GEORGIA
Conservationists seek comeback of quail
ASHBURN — The bobwhite quail, which is disappearing in the Southeast, can make a comeback and add millions of dollars to the rural economy if landowners are willing to make changes in the way they manage their crops.
That was the message yesterday at a field day devoted to the restoration of Georgia's official game bird.
The 60 conservationists and landowners taking part in the field day rode trams around the Wolf Creek Farm to see examples of habitat and forest management that enhance quail populations by harboring bugs for young chicks and grasses quail need for nesting.
Biologists blame the loss of habitat, primarily from development and modern farming practices, for a 70 percent drop in the Southeast's quail population in the past 20 years.
Sportsmen, including Vice President Dick Cheney, visit south Georgia plantations to hunt quail with dogs that flush the birds and shotguns to bring them down.