The task force is composed of representatives from LDWF, LSU Agriculture Center, LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana Tech University, Quail Unlimited, The National Wild Turkey Federation, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army (Fort Polk), Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, USDA Farm Services Agency, USDA Natural Resources Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

"Partnerships and interagency cooperation are crucial to effectively address the myriad issues facing bobwhites and grassland birds," said LDWF Secretary Dwight Landreneau. Factors such as clean farming, short-rotation intensive pine management, lack of prescribed burning, and use of sod-forming pasture grasses have negatively impacted quail and grassland bird habitat.

Since 1967, Louisiana's bobwhite quail populations have declined by approximately 75 percent. Louisiana is not the only state where bobwhites have declined precipitously; bobwhite populations across the southeastern U.S. have declined by about 60 percent. This downward trend is not limited to bobwhite quail. Other species that require similar habitat such as eastern meadowlark and loggerhead shrike have also exhibited significant population declines.

In response to this situation, a plan known as the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative was developed under the support of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in 2002. This plan established habitat restoration goals across the range of bobwhite quail. This national plan has been instrumental in focusing attention on the plight of bobwhite quail and has served as a catalyst for development of state initiatives such as Louisiana’s Quail and Grassland Bird Task Force.

One of the first jobs of the Louisiana Quail and Grassland Bird Task Force will be to develop a state plan to define goals and identify strategies for quail and grassland bird habitat restoration in Louisiana. The state plan will serve as a blueprint for efforts to reverse declining bobwhite quail and grassland bird population trends in Louisiana.

There are a variety of programs available through federal and state agencies that provide technical and financial assistance to landowners willing to implement practices beneficial to quail and grassland birds. In addition to developing a state plan, the Louisiana Quail and Grassland Bird Task Force will be involved in efforts to inform landowners and promote participation in these conservation programs.

Reversing the downward trend in quail and grassland bird populations is a long-term venture that will require the commitment and cooperation of numerous organizations, agencies, and most importantly, individual landowners.

The Louisiana Quail and Grassland Bird Task Force represents a new approach in Louisiana addressing the plight of bobwhite quail and grassland birds. Agencies and organizations will be working together in a coordinated effort to restore the ecosystems and habitat that are home to bobwhite quail and many other species of wildlife.

For more information, contact Fred Kimmel at 225/765-2355 or fkimmel@wlf.louisiana.gov.