Wildlife Commission Presents Small Game Awards

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 18, 2005) — A family farm and a county conservation office are the 2005 winners of the Lawrence G. Diedrick Small Game Awards, presented by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

John Pechmann, left, N.C. Wildlife Commissioners Chairman, presents the 2005 Larry Diedrick Small Game Award, Individual category, to landowner John McFadyen, middle, and forester Pete Liles.

The Mary V. McFadyen farm in Hoke County won the award in the individual category for management of the property in a manner friendly to wildlife species, including bobwhite quail.

The Nash County Soil and Water Conservation District won in the organization or business category for working with local landowners to provide habitat for small game species, especially quail and rabbits.
The awards, decided by the Wildlife Commission’s Small Game Committee, are named for former Wildlife Commissioner Larry Diedrick. A lawyer from Rocky Mount, Diedrick was a passionate hunter of doves, quail and other small game as well as a staunch advocate of sound wildlife conservation practices. He died in 2002.

“Larry being a personal friend of mine, I’m sure he’d be pleased” with the Nash Soil and Water District’s win, said Bobby Joe Fisher, chairman of the district’s Board of Supervisors.

Nash Soil and Water was cited for its leadership in advancing early-succession habitat — the grasses, shrubs and weeds that sprout after land has been disturbed. Many wildlife species, from songbirds to small game, rely on early-succession habitat.

Besides providing technical advice and expertise, the Nash district has made low-cost seeds available to farmers and other landowners who wish to plant wildlife-friendly plots of native grasses and wildflowers. The district has also bought and made available specialized agricultural equipment for sowing wildlife-friendly plants. The award citation hailed the Nash district for providing an “excellent example … for Soil and Water Conservation Districts across North Carolina.”

The Nash County Soil & Water Conservation District won the 2005 Larry Diedrick Small Game Award, Organization/Business category. Pictured are, front row from left, Wildlife Commissioners Chairman John Pechmann; Bobby Joe Fisher, chairman of the district Board of Supervisors; Matthew Richardson, solid waste conservationist; and Terry Best, district conservationist; back row, Edward Long, resource conservation specialist; Bill Edwards and Matt Flint, Natural Resource Conservation Service biologists.

Media: Hi-res versions of these images may be downloaded here. Please credit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

On a smaller scale, the McFadyen farm near Raeford was cited for providing and maintaining critical wildlife habitat in the face of “immense” pressure to subdivide the 345-acre tract for residential development. Its woodlands clear-cut in 2001, and its croplands taken out of production, the property now consists of clear-cuts, longleaf pine plantings and wildlife food plots — all of which provide valuable habitat for quail and other early-succession species.

Even more remarkable is the fact that none of the owners live within 50 miles of the old homeplace. Despite federal compensatory payments, the family “has spent thousands of dollars to install and maintain this ecosystem,” said Pete Liles, a Laurinburg forester who has worked with the McFadyens to manage the property. “They should be an example to other farm families who are perhaps not as attached to the land as past generations have been, but still want to do what they can to benefit our wildlife heritage.”

Family spokesman John McFadyen of Raleigh said he was happy to receive the honor and even happier to help reverse the decline of quail populations.

“I may have contributed to that in my youth,” McFadyen said. “Now I have a chance to give something back, to maintain wildlife populations.”

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