Lyon Center for Gamebird Research
Gamebird Science. Gamebird Solutions.
East Texas A&M is uniquely positioned to help solve the decline in Texas quail populations and foster sustainable gamebird populations. The Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research is a major step toward achieving this initiative.
DISCOVER THE LYON CENTER
The Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at East Texas A&M University is an internationally recognized hub for gamebird research. Established in 2023 by a generous donation from Ted and Donna Lyon and led by founding director Dr. Kelly Reyna, the center's mission is to discover solutions for sustainable gamebird populations through innovative research, education and collaboration.
Our focus is on population sustainability of upland gamebirds and waterfowl. What makes us unique is our comprehensive research spanning life stages from embryo to adult and taking place in our state-of-the-art laboratory and in the wild on our large-scale research stations.
With the success of our research we are now building a new gamebird research and education facility, with construction starting on phase 1 in 2024.
Our Research
Explore solutions Lyon Center scientists are discovering for sustainable gamebird populations and bridging the gap between gamebird knowledge and conservation progress. Our major research includes investigations into:
Quail Research Laboratory
Since 50-80% of quail adults die each year, and a quail's lifespan is ~6 months, quail populations hinge on sustained quail chick production. Yet, that is the main cause of quail population decline in drought years. Accordingly, The Quail Research Laboratory is able to recreate field conditions in the lab to develop solutions for chick production in adverse conditions. We also develop the normal stages of development for various quail species and look at environmental pollutants and medicated feed on quail chick production and development.
Gamebird and quail populations are declining across the globe. Developing solutions for population sustainability is key to reversing these trends. The Quail Research Laboratory is unique in that our smallest research stations spans more than 500,000 acres. We image large-scale populations through innovative monitoring and provide results that explain observed mysteries of “where did all the quail go?” We have research stations in Montana, Kansas, California and Texas with comprehensive research into the impacts of climate, weather, management and other factors on a suite of upland gamebirds and waterfowl.
As gamebirds across the globe continue to decline, population restoration is at the forefront of conservation action. Once habitat is restored, gamebird restoration becomes a prominent focus. However, historic releases of captive-reared quail have been unsuccessful and translocation are typically cost prohibitive to make a positive impact on a population level. Accordingly, The Quail Research Laboratory is leading the charge to develop an affordable and effective solution to gamebird restoration. Our Super Quail project is promising and a new Super Quail production facility will begin production in early 2024. We suspect we are on the brink of large-scale population restoration.
The Super Quail Project works to produce an affordable gamebird with wild-type survivability and a more stringent thermal tolerance so that they are prolific in challenging environments. We've made great progress in this arena and are building a Super Quail Production facility that will begin construction in 2024.
Waterfowl Research
Coming Soon!
Faculty and Student Researchers
Kelly Reyna, Ph.D.
Jeffrey Whitt, Ph.D.
Aujarai Ivy
Tina Reichner
Brooke Clifton
Laritza Tinajero
Grace James
Lexxi Godwin
Join Our Team
The Lyon Center is hiring a new waterfowl professor! Come join our amazing team as we work to discover solutions for sustainable gamebird populations. Work alongside our team with motivated students, accomplished faculty and a supportive working environment.
Ted and Donna Lyon
In December 2022, the Lyons made a historic $1 million donation to East Texas A&M, the largest immediate-impact gift in the university’s history. This donation supports gamebird research, a new research center and an endowed professorship, committed to sustainable gamebird populations and conservation.
High school sweethearts Ted and Donna Lyon have deep ties to Northeast Texas. Ted is a former police officer who earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M University) and a Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University School of Law. Donna worked as an executive assistant for Southwestern Bell.
Their unrelenting stewardship of wildlife and natural spaces inspired them to create a legacy of conservation that matches the center’s mission to foster sustainable gamebird populations through innovative research, education and collaboration.
Take a Sneak Peek!
Phase I: Super Quail Complex
Phase I will consist of the construction of the Super Quail Complex, including a super quail production facility, super quail grow-out building and a super quail training facility.
Phase II: Gamebird Community Engagement
We are raising funds for this very important phase of the Lyon Center. Phase II will include a gamebird education building, a quail interactive experience, a quail research laboratory, a waterfowl research pavilion, and offices for students and faculty.
Commemorate Your Legacy!
Your support is vital to our success! Mark your legacy with a naming-rights donation for the Super Quail Complex or one of the state-of-the-art buildings in Phase I, or contribute to construction on Phase II to make a lasting impact on gamebird populations for generations to come!
Contact Dr. Kelly Reyna, director of the Lyon Center, at [email protected] or 940.395.5128, or Devin Girod, VP of Philanthropy, at [email protected] or 214.449.6555 for more information!
Meet Our Staff
Featured News
Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research Highlighted in Premier Conservation Journal
The Quail Forever Journal article highlights the Lyon Center's efforts to secure sustainable game bird populations in Texas and beyond.
Renowned A&M-Commerce Quail Professor Quoted in Texas Monthly
Dr. Kelly Reyna provided insight on efforts to save the popular gamebird.
A&M-Commerce Hosts Luncheon to Celebrate Lyon Center for Gamebird Research
Texas A&M University-Commerce hosted a luncheon at the Hilton hotel in Rockwall, Texas, on Tuesday, April 16, to celebrate the university’s planned Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research. The Lyon Center, which will be located along Highway 24 in Commerce, Texas, approximately 1.5 miles south of the university campus, will feature a state-of-the-art […]
TAMUC's ‘Quail Professor' Discusses Sustainable Quail on Upland Nation Podcast
Dr. Kelly Reyna, associate professor and director of the Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at Texas A&M University-Commerce, is featured on a recent episode of the Upland Nation podcast. In the episode, Reyna and host Scott Linden discuss the innovative gamebird research happening at A&M-Commerce, “untaming” pen-raised birds, how wild birds detect […]
TAMUC Professor Discusses University's Quail Repopulation Efforts in Article
A&M-Commerce associate professor Dr. Kelly Reyna is featured in an article by the Tyler (TX) Morning Telegraph, where he discusses the critical issue of declining quail populations in Texas and across the country. The Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at Texas A&M University-Commerce is set to tackle this problem with a planned […]
Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research Planned for Texas A&M University-Commerce
Texas A&M University-Commerce will soon be home to an innovative gamebird research and education facility, thanks to a historic gift from alumnus Ted B. Lyon and his wife, Donna. Construction of the Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at Texas A&M University-Commerce will begin in 2024. In December 2022, the Lyons gifted $1 […]
TAMUC Leads Quail Research and Collaborative Restoration Efforts
A&M-Commerce Associate Professor Kelly Reyna presented at the Texas House Sportsman’s Caucus in Austin on March 20 about the state’s declining quail population and the university’s ambitious Texas Quail Restoration Plan. Reyna and university representatives—including President Mark Rudin, College of Business Interim Dean Scott Wheeler and Vice President for Philanthropy and Engagement Devin Girod—also attended […]
A&M-Commerce Researchers Publish Groundbreaking Record of Quail Chick Development
A quail research team at Texas A&M University-Commerce has published the first record of California valley quail chick development. Their research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, will accelerate new opportunities for quail management and conservation. Kelly Reyna, Ph.D., is the team’s principal investigator and director of The Quail Research Laboratory at A&M-Commerce. “Prior to […]
TAMUC Looking to Revolutionize Gamebird Research at New Ag Facility
Texas A&M University-Commerce is poised to become a national leader in gamebird research with the future completion of the proposed agricultural education complex. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp expressed optimism for the potential of the complex’s facilities that will be dedicated to quail research. “More birds, of course, is great news for hunters […]
A&M-Commerce Experiencing Success with Vital Quail Translocation Effort
With Texas’ native Bobwhite Quail population down for another quail season, the path to a more sustainable quail population in Texas is underway thanks to efforts by The Quail Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The final report for the lab’s Valley Quail translocation project was released earlier this fall. In it, the researchers, led […]
You Can Help
Give the Gift of Gamebirds
Giving Form and introduction Gamebirds
Help us shape the future of gamebird research and sustainability through your generous gift. The Lyon Center for Gamebird Research depends on charitable gifts to support our research, faculty and students. We welcome new and continuing support of individuals, corporations and foundation partners.