Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
Joseph Chait, 38, of Beverly Hills, California, the senior auction administrator of I.M. Chait Gallery, located in Beverly Hills, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and a $10,000 fine for conspiring to smuggle wildlife products made from rhinoceros horn, elephant ivory and coral with a market value of at least $1 million, announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York and Director Dan Ashe for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). On March 9, Chait pleaded guilty to a two-count Information before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken for the Southern District of New York, who imposed today’s sentence.
“Conspiring in the trafficking endangered wildlife is a serious crime, and those involved in the auction industry should take note that facilitating this trade can result in prison,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden. “The African Elephant, the rhinoceros, and coral are all deeply threatened species that have undergone dramatic losses in recent decades as the trade in them has become highly lucrative. We must stop this trade, and we will vigorously investigate and prosecute those engaged in it.”
“By illegally trafficking in wildlife, including rhinoceros horns, Joseph Chait and his co-conspirators have fueled the illegal trade in endangered wildlife,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara. “Chait’s conduct, a federal crime for which he will now spend time in prison, threatened the already precarious existence of certain endangered species of animals.” Read more
As the summer travel season begins, the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources remind vacationers to leave firewood at home to prevent the spread of invasive tree insects and diseases.
Hauling firewood from one part of the state to another is a common way for these destructive pests to move to new locations, which could be devastating to Michigan’s native trees. The emerald ash borer already has wiped out millions of ash trees across the state. High-impact diseases, including oak wilt and beech bark disease, now are making their way through Michigan – often helped by travelers with trunkloads of wood harboring unseen fungi that can spread to healthy trees in new areas.
“Visual inspection does not always reveal disease or insect damage in wood,” said Gina Alessandri, MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division director. “Disease may be in an early stage, and insect larvae can be hidden under bark. The safest choice is to burn firewood at or near the location it was harvested.” Read more
The DNR property will become Michigan’s 103rd state park and will be the first state park in Michigan to be jointly managed with a county recreation agency. Adoption of a formal management plan to guide the development of the park will take place following a series of yet to be scheduled public input meetings. The park’s planned recreational offerings include hiking, bird watching, upland hunting, mountain biking and other activities. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will aid the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the federal agency’s evaluation of whether the northwestern subspecies of moose – found in four states including Michigan – should be added to the list of threatened and endangered species affording federal protection.
The northwestern moose subspecies (Alces alces andersoni) found in the Upper Peninsula, including Isle Royale, northeastern and northwestern Minnesota, northeastern North Dakota, as well as a small, recently established population in Wisconsin is being evaluated for Endangered Species, brought on by a petition submitted by The Center for Biological Diversity and Honor the Earth.
It’s a simple scheme: Get the animal listed for protection so that it can never be hunted, unless it is returned to all of its original territory. That’s the current position, as determined by a federal judge relative to our wolf population – even though wolves are well beyond any established recovery goals. And, if these extremists get their way, the same precedent-setting “logic” will be applied to moose.
During the subspecies status review – commonly referred to as a “12-month finding” –the Service will take a closer look at the moose subspecies population, including threats.
At this point, the Service will solicit additional scientific and commercial information from all sources to inform their decision. Ninety-day findings are published in the Federal Register and represent the Service’s first step in assessing the measures proposed in the petition.
“In Michigan, the moose population has declined for a variety of reasons, including habitat loss, predation and climate change,” Russ Mason, DNR Chief said. “Moose thrive in cold conditions due to their thick insulating fur, long legs and wide feet. Warmer temperatures put moose at risk of overheating, which causes malnutrition and immune system concerns.”
Moose are native to Michigan and occurred throughout all except the southwestern Lower Peninsula prior to European settlement. With habitat loss, hunting and brainworm, moose disappeared from the Lower Peninsula in the 1890s, and only a few scattered individuals remained in the Upper Peninsula.
In the mid-1980s, the DNR translocated 59 moose from Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada and released them in Marquette County near Michigamme. These relocated moose increased their numbers, given improved habitat conditions with fewer white-tailed deer and poaching widely discontinued.
DNR population surveys in recent years have estimated the moose population at roughly 400 in the western U.P. and, based on citizen reports and field observations, about 100 in the eastern part of the region. Michigan Natural Resources Commission determined that current conditions of the state’s moose population did not support authorizing a hunt.
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) makes a living suing mainly the federal government, and then recouping those fees and more. The Obama Administration recently cut a deal with the anti-hunting activists at the CBD on accelerated Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings. Per the legal agreement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is required to consider adding 757 species, subspecies, or distinct population segments to the list of endangered or threatened species. Decisions on all 757 must be rendered by October, 2016. The list includes species that are presently fished, hunted or trapped, including golden trout, cottontail rabbits, sage grouse, fisher, and wolverine.
The question is do we really need a judge from “Central Command” to mandate how we manage our wildlife? I think not, but it’s a moot point – for now.
Choose environmentally safe options for pet and plant disposal
As the school year wraps up, teachers around the state are packing up supplies, cleaning up classrooms and deciding what to do with classroom pets. The Michigan Invasive Species Program reminds teachers and hobbyists not to release pets, fish or aquarium plants into the wild. Read more
WEST POINT, MS – This time of year means that parts of the whitetails’ range are or could soon be under a drought. Following these six steps for drought proofing food plots could mean the difference between having some food for deer or a complete withered failure.
Select the right location. You can’t just select any open spot and expect success. As an example, if you choose a spot that has beach sand for soil, you shouldn’t expect much. First and foremost, the site needs to be able to sustain your selected crop.
Time your planting properly. Read more
Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest health experts anticipate widespread defoliation from spruce budworms to continue across much of the Upper Peninsula in the weeks to come.Spruce budworm caterpillars, like the one shown here, feed on new growth of balsam fir and spruce trees, causing defoliation.
Robert Heyd, DNR Forest Health Management Program leader, toured the region this past week. He said the trees have shed their bud caps and spruce budworm larvae are feeding on the young spruce and fir shoots.
“Homeowners interested in protecting landscape spruce or fir from defoliation this year should spray their trees now,” Heyd said.
Products with Bt, a safe, soil-dwelling bacterium that is toxic to many insect pests, are recommended for spraying. Only one application is necessary.
“As the budworm larvae grow, they will cause increasing levels of defoliation,” Heyd said. “Clipped needles will turn brown later in June, showing this year’s affected areas.”
Targeted trees
Balsam fir is most severely damaged by budworms. During Michigan’s last outbreak, two-thirds of the balsam fir and roughly four in 10 white spruces were killed.
Budworms also feed on black spruce, tamarack, pine and hemlock trees when they are in stands with balsam fir or white spruce, but these species generally suffer less damage. Read more