State Wildlife Agencies Get a Boost from Ruffed Grouse Society

The Ohio Division of Wildlife and West Virginia DNR - Wildlife Resources
Section got a year-end boost to their initiatives to improve grouse and
woodcock habitat on state lands.\
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In partnership with the Richard King Mellon Foundation of Pittsburgh,
PA, the Ruffed Grouse Society awarded \$32,000 in grants to the two
states.\
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The Society became part of an \$88,400 matching grants initiative in
West Virginia with a \$15,000 grant that will go toward approximately
200 acres of habitat improvements on 8 wildlife management areas and
state forests. The focus of the project will be increasing the amount of
young forest habitat critically important for grouse, woodcock and
numerous other game and non-game species. \"West Virginia has been
working hard to enhance grouse and woodcock habitat on public lands
throughout the state. Thanks to the dedication of the R.K. Mellon
Foundation, we were able to support these important efforts when the
money was needed\", noted Mark Banker, Regional Biologist for the
Society.\
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In Ohio, reclaimed surface mine lands offer a blank canvas for creating
quality wildlife habitat from the ground up. The Appalachian Regional
Reforestation Initiative is an important new program of the US
Department of the Interior\'s Office of Surface Mining that encourages
coal companies to reclaim surface mines back into a forested condition
rather than grasslands with high soil compaction that take decades to
grow trees. These extensive grasslands have no benefit to ruffed grouse,
American woodcock, or other forested wildlife and the resulting
fragmentation act as barriers to grouse brood dispersal. Research
conducted in eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia has demonstrated
that the forestry reclamation approach which involves the placement of
loosely graded fill overtop mined sites has resulted in excellent tree
growth and over 90% survival of individual trees. This is a viable
approach to re-establishing early-successional forest communities and
eliminating fragmentation of forested landscapes.\
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The Society made a \$17,000 grant in support of the latest reforestation
efforts at Jockey Hollow Wildlife Area in Harrison County, where
recently mined lands will be replanted with trees this spring under the
guidance of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Cravat Coal Company will
prepare the site for planting and also rehabilitate a hunting trail
disturbed during mining activities. \"Grouse hunting on and around
reclaimed surface mines can be dynamite. The long-term goal is to
improve hunting while doing the best possible job of reclaiming the land
immediately\", explained Banker. Both of the grants were awarded in late
2006 with work to be well underway or completed in 2007.\
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Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society is the one international
wildlife conservation organization dedicated to promoting conditions
suitable for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and related wildlife to
sustain our sport hunting tradition and outdoor heritage\
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Further information on the RGS, its mission, management projects and
membership can be found on the web at www.ruffedgrousesociety.org or by
calling (814) 867-7946.