Kubecka to succeed Rollins at RPQRR
Story by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News
This story originally appeared in the May 14 issue of Lone Star Outdoor News
A gathering of quail enthusiasts stood in the bright sun and winds of Fisher County on May 7 to celebrate stepping forward for quail research, to welcome a new leader and to acknowledge the efforts of the old.
At the Rolling Plains Quail Research Center, in Roby, leaders of Park Cities Quail Coalition, employees of the center, construction company representatives and even the County Judge watched the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation’s groundbreaking ceremony for a new headquarters facility at the research ranch.
“I can’t believe we aren’t hearing birds call,” said outgoing executive director Dale Rollins.
There will be a place, though, for a new house covey to cruise through the grounds. And when completed, researchers won’t have to work either outside or in a shipping container when examining birds, and visiting students and researchers will have a place to work and to stay.
The new headquarters will be positioned in a picturesque area of the ranch, highlighted by two big live oak trees.
The $2.4 million facility was funded with gifts from Park Cities Quail Coalition and private individuals, and is expected to be completed in early 2022.
RPQRF also announced that Brad Kubecka will step into the role of executive director, effective June 1. Kubecka will succeed Rollins, who has served as the executive director since the inception of RPQRF and its research ranch in 2006. Rollins will continue with RPQRF with a new title of outreach director.
“It is an epic day in the 15-year history of RPQRF and we are very grateful to our donors and partners who have helped get us to this day,” said Joe Crafton, president of the RPQRF board of directors. “Dr. Rollins is a living legend in the world of quail conservation. He established the organization and his contributions to our body of knowledge are immeasurable. Through his leadership, we are positioned to start a new chapter with a talented new executive director and a much-needed state-of-the-art facility.”
The new 6,400 square-foot headquarters facility will be comprised of three buildings:
The James R. Currie Research Lab will include offices, conference space and a research laboratory, which will allow RPQRF to increase its technical research capacity, analyze tissue samples, perform necropsies and accommodate the various needs of graduate students and technicians.
The Park Cities Quail Coalition Education Center will provide ample space to host presentations and seminars for biologists, students, landowners, ranch managers and field day attendees. It will also serve as a classroom for RPQRF’s Veterans Sporting Ranch Training Program, a new four-month series of courses to equip military veterans with the knowledge and skills necessary to earn a living as wildlife habitat and ranch managers.
The Gordy Family Guest Lodge will contain six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living area and kitchen to host overnight visitors at the research ranch. Expected guests include biologists from government agencies, ranch managers seeking guidance on habitat management, researchers from other conservation organizations and visitors participating in multi-day events.
“These new facilities will make us more effective in meeting our mission of pre- serving Texas’ heritage of wild quail hunt- ing for this and future generations,” Rollins said. “We’re thrilled to recruit Brad Kubecka as our new executive director — he’s definitely one of the ‘young guns’ in the quail research community. I’ve known Brad since 2013 when I recruited him as an intern from Tarleton State University, and he’s one of the best graduate students I’ve ever worked with. His command of the scientific literature across a broad array of topics is impressive and he is well-prepared to lead the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation’s continuing efforts to save wild quail.”
After earning his bachelor’s in Wildlife Management at Tarleton State University, Kubecka completed his Master of Science in Range and Wildlife Management at Tex
as A&M University-Kingsville, researching various methods for surveying quail in the Rolling Plains. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia, studying bobwhite brood ecology with Tall Timbers Research Station. Over the past few years, Kubecka has served on the graduate committee for RPQRF’s Erath County bobwhite translocation project and helped establish the Western Pineywoods Quail Program — a new Tall Timbers regional quail program based in East Texas.
He will share responsibilities between RPQRR and Tall Timbers.
