Proposals accepted through Nov. 1

Michigan’s Invasive Species Grant Program is now accepting proposals for the 2021 funding cycle, with an anticipated $3.6 million available to applicants.

The program – a joint effort of the Michigan departments of Natural Resources; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Agriculture and Rural Development – is part of a statewide initiative launched in 2014 to help prevent, detect and control invasive species in Michigan. Read more

Mountain Lion Dispatched After Attack Near Calabasas

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed that a mountain lion shot and killed by a wildlife officer was the one responsible for injuring a five-year-old boy Thursday near Calabasas in Los Angeles County. The boy is in stable condition.

On Aug 26, 2021, approximately 10:45 a.m., a 65-lb. mountain lion attacked the boy in his front yard, inflicting wounds to his head, neck and upper torso. The boy’s mother fended off the lion by striking it multiple times. The boy’s parents transported him to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He remains in the hospital in stable condition.

Upon learning of the attack, CDFW’s law enforcement division immediately began an investigation both interviewing the victim’s family in the hospital and visiting the scene of the attack. During a protocol clearing of the family’s yard, the wildlife officer at the home discovered an aggressive mountain lion crouched in the corner of the property. Due to its behavior and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on site.

Approximately 20 minutes after he shot the mountain lion, two more mountain lions appeared. One was a full-grown adult with a radio collar around its neck. The other was a smaller mountain lion about the same 65-lb. size as the dispatched lion. After confirming with the boy’s mother that the attacking lion did not have a collar, the wildlife officer used a non-lethal tranquilizing rifle to capture the other non-collared lion. Read more

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation strongly agrees with a recent decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that gray wolves will remain off the federal Endangered Species List. The Biden administration filed on August 20, 2021, in favor of the final rule delisting all gray wolves in the Lower 48.

“Nothing has changed here. This is a matter of science. Scientists and biologists under the Biden administration agree with those under the Trump administration as well as the Obama administration before them, that wolves continue to meet delisting criteria and are successfully recovered,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “As a recovered species, wolves will and should be appropriately managed by state agencies in line with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model through regulated hunting and trapping.”

The USFWS reviewed the 2020 delisting rule and concluded it consistent with the ESA and based on the best scientific data available at that time. Read more

It may be helpful to add another nectar feeder in your yard as hummingbird numbers increase or if individuals become overly territorial.

Each day it seems there are more hummingbirds coming to our feeder – males, females, and young hummers – with a couple species to watch for daily. Providing the best feeder and flower scenario for hummingbirds, can make the fall hummingbird migration period one to remember for you and your family. Hummingbirds have been on the move for a couple weeks in northern states, with numbers beginning to increase and provide exciting observations throughout September in some states, with sightings continuing through the winter months in some southern areas from Louisiana and south Texas to southern California.

Of course, we’re talking about 15-plus species of hummingbirds in the United States, but it’s a pretty standard procedure to attract any species of hummingbirds – a feeder with fresh sugar and adjacent flowering plants. So hummingbird basics are easily provided for, but there are some other options that can enhance your hummingbird experiences during coming weeks:

– First, you may want to consider adding another nectar feeder, perhaps providing one in a sunny area and one in the shade, or one in the front yard and one in the back; or one at each of two favorite viewing locations?

– A second feeder can be a good option due to the aggressiveness of territorial hummingbirds that intently protect a food source (nectar feeder). The key is to separate the feeders visually, to improve feeding opportunities for the birds during a migration stopover. Read more

The past fiscal year has provided challenges for many with the onset of COVID-19. Whitetails Unlimited is no exception. However, through all the adversity, WTU awarded more than 1,000 grants totaling $1,405,000. The grant program provides funds to support local projects that strengthen WTU’s mission. Our dedicated volunteers and entire membership base enjoy sharing in the responsibility of managing the nation’s most sought after big-game animal. They have witnessed the strengthening of some of WTU’s most successful programs and initiatives, including Staying on Target, HOPE for Wildlife, Preserving the Hunting Tradition, and the DEER Program.

Over the past 39 years, Whitetails Unlimited has recruited thousands of conservation minded individuals to join its ranks as chapter volunteers. As WTU volunteers, they share similar values with others concerned about the white-tailed deer, its habitat, and the future of deer hunting. Their continued dedication will remain a vital ingredient in the organization’s formula for success.

“Our mission has always been clear, says WTU President Jeff Schinkten, “To raise funds in support of educational programs, wildlife habitat enhancement and acquisition, and preservation of the hunting tradition.” Read more

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners contributed $4,661,962 in grant funding for wildlife habitat enhancement, research and other projects to improve public access and promote hunting across Wyoming. RMEF directly granted $220,700 that leveraged an additional $4,41,262 in partner dollars.

“This funding will help rejuvenate ailing aspen stands, remove encroaching conifers that overtake historic forage and help pay for other treatments to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “In addition to assisting with research, it also opens more private land for hunters and anglers to use and enjoy.”

Seventeen conservation projects benefit Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Fremont, Johnson, Lincoln, Park, Sheridan, Sweetwater and Teton Counties. There are also four projects of statewide benefit.

There are more than 8,200 members and 22 RMEF chapters in Wyoming. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Inadvertently, I have become host to one of Michigan’s most poisonous animals. It has a face that only a mother could love and its venom has the potential to trigger serious cardiac, neurological and gastrointestinal problems. Primarily secretive, it kills under the cover of darkness often oblivious to my presence – even when I’m a mere foot away. If you guessed massasauga rattlesnake or black widow spider, guess again.

The Eastern American toad isn’t the kind of pet one should not desire to pet – and, for good reason beyond its creepy looking skin: It is poisonous! Its parotoid glands behind its head contain a powerful venom chemical called Bufotoxin and it is secreted as a white liquid film coating its skin. Defensive in nature, handling one will typically deliver no more than a skin rash or allergic reaction but to other animals, it can mean death, if eaten – and, that’s why the slow-moving reptiles are left alone by predators.

Over the past month, one adaptable toad has made my garage part of its exploratory travels in search of prey. In that time it seems to have doubled in size under my peculiar passion to feed it whatever insect I can disable and drop before its non-discriminating, wide mouth. At first it seems to study the gift, but in an instant it thrusts its entire body spearheaded by its opening mouth to the target and sucks it down; it’s too fast to actually comprehend without the aid of recorded video technology.

At night it “eats out”, as the automatic security light attracts customers for its dining pleasure. It seems to have a routine that involves entering the garage through openings at the corners of the overhead door, where the threshold has developed openings at the corners. In fact, it uses the cover of the garage to lie inside waiting for careless critters that pass by.

While our hot and humid weather can make us feel lazy, it creates the perfect environment for toads to become active, although mainly at night. These carnivores are super insect eaters, and because of that, I find them not only entertaining but helpful.
Surprisingly, all toads are considered frogs. Both are amphibians but frogs have smoother, moist skin and longer legs. Toads are more bumpy and warty-looking. Frogs prefer to be around water and moist places, whereas toads can withstand drier habitats. Also, toads prefer to crawl rather than to hop.

There are ways to attract toads with lights, shallow ponds, leaf litter and holes in the ground, but Mother Nature seems to have done all this for me and the indigenous reptile.
Capturing and caging toads and frogs might seem like fun to kids, but these reptiles are better off exploring the environment that produced them.

As the seasons change and as winter approaches, toads will burrow into the ground and will dig deeper as the frost line pushes them farther below. In the meantime, I will enjoy the show even if I alter the script for our mutual enjoyment.