By Gary Joiner
TFB Radio Network Manager

Fans and students of Texas quail will gather in Abilene for the Statewide Quail Symposium Aug. 16-18 to learn from leading professionals and experts in quail research, conservation and management.

This is the second Statewide Quail Symposium. The first symposium was hosted in 2015.

“We’ll start the symposium on Wednesday with a tour of the Hailey Ranch just north of Abilene. And that’s a special place. Rob’s a one-man show on a 2,500-acre ranch there. He’s done a lot of great things for wildlife, including bobwhites,” said Dr. Dale Rollins of San Angelo in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network.

Rollins is a symposium planner and AgriLife Extension’s statewide coordinator for the Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative. He’s also director of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch at Roby.

“Thursday, we’ll be in class at the MCM Elegante all day long listening to various updates. And then we’ll be hearing several of what I call point-counterpoint sessions. To every contentious situation, whether it be, for example, exotic grasses and quail, there’s two opinions to that,” Rollins said. “So we’re having four point-counterpoint sessions, which I’m always particularly fond of. The next day we’ll have updates from the various quail players—A&M AgriLife, Quail Tech, Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation. They will be talking about what they’ve learned over the last couple of years.”

The past two years have seen booming quail populations throughout Texas. Rollins said, to that end, some of the major points of discussion will be from experts addressing ways to insulate these healthy quail populations, while offering ways to address issues still threatening quail numbers with an eye to the future in terms of quail conservation and management.

Organizers anticipate 250-300 people attending the symposium after the success of the 2015 meeting.

Aug. 7 is the deadline for early individual registration. The cost is $50 and $20 for students. Registration at the door will be $75 and $50 for students.

The meeting will be at the MCM Elegante Hotel.

For more information and to register, visit http://statewidequailsymposium.com/.