Habitat & Conservation  |  07/15/2024

Jacob McClain Elevated to South Carolina State Coordinator


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Experienced team member plans to boost quail habitat

Quail Forever (QF) is excited to introduce Jacob McClain as South Carolina’s first state coordinator. McClain will drive habitat programs, lead a talented team of field staff and work closely with partners, local chapters and other stakeholders. This work will ensure upland habitat continues to be recognized as a critically important driver of abundant wildlife populations while supporting sustainable agriculture, healthy soil and clean water.

“Jake has been a key player with our partners in South Carolina for several years,” said Tim Caughran, QF’s director of conservation delivery for the southern region. “It’s wonderful to be able to elevate his role as a leader in the state. Quail Forever’s impact on upland habitat will continue to grow under his leadership.”

McClain’s time with Quail Forever began in 2017 as a Farm Bill biologist. Since 2019, he has been working as a South Carolina quail focal area coordinator for QF. McClain holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in biological science from the University of Arkansas. 

McClain will now ensure effective conservation delivery throughout South Carolina’s quail range on both public and private lands. He will also help build new and expand existing landscape-level habitat initiatives, including South Carolina’s wildlife biologist program and the enhancement of quail habitat on wildlife management areas in The Palmetto State. 

“I’m excited to fill the role of state coordinator in South Carolina,” McClain said. “We’re blessed to live in a state where wild quail still whistle in nearly every county, but their populations are a shadow of what they once were. Working with our partners which include state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners, we can create vital habitat for quail and other wildlife to ensure the whistle continues to ring out across the state.”

For more information about Quail Forever in South Carolina, contact Jacob McClain at JMcClain@QuailForever.org.