Sunday, June 9, 2002
There are many organizations around that promote one type of wildlife or another, and all have dedicated members and officers who give their all.
One such national group -- The Ruffed Grouse Society -- now has a contingent of local members who are trying to organize a chapter here to promote their cause.
The Beaver Creek Chapter 365 of the Ruffed Grouse Society held a grouse habitat day Saturday at a farm on state Route 164 south of Lisbon to show just how local land can be made friendly for the grouse.
A handful of interested grouse hunters showed up at the Tom Terlecky farm for the morning and afternoon seminar session and got an earful on preparing acreage for wildlife.
Leading the tour of the 163-acre farm was Adam Bump, a biologist with the RGS.
What grouse need
Bump gave an overview of what grouse need to survive and thrive in the wild.
"Aspen is the No. 1 forest community for grouse," he explained. He added that while Ohio does not have much of this type of forest, aspen can and will grow here.
"There are oak and hickory forest communities mainly in Ohio," he said. "A dense thick wooded area is the best situation. Grouse require dense tree growth; the type of tree really doesn't matter to them," Bump said.
Bump explained the entire ecology behind grouse management and just how private landowners can go about making their acreage better suited to grouse and other wildlife.
"The proper habitat helps to protect grouse against predators," he said.
The chapter holds monthly meetings and will be the host of a banquet Sept. 7.
The national RGS was organized in October 1961 in Monterey, Va. The RGS works to improve woodland habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and many other kinds of forest wildlife.
The RGS' membership stands at about 23,000, with 130 chapters in the United States and Canada.
The RGS also doles out grants for research into grouse and grouse habitat. Since the early 1970s, the RGS has contributed more than $1 million to help sponsor at least 20 research projects in 18 states.
One project
For example, one such project, done in conjunction with the University of Missouri, demonstrated how oak-hickory forests (such as Ohio has) can be an acceptable alternative habitat for ruffed grouse when the more common aspen is not abundant.
The RGS also holds what it called "Coverts." What these events do is bring small groups of concerned private, nonindustrial forest owners together for three-day seminars on forest management techniques that emphasize conservation.
As an adjunct to these Coverts, the RGS also presents a "Management Area Program" that lets the RGS help directly implement forest wildlife habitat development on public lands.
Grouse season in Ohio runs Oct. 12 through Feb. 28 with a daily bag limit of three birds. Hours are one half-hour before sunrise to sunset.
In Pennsylvania, season dates are Oct. 19 to Nov. 30, Dec. 16 to 24 and Dec. 26 to Jan. 11, 2003 (two birds daily, four birds in possession).
braun@vindy.com