Pennsylvania Game News - August 2022 - 25

Cover Painting by Melissa gayMan ball
The calls of wild bobwhite quail have not been heard in Pennsylvania for
some time. But in the next year or two, when wild bobwhites are reintroduced
to part of their native range here, things could begin changing for
the better. This month's cover, " Late Summer Meeting " pays tribute to this
species' place in the Keystone State. A limited edition of 150 signed-andnumbered
giclee prints are available from the artist. Each 12- by 16-inch
print costs $95 unframed, or $275 framed, shipping included. Please
add PA sales tax if needed. For more information, contact Melissa Ball
at melissaballart@msn.com, or visit her website, www.turkeytails.com.
management decisions. So that's what
we're trying to do, is restore a native species
to part of its historic range. "
There are no guarantees, of course.
" Translocation, " the capture of wildlife
in one place for release in another, is not
new. The Game Commission and other
wildlife agencies used it to spread wild
turkeys around, for instance.
States have less experience moving
quail that way, though, and their efforts
sometimes have been less than successful.
One reason, Adams said, is that quail are
more fragile than turkeys. Moving them
long distances is challenging. Then, too,
he said, most previous efforts at moving
quail did not emphasize large-scale habitat
restoration ahead of translocation.
" The Game Commission and Letterkenny
staff made a specific effort
to evaluate the habitat situation first to
determine what it would take to develop
optimal habitat before they put birds on
the ground, " Adams said. " Committing
to the work ahead of time and remaining
patient to see it through will give us the
best chance for successful translocation. "
Letterkenny already has undergone
several years of habitat restoration. That
work will need to continue even after
quail arrive. Adams said it takes " constant
effort " to maintain the early successional
AUGUST 2022
habitat quail and related species require.
" Once we have bobwhite on the
property is not where this project ends, "
Ward agreed. " It's where the next chapter
begins. At that point, we'll continue
to monitor our habitat, as well as those
other old-field species that will utilize that
habitat, over time. "
The plan with bobwhites, in particular,
is to put radio transmitters on a number
of them, then record survival, nesting
success, habitat use, movement and more.
If all goes as hoped, bobwhites will
take hold, then naturally expand beyond
Letterkenny's borders. The Game Commission
is preparing for that possibility.
" Once we build that core area, " Ward
said, " and establish quail on the site, we
plan to expand beyond the bobwhite quail
focus area. We ran a focus group and are
developing surveys to better understand
how private landowners around this site
make their decisions, and hopefully will
be able to bring them on board. "
The quail plan identifies a roughly
39,000-acre area around Letterkenny
where bobwhite quail work might be
conducted. It's comprised largely of farms
practicing modern " clean " agriculture
now. But the goal is to create a " Cumberland
Valley Wildlife Habitat Restoration
Initiative " by partnering with landowners
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Pennsylvania Game News - August 2022

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