This week we dive into disturbance ecology, looking at whole-forest health by zeroing in on the ruffed grouse. Grouse populations in some areas have experienced stark declines in recent decades. Some scientists call ruffed grouse a bellwether species -- what's good for the grouse is generally good for the forest. We talk about the difference between preservation and conservation, the mosaic make-up of healthy forests, and the potential of forests to be carbon sinks.

2:00 The Ruffed Grouse Society on Facebook - @RuffedGrouseSociety, Twitter  - @rgs_aws, Instagram - @ruffedgrousesociety   3:00 Artemis Tennessee Deer Camp… stay tuned for the full story! 4:30 Ashley Peters, @grouse.lady 6:00 R3 conference in Minnesota + other programs for getting women into hunting 7:00 Merry Grouse-mas! 10:00 “Glunting”… like glamping, but for hunting… “Glamor is relative” 12:00 In windy grouse hunting conditions it helps to use sight over scent 15:00 Grouse mating display & their bass-y drumming sound (OR, what European settlers puzzled over as some strange ghostly heartbeat of the land) 19:00 Grouse as a bellwether for whole forest health 20:00 “Conservation Is Behavior” 21:00 Ruffed grouse listed as a species of greatest concern in 19 states & a decline in diverse healthy forests 24:00 Healthy forests: A variety of age classes and species, which help bolster a forest’s resilience against threats like pests, drought, fire, etc 28:00 In places with fragmented land ownership, conservation goals depend on collaboration 33:00 If all the public lands in the U.S. were lumped together, how would it compare (in size) to other countries of the world? ....[insert jeopardy music]... it'd be the TENTH (hypothetical) largest country in the world 35:00 Forest disturbances then and now; Disturbance-dependent species like grouse 40:00 Grouse stay in a relatively small proximity for most their lives compared to most birds 41:00 "Managing the landscape in a mosaic is the gold standard" 44:00 Healthy forests... "You can't just plant a bunch of trees and walk away" 48:00 Grouse are challenged by low-snow years... "We're not going to plant our way out of this problem" 50:00 Carbon programs to fund forest programs 54:00 The decline of grouse and woodcock has spurred RGS to change how it does conservation on the ground and added a sense of urgency to habitat improvement projects 57:00 Gene flow is limited for species who don't wander far from home 59:00 Woodcock - listed as a species of greatest conservation need 1:02 Recovering America's Wildlife Act  1:07 If you care about forests, do your research & learn as much as you can

1:10 Hunter and Angler's Guide to Climate Change

1:12 Join the Artemis community -- we have a Facebook group with great people and rich discussion, we have an awesome book club, and programs/events for female hunters (some online, some in person). If Artemis has meant something to you, please consider sharing it with a friend or making a donation

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