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NEWS RELEASE #00 - 22 January 24, 2000 DNR News (803) 734-3950

SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL DONATES $4,000 TO MOURNING DOVE RESEARCH

The Low Country Chapter of Safari Club International recently made a $4,000 donation to support ongoing mourning dove research in South Carolina conducted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and Clemson University.

Clemson University researchers, supported by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, began the mourning dove study in 1992 in Orangeburg and Marlboro counties and designed it to increase understanding about mourning dove mortality in South Carolina.

In 1997, Jim Berdeen, a doctoral candidate under the direction of Dr. Dave Otis of the S.C. Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Clemson University, joined the project, and the study area in Orangeburg County was expanded to include the Santee National Wildlife Refuge in Clarendon County. In 1998, the South Carolina study became the first in the nation to use implanted radio transmitters in a field study of mortality and movements of doves during the hunting season. Results from the study, which has received additional support from Santee Cooper and the Clemson University School of Natural Resources, should provide valuable information for wise harvest management of this popular game bird.

The $4,000 grant is one of several grants made by the Low Country Chapter of Safari Club International in 1999. ''This mourning dove study highlights the importance of scientific data in managing wildlife resources,'' said Ernie Dorsey, president of the Lowcountry Chapter of Safari Club International.

Safari Club International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife education and conservation, humanitarian efforts and advocacy of the hunter and hunting. Founded in 1971, Safari Club International has grown to a membership of 33,000 with 184 chapters in 37 countries. The Low Country Chapter in South Carolina has 125 members.

- Written by Greg Lucas -

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Last modified: 01/05/09