Uh oh...
It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Read More about this safari issue.
At Historic Cane Hill this spring, a group of landowners, conservationists and wildlife experts gathered for an event that felt both educational and urgent. What began as a lecture and farm tour quickly revealed a broader story unfolding across Arkansas.
The natural habitats that once supported northern bobwhite quail and wild turkeys are disappearing, and with them, a way of life that has long defined Arkansas’s fields, forests, and open spaces.
But there is also a clear path ahead.
Through partnerships led by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and organizations like Quail Forever, private landowners statewide are learning to restore these habitats, one property at a time.
And the results are beginning to show.
The Problem: A Landscape That Has Quietly Changed
For generations, quail and wild turkeys were a common sight throughout Arkansas. Many consider them native species and likely part of the diets of Native Americans and early settlers. Today, both species face significant challenges, not from hunting pressure or a single threat, but from changes in the landscape itself.
Grasslands have either become dense or disappeared. Forests have become overcrowded. Fire, once a natural and frequent part of the ecosystem, has largely been removed.
For northern bobwhite quail, the decline has been steady for decades. Data from breeding bird surveys show a continuous drop in populations dating back to at least the early 1900s, with sharper declines since the 1960s.
Wild turkeys tell a slightly different story. After nearly collapsing in the early 1900s, they were successfully restored through relocation and conservation efforts. Today, Arkansas has a strong population again. Even with that success, habitat quality remains a limiting factor for long-term sustainability.
It’s not that businesses and structures are overtaking plains; it’s the mismanagement of open spaces, where invasive species and underbrush take over in mismanaged regions.
In both cases, the issue comes down to one thing:
Habitat loss and imbalance.
The Solution: Rebuilding Habitat, Not Just Populations
At the Cane Hill event, led in part by biologists from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, one message came through clearly.
You cannot restore wildlife without restoring habitat.
For quail, that habitat is more specific than many people expect. They thrive in a mix of grass, wildflowers, and brush connected across the landscape. Not thick forests. Not wide-open fields. A balance of both.
For wild turkeys, the ideal landscape is a mosaic:
- Mature forest for roosting
- Open grassy areas for feeding
- Brushy cover for nesting
- Seasonal food sources like acorns and insects
This kind of diversity no longer happens by accident; it must be managed.
And one of the most important tools in that management is something that often surprises people – FIRE.
When conducted safely and intentionally, prescribed burns help restore native grasses, reduce invasive species, and create the open layered habitat these birds need to survive.
In many cases, land that feels “overgrown” or “too wooded” is lacking the balance that wildlife depends on.
A Working Example: Restoration in Action
During the farm tour portion of the Cane Hill event, participants saw these principles put into practice at Boonsboro Farm, a local property owned by board member Tim Leach.
What might look unbalanced to the untrained eye is carefully managed:
- Trees were selectively removed to open the canopy
- Native grasses reintroduced
- Brush left in strategic patches
- Prescribed burns used to maintain the system
The result is a landscape that supports not only quail and turkeys but also pollinators, deer, and a wide range of other wildlife.
It is not about returning land to exactly what it was in the past. It is about restoring the ecosystem’s function.
The Role of Partnership
One of the most encouraging aspects of this story is that it is not being addressed by one group alone.
The work happening across Arkansas is built on collaboration:
- The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission provides research, planning, and on-the-ground support.
- Private landowners invest time, effort, and long-term commitment in their land
- Organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Quail Forever contribute resources and expertise
- Historic Cane Hill hosts educational events that connect people with the mission as well as the annual artists competition for the Arkansas Quail and Turkey stamps.
Together, these efforts are creating a ripple effect in which one landowner’s success often inspires others.
How Landowners Can Get Involved
For landowners, the opportunity to make a difference is more accessible than many realize it is.
Through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s private lands program, property owners can receive the following:
- FREE site visits from a private lands biologist
- A FREE customized habitat management plan
- Soil data and historical landscape context
- Step-by-step recommendations tailored to their property
- Guidance on practices such as prescribed burning, tree thinning, and native planting
Support does not end with a plan. Landowners are also connected to training opportunities, including prescribed burn courses and local burn associations that provide tools and manpower.
In many cases, it starts with a simple step: reaching out to ask for guidance.
Each county in Arkansas is supported by a local AGFC biologist, and this support goes beyond the work produced in each county by the Arkansas Extension Offices.
More information about Quail Restoration Support.
More information about Wild Turkey Habitat Restoration.
Connect with the staff at your AGFC regional office.
How the Public Can Support Conservation
You do not need to own land to be part of this effort.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to support habitat restoration in Arkansas is to purchase the state’s voluntary quail and turkey conservation stamps for $9.50.
Each year, these stamps feature artwork selected through a competition hosted in partnership with Historic Cane Hill. Beyond the artwork, the stamps directly fund habitat restoration projects statewide and are available wherever you purchase an Arkansas State Fishing license.
It is a small purchase that contributes to a much larger impact. When combined with the efforts of thousands of others, it helps advance conservation in a meaningful way. During the program (2026 brings years seven and eight), “the voluntary Arkansas Quail and Turkey Conservation Stamps have raised more than $2.7 million for habitat work on public lands in Arkansas, funding over 54 projects across roughly 18,435 acres.”
Another way to support conservation is to participate in the annual wild game surveys, in which Arkansans report sightings of wild game species. You can access the survey through the Survey123 app or contact a local AGFC office for collection and sighting tips.
A Future Worth Investing In
There is no quick fix for restoring quail and turkey habitats in Arkansas. It requires time, patience, and a willingness to rethink land management practices.
But there is also real momentum.
Since 2015, reports of quail sightings have increased in areas where habitat work is underway. Landowners are seeing results. Biologists are tracking progress. And communities are becoming more engaged in the process.
The landscapes of Arkansas are changing again, this time with purpose.
We do the work.
You check your email.
Sign up for our weekly e-news.
Get stories sent straight to your inbox!
Like this story? Read more from Keisha Pittman McKinney
There’s something deeply comforting about cradling a warm cup of tea in...
Every historic building, restored landmark or preserved story in Arkansas...
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, states across the...
Join the Conversation
Leave a Comment