QUAIL AND UPLAND WILDLIFE FEDERATION INC

QUWF NATIONAL WILDLIFE SEED PROGRAM CONTINUES AS A CRITICAL PORTION OF QUWF. IT IS DISTRIBUTED TO BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LANDOWNERS, OTHER CONSERVATION NGO'S AND STATE WILDLIFE AGENCIES AS A FOOD SOURCE FOR ALL UPLAND WILDLIFE, AND SONGBIRDS. THE SEED IS NOT TO BE USED FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES OR FOR CROP HARVEST. THE SEED IS PROVIDED AT TRANSPORTATION COST ONLY FROM THE SEED MILLS ONLY WHICH IS AN 85 TO 95% SAVINGS TO THE LANDOWNER, STATE OR OTHER NGO. COVID DID CAUSE AND STILL CAUSES A SIGNIFICANT SHORTAGE AS THIS SEED IS THE EXCESS NOT PURCHASED BY AG CUSTOMERS. IN 2023, 1760 , 80 POUND BAGS, WERE DELIVERED WHICH PLANTED 1,000 ACRES OF NEW WILDLIFE FOOD SOURCES, AND AFFECTING 20,000 ADDITIONAL ACRES. SINCE 2010, THE QUWF SEED PROGRAM HAS DELIVERED 180 TRACTOR TRAILER LOADS, WITH A VALUE OF 5,400,000.00. IT HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED AND PLANTED ON OVER 375,619 ACRES IN 21 DIFFERENT STATES AFFECTING OVER 7,512,192 MILLION ACRES FOR WILDLIFE. AG VALUE (COP OR FEED) OF THE SEED CORN TODAY (2024) IS 819.00 PER BAG.

THE RESTOCKING OF THE WILD RUFF GROUSE BEGAN WITH 300 BIRDS RELOCATED IN 2018, 2020 AND 2021. OVER 115,000 ACRES OF PRIVATE LANDS WERE HEAVILY MANAGED WITH TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENT AND 10,000 ACRES OF THE MISSOURI DEPT. OF CONSERVATION. THE VALUE OF THE SUM 110 LANDOWNERS IS CONSERVATIVELY ESTIMATED AT OVER 18 MIL, THE QUWF GROUSE CHAPTER AND QUWF HAVE INVESTED NEARLY 2.0 MIL AND THE STATE OF MO OVER 2 MILLION. THE RUFF GROUSE WAS NEAR EXPIRATION (EXTINCTION) IN MO, IT WAS AND IS A NATIVE SPECIES. THE PRIVATE LANDOWNERS WITH QUWF COMMITTED TO 25 ADDITIONAL YEARS OF HABITAT WORK TO PROVIDE A SOLID FUTURE OF THE SPECIE IN MO. THE MDC PROVIDES A STATE GRANT TO FUND A FULL-TIME BIOLOGIST AT QUWF TO MANAGE THE TWO CONSERVATION COOPS IN MISSOURI AND TO WORK WITH PRIVATE LANDOWNERS FOR QUAIL AND UPLAND HABITAT RESTORATION. THESE COOPS REPRESENT OVER 120,000 ACRES OF HABITAT UNDER INTENSE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES GUIDED BY QUWF. QUWF IS CONDUCTING A 3-YEAR GROUND NESTING BIRD PREDATORY STUDY (2023 WAS YEAR 1) TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF PREDATORS ON THE CRITICALLY LOW POPULATIONS OF QUAIL AND TURKEY NEST SURVIVAL. QUWF HAS INSTITUTED A NEW INTERN PROGRAM USING COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH THE COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND FORESTRY DEPARTMENTS, TO POST SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION ON VARIOUS WILDLIFE SPECIES, THEIR HABITAT REQUIREMENTS, POPULATION DENSITIES, AND GENERAL EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC