By Claude Jenkins

Land Stewardship Biologist for the Alabama Wildlife Federation

Throughout the Southeast, certain bird species associated with early successional habitats have declined to historic lows. From 1980 to 1999, the fall northern bobwhite population declined from nearly 59 million birds to 20 million birds. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey, bobwhite breeding populations declined at an average rate of 3.8 percent per year from 1982 to 1999.

Although these declines have been attributed to a variety of factors such as coyotes, fire ants, and hawks, the primary cause has been the effects of landscape level habitat loss and degradation. Declining population trends are not unique to bobwhites, however. The loss of early successional habitats has resulted in precipitous declines in unexploited bird species such as logger-head shrikes, dickcissels, eastern meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, and eastern king-birds.

Bobwhites are adapted to and require diverse plant communities for reproductive success and survival: native grasses for nesting, annual weeds with bare ground and insects for brood rearing, shrub/woody brush for winter and protective cover, and native annuals for foraging. Historically, in agricultural landscapes, idle or fallow areas were common along field edges, fence rows, ditch banks, and field corners. These idle areas fulfilled most of the essential habitat requirements of bobwhites, thus bobwhite populations flourished.

Bobwhite populations are no longer an accidental byproduct of agricultural practices. By necessity, modern agricultural practices strive to maximize production of food and fiber through advances in technological capabilities and large-scale production. Consequently, former idle areas were placed into production. The resultant “clean” farming practices virtually eliminated habitats for bobwhites and other grassland dependent bird species.

Conservationists’ concerns with regard to adverse environmental consequences associated with large-scale, highly specialized, capital-intensive farming systems have in-creased. Federal, state, and non-governmental conservation organizations recognized the unintended effects of intensive farming practices on soil and water quality, and wildlife habitat. This increase sensitivity to environmental stewardship is reflected in the evolution of farm policy in recent years. The most recent example is Conservation Practice 33 (CP33), Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds, which became effective on October 1, 2004.

CP33 is a novel and unprecedented conservation practice/initiative intended to provide food and cover for bobwhites and other upland birds in cropland areas. Administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), the practice is intended to create 250,000 acres of field border habitat along the edges of eligible cropland in 35 states. FSA estimates that the essential reproductive habitats created by the initiative will increase the density of bobwhites by 750,000 birds annually. Because total enrollment is limited to 250,000 acres, enrollment is aimed at specific geographic regions in each state that have the greatest potential to restore habitat suitable for bobwhites. The following table provides acres allocated for CP33 for each state.

State	Acres	State	Acres
Alabama Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Mississippi	6,100 12,000 600 500 900 2,800 8,600 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 9,000 8,900 2,100 500 2,400 500 9,400	Missouri Nebraska New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin Total	20,000 6,000 600 500 500 11,300 14,200 9,500 2,200 500 5,000 500 9,300 20,000 3,600 500 1,500 250,000

Field borders may vary in width from a minimum average width of 30 feet to a maximum average width of 120 feet. Wildlife response will vary depending upon several factors such as border width, plant composition (amount and types of plants), plant structure (shape and size of each type of plant), and frequency of management.

However, wider field borders (30’+) will generally support a greater diversity and abundance of bird species. Research in Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina has shown that converting as little as one to five percent of agricultural landscapes to field borders can increase bobwhite populations by 50 to 100 percent. North Carolina studies have demonstrated that field borders can increase abundance of wintering grassland birds by 200 percent.

Field borders can be established by allowing vegetation to succeed naturally, and/or landowners may choose to plant native, warm season grasses, legumes, and forbs. Trees and shrubs are acceptable, but must provide optimal bobwhite habitat, be site suitable, and not exceed 10 percent coverage of the field borders. Plant materials must be specified according to an approved conservation plan.

Following establishment, vegeta-tion disturbance practices such as light disking, prescribe burning, and herbicide ap-plications must be used to maintain borders in suitable habitat and prevent woody plant encroachment. The frequency and extent of the above management practices will largely determine vegetation composition and structure, thus ultimately determining bird species abundance.

FSA estimates the program will provide $125 million in payments to participants through the year 2007. The following types of payments will be offered:

• Signing Incentive Payments of up to $100 per acre;
• Practice Incentive Payments of up to 40 percent of the eligible establishment cost;
• Annual Rental Payments and maintenance costs. Producers will receive annual rental payments for the length of the contract. The payment is 120 percent of the rental rate for comparable land, plus practice maintenance; and
• Cost-share assistance of up to 50 percent of the eligible reimbursable practice costs.

CP33 indeed provides landowners and producers tremendous incentive and flexibility to develop a conservation farming system that meets production goals and enhances wildlife habitat. Eligible landowners in Alabama interested in CP33 can sign up at local FSA offices at any time or until 1,600 acres have been enrolled, or December 31, 2007.

For more information on CP33, Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds, visit your local FSA office or see www.fsa.usda.gov.