North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and members of the Town Board recently joined Sally Wellinger, the executive director of Center for Environmental Education & Discovery (CEED), for North Hempstead’s 10th Annual Quail Release. The event saw approximately 100 Northern Bobwhite quail released adjacent to the Hempstead Harbor Nature Trail to help combat ticks. Fifty of the quail were raised at Clark Botanic Garden this year, the town’s 21-acre living museum and educational garden.
The town has been raising Northern Bobwhite Quail to help control tick populations without the use of pesticides for nearly a decade, according to the town. In addition, the town holds the distinction of being the first municipality on Long Island to deploy quail to help control ticks. The release is part of the town’s broader environmental initiative to use natural methods to combat invasive species and disease-carrying pests. Since the program began, approximately 300 quail have been raised and released.
Northern Bobwhite quail are a natural, non-toxic way to help reduce tick populations. They forage on insects, including ticks, as part of their regular diet. Unlike chemical pesticides, using quail poses no risk to people, pets, or the surrounding environment while supporting the local eco-system. Town staff, volunteers, and leaders from CEED worked together to raise and care for the birds.
“Our quail may be small, but they do some big work when it comes to fighting ticks,” DeSena said. “As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of this unique program, we are proud to continue using a natural solution that protects our residents and supports environmental sustainability.”