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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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A Story of Succession – Restoring 43 Acres at Bald Eagle State Park in Pennsylvania

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Bald Eagle State Park’s 1,730-acre lake is a recreational oasis, nestled in the divide between the plateau and the ridge and valley regions of Pennsylvania. It’s a short drive off route 80, yet separated by a ridge that reduces the interstate noise. Although the lake is the central feature, the surrounding bottomlands holds one of our favorite little game birds, the American woodcock. The valley that’s currently occupied by the lake was once like most of the valleys in central Pennsylvania – farmland. The construction of the lake flooded most of the farms, but those on the high grounds remained above...

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RGS & AWS Supports Nantahala Mountains Project to Improve Wildlife Habitat and Forest Diversity

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The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) is excited to share that an important forest management project is underway on public land. The Nantahala Mountains Project on the Nantahala Ranger District will treat about 870 acres through commercial and noncommercial activities. These treatments include group selection, noncommercial midstory removal, noncommercial crown-touch release, clearcut and shelterwood harvests. Road maintenance will also be prioritized. RGS & AWS was heavily involved with this project throughout the public comment period and advocated for additional forest management activities. We are glad to see that the U.S. Forest Service retained the original scope...

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Improving Woodcock and Quail Habitat on the Delmarva Peninsula and in Southern Maryland

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Developing new collaborations in the Atlantic Flyway  by Ben Larson, Mid-Atlantic Forest Conservation Director  During my time at RGS & AWS, I’ve focused on heavily forested parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including northern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. However, for the last year and a half, I’ve started to develop partnerships and projects in the partly forested parts of the region, particularly the Delmarva Peninsula (an abbreviation of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) and southern Maryland (southeast of Washington, D.C.).  The reason is simple: for migrating woodcock, the Delmarva Peninsula and southern Maryland provide critical stopover habitats along the Atlantic Flyway. The American...

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Cherokee National Forest Timber Sale Adds Habitat Diversity

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by Zac Chandler | RGS & AWS Forest Wildlife Specialist – All-Lands Tennessee Forester Ruffed grouse populations in the Southern Appalachians are declining, mainly due to the loss of suitable habitat. As the bulk of Appalachian forests increase in age, this results in a drop in ruffed grouse numbers as they primarily depend upon early successional forests for much of the year. Ruffed grouse thrive in forests kept young and vigorous through repetitive, active forest management like prescribed fire and timber harvesting. These repeat disturbances create an abundance of woody and herbaceous diversity, maintaining critical food and cover resources necessary for supporting...

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