Dec 23, 2021
This week we dive into disturbance ecology, looking at whole-forest health by zeroing in on the ruffed grouse. Grouse populations in some areas have experienced stark declines in recent decades. Some scientists call ruffed grouse a bellwether species -- what's good for the grouse is generally good for the forest. We talk about the difference between preservation and conservation, the mosaic make-up of healthy forests, and the potential of forests to be carbon sinks.
2:00
The Ruffed Grouse Society on Facebook -
@RuffedGrouseSociety, Twitter -
@rgs_aws, Instagram -
@ruffedgrousesociety
3:00
Artemis Tennessee Deer Camp… stay tuned for the full story!
4:30 Ashley Peters,
@grouse.lady
6:00
R3 conference in Minnesota + other programs for getting women
into hunting
7:00 Merry Grouse-mas!
10:00 “Glunting”… like glamping, but for hunting… “Glamor is
relative”
12:00 In windy grouse hunting conditions it helps to use sight over
scent
15:00 Grouse mating display & their bass-y drumming sound (OR, what
European settlers puzzled over as some strange ghostly heartbeat of
the land)
19:00 Grouse as a bellwether for whole forest health
20:00 “Conservation Is Behavior”
21:00 Ruffed grouse listed as a species of greatest concern in 19
states & a decline in diverse healthy forests
24:00 Healthy forests: A variety of age classes and species, which
help bolster a forest’s resilience against threats like pests,
drought, fire, etc
28:00 In places with fragmented land ownership, conservation goals
depend on collaboration
33:00 If all the public lands in the U.S. were lumped together, how
would it compare (in size) to other countries of the world?
....[insert jeopardy music]... it'd be the TENTH (hypothetical)
largest country in the world
35:00 Forest disturbances then and now; Disturbance-dependent
species like grouse
40:00 Grouse stay in a relatively small proximity for most their
lives compared to most birds
41:00 "Managing the landscape in a mosaic is the gold standard"
44:00 Healthy forests... "You can't just plant a bunch of trees and
walk away"
48:00 Grouse are challenged by low-snow years... "We're not going
to plant our way out of this problem"
50:00 Carbon programs to fund forest programs
54:00 The decline of grouse and woodcock has spurred RGS to change
how it does conservation on the ground and added a sense of urgency
to habitat improvement projects
57:00 Gene flow is limited for species who don't wander far from
home
59:00 Woodcock - listed as a species of greatest conservation
need
1:02
Recovering America's Wildlife Act
1:07 If you care about forests, do your research & learn as much as
you can
1:10 Hunter and Angler's Guide to Climate Change
1:12 Join the Artemis community -- we have a Facebook group with great people and rich discussion, we have an awesome book club, and programs/events for female hunters (some online, some in person). If Artemis has meant something to you, please consider sharing it with a friend or making a donation