RGS

Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

You are here: Home / Archives for Ecology / Habitat

Habitat

Wisconsin members: Your voice is needed!

by

ruffed grouse

The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program in Wisconsin needs to be renewed and fully funded Ruffed Grouse by Timothy C. Flanigan Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program provides valuable funding to conserve wildlife habitat and natural areas, expand opportunities for outdoor recreation, and protect water quality and fisheries. Over the past three decades, the Knowles-Nelson program has invested more than $825 million in nearly 7,000 projects across the state. Though diverse forms of outdoor recreation are supported by these projects that involve purchasing lands or easements and sustaining infrastructure, a program review  found 94% of lands purchased with Knowles-Nelson grants since 2007 are open to hunting....

Read More

Defining the needs of our most beloved species

by

We need to take bold action for Species of Greatest Conservation Need By: Todd Waldron, Northeast Forest Conservation Director Ruffed grouse by Timothy C. Flanigan (For RGS & AWS use) Have you ever heard the term “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” or “SGCN” and wondered what that means? Or maybe you’ve wondered how it applies to the future of grouse and woodcock populations. How does it drive the RGS & AWS conservation mission? You’ve likely seen our monthly updates in The Bellwether newsletter or regularly on social media: Ruffed grouse populations are declining across much of North America. The decline is due to...

Read More

Working Lands for Wildlife — The Long View: Sustaining Our Oak Forests

by

Register today for this virtual event: Wednesday, May 12, 11 am – 1 pm EST This FREE working lands webinar hosted by Ruffed Grouse Society &American Woodcock Society and the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife program 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 the following. Please register here to receive credit. 2 CFE credits (category 1) with the Society of American Foresters2 CEUs (category 1) of the Certified Wildlife Biologist® Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program for participation in the webinarUSDA-NRCS Conservation Planner Certification [Read...

Read More

Establish Soft, Hard Mast for Gamebirds and Improve Your Hunting in the Bargain

by

by Mark Herwig Originally printed in Covers magazine – Spring 2019 A few years ago, a buddy and I made an interesting “discovery of the grouse kind” while hunting a state forest near my recreational land in northern Minnesota. We discovered what we later named “The Mountain Ash Covert.” Every time we passed a single, mature mountain ash tree on the trail, we flushed grouse and sometimes even bagged one. They were both in and around the 30-foot tree, eating its nutritious red berries. The covert inspired me. “I should establish some mountain ash on my land!” Give to the grouse, and they will...

Read More

Beyond The Bellwether of Our Forests – RGS

by

Photo Credit | Steve Oehlenschlager While the perils and challenges faced by ruffed grouse and American woodcock may be familiar to our conservation-minded members, the continental and even global significance of these issues may not be fully recognized. In a study published by the journal Science, it was noted that wild bird populations have declined by nearly 30% since 1970 in the continental U.S. and Canada. Sadly, we know these declines to have effected ruffed grouse and American woodcock too. Yet the ruffed grouse and woodcock are not alone in their struggles and we are not alone in our concerns...

Read More

Action Alert for Michigan

by

Deadline set for Monday, March 8 to ensure Improved Aspen Management on the Manistee National Forest

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 Michigan
Join Or Renew Now