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Working Lands for Wildlife: In Pursuit of the Shifting Mosaic

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Join 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.

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Action Alert: Join us TODAY in supporting a rule change by the USFWS

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Photo by Ben Amstutz

Please take a minute to support federal forest management by commenting on a proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule.

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

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Todd Waldron hired as RGS & AWS Forest Conservation Director for the Northeast Region

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Waldron brings a wealth of forest management experience and will help scale up habitat improvement for wildlife.

Todd Waldron profile

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.

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Coalition Supports Conservation on Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest

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Photo By Steve Oehlenschlager

Amicus brief filed in support of Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest habitat project by Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society, coalition of conservation groups

The ruffed grouse was listed as an endangered species in Indiana on December 16, 2020.

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.

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Ruffed Grouse in the Catskills, Then and Now

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ruffed-grouse-in-the-catskills

The history, significance and future of ruffed grouse in the Catskills.

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?

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Pennsylvania Wilds Upland Bird Hunt: The Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Society Celebrate the Upland Lifestyle

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Recapping the fun and fervor of the Upland Bird Hunt hosted annually in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Upland hunting is a lifestyle. The conscious uplander is part hunter, conservationist, art lover, biologist, chef and storyteller. When people gather at the Ruffed Grouse Society’s Upland Bird Hunt (UBH) in the Pennsylvania Wilds, they celebrate that lifestyle, contribute to scientific research, and have a positive impact on the local community. 

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Benelli sponsors special deal available to new and renewing members of the Ruffed Grouse Society

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Through Dec. 31, new or renewing members will be placed in a drawing for one of three Benelli Montefeltro Silver Featherweights

Coraopolis, Pa. – The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society are well known for uniting conservationists to improve wildlife habitat and forest health, as well as promoting forest stewardship. Thousands of members across the country already support this mission. RGS & AWS are always welcoming new members, and for the next six weeks, there’s an added incentive to join.

As a result of a generous sponsorship of Benelli, new and renewing members of Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) are getting an incredible deal.

Beginning this week and running through the end of 2020, all new, renewing, or upgrading members will receive special membership perks, including the opportunity to win a 20 gauge Benelli Montefeltro Silver Featherweight. Benelli has donated three Montefeltro Silver Featherweights and RGS & AWS will randomly select three winners at the end of the promotion period.

More details about the special membership deal can be found here.

“Benelli USA is proud to support RGS &AWS during these challenging times,” said Tom DeBolt, Benelli’s General manager. “The conservation work that is done by everyone on their team is essential to the long-term health and sustainability of ruffed grouse and American woodcock populations. We encourage all hunters to consider joining the organization to support this important mission” 

Membership details: All renewing or new members will be eligible to win prizes sponsored by Benelli. RGS & AWS memberships are $60 to support both grouse and woodcock and, with the $60 membership, members get two entries for the Benelli drawing, a one-year subscription to Covers magazine, RGS & AWS Conservation Calendar, Our Forests-Our, Future t-shirt, and two decals. There are also $35 memberships available for those who would like to support only ruffed grouse or only American woodcock conservation; the $35 membership includes one entry for the Benelli drawing, a magazine subscription, a calendar, and two decals.  

RGS & AWS Chapter promotion: Additionally, all new, renewing and upgrading members can help their local chapter win a $10,000 habitat bonus. The chapter with the highest percentage of new, renewing and upgrading members at the conclusion of the promotion period will be announced as the winner and will be highlighted in a future issue of Covers magazine.

All offers expire at 11:59 pm ET on December 31, 2020.

Becoming a Member of the Ruffed Grouse Society

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Improving the community and investing in the future of the ruffed grouse and American woodcock

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Photo by Zack Griswold

Like many age-old notions in life in which we can never remember the exact instance of discovery or introduction, I cannot recall the moment or setting in which I first learned of or heard about the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS). The organization as I knew it was innately synonymous with the ruffed grouse, bird hunting and conservation altogether. Although ruffed grouse and bird hunting were not an integral part of my upbringing, the day would come when the “the birds” and the “organization” would become something extremely near and dear to my heart.

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An Important Day for Grouse and Woodcock | Giving Tuesday

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Today is GivingTuesday and forest wildlife need your support

Thank you to the folks who have already donated early! We have $30,000 available to match donations for today. Don’t miss the opportunity to double your impact.

Two ways you can donate:

  • The Upland Store
  • Our Facebook #GivingTuesday Page: Please share our fundraiser with your friends and family! You can donate in the Upland Store AND invite your Facebook friends and share the fundraiser through Facebook. If you’d like to join us and learn more about RGS & AWS and our work, we’ll be live on CrowdCast this evening from 6 – 8 pm ET, which will be streaming on Facebook and YouTube as well.
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Conservation Doesn’t Sleep – RGS & AWS Featured on The Hunting Dog Podcast

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RGS & AWS Communications and Marketing Director, Ashley Peters, along with Director of Regional Development in the Southeast, Mike Neiduski, were featured on a recent episode of The Hunting Dog Podcast.

During a conversation with host and RGS & AWS member Ron Boehme, Ashley Peters and Mike Neiduski share RGS & AWS news and updates with The Hunting Dog Podcast audience. After brief introductions, the conversation moves on to the RGS & AWS conservation mission and its challenges and opportunities.

Listen on | Apple | Spotify

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