T A L L T I M B E R S R E S E A R C H S T A TI O N Quail & Conservation REPORT TO DONORS • 2003–2004 2 • QUAIL & CONSERVATION REPORT TO DONORS • 3 Chairman’s Message By Kate Ireland From humble beginnings in 1989, the Red Hills Conservation Program (RHCP) has risen to national prominence today, and is one of the programs at Tall Timbers that we are most proud. The RHCP has had phenomenal success in placing properties in the Red Hills Region under easement. Approximately 83,000 acres are now in easements in the region, of which 60,000 are held by Tall Timbers. Another 20,000 plus acres are protected in perpetuity through various other means making a grand total of over 100,000 acres!!! The RHCP, with the cooperation of area landowners, has also protected the region from interstate power lines and pipelines, land- fills and sprawling urban development. Local efforts played a significant role in helping remove a statewide timber tax in Georgia. The RHCP has also helped protect 300 miles of scenic rural roads including a number of the areas most beautiful canopy roads, and assisted in efforts to widen and landscape portions of US 319, the “Gateway to the Red Hills”. Most recently, the Red Hills Planning office has assisted the four county region of Leon, Jefferson, Grady and Thomas with a multitude of comprehensive planning issues. The financial resources necessary to pursue and successfully complete all these conservation efforts since 1989 have come from fundraising efforts in the local community as well as from Foundation grants and corporate contributions. Funds have been raised annually along with some multi-year commitments for specific projects. The success of the RHCP is well documented. It is no longer a new, experimental project of Tall Timbers, but a well-established program with a proven track record. I’ve said all of this to help you arrive at the same conclusion that the Tall Timbers Board of Trustees came to this past year. This conclusion is that “now is the time to work together to generate the long term finan- Tall Timbers Research, Inc. cial support necessary to perpetuate this exemplary conservation effort.” Our goal is to raise a $6 Board of Trustees million RHCP Endowment Fund, capable of providing a majority of the necessary annual oper- Chairman ating support. Trustee John Lewis volunteered to chair this effort. His initial strategy has been to Miss Kate Ireland raise the first $1 million from 100 Red Hills Stewards at $10,000 each. John and his committee Vice-Chairmen have done an outstanding job with 76 stewards already signed up. We feel confident we will Mr. Walter C. Sedgwick complete this phase of the fundraising in the next few months. If you are interested in being a Mr. Michael D. Shea part of the 100 Stewards, or if you have suggestions of good prospects, please let us know. In the Secretary meantime, we have identified several other major fundraising sources who are willing to consider Mrs. Daphne F. Wood matching our initial $1 million efforts that will take us within reach of our overall goal. We are Treasurer Mr. Thomas A. Barron thrilled with the progress to date to endow the RHCP, thanks to the very generous support of so many of our friends and supporters. Without you, it would not have been possible. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Trustees Mr. Robert M. Brantly In our ever-vigilant efforts to keep you apprised of our research activities, we began sending Dr. L. Wes Burger out a new publication almost monthly this past year, titled “Research Notes.” We appreciate the Mrs. Richard A. Corbett many complimentary responses we have received and pledge to continue providing you with this Mrs. Edward A. Davis, Jr. level of information on a regular basis. We hope you enjoy the various programs and activities of Mr. T. Wayne Davis Tall Timbers, and we look forward to your continuing support in 2004. Dr. David Engle Mr. A. Lawton Langford Dr. John R. Lewis About the Cover Mr. W. Thorpe McKenzie Table of Contents This is one of two small sinkhole lakes on Oak Mr. Armour N. Mellon Chairman’s Message to Donors ...................2 Hill Plantation, a conservation easement Mr. Leigh H. Perkins, Sr. property in Jefferson County, FL. This special Dr. Daniel Simberloff Bobwhite Quail Research ...........................3 natural area (SNA) is a classic example of an Mr. J. Ben Watkins, III Donors to the Quail Program .....................4 open water karst lake, with an herbaceous Dr. Philip C. Watt Red Hills Conservation Program ................6 fringe and mature forest surrounding it. These Mrs. Robert C. Webster, Jr. Donors to the Conservation Program..........9 lakes provide a consistent recharge of clean water to the aquifer and diverse wildlife habi- Executive Director 2003 Annual Fund Contributors...............10 tat for wading birds, amphibians, reptiles and Mr. Lane Green Tall Timbers Foundation...........................12 larger mammals. Photo by Kevin Pope. 2 • QUAIL & CONSERVATION REPORT TO DONORS • 3 Bobwhite Quail Research By Bill Palmer, Ph.D. Thanks to your fantastic support, the Game Bird Program was able to maintain high research productivity in 2003. I greatly appreciate your thinking of us during the difficult economic times the last few years. We are proud that through grants, contracts, and cooperation, we were able to more than double the value of your donations to further develop our research on bobwhite quail management and ecology. This team approach to research is important because our mis- sion of developing science-based management techniques for maintaining high bobwhite populations requires in-depth investigation. This year is a great example. Our understand- ing of bobwhite populations this past year required informa- tion on bobwhites, but also information on habitat, rodents, predators, and weather and how they interacted. We not only needed information on adult birds and their popula- Quail chicks feeding. tion densities, but measuring the survival of the chicks was populations have, with few exceptions, declined. Some areas critically important to understanding the hatch. Having the experience more rain than others and so the impact on bob- resources available to monitor hundreds of bobwhites, as well white populations varied somewhat across the Red Hills. as other species that affect them, is necessary if we are going In the Quail Call we explained why some populations to have the best understanding of this system we manage for might have declined based on the results of our on-going the prince of game birds. experiments that measure bobwhite productivity. It is this type of information that reinforces how important sound, science-based management is to maintaining huntable quail populations. For instance, habitat management, such as recent timbering, proper burning, predation management, and supplemental feeding, all helped to reduce the impacts of adverse weather this year. This is what good management is about; it is about reducing the variation in populations from year to year. Visit our new web site The Game Bird Program has launched its new web site section as part of the new web site for Tall Timbers. Our goal is to provide information on prior and current research projects as This wild bobwhite was wing banded as a 10 day old chick. By recapturing wing banded bobwhites the following winter, we can determine chick survival. well as the latest information on bobwhite quail management. The web site is just one of many initiatives we are undertaking Quail populations in the Red Hills to improve the extension of the information we obtain. In the last donor report I reported on how bobwhite popula- www.talltimbers.org/research/gamebird.htm tions were at record levels in the Red Hills (2002-2003). At that time we had measured incredible bobwhite numbers for several years running. I made the point that these densities were the outcome of knowledgeable and focused bobwhite management in the Red Hills and therefore, I expected bob- white populations to remain good to excellent for the foresee- able future. However, I also warned, “one scenario that could depress quail populations regionally is one or more extremely wet nesting seasons.” Unfortunately, wet and cool weather was just what we experienced in the Red Hills last year and 4 • QUAIL & CONSERVATION REPORT TO DONORS • 5 2003 Game Bird 2004 Game Bird Research Team William E. Palmer, Ph.D., Robert C. Balfour, Jr. Game Bird Management Research Fellow Program Donors Shane Wellendorf, M.S., Senior Research Technician Ronald E. Masters, Ph.D., Director of Research Quail Researach Initiative Eric Staller, M.S., Natural Resources Coordinator Dr. and Mrs. J. Galt Allee Research Associates Mr. R. Randall Almirall L. Wes Burger, Ph.D., Board of Trustees, Mississippi State University Mr. and Mrs. Douglas L. Arthur John Carroll, Ph.D., University of Georgia Mr. William H. Atwell II Graduate Students Dr. Gail S. Baker Dave Butler, Ph.D. Candidate, John Moores University, Liverpool, UK Ms. Merle Baker Brant Faircloth, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Georgia Mrs. Richard T. Baker Mike Juhan, University of Georgia Tina Hannon, University of Georgia Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Balfour James Martin, University of Georgia Mr. Lamar Q. Ball III Kim Sash, University of Georgia Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Barron Seth Stapleton, University of Georgia Mr. Ellis Barton Research Technicians Mr. Lamar Beach Mike Blondin Mr. and Mrs. Samuel E. Beall, III Rob Olson The Theo B. Bean Foundation, Inc. Shane Roethle Graduate student Dave Butler Mr. and Mrs. Ken B. Beverly Research Interns with a quail chick he is about Mr. Max Beverly Sarah Fritts to weigh.