Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Fund Grant Will Benefit Ruffed Grouse Population
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) has announced that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has awarded $298,466.32 in federal funds to the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society, through NFWF’s Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Fund.
The organization will use the grant money to increase capacity for conservation planning and active forest management to benefit the Ruffed Grouse population. The bird species has experienced a 71% decline due to an absence in forest habitat diversity and increased predation.
“I look forward to seeing how this grant will help increase the population of the Ruffed Grouse throughout Southwest and Southside Virginia, through better conservation planning and forest management,” said Griffith.
According to NFWF, “the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program was established in 2017 to improve the quality and connectivity of forest and freshwater habitat and increase the distribution and abundance of native fish, birds and other wildlife.”
