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| The Wade Tract and its gorgeous longleaf pine trees |
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| Herbert Stoddard and a longleaf pine |
Dedicated to the study of the life history of the bobwhite quail in conjunction with a regime of fire ecology put into place by Herbert Stoddard, Tall Timbers has now branched out into South Carolina to help landowners adopt tried and true practices for upland habitat management. The hope that bobwhite quail can be restored to the Lowcountry is alive and well today.
The formula that helped to preserve the plantations of the
ACE Basin and the Santee Delta, one of preservation and conservation, led to
the formation of the Tall Timbers research station. A wealthy northern
landowner and the father of bobwhite quail management teamed up to promote
ecology through prescribed fire, and the luxurious ground cover present today
heralds their success. This handsome book with archival photos is the official
history of Tall Timbers, but it is also a benchmark for those who champion a
naturalist’s view of the sporting woods.
Considering the former range of longleaf pines, according to Bartram, the Red Hills region is still a small patch of earth stretching from Tallahassee, Florida to the well-known uplands of Thomasville, Georgia. Henry Beadel was born on Staten Island, New York in 1875 and was visiting Tallahassee with his father by 1894. Henry purchased a plantation is 1919 in the area and renamed it Tall Timbers, and this sportsman evolved into a conservationist with a great vision and the means to see it through.
Herbert Stoddard, whose 1931 book on bobwhite quail is now considered the bible of quail management and research, was employed by Beadel to conduct Bobwhite research on his property. This included annual burning to stop the formation of thick brush, which is the opposite of what a ground-foraging bird like the quail requires. Despite calls from the U.S Forest Service in the 1920’s to cease burning practices, deeming it harmful for the forest, the Red Hills region stayed on course.
In 1958 Beadel, Stoddard and others founded what is today the Tall Timbers Research Station Inc., a private entity devoted to ecological research. Going beyond quail research, in 1955 a TV station tower was erected on the property so that Stoddard could study bird mortality. He was soon flabbergasted to find hundreds of dead birds lying beneath that tower. “The big kill took me entirely by surprise,” said Stoddard. This type of all around research helped convince Beadel to leave his estate for the benefit of research.
Fire ecology and birding go well together and Roger Tory Peterson visited Beadel in 1953 in preparation for his book Wild America. “We had become deeply impressed by a rare demonstration of what private landowners can do in practical conservation. Here we had witnessed a perfect blend of enlightened forestry, farming and wildlife management,” said Peterson. There are gentleman farmers today in South Carolina who are fully committed to achieve a similar blend.
Considering the former range of longleaf pines, according to Bartram, the Red Hills region is still a small patch of earth stretching from Tallahassee, Florida to the well-known uplands of Thomasville, Georgia. Henry Beadel was born on Staten Island, New York in 1875 and was visiting Tallahassee with his father by 1894. Henry purchased a plantation is 1919 in the area and renamed it Tall Timbers, and this sportsman evolved into a conservationist with a great vision and the means to see it through.
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| Handsome Cover |
Herbert Stoddard, whose 1931 book on bobwhite quail is now considered the bible of quail management and research, was employed by Beadel to conduct Bobwhite research on his property. This included annual burning to stop the formation of thick brush, which is the opposite of what a ground-foraging bird like the quail requires. Despite calls from the U.S Forest Service in the 1920’s to cease burning practices, deeming it harmful for the forest, the Red Hills region stayed on course.
In 1958 Beadel, Stoddard and others founded what is today the Tall Timbers Research Station Inc., a private entity devoted to ecological research. Going beyond quail research, in 1955 a TV station tower was erected on the property so that Stoddard could study bird mortality. He was soon flabbergasted to find hundreds of dead birds lying beneath that tower. “The big kill took me entirely by surprise,” said Stoddard. This type of all around research helped convince Beadel to leave his estate for the benefit of research.
Fire ecology and birding go well together and Roger Tory Peterson visited Beadel in 1953 in preparation for his book Wild America. “We had become deeply impressed by a rare demonstration of what private landowners can do in practical conservation. Here we had witnessed a perfect blend of enlightened forestry, farming and wildlife management,” said Peterson. There are gentleman farmers today in South Carolina who are fully committed to achieve a similar blend.
For past blog entries about Tall Timbers Field Days in S.C. click 2017 - 2013 - 2011 - 2010 or Independent Quail Workshop 2014
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