The Covey Headquarters Newsletter
Habitat Improvement

before
after

Take a look at the following pictures. The woody draw on the left is poor upland bird habitat. There is no cover at ground level. This is typical of many woody draws and hedgerows. The area was improved in a few hours with the help of a chainsaw. The results are pictured to the right. Do you have an area like this on your farm that needs improvement? Start thinking like a quail and provide habitat at ground level. E-mail travis.dinsdale@mdc.mo.gov if you would like a free edge feathering video or DVD that explains this habitat improvement process. This is the same video/DVD that was advertised in the winter 2004 issue.

Did You Know???

The Heartland and West Central Chapters of Quail Unlimited and the Missouri Department of Conservation are the recipients of a Conservation Partnership Initiative grant from the USDA benefiting newly enrolled Bobwhite Buffer Continuous CRP (CP33) acres. This grant provides an additional $25,000 in cost share assistance per county for Andrew and Cass counties in Missouri. The grant will be used for completing enhancement practices adjacent to CP33 buffers. Practices that can be cost shared include edge feathering to provide escape cover and covey headquarters habitat, eradication of brome and fescue in shrubby fence rows or field edges, and shrub establishment. Two buffer coordinators were hired to assist landowners and farmers in Andrew and Cass counties and are working out of the local USDA offices in Savannah and Harrisonville, MO in cooperation with the NRCS, MDC, and University of Missouri Extension. Bryan Gasper is working Andrew County and can be reached at (816) 324-3196. Andy Carmack is working in Cass County and can be contacted at (816) 884-3391.