Habitat & Conservation  |  01/28/2025

Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic Will Feature Technical Student Presentations for the Uplands


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Celebrate Quail Forever’s 20th anniversary with us!

This milestone marks two decades of impactful conservation, community, and connection. Join us from March 7–9, 2025, at the Kansas City Convention Center for the National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic, a celebration of upland habitat research, conservation innovation, and education at the second annual Technical and Poster Session!

Jump to Program Schedule

The upland bird technical & poster sessions will feature the latest findings from the brightest minds in conservation. Engage with researchers, learn from cutting-edge studies, and discover how your contributions as hunters, landowners, and conservationists make a difference. Expert talks will take place on Friday and Saturday, with students presenting posters on Saturday 11–12PM and 3-4PM.

Poster Topics:

  • Dusky Grouse Monitoring and Space-Use, Logan Clark
  • Impacts of Supplemental Feed on the Food Habits of Wild Northern Bobwhite, Michael Lance Stewart
  • Comparative Survival of Sympatric Chestnut-Bellied Scaled Quail and Bobwhite, Levi D. Sweeten
  • In the Heat of the Night: Habitat Suitability for a Diurnal Galliform, Katherine A. Travis
  • The Effects of Neonicotinoids on Ring-Necked Pheasant Growth and Physiology, Madison Ramsey
  • Exploring Temporal Variability in Scale of Effect for Ground-Nesting Birds, Caleb M. McKinney
  • A Bird’s-Eye View: Developing Aerial Survey Protocols for Prairie Grouse, Cailey D. Isaacson
  • Grassland Bird Trends from the NBGI CIP: Densities and Habitat Responses, Marisa Zimmerman
  • Refining Landscape Management for Northern Bobwhite in Kansas, Sarah Jacobson
  • Reducing Aggressive Native Goldenrods in Conservation Plantings, Hannah Kaluf
  • Classifying Grassland Bird Habitat Suitability with Remote Sensing Data, Allison H. Dawn

Seminar Schedule

2025 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic:
Technical Presentations Schedule

Room 2211
 
Time Topic Speaker(s)
Friday 1:00 The Importance of Landowner Partnerships in Northern Bobwhite Recovery Dr. Jess McGuire, Quail Forever
1:30 Booms, Busts, and Bobwhites: Unraveling the Secrets of a Vanishing Icon  Dr. James Martin, University of Georgia 
2:00 Conservation Reserve Program Decision Support Tool  Dr. Mark McConnell, Mississippi State University 
2:30 Assessing the Value of Quail Habitat Management to Native Pollinators  Dr. Darin J. McNeil, University of Kentucky 
3:00 Tools for Managing Pheasant Habitat Connectivity  Grant Ravary, Ohio State University 
3:30 Open Discussion with All Presenters Panel Discussion
Saturady 9:00 Why is Upland Game Bird Conservation So Hard Yet So Great? Dr. James Martin, University of Georgia
9:30  Myths, Misunderstandings, and Red Herrings of the Quail World  Dr. Mark McConnell, Mississippi State University 
10:00  Tools for Managing Pheasant Habitat Connectivity  Grant Ravary, Ohio State University 
10:30 How Much Habitat is Enough? Planning for Pheasant-Friendly Landscapes  Dr. Scott Taylor, Pheasants Forever 
11:00 Welcome- “Passing the Torch”  and Poster Session Kick-off  Addison Ingram, HS Student  
11:15  Poster Session: View posters, discuss with students, and vote! Vote Now
1:00 Cover Crops and Conservation Cover: Finding Pheasant Nests  Dr. Adam Janke, Iowa State University 
1:30 The Largest-Ever Moment to Conserve Grasslands in the Great Plains  Dr. Dirac Twidwell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
2:00 Reclaiming the Range: Locally Led Strategies for Addressing Conifer Expansion  Shea Coons, University of Montana 
2:30 Know the Boots You’re Wearing: Effective Communication for Conservation  Julia Debes, WLFW Communications Director 
3:00 Poster Session: View posters, discuss with students, and vote! Vote Now  
4:15 Poster Awards Announced  


Why attend?

Join us at Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2025 to celebrate 20 years of Quail Forever's commitment to conserving upland birds and their habitats. This milestone event is your opportunity to learn from top conservation scientists, discover practical habitat management techniques, and engage with groundbreaking research. Be inspired by Addison Ingram, a high school student and emerging conservation leader, as she opens the poster session with a special presentation Saturday at 11AM. Explore innovative tools and strategies to balance agriculture, private landownership, and conservation goals, all while supporting the next generation of conservationists. Let’s honor two decades of impact with Quail Forever and look forward to a brighter future for upland birds and their habitats—because together, we rise for conservation!

Voting for the best poster will open Saturday, March 8 at 8AM and close at 4:15PM with the winner announced at 4:30PM the same day. There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

Vote Now


The 2025 National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic will take place at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City on March 7-9. Tickets and more information can be found at: PheasantFest.org.