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Working Lands for Wildlife — The Long View: Sustaining Our Oak Forests

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Register today for this virtual event: Wednesday, May 12, 11 am – 1 pm EST

This FREE working lands webinar hosted by Ruffed Grouse Society &American Woodcock Society and the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife program will educate landowners and natural resource professionals on working lands conservation programs intended to benefit wildlife species and promote forest diversity.

This webinar has been approved for the following. Please register here to receive credit.

  • 2 CFE credits (category 1) with the Society of American Foresters
  • 2 CEUs (category 1) of the Certified Wildlife Biologist® Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program for participation in the webinar
  • USDA-NRCS Conservation Planner Certification
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Beyond The Bellwether of Our Forests – RGS

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Photo Credit | Steve Oehlenschlager

While the perils and challenges faced by ruffed grouse and American woodcock may be familiar to our conservation-minded members, the continental and even global significance of these issues may not be fully recognized.

In a study published by the journal Science, it was noted that wild bird populations have declined by nearly 30% since 1970 in the continental U.S. and Canada. Sadly, we know these declines to have effected ruffed grouse and American woodcock too. Yet the ruffed grouse and woodcock are not alone in their struggles and we are not alone in our concerns for these birds. Others have taken notice, too.

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Coalition Supports Conservation on Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest

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Photo By Steve Oehlenschlager

Amicus brief filed in support of Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest habitat project by Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society, coalition of conservation groups

The ruffed grouse was listed as an endangered species in Indiana on December 16, 2020.

January 12, 2021 (New Albany, IN) – The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society led a coalition of conservation groups that filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, related to the Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project (Houston South Project) within Hoosier National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service faces a lawsuit that aims to shut down the project; RGS & AWS is not a party on the lawsuit, but the brief supports the Houston South Project and its objectives to restore habitat for ruffed grouse and other wildlife. The State of Indiana officially listed the ruffed grouse as a state endangered species on December 16, 2020.

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Conservation Doesn’t Sleep – RGS & AWS Featured on The Hunting Dog Podcast

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RGS & AWS Communications and Marketing Director, Ashley Peters, along with Director of Regional Development in the Southeast, Mike Neiduski, were featured on a recent episode of The Hunting Dog Podcast.

During a conversation with host and RGS & AWS member Ron Boehme, Ashley Peters and Mike Neiduski share RGS & AWS news and updates with The Hunting Dog Podcast audience. After brief introductions, the conversation moves on to the RGS & AWS conservation mission and its challenges and opportunities.

Listen on | Apple | Spotify

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Early Successional Habitat Creation Project in Vermont

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early-successional-habitat

Featured in Fall 2020 issue of Covers Magazine.

Authored by: Brent Rudolph, PH.D and Anthony Giattino

People born east of the Hudson River extend this prayer of John Winthrop’s when hunting grouse in the west: “May the Lord make it like that of New England.” Writers like Burton Spiller and William Harnden Foster helped enshrine New England as a “City Upon a Hill” for grouse hunters. Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society members in New England recognize that much work needs to be done if the revered heritage memorialized by Spiller and Foster are to endure. Fortunately, other partners also understand the serious conservation needs that demand commitment to this work.

[Read more…] about Early Successional Habitat Creation Project in Vermont

RGS & AWS Support 30 by 30 Initiative

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30 by 30 Initiative

RGS & AWS along with other hunting, fishing and habitat conservation groups issue support of 30 by 30 initiative.

October 19, 2020 (Washington, D.C.) – Today, the nation’s leading hunting, fishing, and habitat conservation organizations released a statement on the Thirty by Thirty Initiative (30 by 30 Initiative) to establish a goal of placing 30% of the planet’s lands and waters under protected status by the year 2030.

[Read more…] about RGS & AWS Support 30 by 30 Initiative

West Nile Virus in Ruffed Grouse and Test Kit How-To Video

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Photo By | Timothy Flanigan

An update on West Nile Virus in Ruffed Grouse and a test kit how-to video.

The second-year results for the Great Lake states’ collaborative West Nile Virus (WNV) study are in, and there’s good news, bad news and hope, for ruffed grouse in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

The good

In total, hunters provided 786 samples in all three states from the 2019 hunting season: 281 from Michigan, 188 from Wisconsin and 317 from Minnesota. The total number of samples was up a bit from the 721 submitted the year prior, though Wisconsin’s individual sample total went down. In 2018, Michigan tested 213 samples, Wisconsin tested 235, and Minnesota tested 273. While some birds did test positive for WNV antibodies, the percentages were low. The results from 2018 and 2019 also showed that these birds can survive being infected. 

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Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society Applaud Senators Stabenow, Braun for New Bipartisan Bill to Help Family Forests

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The Rural Forests Markets Act will create revenue for family forests and sustain healthy forests and wildlife habitat

WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources, introduced the bipartisan Rural Forests Markets Act to help small-scale, family foresters access new economic opportunities through climate solutions like carbon markets. 

“Big or small, our forests are an important part of the solution to the climate crisis,” said Ranking Member Stabenow. “For too long, environmental market opportunities have been out of reach for many family foresters due to high upfront costs. Our bipartisan bill is a win-win for forest owners and the environment.” 

[Read more…] about Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society Applaud Senators Stabenow, Braun for New Bipartisan Bill to Help Family Forests

Comparing Habitat: Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock, Cottontail Rabbits and Snowshoe Hare

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Exploring habitat for ruffed grouse and woodcock as it relates to cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hare.

There’s a lot of information online about the different habitat types that wild game species like ruffed grouse and cottontail rabbits use, which is definitely important to know for hunting or wildlife watching opportunities. But we don’t often talk about the similarities between them. Truth be told, there’s a lot of overlap between many wild game species, and that means effects to one habitat type can impact (for the better or worse) other species too. 

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