A Story Map: Habitat Requirements of Texas Quails

A Texas Land Trends Story Map: Texas is home to four species of quails: Northern Bobwhite, Scaled Quail, Gambel’s Quail, and Montezuma Quail. Many Texans fondly recall experiences with quail, whether they were hunting or watching them, or just listening to their songs. Despite the interest in these quail species, their overall abundance, especially northern bobwhites, have declined over the past few decades. Recent research efforts seek to determine what factors have and continue to contribute to the decline of quail in Texas. 

How Much Space Does a Quail Need?

There is no doubt that quail are capable fliers when under pressure and strong, swift runners, but we rarely contemplate just how much distance they cover in a lifetime. When it comes to management of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), it is critical to consider the amount of space they need to maintain sustainable coveys (groups) and healthy populations. When answering the question of how much space a quail needs, you must consider covey sizes, how much terrain quail can cross, and both the amount and quality of habitat that is present in an area that quail occupy.

Wild Pigs and Mast Crops

Wild pigs are considered opportunistic omnivores – meaning they will consume both plant and animal food sources available to them throughout the year. The vast majority of a wild pigs diet consists of plant materials, and an important, seasonal food source for wild pigs are mast crops (acorns, fruits or beans). Common mast producing species in Texas include oaks, hickories, honey mesquite, prickly pear cactus and persimmon. This article will highlight the research that has been conducted on wild pig competition with native wildlife for mast, the effects mast has on wild pig population trends and how wild pigs’ consumption of mast can influence forest composition.

Providing Water for Backyard Wildlife

When choosing a water feature to attract wildlife to your backyard, you can often feel like you are drowning in options – and not all the choices are equally suited to benefit wildlife. There are three main ways to provide free water (i.e., water that is not contained in plants) for wildlife in your yard: birdbaths, ponds, and dripping water features. Read more about them in this article.

Native Plants for Backyard Wildlife

A well-manicured lawn with perfectly trimmed trees and shrubs may look appealing to people, but it can be a veritable desert for many species of wildlife. The majority of ornamental plant species do not provide enough food or cover, making gardens unappealing to animals. Luckily, there are plenty of native plant species which look great and also support wildlife. Learn how to incorporate them into your landscaping in this article.

White-nose syndrome 101

You may have heard of the deadly bat disease known as white-nose syndrome, but what exactly is white-nose syndrome, and how and when did it arrive in the United States? What is the current status of the disease’s spread? Well, we have the answers you are looking for.

Map of the Month: Wildlife management land use acres

While ag tax evaluations traditionally involve practices such as haying, cropping, grazing and livestock, the state added a wildlife management use component in 1995. This non-traditional approach to preserving open space lands and their values has gained momentum in the past two decades, as the total number of acres enrolled has risen from 93K in 1997 to 3.2M in 2012. So how do you qualify and what is the process to switch from a traditional ag use property to wildlife management use? 

Meet the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute

The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe the same could be said about an organization’s name. We should understand an organization’s work and mission by its name.

That is one of the reasons why we recently changed our name from the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources to the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute.

Soil and Water Stewardship Week highlights importance of land conservation

To highlight the importance of voluntary land stewardship in Texas, the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) are partnering with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB), Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Texas Wildlife Association, and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. The statewide campaign, “No Land No Water ™,” is the theme of this year’s Soil and Water Stewardship Week, April 30 through May 7.

Protecting military readiness and the gopher tortoise at the same time

A first-in-the-nation conservation plan, crafted by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and wildlife agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, protects at-risk gopher tortoises while helping military bases to continue training and testing missions across the tortoise’s Southern turf.

Research scientist receives Outstanding Graduate Award

We congratulate NRI's Dr. Ashley Long, a graduate of Emporia State University (ESU; M.S. 2009 in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), who was selected as this year’s Outstanding Recent Graduate Award of 2017. The Outstanding Recent Graduate Award is a prestigious award that recognizes former students who graduated from ESU within 10 years (12 years at most) and have accomplished significant achievements.