A&M-商务 Professor Coordinates California 鹌鹑 Translocation from Idaho to Northeast 德州

Assistant Professor and Director of Wildlife and Sustainable 农业博士. Kelly 瑞娜 is well-versed on quail, having studied the species for more than 20 years. In March, 雷纳和他的 team successfully coordinated a translocation of 250 wild California 鹌鹑 from Idaho to 德州 in an effort to repopulate the area as quail native to 德州 have declined by 80 percent since 1967.

According to 瑞娜, the decline of quail, quail hunters and bird dogs in 德州 have resulted in millions of dollars of lost revenue 每年. 研究 shows that in Idaho, introduced wild California quail generate approximately $135 million in economic activity per year and would yield even larger revenue in 德州.

“鹌鹑 hunters play a major role in quail conservation,” 雷纳表示:. “Fees from the sale of hunting equipment and license sales go back to the state to fund conservation efforts for the bird. 自从我们的家乡 bobwhite quail have declined, so have the hunters.”

雷纳表示: that while we have low numbers of bobwhite, there are certain areas where the California quail population is so high they are deemed “quail nuisance areas.”

“The birds seem more adaptable to human-dominated ecosystems than our native bobwhites. They have a surplus and we have a deficiency,” 雷纳表示:. “If we can bring quail to 德州 and start a population, we may be able to boost hunters in areas like East 德州 where quail hunting has basically been non-existent for many years. An increase in hunters would be an increase in funds that could be used to bring back our native bobwhite quail.”

The translocated quail will be released on two ranches in Northeast 德州. Of the 250 released, 100 quail per ranch will be fitted with radio trackers and located weekly for monitoring. 雷纳和他的 team are the first to document the translocation of wild California quail into 德州. The project is being funded through a $464,000 grant from 皇冠体育365赌博griLife 扩展.

“I can easily say that we are both excited and proud of the work that Dr. 雷纳和他的 team has initiated,” Dr. 兰迪 Harp, dean of the Department of Agricultural Sciences and 自然资源, 说. “The translocation of California quail to north central 德州 is the first step of many to restore quail populations in 德州. This type of work is important to the wildlife and ecological systems of this region.” 瑞娜 加入了一个&M-商务 in 2018 to continue his mission of discovering practical solutions to modern wildlife problems and educate students to become leaders in the wildlife field.