Chukar partridges are small, ground-dwelling birds native to the high deserts of the Middle East and Asia. But they've also been found in Utah since the 1930s. They have striking red legs, a conspicuous black band across their face, and somewhat of a cult following.
The Utah Chukar and Wildlife Foundation is a conservation organization that cares deeply about game birds and Utah’s wildlife and is committed to initiating positive changes that ripple through Utah ecosystems.
“It’s multiplicative the influence that they’re having," said Dave Dahlgren, Utah State University wildlife extension specialist and associate professor. "They’re a bunch of really caring people who want to do good things.”
When interviewed at the annual banquet, board member Randy Hutchinson echoed that sentiment, describing what he values most about the organization. “Rather than just raising money and putting money towards projects, which is important and needed, I also had the opportunity to physically go out and do things.”
Though many foundation members are hunters, you do not have to be one to become a member or benefactor of their conservation work.
“It’s been really nice in terms of getting to learn more field techniques, go trap sage grouse and dusky grouse learn how to use bird dogs, you know all these things that are really cool, really good for applied conservation work and stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily get access to otherwise," said Rory Eggleston, a fourth-year Ph.D. student and non-game bird researcher.
While native and endemic game birds have benefited from foundation efforts for over two decades, their future success is not guaranteed. Short lived birds are more impacted by weather extremes.
“We're at the mercy of spring rains," said Vice President Alan Smith. "Last year was a perfect example of a disastrous spring. We didn't have a lot of snow going into the spring, and then we didn't have any rain at all until the Fourth of July. Very few chicks survived.”
Though chukar in Utah face many challenges, the foundation emphasized conservation successes they’ve had, such as habitat restoration, fence removal, and guzzler installation. Dahlgren explained that guzzlers, or man-made water catchment systems, benefit more than just chukar.
“They have funded so many guzzlers, both maintenance but also new ones, which isn’t just benefiting chukars, in fact there have been some studies showing hundreds of different species that are using those water sources," he said.
Whether you’re a bird hunter or simply admire Utah’s wild places, there are many ways to support conservation —from donating your time or resources to staying informed.