving as NBCI Coordinator for the past three years under a contract with SEAFWA. The recent funding by Quail Unlimited will allow SEAFWA to renew their contract with WMI and to retain him as the NBCI Coordinator. McKenzie said, By making this substantial financial commitment in support of national NBCI coordination, Quail Unlimited is recognizing the big picture and acting to help fill an important gap in the nation'ss quail conservation capacity. By developing the coordinated capability to address national and regional conservation needs and opportunities for implementing the NBCI, state and local bobwhite restoration efforts can become even more effective.



Rocky Evans, President of Quail Unlimited, said, Quail Unlimited is proud to be a partner with SEAFWA in meeting the financial demands necessary to help ensure the long term success and viability of the NBCI. Our whole organization including our staff, chapters and members strongly endorse and support the NBCI goals.



For more information on NBCI, the SEQSG and Quail Unlimited, please visit www.qu.org.

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