In an effort to help reverse the precipitous decline of bobwhite quail since the 1980’s, Quail Forever is hosting the nation’s largest, first-ever Quail Summit on February 20th at the Kansas City Convention in conjunction with the 2016 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic. The Quail Summit will bring together policymakers, the nation’s leading upland biologists, and the general public to discuss long-term habitat solutions for the restoration of quail populations in the United States. By generating attention around the quail decline and understanding the need to improve quail habitat with additional benefits for water, soil, pollinators, monarchs, and other wildlife, new partnerships can be forged to create quail habitat and increase nationwide populations.
Bobwhite quail and many other species prefer early successional habitat that was once abundant throughout the United States. Changes in agricultural practices, urbanization, extreme weather events, and the decrease of habitat management tools, such as prescribed fire, have led to diminishing quality habitat for bobwhite quail to thrive in their native range. The Quail Summit at National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic will help spotlight these factors, while also outlining strategies to increase populations of bobwhites through sound land management practices.
2016 Quail Summit Schedule
| Time | Seminar Title | Speaker |
| 9:30 a.m. | Quail Summit Welcome | Howard Vincent – Quail Forever |
| 9:40 a.m. | “Why Quail are Vital in Missouri” | State of Missouri |
| 9:50 a.m. | “Why Quail are Vital in Kansas” | State of Kansas |
| 10:00 a.m. | “Small Bird, Big Deal – Why Saving Quail Matters” | John Morgan – Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources |
| 10:25 a.m. | “The Rise and Fall of Bobwhites – What Happened to this Marvelous Bird?” | Robert Perez – Texas Parks & Wildlife Department |
| 10:50 a.m. | “Fighting the Good Fight – Highlighting Missouri’s Success in Restoring Quail” | Bill White – Missouri Department of Conservation |
**Seminar schedule and titles are subject to change with additional speakers and topics being added in the coming weeks.
Seminars are scheduled throughout the weekend demonstrating practices landowners can apply to improve their habitat and quail numbers. Prescribed fire habitat solutions for quail and other wildlife, novel approaches to restoring quail in prairie landscapes, habitat that benefits both pollinators and quail, and the successes of hands-on quail habitat management in Missouri and Kentucky highlight a series of seminars that are quail-centric, yet apply to a broad range of upland wildlife.
About National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic
National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2016, presented by Federal Premium® Ammunition, will be the nation’s largest tradeshow and convention for upland hunters, landowners, sport dog trainers, and wildlife habitat conservationists. Additionally, the event will feature quail-specific themes beyond the Quail Summit, with more seminars, vendors, and hunting gear designed with quail hunters in mind as part of “Quail Country,” the event’s newest exhibitor area.
About Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 140,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent, the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $577 million on 489,000 habitat projects benefiting 12 million acres nationwide.
-30-