Habitat & Conservation  |  07/14/2022

Chapter Spotlight: Enchanted Quail Forever


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Staff Photo

The chapter held an essay contest to select participants

By David Gutierrez, Quail Forever Regional Representative

The Enchanted Quail Forever chapter in New Mexico hosted its inaugural Kids for Quail and Conservation outreach event at the Boys and Girls Ranch near Belen, New Mexico, in late March. The chapter held an essay contest to select participants, asking youth to write about the relationship between conservation and hunting. Ten New Mexico youth, ranging in age and experience, were selected for this special, two-day experience. Fifty-five parents, volunteers, and hunting mentors showed up in support of the lucky participants — a set of grandparents even made the drive from Alaska.

On the first day, youth participated in pollinator and keystone Rio Grande plant education, habitat improvement along the Bosque, raptor/prey relationship education, and a live falconry demonstration. On the second day, participants had a recap of Hunter’s Safety and a clay pigeon shoot.

The event wrapped up with a hunt for liberated pheasants shot over bird dogs, where each child harvested and processed their own bird. The weekend finished with a wild game lunch. Kids for Quail and Conservation captured ear-to-ear smiles and special memories. The chapter’s efforts improved habitat across the New Mexico landscape and created new, enthusiastic upland hunters.

The weekend’s success was not a solo effort. The chapter partnered with Impact Outdoors, the New Mexico Forestry Division, Socorro County Soil & Water Division, New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranch, the Zia (NM) chapter of NAVHDA, a NM game warden, New Mexico Game & Fish game bird biologist Casey Cardinal, falconer Tyler Sladen, and a number of private donors.

Enchanted Quail Forever will be hosting its first banquet this summer in Albuquerque. To learn more about Enchanted Quail Forever’s upcoming events, or to participate as a chapter volunteer, contact chapter president Stephanie Walton-Filipczak at enchantedquailforever@gmail.com.


David Gutierrez is a Quail Forever Regional Representative.

This story originally appeared in the 2022 Summer Issue of the Quail Forever Journal. If you enjoyed it and would like to be the first to read more great upland content like this, become a member today!