Ruffed Grouse Society/American Woodcock Society Receive Grant to Improve 28,600 Acres of Habitat in the Northeast

Friday, June 13, 2025

Categories: News

Tags: #americanwoodcocksociety, #rgs/aws, #ruffedgrouse, #ruffedgrousesociety, #uplandhunting, #woodcock

June 5, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS) is proud to announce a major new investment in forest health and wildlife habitat across the Northeast. Through generous support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s 2025 Northeast Forests and Rivers Fund, we’ve been awarded a $274,340 grant to advance large-scale forest resilience and habitat management across 28,600 acres in northern New York and Vermont’s Champlain Valley. This work is part of a larger collaborative effort that leverages an additional $274,340 in matching contributions from partners and supporters.

At a time when Northeast U.S. forests are facing mounting pressures from fragmentation, invasive species and an alarming decline in habitat diversity and quality, this grant enables our team and our partners to implement proactive, science-based solutions at scale. Working through our long-standing partnership with Paul Smith’s College (PSC), as well as with the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and Huntington Community Forest, we’ll advance landscape-level forest block planning, launch new habitat projects and engage hundreds of landowners, professionals and community members.

A Strong Foundation of Partnerships

This effort builds upon years of collaboration with public and private partners committed to restoring and stewarding the Northeast’s forests. RGS & AWS will work closely with PSC to enroll their 14,000-acre working forest in a comprehensive forest block plan, enhancing its role as a living laboratory for adaptive silviculture and habitat diversity. Together with PSC’s newly launched Institute of Forestry and its flagship Adirondack Watershed Institute, we will align fieldwork, student engagement and research to maximize impact.

State agencies, including the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, will provide vital support on public lands, helping to coordinate forest management efforts across key Wildlife Management Areas such as Fairfield Swamp and The Narrows in Vermont. Meanwhile, landowners surrounding these areas – representing over 57,000 acres already identified through NRCS’s Working Lands for Wildlife program – will continue to be engaged in habitat planning and restoration.

What This Project Will Deliver

With the support of NFWF and our funding partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sylvamo North America LLC and the American Forest Foundation, this project will:

Improve habitat across 1,800+ acres, including 321 acres prioritized for Golden-winged warbler, American woodcock and ruffed grouse.
Reach 200 participants through field workshops, volunteer events and outreach efforts
Support two regional Master Logger trainings to promote professional excellence in sustainable forestry

Our work will strengthen habitat for at-risk species, improve water quality, support community forests and recreation and enhance climate resilience by managing for structural complexity and species diversity. This grant also helps catalyze additional resources and attention for conserving the Northeast’s iconic young forest habitat – essential for a range of declining wildlife.

Looking Ahead

RGS & AWS believes the best conservation outcomes happen when we align the needs of wildlife, forest ecosystems, landowners and local communities. This investment allows us to do just that – bridging science and practice, local action and regional vision. We extend our deep thanks to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sylvamo North America LLC, American Forest Foundation and all our project and funding partners. Together, we’re laying the groundwork for a healthier, more connected forest landscape that benefits wildlife and people for generations to come.

To learn more about our forest habitat initiatives in the Northeast, visit RuffedGrouseSociety.org/northeast-regional-page/.

Standing up for Public Lands

Monday, May 12, 2025

Written by Shotgun Life Staff

Categories: Briefs

Tags: #americanwoodcocksociety, #conservation, #huntingonpubliclands, #ruffedgrousesociety, #wingshooting

May 9, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society — Last week the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee passed a budget bill ordering the sale of thousands of acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada.

Using a budget bill is an unacceptable departure from the proper means of evaluating land transactions. Existing laws for sale or exchange of public lands require due process and the return of revenue to the public land system. A budget bill meets neither requirement, preventing evaluation and diverting revenue to the Treasury.

RGS & AWS is joining many partners in advocating the removal of the land sale provisions from the forthcoming budget bill on the House floor. Before a budget bill is enacted, it must also be approved by the Senate. The process could take several weeks or longer.

At RGS & AWS, our commitment to conserving wildlife habitat is simultaneous with keeping public lands secure. This reflects our community’s values – and is a message we underscore with our elected leaders as they weigh decisions about public lands policy. That guides our work in Washington, D.C., where we engage on a bipartisan basis to increase public access – not reduce it – and enhance conservation value, not lose it.

The House budget bill further complicates this equation. Since the amendment was advanced through the budget reconciliation process, the revenue raised from the sale of these public lands goes to the general Treasury fund. It would not be reinvested in public lands, as is standard practice for public lands sales, via the Federal Land Disposal Account, a Treasury account used by federal departments to purchase other lands, especially those with high conservation, recreation and/or public access value.

A budget reconciliation bill is not the right place to legislate public lands sales. Fundamentally, these proposals should include ample opportunity for public consideration and feedback. And they must be advanced via agency action or congressional authorization to keep the money raised from their sale within our public lands system.

If you value our public lands and waters, we ask you to make your views known to your elected leaders in Congress. Take a moment today to express your strong opposition to the House budget amendment mandating the sale of public lands. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your delegates’ offices. Or email your senators or representatives right now.

Also this week, a bipartisan group of House members launched the Public Lands Caucus, a congressional coalition focused on conserving and expanding access to public lands. Co-chaired by Reps. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) and Ryan Zinke (R-MT), the caucus intends to unite lawmakers of all stripes to advance pragmatic, consensus-based public lands policy that advances conservation and supports recreation, local economies and public access.

Remember, when sportsmen unite, sportsmen win. Our system of U.S. public lands and waters is the envy of the world – and a mainstay in equal-opportunity access to all kinds of outdoor recreation, not just hunting. Let’s work together to make sure this legacy endures for future generations to experience and enjoy.

Take a stand for healthy forests. Support RGS & AWS and join our conservation network. Every donation helps us amplify your voice in important policy matters that affect wildlife, habitat and hunting.

Be part of the habitat solution! Join, renew or give a gift membership in RGS & AWS today.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Written by Shotgun Life Staff

Categories: News

Tags: #conservation, #ruffedgrousesociety

New Eastern Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan Aims to Restore Populations

The Eastern Grouse Working Group (EGWG), a collective of state and provincial wildlife agency biologists, has developed a strategic plan to guide ruffed grouse recovery in the eastern half of their range. The newly released Eastern Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan (ERGCP) 2025-2034 outlines critical actions for habitat restoration and conservation efforts over the next decade.

While ruffed grouse are non-migratory, their survival depends on large-scale habitat restoration. Conservation success in one state or province alone is not enough to ensure the long-term stability of ruffed grouse populations across the region. A coordinated, multi-state effort will provide greater ecological, social and economic benefits than isolated habitat management efforts.

Two Decades of Conservation Planning

The ERGCP builds on nearly 20 years of planning. In 2006, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Resident Game Bird Working Group endorsed a Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan aimed at restoring populations to 1980 levels. Despite this plan, ruffed grouse populations have continued to decline in the eastern region. This prompted state wildlife agency biologists to call for a more strategic, coordinated initiative.

In January 2021, a planning workshop was held to evaluate the biological, social, political and economic conditions affecting ruffed grouse. From this effort, the EGWG identified Desired Future Conditions (DFCs), Current Conditions (CCs), gaps between them, and the barriers and opportunities to closing those gaps. This framework helped guide the development of the new conservation plan.

High-Priority Actions

During a strategic planning workshop in October 2023, EGWG members and key partners identified 21 priority actions necessary to achieve conservation goals. The highest-priority actions include:

• Evaluating the current distribution of quality grouse habitat using standardized methods.
• Identifying priority areas for habitat management based on biological and socio-economic factors.
• Developing and implementing forest ecosystem diversity plans in priority areas.
• Securing and allocating resources for effective grouse habitat management.
• Addressing resource gaps and barriers that hinder conservation efforts.

A Collaborative Approach

No single agency or organization has the resources to implement the ERGCP alone. However, strategic collaboration between states, provinces and conservation partners will create highly effective partnerships and conservation outcomes. Through coordinated efforts, ruffed grouse populations can be stabilized and improved across their eastern range.

The full Eastern Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan 2025-2034 is available for review and provides detailed strategies for achieving long-term conservation success. Together, we can advance landscape-scale conservation efforts and secure the future of ruffed grouse.