The Huron-Manistee National Forests (HMNF) have seen a decline in aspen harvest over the past few decades. This has led to an imbalance in the age structure of aspen stands that negatively affects habitat critical for ruffed grouse, American woodcock, and other forest wildlife.
[Read more…] about Action Alert for MichiganWith support from Pyke Gear, we’re offering a special deal when you join or renew at the $60 Conservation Membership level or above.*
We are celebrating 60 years of conservation success (1961 – 2021) at Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society!
Join or renew your Conservation, Advocate, Uplander, and Centurion Membership level and you’ll receive a Pyke Gear gift coupon, 60th Anniversary tee & neck gator, AND the annual subscription to Covers Magazine. A 60th Anniversary decal and the RGS & AWS patch are also included.
[Read more…] about Membership Special: Help us celebrate our 60th Anniversary!How the Northeast’s public and private landownership patterns influence RGS & AWS conservation approach.
By Todd Waldron, Northeast Forest Conservation Director
In the most recent RGS & AWS conservation update from the Northeast Region, we looked at the Northeast Upland Gamebird Technical Committee 2017 findings in terms of how diminishing forest habitat diversity is impacting grouse, woodcock and many other forest wildlife populations. One consideration for how RGS & AWS and our partners will need to approach this challenge is to consider land ownership patterns across the Northeast.
[Read more…] about RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 2A primer for those curious about ecological issues impacting the Northeastern Region of the U.S.
By Todd Waldron, Northeast Forest Conservation Director
February 22, 2021 – If you and your dog have been covering countless miles through New England’s autumn woods and have only been flushing a fraction of the birds that you used to see – there is a reason for it.
[Read more…] about RGS & AWS Northeast Forest Conservation Update: Part 1The need for increased commercial timber harvest is at an all-time high. The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) were encouraged to see a recent highlight addressing this critical issue for providing diverse, healthy forest habitat for abundant wildlife.
[Read more…] about Timber Management in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National ForestJoin RGS & AWS for this forestry-focused virtual event on February 25 , 2021 from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm.
Register today for a unique opportunity to explore and discuss working lands conservation. This FREE webinar will educate landowners and natural resource professionals on working lands conservation programs intended to benefit wildlife species and promote forest diversity.
This webinar has been approved for 2.5 Category 1 CEU’s by the Society of American Foresters; please register to receive credit.
[Read more…] about Working Lands for Wildlife: In Pursuit of the Shifting Mosaic
We support this rule, which will address a harmful court decision that has stalled many important forest and wildlife management projects. Numerous lawsuits have exploited the current lack of clarity, including one that we’re fighting on Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest where high quality habitat is needed to reverse severe declines in ruffed grouse populations.
Read more: http://bit.ly/fws-newrule
[Read more…] about Action Alert: Join us TODAY in supporting a rule change by the USFWS
January 21, 2021 – Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) announced today that Todd Waldron was selected for a new Forest Conservation Director position in the Northeast Region. In the newly developed position, Waldron will build and manage a network to achieve forest wildlife goals across several states. The region includes New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. He will be based in New York.
[Read more…] about Todd Waldron hired as RGS & AWS Forest Conservation Director for the Northeast Region
January 12, 2021 (New Albany, IN) – The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society led a coalition of conservation groups that filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, related to the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project (Houston South Project) within Hoosier National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service faces a lawsuit that aims to shut down the project; RGS & AWS is not a party on the lawsuit, but the brief supports the Houston South Project and its objectives to restore habitat for ruffed grouse and other wildlife. The State of Indiana officially listed the ruffed grouse as a state endangered species on December 16, 2020.
[Read more…] about Coalition Supports Conservation on Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest
A sense of loss is wedded to hunting. When we’re in the woods, we fight the inevitable passing of time like characters in a tragedy whose ending is assured. Though it’s not the reason why we hunt, death is the logical conclusion of the enterprise, and a tinge of mourning follows the balletic descent of a shot grouse. Our beloved bird dogs barrel through the brush, and we smile, but we know they only have so many seasons in their short lives, and we want to hold on to those moments we share with them. We also develop an attachment to grouse habitat itself. Will birds still be here next year, or will the woods have aged just enough to crowd them out? Will parcelization decrease the integrity of the remaining habitat?
[Read more…] about Ruffed Grouse in the Catskills, Then and Now
