SC Quail Forever Receives Chapter of the Year Award

QUAIL FOREVER 2021 NATIONAL CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS

Painting done for SC Quail Forever by our Artist of the Year 2022, Amy-Lauren Lum Won

Quail Forever volunteer chapters throughout America are being honored this week for their mission-driven accomplishments over the past year in the categories of habitat work, membership, education and outreach, and advocacy. These attributes are what propel the organization’s conservation accomplishments from year-to-year, now accounting for more than 22 million acres since 1982.
 
2021 saw continued challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but local chapters persevered through difficult conditions to ensure the success of Quail Forever’s mission. Each category below represents a pillar of Quail Forever, and each chapter recognized has gone above and beyond to strengthen the core mission of “The Habitat Organization.”
 
National Chapter of the Year - Habitat Award
South Carolina Quail Forever
 
This South Carolina volunteer chapter played a significant role in Quail Forever’s first land acquisition in the southeastern United States. The Bobwhite Hills Wildlife Management Area expansion in central South Carolina was purchased under the Build a Wildlife Area program and consists of 790 acres in Lee and Sumter Counties. Tim Askins, the Mount Pleasant chapter president originally identified the property, fostered a relationship with the previous landowner, and became the liaison between the landowner, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Quail Forever. For his work on this project, as well as many others, Askins received the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative’s “Firebird Award” recognizing outstanding work in quail conservation.
 
The Mount Pleasant chapter also helped identify the South Carolina Conservation Bank (SCCB) as a funding source to help offset organizational costs. They lobbied board members and assisted with presentations generating $850,000 in funding from the SCCB. This was the single largest contribution in Quail Forever history.  The chapter is also committed to raising funds for the Build a Wildlife Area program during their upcoming banquet in February 2022.