Introduction

Image Details

The Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a species of concern because its primary habitat - the Madrean oak woodlands - is dwindling rapidly due to habitat destruction and climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change . The Madrean oak woodlands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in Arizona, thus restoring habitat for the quail also serves to restore this critical ecosystem. Small populations of Montezuma quail can be found in limited areas in Texas and New Mexico, however it is only abundant in Southern Arizona.

In 2019, Sonoran Joint Venture (SJV), Borderlands Restoration Network (BRN), and Southern Arizona Quail Forever (SAQF) began collaborating on a project to improve suitable habitat for the Montezuma quail. Their work is centered on the Borderlands Wildlife Preserve (BWP) in Patagonia, Arizona. Inspired by the SJV project, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and SAQF began collaborating in 2020 on Montezuma quail restoration projects in the Huachuca Mountains, which are part of the Sierra Vista Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in Cochise County of southeastern Arizona. This collaboration around restoration work in Arizona has led to the construction of over 1,200 erosion control structures and the planting of 21 pounds of native plant seed.

Key Issues Addressed

Historic overgrazing and the construction of roads and infrastructure can decrease vegetation and change the overall composition of vegetation species. Plants are integral for erosion control because their roots hold the soil in place and aboveground biomass slows down water flow, thus minimizing erosion. Plant roots also encourage water infiltration into the soil and this helps increase soil moisture and groundwater recharge. On the BWP, which houses a large Madrean oak woodland ecosystem, erosion has resulted in an overall loss of native vegetation, and a decrease in seedling establishment. 

The Montezuma quail relies on wet microclimates in Madrean oak woodlands. A hotter and drier climate with less predictable precipitation can decrease the amount of quail forage in these wet microsites, so the quail population is unable to sustain itself. Factors such as water flowing too quickly through the landscape for infiltration and over-extraction of groundwater throughout Southern Arizona has resulted in drying of these landscapes. Montezuma quail forages for native vegetation that thrive in wet microsites, such as wood sorrel (Oxalis spp). Many other species of quail forage plants also require prolonged soil moisture to germinate, like the seeds of native bunch grasses, acorns, and a species of grass called vine mesquite (Panicum obtusum). Reduced soil moisture and surface water decreases the number and extent of wet microsites on the landscape where these forage species grow. 

Montezuma quail conservation requires significant organizational capacity and funding due to the large scale that the habitat restoration occurs on. Land management organizations need volunteers to help implement habitat restoration efforts because there is often not enough staff to complete large projects. Match funding is also a necessary part of many grant applications and requires collaboration between multiple organizations. 

Project Goals

• Install erosion control rock structures in the BWP and in the Huachuca Mountains.
• Increase cover of native plants (e.g., such as grasses and Oxalis spp) that provide quail with forage. This includes distributing native seed and transplanting native plants at the BWP and in the Huachuca Mountains.
• Increase community engagement and land management education through collaboration with SAQF.
• With the help of SAQF, support partnerships to secure funds for habitat restoration projects through match funding.

Project Highlights

• One Rock at a Time: Through volunteer collaboration with SAQF, BRN built 250 erosion control structures on the BWP. In the Huachuca Mountains, volunteers and staff built over a thousand erosion control structures. These rock structures consist mainly of one-rock high dams and Zuni bowls, which are used to decrease abrupt vertical drops that cause increased soil erosion in small drainages.
• Seeding For Quail: Volunteers and land management staff also supported native plant establishment by planting seed pellets. This effort further reduces soil erosion and enhances biological diversity. In total, volunteers distributed eight pounds of seed on BWP and thirteen pounds of seed over 700 acres of land in the Huachucas.
• Volunteers for Heavy Lifting: Volunteers contributed over 100 work hours to BWP. The program in the Huachucas engaged sixteen paid youth interns and multiple volunteers across eighteen total days. Through volunteer efforts, community engagement increased by teaching young people and local community members about the importance of the Montezuma quail.
• Collaborating to Help the Quail: SJV funded the project on the BWP. Match funding obtained by the Forest Foundation and SAQF supported the project in the Huachucas. Tucson Audubon Society (TAS) has been collaborating on ongoing year-round bird surveys with SJV monitoring the prevalence of quail and other birds. The surveys occur five times a year and document bird populations using transects in drainages where erosion control structures were implemented and where they were not. SAQF mobilized the volunteers necessary to implement habitat restoration projects and complete bird surveys. 

Lessons Learned

Image Details

Distance and Capacity: Developing local capacity is more effective than traveling long distances to restoration sites. Without local capacity, consider if the importance of the restoration work is worth the added travel time.

These habitat restoration projects would not have been as effective and expansive without the help of collaborators across Southern Arizona. BRN partnered with conservation organizations, such as TAS and hunting organizations, like SAQF, given their shared goals of improving quail habitat. This collaboration has built unexpected connections between organizations with different points of view. Support from SAQF provided volunteers who contributed time and effort to land restoration efforts. TAS provided expertise in bird surveying to help monitor the bird populations. 

Habitat restoration techniques such as introducing native seeds and building erosion control structures are simple techniques that are low cost and easy to implement. Erosion control rock structures are integral to land management because they slow the flow of water, increasing infiltration and contributing to groundwater recharge. The combined introduction of native vegetation and erosion control structures helps restore important Montezuma quail habitat.

Starting with many small-scale erosion control structures is preferable to focusing on one large structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.

Learn more about structure . For example, the failure of smaller rock structures causes little disturbance to the surrounding landscape; the failure of larger rock structures can result in significant damage to the surrounding habitat. 

Landscape-level ecological restoration requires knowledge of landscape flows. At the BWP, knowing how water flows over the land helps inform land management agencies about the best areas to execute land restoration techniques. To learn more about habitat connectivity, refer to Wildlife Corridors: Preserving and Restoring Critical Habitat Linkages in the US-Mexico Borderlands. 

Next Steps

• Continue implementing land restoration techniques in the Huachucas with the assistance of volunteers and paid youth interns. This includes distributing approximately five more pounds of native seed and constructing 250 erosion control structures during the coming summer.
• Increase youth participation in projects hosted by BRN by funding one week of paid work completed by 20 youth interns from Douglas and Patagonia.
• Increase volunteer days in collaboration with SAQF.

Funding Partners

• SJV: Sonoran Joint Venture 2020 Awards Program
• National Forest foundation: 2020 Matching Awards Program – Round 2
• Southern Arizona Quail Forever 

Resources

• CCAST Webinar: Rock Erosion Control Structures to Improve Perennial and Ephemeral Riparian Habitat
• Sonoran Joint Venture Blog Post: Restoring Water Flow for the Montezuma Quail
• Field Guides:
  • An Introduction to Erosion Control by Bill Zeedyk and Jan-Willem Jansens
  • Erosion Control Field Guide by Craig Sponholts & Avery C. Anderson

Contact

• Tess Wagner, Borderlands Restoration Network: twagner@borderlandsrestoration.org

CART Lead Author

• Maya Tainatongo, CART Student Intern, University of Arizona

Suggested Citation

Tainatongo, M., S. (2022). “Collaborating to Enhance Habitat for the Montezuma Quail.” CART. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/project/enhancing-habitat-montezuma-quail.