New Quail Forever Chapter: Metro Quail Forever!

[thunderpout]

For anyone interested, there will be a Bobwhite Quail Habitat seminar on Tuesday, Jan. 19th, 7-9pm, at the Goodtimes resturant in Caledonia MN.  118 Bissen st. just off of hwy 44... There will be an expert from the Kansas DNR, and a few other speakers.  They will have a new Video presentation on improving land for quail.   Great info for landowners and just to see what people are doing in the heart of quail country to help get the populations to where they used to be....  ALSO....  We have a set date for Metro Quail Forever's first banquet... It'll be Thursday Feb. 11th 530-830pm at Jax Cafe on university, in Mpls.(Nice place!)  It'll be a great night, we'll have a couple different raffles, an auction, door prizes and good food to boot... all for a good cause, to help the MN bobwhite Quail!   I'll have more details soon,  Let me know if youre interested or have questions, It'll be a great time to become a member!  If you'd like to help out/and/or donate Items for raffles etc., we need all the help we can get!  Thanks!

[thunderpout]

Time for a QF meeting.... Thursday, 7pm, Broadway Pizza, W River rd, Mpls, right by the river!  Join us!   

[thunderpout]

Anyone interested in helping out at our Banquet on Feb 11th?  We need some helping hands, and theres a free meal in it for those who want to help...($30 value ) Its at Jax Cafe in Mpls... We will need some help, and if one has banquet experience, that a definate plus, but definatly not required!

[thunderpout]

I'd like to thank some people that have donated very generously to Metro Quail Forever's first Banquet!   First, Auggie, from Wallhanger's Taxidermy Studio who gave us three gift certificates and a stack of discount cards!  Auggie, YOU R DA MAN!   Steger Mukluks, for donating a pair of their new Camuks! (Which I bought a pair this year, and must say they are awesome! )  I'd also like to thank the New Brighton Sportsmans Club, who generously has sponsered our banquet , Scott Co. Pheasants Forever, The Minnesota Twins, Wild Marsh Sporting Clays, Also Joe's Sporting Goods for donations and for handling our gun prizes! There are too many others to list, but Metro QF thanks you all!!!!   Our banquet is upon us, it will be a small but exiting event that will only get bigger and better as our new chapter does the same! I hope some more MNO folks will get involved, and I ask everyone to support these people and their buisnesses!   Thanks to everyone!  -Greg/Metro Quail Forever

[thunderpout]

Dang! Sorry! It was Dakota Co. PF, Not Scott Co. PF.... My Bad!   Thanks Guys!

[LandDr]

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[thunderpout]

Land Dr.... I hear what you are saying, and I agree to a certain degree on that, but from what Ive seen, the products that private co's sell are usually cheaper than the "non-profits" stuff they sell.  And dont the organizations have to buy their products frome private companies before they re-lable them?   Competition IS American, and people have the decision/right in which to choose, and when ALL of a chapters profits go to habitat, education and helping wildlife, (like PF/QF) is there a loser?  I cant speak for other organizations, but our QF chapter used the little money we made to help out a inner cities school to keep their kids archery program afloat... Id say thats all good. 

[Fawkinnae]

Thunderpout I don't think I ever sent you anything. How did I miss this? Sorry about that.
My mind is like a (very old rusted) steel trap.

[thunderpout]

Hey Doug... That's ok... there's always next time! For our first banquet, and being a Quail Forever chapter in a state where there is no Quail season, we were hoping to break even... well, we actually came out a little ahead of that, got some donations for a charter schools archery program, and have a little money left for some future projects.  It was a fun night for all, had some good food, and we got the word out there... I think we had like 60 folks there, State Senator Chaudhary was there to help us out and gave a good speech.. hopefully it will get bigger and better next time so we can help the SE MN chapter with our shared goal of helping Bobwhites #'s increase in our state.....

[LandDr]

Thunderpout...appreciate the response and the consideration.

True...the non-profits do have to buy their product from a private company "somewhere".  That somewhere is most often a large company that is "out of state".  It becomes the Wal-mart concept and the local companies within the state are eliminated.  That takes away local taxes, local jobs, local kids going to our schools, local support, local donations, etc., etc.  You have to look at the big picture of what the impact is.

The products are not cheaper...I hear that all the time but that is not true.  They are more often the same price or cheaper.  The services are also not cheaper.  Each year I lose bids to PF on prescribed burning and seeding.  If the PF Habitat Team people had to buy their trucks, trailers, tractors, mowers, ATVs, fire equipment, drills, etc., etc., like the private companies have to do, they certainly would not charge as little as they do.  Private companies have to finance everything and put all the risk on the line...while the habitat team people have everything bought for them with no risk.

I am sorry...when the private businesses have to compete with subsidized non-profits and govt agencies, it is "not" competition.  Just try to imagine starting a business with your own money and sweet and then compete with non-profits or govt. agencies that have everything bought for them.  Not a pretty picture is it.  I am not sure what employment you have, but try to imagine a non-profit or govt. agency starting up the same products and services in direct competition with you...it would dramatically change your revenue.

There are other ways for non-profits to generate revenue rather than competiting with private companies that are paying taxes, providing jobs and providing for their local economies.  I have presented these ideas but no one wants to listen or consider those options.

Give me a call at 320-760-9355 and maybe we can talk about this more.  I appreciate your efforts...but we can accomplish more working together rather than working against each other.

[thunderpout]

Land Dr. ... I understand your issues with the "non profit" orgs being able to undercut buisnesses like yours,  BUT ya hit a nerve good with me on this partas my job is in fact not secure right now for the very fact we are up for bid by our buildings owners, Im a maintence tech/engineer and have been here for years but probably not much longer.... Its all about the allmighty $ these days.... to be frank, yeah, I definatly CAN imagine what its like being under bidded and losing my job to some other company.  Its happening to me as we speak!  I do see your delema in trying to compete with non-profit groups, but isnt that the nature of the beast when working in the buisness you are?  The "Groups" competeing with you out there are trying to help wildlife, the hunters, the landowners and others, and trying to do it for the least $ so they can do more with what $ they have.... that part of it is just good buissness wether we like the way its done or not... I dont agree with it, or necessarily disagree with it.  You do have a point that conservation groups could hire local companies to do their work, and purchase their products, but at a higher price, But if you step back and look at it, as a big picture, if you get volunteers, such as myself and others, and are able to get more accomplished with less money, for the goal's sake, isnt that best?  Just my two cents...

[LandDr]

I feel for you.  It is stress that is hard to deal with.  I hope it works out for you and any hard working people that are in similar situations.

In regards to your thoughts...

- When they use our tax payer dollars to subsidize the products and services, it is wrong to compete with private businesses AND it is not cheaper.  People may see the "upfront" cost as being cheaper, but they don't look at all the underlying costs and overhead that are being paid by tax payers dollars, grants (which often come from tax payers), banquet dollars and other fundraising.
- When the people at the top are making a fortune, while the volunteers work their tails off...and in the mean time these organizations directly compete with local private businesses.

For example...Wildlife Forever is the PF Habitat Team subsiderary of PF.  The 2007 fiscal report stated the following...

President - $145,110 (why such a high paid president for only a $1.5 million budget?)
Director 1 - $60,770
Director 2 - $47,777 (why two directors for such a small budget?)
Salaries and Wages - $159,918 (I would assume this is for the actual people working on projects)
Compensation of Officers - $253,657 (if there are 5 officers, that is $50,000 each...wow!)

That totals $667,232.  The total budget for this non-profit was reported as $1,463,691...that is almost 50% of the budget paid out in salaries, wages and compensation.  All of this information can be found on the Sttorney General's web site and reports on charities.

Like I said...it appears "cheaper" on the outside, but as you can see, it is VERY expensive on the inside where no one looks.  I personally feel that it is wrong for charieties to operate like this and compete with existing private companies.

[thunderpout]

Well enough of the negative eh?  Here's some positive hard fact (non-opinionated) and good news!   Got the first Bobwhite Quail sightings for 2010... Covey's of Bobwhite were sighted in Houston County, in Wilmington and Caledonia townships, which is a great sign considering how much snow we got this season!  Quail Forever's SE MN chapter has their Banquet coming up Saturday March 27th, 530 pm till 9pm at Goodtimes resturant in Caledonia MN just off Hwy 44... ALL money(that's right...ALL) procedes made at the banquet STAY with the chapter and are used in their projects there in our states Bobwhite hotbed... any questions just ask!

[LandDr]

Thunder...here are some ideas for projects down in that area...

A couple years ago we planned and designed a property not far from Mound Prairie, MN in Houton Co.  We incorporated several programs to develop Field Windbreaks, Contour Buffers, Shelterbelt, Filter Strips and Riparian Buffers in coordination with farm fields and food plots.  It is ideal for quail with the "soft edges" and linear habitats adjacent to weedy edges and crops  The property owner mentioned to me that the quail population has really taken off on the farm.

There is really A LOT of opportunity for landowners to design and develop program options on their property...the programs are REALLY taylored to the landscape.  If there is anyone that would be interested in working with landowners on a part time basis and already have some working knowledge of food plots and habitat, contact me and I would be happy to discuss some opportunties with you.  It is part time but really has a lot of great rewards with getting more done on the land.  My email...info@HabitatNOW.com

[thunderpout]

QF (The SE MN chapter) is working with land owners down there, students from local schools and other volunteers in the area with plantings and other habitat improvements... There is some CP33 acres available still for landowners down there also.  I'll shoot your e-mail to the other QF people involved with the habitat projects down there.....

[thunderpout]

We have a QF meeting this Thursday, 7pm, Broadway Pizza, Mpls., on Broadway & W.River road... Need Info/Details give me a shout!  Join us and have some pizza, AND help MN's Bobwhites!

[thunderpout]

Metro QF has had some meetings with the MN DNR and we are looking into our first major quail habitat project in our neck of the woods!  We are looking at doing some habitat improvement and down the line, releasing some northern strain Bobwhite Quail once we get the land to where it needs to be to shelter and feed Bobwhites.... We are holding our next meeting at the MN Valley Rec Area near the Louisville Swamp WMA, in Dakota Co.  The date is Friday July 23rd, The time and further details will be comming .... any questions just ask!

[LandDr]

Thunder...there are some great programs in addition to the CP33 that landowners can use down there...CP5A, CP21, CP22, CP15A, etc., etc.  A lot of great ways to create winter cover, travel lanes and soft edges that quail love!

If you have any landowners that would like to look at options, I would be happy to review their aerial photos and note some options for them to consider as well as some payment projections they might earn per acre.  These programs often pay a $100 per acre incentive up front as well as up to 90% cost share for the projects...pay very well!

Land Dr

[thunderpout]

Yes, there is some good incentive for land owners down in areas of SE MN for folks interested in improving Bobwhite Quail habitat on their property, and help from QF to decide what to do to improve things.... The SE QF chapter works with landowners in that area of MN.....  We are meeting this friday at the Burger King in Jordan at 7pm and then driving to the area where we will be working on things in the future.... anyone interested let me know!

[thunderpout]

LandDr..... Im not sure if you are familar with the Louisville Swamp WMA/Minnesota Valley WMA near Jordan, its managed public land that we are looking at developing habitat in for a possible Bobwhite release in the future....but if you are able I think it would be great to have you there on Friday... The PF/QF regional director wont be at this meeting as he's out of town, but Thurman Tucker, the VP of the SE QF Chapter(and our chapter's mentor/overseer) will be there, and possibly our DNR contacts...