by Benjamin C. Jones, President & CEO
A thought keeps crossing my mind heading into the new calendar year. The seed was sown over the holidays with a toast offered by Glen Blackwood, our Eastern Great Lakes development director and avid upland hunter.
Glen toasted to health and happiness but also to what he called “the other 300 days.” For roughly 65 days during hunting season, he explained, grouse and woodcock are front of mind for most of us. But for RGS & AWS staff, the forest bellwethers occupy our time for the remaining 80% of the year too. There’s a lot of action at RGS & AWS during the other 300 days!
What a great motivator Glen’s toast continues to be for me through the mostly non-hunting days of winter – exactly what I need to help prioritize our mission-related work in the coming months. Here are our top investments for 2024, as we see them now:
● RGS & AWS will serve as an outspoken voice for active forest management. Old growth initiatives and misguided carbon policies from Washington, D.C. gained momentum in 2023 in ways that could negatively impact healthy forests and wildlife habitat. RGS & AWS staffers invested hundreds of hours leading partner groups, submitting comments and attending meetings with the Forest Service and other administration officials. Expect updates and opportunities to speak up: We’ll remain fully engaged in 2024. We have a unique responsibility as the voice for forest wildlife. Everyone shares that role, from submitting public comments to discussions around the water cooler. We’re all ambassadors.
● We’ll keep up momentum. In just three years, RGS & AWS doubled our habitat delivery staff and vastly expanded our funded stewardship agreements. The result is thousands of acres of science-driven habitat work being done on the ground. This trend can only continue with operational funding support. It’s the core driver. Membership, local fundraising and major gift support fuel the gears of RGS & AWS. Every operational dollar we raise is leveraged with at least four more dollars for habitat impact. That’s just good business – something to write home about. Your continued support is critical.
● We’ll advance woodcock conservation. Ten years ago, we expanded our mission of sustainable forest management and founded the American Woodcock Society. Timing is everything, and 2024 can be the year of the timberdoodle (that’s every year for me personally, but I digress). We have invested in state-of-the-art research with agency and university partners over the past several years. That information is ready for deployment in science-based management – our wheelhouse. Dedicated members have stepped up to form local AWS chapters, and with that foundation, the sky is the limit. We all need to tell the story of this incredible bird. Introduce someone to the wonder. The birds will arrive soon at a stage near you to sky dance their approval and help you tell the story.
● We’ll remain nimble and responsive. A lot of uncharted territory lies ahead when we set priorities in December and January. Undoubtedly, we’ll need to pivot so we can capitalize on opportunities and respond to inevitable surprises. Even as we grow, agility is a key attribute. RGS & AWS is a can-do organization, and other groups look to us when forest wildlife issues arise. It’s an honor and a huge responsibility. Much work remains to be done – and we’re more than up for the challenge. Tell the story. That, my friends, is the key to success across all priorities. In wild upland pursuits, grouse and woodcock are beyond compare. For generations, ruffed grouse have earned the undisputed title King of Gamebirds. So, introduce someone. Hunting season is a great time to share the unique experience, but our stories – and our conservation work – are no less vital after hunting season ends. So, whether it happens when you’re pausing in the coverts, enjoying a tailgate lunch or sharing tales around a fire in deep midwinter, tell the story about all that goes into grouse and woodcock conservation, during hunting season – and during the other 300 days.
