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Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife, Conservation Ethic

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National Trails Day Celebrates Access, Conservation and Healthy Forests

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Each year on National Trails Day, outdoor enthusiasts head outside to enjoy the public lands that make America special. For hunters, bird dog owners, hikers and wildlife watchers, trails provide more than recreation. They create access to wildlife habitat, connect people with conservation and support the active forest management needed to sustain healthy working forests. “At RGS & AWS, trails are an important part of our conservation mission. Hunter walking trails promote foot travel through high-quality grouse and woodcock habitat while providing access for habitat management projects that benefit wildlife and forest health. Road maintenance and sustainability are also essential components...

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Featured Habitat Project – Wisconsin Forest Wildlife Specialist Program

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by Jon Steigerwaldt – Western Great Lakes Forest Conservation Director and Jared Elm – Wisconsin Conservation Coordinator This year marked eight years of our Forest Wildlife Specialist Private Lands Program in Wisconsin – a first of its kind partnership between RGS & AWS and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the nation. With 58% of forestlands in Wisconsin in private ownership, private lands play an important role in landscape-scale habitat restoration, especially where they interface with public land ownership. According to Forest Inventory Analysis data collected by U.S. Forest Service over the past 120 years, the largest decline in young aspen,...

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Chapter Highlight: Habitat Improvement Project at Chapel Point State Park

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The Central Maryland Chapter is proud to share the successful completion of their recent habitat improvement project at Chapel Point State Park in support of the American Woodcock. The chapter improved access to each field, established 10-foot clear lanes around field edges, and created 50-foot deep end zones. 

These enhancements provide the open space needed for woodcock courtship displays while also promoting healthier, more dynamic habitat conditions for a variety of wildlife. 

Before Improvements

After Improvements

Restoring Forest Diversity Across 110 Acres at Grass Mountain in Vermont

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by Amelia ‘Melly’ Napper, RGS & AWS Vermont Public Lands Forester Grass Mountain is a stewardship project associated with the Early Successional Habitat Creation project. It is located on the only U.S. Forest Service parcel within the Taconic Mountain biophysical region of Vermont. Grass Mountain is unique within the Green Mountain National Forest, featuring a diverse mix of tree species that are less common across the forest. Regenerating red oak is a key goal of the project. While red oak is present on the landscape, heavy competition from diseased American beech sprouts has prevented successful regeneration in the understory. Without disturbance, this forest...

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Planting Projects: Dennis Creek WMA, Cape May County, New Jersey

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The Jersey Shore chapter of the American Woodcock Society (AWS) and the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife team have completed our fifth partnership for a habitat/planting project on New Jersey Wildlife Management areas. This important partnership between the two organizations has delivered five successful planting projects in New Jersey during the past five years! The New Jersey Fish and Wildlife team had begun the reclamation of a series of fields at Dennis Creek WMA in Cape May County by hydro axing a total of six acres on February 2023. In May 2023 The Jersey Shore chapter assisted by providing 17 volunteers...

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Sugar Mountain Project: A Crucial Step for Ruffed Grouse Conservation in Tennessee

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The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with the evaluation process for the Sugar Mountain Project on the Tellico Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest. This initiative is a critical opportunity to restore high-elevation forests and improve habitat for ruffed grouse and other wildlife that depend on young forest conditions. Project Overview The Sugar Mountain Project in its current form focuses on 12,241 acres of national forest east of Tellico Plains, Tennessee, with management activities targeting areas above 3,000 feet where ruffed grouse populations were once abundant. Over time, declining timber harvest levels, fewer natural disturbances and ongoing forest maturation have...

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