When facing human hardship, it can be difficult to remember that our own health is inseparable from the health of our natural world. Forests included! Even during good times, many folks don’t get it. But we do.
That is why our voices are so important during the days ahead. Conservation is not cancelled, my friends.
[Read more…] about Conservation is NOT Cancelled – RGS
Fellow Conservationists,
As we enter our peak event season, we also enter a time of great uncertainty due to COVID-19. One where we may not be able to gather and enjoy each other’s company as we would like.
We are keeping a diligent eye on the COVID-19 situation so we can respond as information comes available. True to RGS/AWS tenets, we will act pragmatically, led by science and expert recommendations.
[Read more…] about COVID-19 Update from RGS/AWS President and CEO Ben Jones
Over the years, the American Woodcock Society (AWS) has supported ground-breaking research into this fascinating bird, the American woodcock. First, a migration study in the Central Flyway revealing key nesting grounds, migratory paths, and wintering locations. Now, a similar study in the Eastern Flyway. In 2017 AWS sponsored the 11th American Woodcock Symposium, highlighting work from the world’s leading researchers.
[Read more…] about Giving Tuesday | Join The Movement
I read the reports, completed phone interviews with reporters and braced myself. When West Nile Virus appears in the news, it can even eclipse dog breed and shotgun choice “discussions” in level of interest and disagreement. Justifiably so. The appearance of a new disease threatening our beloved ruffed grouse is reason for concern.
[Read more…] about Ben Jones Addresses West Nile Virus Testing in Ruffed Grouse – RGS
October 1, 2019
The air is crisper, skies are brighter, and colorful foliage fills the forest. These are the days
we live for, and to celebrate our love for October, we’re launching an amazing membership
promotion you don’t want to miss!
During October, when you join, renew or rejoin the Ruffed Grouse Society or
American Woodcock Society as an auto renewing Regular ($35)member, you’ll
receive our latest Upland Awesome Forests t-shirt as a special gift.
Last April, the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society Executive Board and I had our first conversation—the first of many. Initially, the CEO interview brought us together. By the end of that discussion, it was clear we were converging on much more in our conservation pathways.
[Read more…] about 2018 Annual Report | Taking StockI had to smile when my son came flying through the house with the mail last week. He was holding a magazine – the start of his Ranger Rick subscription from Grandma. His own name was right there on the address bar. Magical! Of course, he wanted to read the whole thing that night. I counseled him in the art of savoring a magazine, relishing articles, hence minimizing downtime until the next issue. Sage advice, but admittedly hypocritical since I rip through my favorite periodicals within days of receipt. Then, when the next installment finally appears on the kitchen counter, everyone at home really enjoys my response. Kind of like a 5-year old!
[Read more…] about President’s Message: Spring Magazine
“I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist, and written not a few myself, but I suspect that the best one is written not with a pen, but with an axe. It is a matter of what a man thinks about while chopping, or while deciding what to chop. A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke he is writing his signature on the face of his land.”
[Read more…] about PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: What are “Healthy Forests”?
It won’t be long before it’s time for us to think about New Year’s resolutions. Personally, I’ve never really taken this practice very seriously, but I know a lot of people who do. I can see some value in making promises to ourselves at the beginning of every year aimed at making some change for the better or improving some aspect of our lives. To me it’s another form of goal-setting . . . so why confine that activity to just one day of the year?
[Read more…] about PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Pause to Reflect
ONWARD AND UPWARD WITH TECHNOLOGY
Maybe it is just that I have gotten a little older, but during the last grouse season it seemed birds flushed and accelerated away from me a lot faster than ever before. Of course, if you talk to my hunting partners, they would probably say it slightly different – they would tell you that I am missing them by a wider margin now than ever before. But, after very thorough questioning, I’ve been assured by our great team of RGS and AWS biologists that the birds we are hunting today are not any faster than their ancestors.
[Read more…] about PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – ONWARD AND UPWARD WITH TECHNOLOGY
