July 20: Public Land & Private Partnerships for Early Succession Habitat

Updated: July 11, 2023

2023 Early Succession Habitat Meeting July 20 2023 flyer

Register to attend in-person or online. Register by Thursday, July 13 if you would like to join for the catered lunch. You can register after that date, but will need to bring your own lunch.

National Wildlife Visitor Center, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD 20708

Thursday, July 20, 9 am - 2:30 pm

Dramatic declines in pollinators and grassland and shrub-dependent birds like bobwhite quail, meadowlarks, and more highlight the need for habitat improvement efforts on a broad scale. Our vision is for this meeting to provide education, networking, and inspiration to facilitate habitat improvement efforts across the region. Speakers include leadership and land managers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Delaware Fish & Wildlife Division, Washington College, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, private landowners and more.

This event is being organized by Eddie Beck, Chapter Volunteer & President of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter Quail Forever, and Luke Macaulay, Wildlife Management Specialist with the University of Maryland Extension.

Workshop Agenda

9:00 am - 9:10 am

Sign-in & Networking: Coffee, pastries provided.

9:10 am - 9:15 am

Introductions & Purpose: Eddie Beck, President of Quail Forever Chesapeake Bay Chapter & Luke Macaulay University of Maryland Extension

9:15 am - 9:25 am

What is early succession habitat? Bob Long, Upland Game Bird Project Manager.

9:25 am - 9:35 am

Status of early successional birds. Dan Small, Director of Natural Lands Program, Washington College.

9:35 am - 9:40 am

Message from Leadership. Acting Director Karina Stonesifer, Wildlife & Heritage Services, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

9:40 am - 10:00 am

Landscape Scale Habitat Connectivity, Mapping Habitat potential on public lands. Dan Murphy, Chief, Division of Habitat Conservation, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

10:00 am - 10:45 am

Practices to Add Habitat Diversity to the Landscape. 7-minute speed talks.

Rotational Agricultural Fallowing: Luke Macaulay, University of Maryland Extension.

Native Buffer Planting, Planting into Cropland, & Mowing Schedules: Dan Small, Director of Natural Lands Program, Washington College

Wildlife-Friendly Hay Cutting: Bernadette Rigley, Smithsonian Graduate Fellow, Virginia Working Landscapes.

Forest Management for Early Succession Wildlife: Matthew Hurd, Maryland Forest Service.

Prescribed Burning: Chris Robertson, Maryland Forest Service.

Disking & Herbicides: Daniel Lawson, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

10:45 am - 11:00 am

Break

11:00 am - 11:20 am

Public Private Partnerships: Case Study of Nanticoke WMA: Matthew Hurd, Maryland Forest Service, Bob Long, Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service, John Long, private landowner.

11:20 am - 11:40 am

Case Study of Cedar Swamp Focal Area. Eric Ludwig, Regional Wildlife Manager, Delaware Fish & Wildlife.

11:40 am - Noon

Panel Discussion, Q&A Session: Morning speakers and private landowners John Long & William D'Alonzo.

Noon - 1 pm

Lunch. Sponsored by Chesapeake Valley Seed. www.chesapeakevalleyseed.com

1:00 pm - 1:20 pm

Working Lands for Bobwhite: Issues of Scale and Practice. Dr. James Martin. Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Georgia.

1:20 pm - 1:40 pm

Virginia Working Landscapes. Dr. Amy Johnson, Program Director, Virginia Working Landscapes. Shrubland and grassland bird habitat on working lands and the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative.

1:40 pm - 2:00 pm

A Primer on Past Bobwhite Research in the Mid-Atlantic. Dr. Chris Williams, Professor of Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware.

2:00 pm - 2:10 pm

Acoustic monitoring to inform conservation efforts. Dr. Luke Macaulay, Wildlife Management Specialist, University of Maryland Extension.

2:10 pm - 2:20 pm

Successes and Moving Forward. Bob Long, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

2:20 pm - 2:25 pm

Closing Remarks. Eddie Beck, President of Quail Forever Chesapeake Bay Chapter & Luke Macaulay University of Maryland Extension.