Dear American Friends of Game and Wildlife Conservation:

For those of you that enjoy shooting in the UK, the presence of your quarry in large numbers is because of the work of the GWCT. Nationally, wild grey partridge numbers are increasing, but only where our advisors have made recommendations to improve management or where our guidelines for management have been fully taken up. The work of our advisors and those that can influence land use policy continues and requires ongoing (and increasing) levels of funding.

Traditionally, GCUSA has supported the GWCT’s work on wild grey partridges. As you may already know, we successfully took a remnant population of grey partridges at Royston (less than three pairs per square kilometre) and five years later produced 18 pairs per km2 proving that population recovery was possible.

Our current demonstration project at the Rotherfield Estate poses an even more daunting and higher stakes challenge to the restoration of the wild grey partridge population. The Estate has fewer birds and much less favourable habitats for wild game, but if we are as successful here, many more landowners will be convinced of our restoration credentials.

The reared pheasant also features prominently among current GWCT research projects. Working in collaboration with scientists from Exeter University, we are studying why released birds that survive the shooting season and the winter are poor at producing their own young the following season. Our work here has as its objective the improvement of the breeding success of surviving birds.

GCUSA’s fundraising activities on behalf of the GWCT helps maintain the UK countryside as a place you would want to visit. On behalf of the Trust and its scientific team, and on the occasion of GCUSA’s 25th anniversary, I would like to warmly thank you for your continued and critical support.

Professor Nick Sotherton, Director of Research - November 2011