2018 Annual Report PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Taking Stock: 2018 in Review
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The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society are North America’s foremost conservation organizations dedicated to preserving our hunting traditions by creating healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife. RGS and AWS work with landowners and government agencies to develop critical habitat utilizing scientific management practices. 2 RGS & AWS 2018 Annual Report PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Taking Stock: 2018 in Review BY BENJAMIN C. JONES RGS & AWS President & CEO ast April, the Ruffed Grouse Soci- servation nonprofit. Fiscal sustainability in the mix, in addition to new ways we ety and American Woodcock So- is vital. To date, we have allocated over can gather as upland enthusiasts. Keep Lciety Executive Board and I had $18M to habitat projects—a testament an eye out for exciting things to come. our first conversation—the first of many. to the incredible mission support of our So, what about the main reason Initially, the CEO interview brought us members and donors! With more conser- many of you support RGS/AWS? Our together. By the end of that discussion, it vation work to do, we are finding new mission’s soul: Habitat! Over 700,000 was clear we were converging on much ways to strengthen mission capacity. acres have been enhanced through RGS/ more in our conservation pathways. Increasing grant funding and growing AWS programs—nearly three-quarters of The RGS is a pioneering group. With corporate partnerships are two exam- a million acres are proof of what can hap- a 60th anniversary approaching, our ples of our focus in 2019 and beyond. pen when we join as members, volunteers reputation and RGS/ is built on AWS staff. unwavering Personally, support for it makes me fact-based, want more— pragmatic more hab- approaches itat where to forest and wildlife can wildlife man- thrive, and agement. new con- The need servation- for such an ists can be organization recruited. has never As lead- been greater! ers in forest Indeed, there conserva- are hurdles, tion, we of- but there are PHOTOGRAPH BY A.J. DEROSA ten engage opportuni- in manage- ties in lock ment plan- step with today’s challenges. That tenet Events, particularly banquets, have ning. The first step, whether for a mil- was the core of our discussion a year been a centerpiece for RGS/AWS fund- lion-acre national forest or a 50-acre ago—seize today’s opportunities and raising. The passionate work of our woodlot, is what foresters call the “in- realize our full conservation potential. volunteer banquet committees is abso- ventory.” The inventory reveals where Therein lies the road ahead. lutely incredible. To maximize their ef- you are at and where you should go. In review, 2018 was a year of taking forts, we must ensure all the best tools Such was the case for RGS/AWS in 2018. stock. It was a time to review our culture, are in place and at their fingertips. A Taking stock of 2018 shows notable strengths, weaknesses, and our finances. survey was issued last summer asking success and vast potential for the future. I heard it said during my first few our members, and potential members, Most importantly, I believe it is a testa- months, “No margin, no mission.” Tru- how to improve event offerings. The re- ment to what is possible when we join er words were never spoken for a con- sults were enlightening. Banquets were and turn our passion into action. RGS & AWS 2018 Annual Report 1 HEALTHY FORESTS RGS & AWS 2018 ANNUAL REPORT The RGS & AWS habitat program works with landowners and government agencies to create healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock, and other forest wildlife utilizing scientific management practices. 2018 $1,702,622 Total habitat project funding from all sources $248,456 Dedicated for habitat projects from regional Drummer Funds 85 Drummer Fund projects for forest wildlife >84,926 Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/AWS programs HISTORICAL TOTAL $17,690,484 Total habitat funding for forest wildlife through all sources (including match- ing funds since 2013) $5,171,582 Dedicated Drummer Funds for healthy forest projects 955 Overall forest wildlife Drummer Fund projects >728,660 Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/ AWS programs 2 RGS & AWS 2018 Annual Report PHOTOGRAPH BY A.J. DEROSA REGIONAL HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS MID-ATLANTIC MINNESOTA & SOUTHERN MN DNR Forest Game Bird Coordinator Ted Dick APPALACHIA Regional Biologist Dr. Linda Ordiway $169,729 Dedicated habitat funds from $398,207 all sources Dedicated habitat funds from all sources 13 Drummer Fund projects 6 Drummer Fund projects 5,488 Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/ 5,475 AWS programs Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/ AWS programs MICHIGAN, INDIANA, NEW YORK & NEW & OHIO ENGLAND WISCONSIN Regional Biologist Heather Shaw Regional Biologist Andrew Weik Regional Biologist Jon Steigerwaldt $303,911 $504,258 $326,517 Dedicated habitat funds from Dedicated habitat funds from Dedicated habitat funds from all sources all sources all sources 20 14 32 Drummer Fund projects Drummer Fund projects Drummer Fund projects 28,727 7,260 37,976 Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/ Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/ Habitat acres enhanced by RGS/ AWS programs AWS programs AWS programs RGS & AWS 2018 Annual Report 3 PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM BJERK A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD MODEL The Dynamic Forest Blocks Project RGS & AWS 2018 ANNUAL REPORT hat ruffed grouse, and most Working with an array of partners, the American Bird Conservancy, are forest-dependent wildlife, re- the Ruffed Grouse Society and American among the rewarding aspects of the Wally need is habitat diversity. Woodcock Society are returning the focus Dynamic Forest Block Project. Grant They need young, old, and middle-aged to overall landscapes and moving away funding partners are excited too, with forest mixed together across the land- from smaller “one-off” projects. A cur- the National Fish and Wildlife Foun- scape. Why? Because each of these for- rent example brings the approach to light: dation, R. K. Mellon Foundation, est stages meets a different part of their RGS/AWS recently applied for fund- American Forest Foundation, and S. life needs. Young forests provide escape ing to work on multiple 5,000-acre pub- Kent Rockwell Foundation funding cover and berry producing plants for lic land blocks in Pennsylvania. Young our efforts. As an example, a recent food. Middle-aged forests are great hab- forest (less than 20 years old) and old project in Southwestern Pennsylva- itats for hens with chicks. The autumn forest (more than 125 years old) are nia garnered $249,000 of support Ruffed grouse need young forest– there is no doubt about it, but there is more to the story. groceries dropping from the oak, beech, both lacking, and the goal is to increase for work over the next two years. and cherry trees in an older forest are es- habitat diversity. Prescribed fire, timber Perhaps most importantly to sential to sustain life through winter and harvests, invasive plant control, and nat- you, our members, is that for every ensure physical stamina into the spring ural succession are all within the man- $5 of RGS/AWS funding, we lever- nesting season. It is all about the mix! agement toolkit. To date, over a dozen aged an additional $100 from outside This concept was on the front of of these 5,000-acre “dynamic forest sources for habitat work—talk about renowned wildlife biologist Gordon blocks” are in the hopper across of the maximizing conservation dollars! Gullion’s mind decades ago when he state. Each large block is becoming ide- This is only the beginning. We are recommended sustainable timber har- al habitat for ruffed grouse and the en- expanding the model nationally to im- vesting to maintain a young and old tire suite of forest wildlife—white-tailed prove more habitat on more public forest patchwork. No single forest deer, wood thrush, black bears, and lands—what a great demonstration of succession phase was more import- blackburnian warblers, for examples. what we accomplish by joining ranks ant than another. Habitat diversity— Close relationships that are be- as hunter-conservationists, and there is the mix—was the ultimate objective. ing forged with new partners, like much more to come . ~Ben Jones 4 RGS & AWS 2018 Annual Report RGS & AWS 2018 Annual Report 5 PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT SOBERG RESEARCH PROJECT PROFILE Eastern Woodcock Migration Study RGS & AWS 2018 ANNUAL REPORT PROJECT Flyway to better understand the condi- searchers also captured and tagged birds tions and stressors that might be causing this winter to track their migration routes BACKGROUND that decline. Thus, the Eastern Wood- back north to breeding areas this spring. cock Migration Research Cooperative Essentially, a tiny (4 to 7 gram) GPS While it’s not news to many of you, was started. It is an international col- tag is attached to a captured woodcock, American woodcock populations have laborative effort with the goal of learn- which then tracks their position remotely steadily declined over the last few de- ing more about the migratory ecology without having to recapture the birds to cades across both the central flyway and of these birds through the use of satel- recover the data. These tags can track the throughout the eastern half of the coun- lite-enabled GPS transmitters. The pilot bird locations down to a 5-meter accura- try. Researchers were keen to study the project started in Fall 2017, but most of cy level, which is a very fine level of de- migration habits of birds in the Eastern the work occurred in Fall 2018. The re- tail that allows the researchers to know Some potential questions researchers would like to answer include when woodcock start migrating in different regions, how long it takes them to get to winter areas, how often they die along their routes, and which habitats are most important to them.