Beaver Dam, Ky. – January 24, 2008 – Local residents of Kentucky’s Ohio, Daviess and Grayson counties have formed the Green River Chapter of Quail Forever (QF) to rally together in rebuilding quail populations on and around the Peabody Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The Green River chapter is the 8th QF chapter formed in the state.
“We want there to be as vivacious a quail population in Kentucky as there are in other states where my family has traveled and visited,” remarked Scott Young, the newly elected president of the chapter. “My wife was researching what we could do to bring back quail populations and came across Quail Forever. We saw how local chapters are funded and realized starting a new chapter in the area could help to improving our local quail populations to where they should be.”
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. QF chapters promote local, state, and federal conservation programs that help landowners protect environmentally sensitive acres for quail and other wildlife. They also employ the organization’s unique model of empowering local chapters with 100 percent control of the chapters’ locally-raised funds to complete habitat and youth education projects in the chapters’ own communities.
The Green County chapter will focus the majority of its efforts on the Peabody WMA. Peabody is Kentucky’s largest WMA consisting of over 50,000 acres of reclaimed strip mining ground in Ohio, Muhlenberg and Hopkins Counties. The new chapter plans to assist with the WMA by providing manpower and finances to have a greater impact on quail and other wildlife in the area.
The chapter will hold its first banquet on March 28th to raise funds for the upcoming year. All money raised will directly fund the chapter’s future habitat projects. Doors to the banquet will open at 5:30 PM in the Ohio County High School cafeteria with dinner and auction to follow. The media and public are invited to attend.
“This new chapter has taken off with the new year,” commented QF’s Regional Wildlife Biologist Brian Grossman. “With over 20 members at the first meeting and great leadership, this chapter is looking at having a massive impact in assisting the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife in their on-going efforts on Peabody WMA.”
The Green River chapter has also elected Sandrick Howard of Beaver Dam as treasurer. The chapter’s next meeting will be on January 29th. Meetings will be held on the last Tuesday of each month at the Ohio County Public Library at 6:00 PM. For more information about the chapter, contact Young at (270)274-9925 or via e-mail at scot_aby@bellsouth.net.
For more information on QF in Kentucky, to start a chapter or join one of the state’s existing chapters, contact Brian Grossman at (502)538-7656 or via e-mail at bgrossman@quailforever.org.
Since the organization’s inception, 90 QF chapters have formed in 26 different states. The QF mission is accomplished through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, education, and conservation advocacy.
