Quail Unlimited in Rebound Mode
QU president Bill Bowles – on the left! (QU photo)
We were two of lots of people who were emailed a link to an article about Quail Unlimited that was on the Covey Rise website (apparently the article is no longer there). The piece had some fairly shocking allegations of corruption at Quail Unlimited. But it seems that none of it was true.
QU founder Jerry Allen sat down with the Edgefield, SC Daily newspaper last November and refuted all of the allegations. It’s an interesting interview, in which he basically says the economy and then the Covey Rise article really slammed the organization, but changes are being made and QU will survive.
He also flatly denied and explained the allegations of corruption.
Now this from the QU website:
Rumors and some published reports to the contrary, Quail Unlimited…is alive and in full operation. After some speed bumps in 2008-2009, with attendant false rumors of its demise, QU is under new leadership with many major changes:
> Bill E. Bowles of Albany, Georgia, long-time volunteer in many capacities for QU and GM of Quail Country Plantation, is serving proudly as president of QU and has instilled a new sense of calm and a new and very positive direction for QU.
> The Edgefield, SC, headquarters office has been sold, and plans are underway to relocate in what Bowles calls “a very positive move for the organization – financially, as well as for many other reasons.â€
> The QU Magazine will go from six times a year to a quarterly, and its publishing and distribution will be handled by Village Press in Traverse City, MI, which will also handle many of QU’s membership functions. Village Press publishes a number of magazines, among them…The Pointing Dog Journal [good magazine!] and The Retriever Journal.
> The staff of five Regional Directors has been retained, and with 117 active chapters, banquets and habitat projects are underway or in the planning stages across the nation.
Bill Bowles also wrote on the site:
> “…let me assure you, the QU board of directors, as well as myself, are committed to make the necessary changes that will ensure that this organization will remain ‘America’s Leader in Quail Conservation.'”
> “I realize there are a number of rumors circulating about QU, such as the organization has filed bankruptcy and closed its doors. This is definitely not true. Also, a rumor that the ATF has taken away QU’s federal firearms license [is] definitely not true.”
> “…a very important step in bringing QU back to a financially stable position was to sell the national headquarters building and take away the monthly debt service and expenses associated with this large facility. That has been accomplished.”
> “I want to especially thank all the chapters that have already stepped forward to help keep the spirit alive by having their annual fund raising event and also to those chapters that have continued their support by scheduling future projects.”
And there you have it. QU is Serious about their bird-hunting – we love it!
Category: Quail Unlimited
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