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RGS & AWS Receives Grant to Improve 28,600 Acres of Habitat in the Northeast

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Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) is proud to announce a major new investment in forest health and wildlife habitat across the Northeast. Through generous support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s 2025 Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund, we’ve been awarded a $274,340 grant to advance large-scale forest resilience and habitat management across 28,600 acres in northern New York and Vermont’s Champlain Valley. This work is part of a larger collaborative effort that leverages an additional $274,340 in matching contributions from partners and supporters. At a time when Northeast U.S. forests are facing mounting pressures from...

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Collaborative Project to Improve 100 Acres of Wildlife Habitat on North Carolina’s National Forests

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First published, June 9, 2023 – updated on May 30,2025.Agreement Narrative: Collaboration to maintain, restore and enhance forest conditions and wildlife habitat on the National Forests in North Carolina. Primary Funder: USDA Forest Service Location: Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina Overview: The Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) and the National Forests in North Carolina (NFsNC) have mutual interest in efforts to improve habitat and forest health across the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. RGS & AWS and NFsNC will exchange personnel, funding and other resources, in matters relating to sustainable forest management, forest health and ecosystem restoration, the...

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Restoring Forests and Habitat in Central New York: 1,400 Trees and Shrubs Planted at Heiberg Memorial Forest

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by Todd Waldron, Forest Conservation Director, Northeast U.S., Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society On a cool, rainy Saturday morning in late April, the spirit of healthy forests and quality habitat came to life in Central New York through a boots-on-the-ground project at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s (SUNY ESF) Heiberg Memorial Forest. Thirty-seven volunteers, including SUNY ESF students and faculty, along with Central New York RGS & AWS chapter members joined forces to plant 1,400 native trees and shrubs across a series of restoration plots. This was more than just a tree planting event; it was a…

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Wisconsin Habitat Restoration Project Update

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RGS & AWS Drummer Funds assisted in financing a habitat restoration project in Brule, Wisconsin. The project was performed in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and implemented on Brule River State Forest property. The project aims to rejuvenate old alder stands by shearing areas of alder to create three age classes. This practice will improve the woodcock, ruffed grouse, golden-winged warblers, deer, bear and snowshoe hare habitat. A wood turtle protected nesting area was also added to the project to assist in the reproduction of this species, which is listed as threatened in Wisconsin. Learn more about the Eastern…

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Habitat Improvements at Jennings Randolph Lake

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by Ben Larson, RGS & AWS Forest Conservation Director – Mid-Atlantic In western Maryland, the Backbone Mountain Chapter and RGS & AWS staff have been working for over a decade to improve forest habitats through collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Jennings Randolph Lake (JRL), a flood-control reservoir that straddles the West Virginia and Maryland border, and with private landowners nearby. John Denning, habitat chair of the chapter, explained how that the partnership evolved out of the generous time that JRL staff invested in the Handicapped Hunter program. “We figured they might be active and willing partners that…

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Delivering land conservation in the Great Lakes Basin of northern NY:

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Private lands coordination and habitat implementation The strategic partnership between Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society and American Bird Conservancy and their partners will connect northern New Yorkers to the outdoors by funding critical habitat improvement practices which promote a mosaic of diverse forest conditions, ages, and culturally significant forest and native ecosystem benefits. Primary Funder – American Bird Conservancy Sub Award & Cooperative Agreement Funding Amount: $112,240 sub award to RGS & AWS, $16,962 non-federal match required. Project Title: Delivering land conservation in the Great Lakes Basin of northern NY: Private lands coordination and habitat implementation. Location – Northern Onondaga, Oswego, Jefferson, St…

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