Park Cities Quail Chairman Announces Research Breakthrough

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

For years, quail hunters have suspected what the rest of the world is beginning to understand: wild quail are disappearing from the landscape and the common cause cited, “loss of habitat,” isn't the whole story. According to Audubon Society estimates, the national quail population has declined more than 82% from 31 million birds in 1967 to less than 5.5 million today. Texas is known for its stronghold of wild quail, yet the Texas Parks and Wildlife 2011 quail census revealed the lowest count on record for the once-thriving population in the Rolling Plains of West Texas. The dramatic decline of wild quail across the state led to the formation of the nonprofit Park Cities Quail in Dallas in 2006. This grassroots effort pursues answers and raises funds for innovative research to rebuild the wild quail population for future generations.

At today's annual fundraiser, Park Cities Quail (PCQ) Chairman and Co-Founder Joe Crafton announced the non-profit's funding of the first complete sequencing of the bobwhite quail genome—a scientific first expected to be an important tool for researchers.

This Bobwhite Genome Project (BGP) is being conducted by the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (RPQRR) in Roby, Texas via a joint grant from Park Cities Quail and Joe Crafton with genetic work under the direction of Dr. Christopher Seabury at the Texas A&M Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

According to Dr. Dale Rollins, executive director of the RPQRR, “This genetic breakthrough will work hand-in-hand with our ongoing research to identify one or more diseases contributing to quail decline. The genetic information gathered from BGP will enable us to determine if certain lineages of quail, or local populations, are more disease resistant. We are grateful to Joe Crafton and PCQ for this real investment and promising step toward a solution to rebuild the wild quail population.”

The next phase of research will study bobwhites from ranches across Texas that maintain exclusively native quail populations (without any pen-raised quail introductions) to gain insight into different genetic variants and survival to help identify bobwhite lineages that are more robust and resistant to decline.

According to Joe Crafton, “We are very excited about the potential created by the Bobwhite Genome Project. Later this year, we plan to openly share the genome with interested research organizations. Future generations will likely benefit from the research derived from this important project.”

He continued, “When we started six years ago, we were determined to reverse the loss of quail throughout the region. Recently, we've seen true return on our investment, first with [RPQRR's] project Operation Idiopathic Decline's early findings of excessive parasitism in wild quail samples across the Rolling Plains region of Texas. We are working to find the best way to manage the parasites in the most responsible way. Second, this groundbreaking DNA research leaves us poised for more breakthroughs and success in our efforts to strengthen quail numbers.”

This news capped Park Cities Quail's annual fundraiser where entrepreneur, conservationist and avid sportsman Ted Turner was honored with its T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award. Held at Dallas' Frontiers of Flight Museum, the event attracted over 1,000 sporting enthusiasts who spent an average of $380 to attend. Known as “Conservation's Greatest Night,” virtually 100% of dollars raised will be donated for quail research like the innovative BGP project.

ABOUT PARK CITIES QUAIL: Park Cities Quail (PCQ) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by a group of Dallas area volunteers who are passionate about sporting tradition and determined to make it available to future generations. As a completely volunteer organization, PCQ donates nearly 100% of every dollar raised towards quail research and youth education. In the past five years this group of individuals has raised and donated over $2,000,000 directly to benefit its cause. www.parkcitiesquail.org. PCQ also spawned Quail Coalition, a statewide organization which now boasts 12 chapters and 4,000 members.

ABOUT ROLLING PLAINS QUAIL RESEARCH: www.quailresearch.org.