Southeastern Grasslands & Bobwhite Quail with Brittney Viers

Artemis

The Southeast has lost about 99% of its native grasslands. When Brittney Viers started working as a biologist on northern bobwhite quail conservation, she realized being a botanist would was critical to revelaing the bird's relationship to its habitat. Brittany works for Quail Forever, which strives to preserve remnant grassland habitat and restore degraded habitat for quail in Tennessee. Plus: Making biologists talk to landowners, the North America Grasslands Act, ticks-on-baby problems, and mountain "balds."

3:00 Botany, biology + grasslands

6:00 Studying bird health by studying plant/grassland health

8:00 Quail Forever

11:00 Coordinating regional conservation partnership programs for grassland health (ecosystem-level conservation = doesn't give a hoot about state lines)

13:00 Northern bobwhites in the East: Challenges with successional environments, lack of escape cover, thermal cover for the winter... habitat is paramount

16:00 Invasive species and herbicide use

17:00 Predators are not the main reason for quail decline

19:00 "Quail" to Westerners vs. Easterners

21:00 When biologists are REQUIRED to do landowner workshops... and the power of grassroots outreach (pssst... it can happen over a tailgate)

25:00 Hosting quail habitat workshops in places where land management is working

26:00 North America Grasslands Act

27:00 Southeastern grasslands... not the same as the tall-grass prairie of the Midwest

28:00 Many grassland birds are struggling

30:00 Grasslands in the Southeast have declined by 99%

34:00 It's hard being a grassland specialist in an area with dwindling grasslands -- they're fountains of biodiversity

36:00 There's something special about grasslands for the human soul

37:00 "Balds" - mysterious open areas on the tops of mountains

39:00 Southern grasslands -- rhododendron to cacti (they can vary greatly in makeup)

42:00 Woody encroachment: The timbered look isn't natural in a lot of parts of the Southeast

44:00 The absence of fire on the landscape

46:00 Blackbelt Prairie in Mississippi

52:00 Blueberry hunting with babies, then de-ticking your baby in the car

54:00 Listeners... a special Artemis announcement! #nospoilersintheshownotes

56:00 Artemis Program Manager job... share it with the best people in your sphere!

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