Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Utah: Mega Water Guzzler Installed in Brook Cliffs to Lessen Drought Impacts

SALT LAKE CITY — The Book Cliffs is a well-known hunting area in northeastern Utah. In recent years, though, deer, livestock and other animals in the area have struggled due to ongoing drought conditions limiting water sources and habitat, which provides shelter and feed. A working group comprised of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists and several state and federal agencies, conservation groups, universities and landowners have been working to address those issues.

In April 2019, the Utah Wildlife Board tasked the DWR with forming a Book Cliffs Working Group to assess the causes of the decreasing mule deer and elk populations in the area and to develop a plan. Several stakeholders in the area are involved in the group, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Utah Farm Bureau, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, the Mule Deer Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and several landowners. The group meets several times a year to coordinate implementation of the action plan that was completed in May 2020.

“The Book Cliffs area includes crucial, but limited, summer range for many big game animals,” DWR Northeastern Region Habitat Manager Pat Rainbolt said. “Livestock also graze there. Due to the drought conditions, there hasn’t been enough available feed, water or shelter for all the different animals that depend on the 800,000-acre Book Cliffs area. The working group helps to address issues and implement projects that will have long-lasting impacts to help the wildlife and livestock that use this area.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: have a bushel of fun picking pine cones

Looking for an outdoor side hustle? Collecting a bushel of pine cones next month will net you $75 and help the Michigan Department of Natural Resources plant trees in state forests.

Sept. 1 – 30, 2021, you can pick red pine cones and drop them off by appointment at six DNR locations: three in the Upper Peninsula and three in the Lower Peninsula.

Fresh cones can be found in felled treetops from recent timber sales, on state forestlands and in recently gathered squirrel caches (yes, you can steal from a squirrel). If picking from a recent timber sale, logger permission is necessary, and pickers must wear hardhats for safety. The simplest way, however, is to pick from living red pine trees where branches extend close to the ground.

Before you haul out your ladder, there are specific things foresters look for in a “perfect” fresh seed pine cone from a red pine – commit the following criteria to memory, because old cones or the wrong species won’t be accepted. You’ll also need to complete a few steps to register as a vendor in our online system so you can get paid for your efforts.

Here are some tips to get started: Read more
Wildlife

RMEF, Partners Dole Out $1.3 Million for Colorado Elk Habitat, Research

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners allocated $1,311,336 of grant funding in Colorado to benefit wildlife habitat and scientific research. RMEF contributed $167,562 and leveraged an additional $1,143,774 in partner dollars.

Ten projects will benefit Clear Creek, Costilla, Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Jackson, Las Animas, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin, Rio Grande, Routt, San Miguel and Saguache Counties.

“We appreciate our state, federal and other partners who join us in seeing the importance of aspen restoration, invasive weed treatment, the installation of new wildlife water resources and other habitat enhancement work,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “There are also various important studies that will assist wildlife managers to learn more and better manage elk herds.”

“It’s important to highlight that our volunteers spend a lot of time and are devoted to raising these funds by hosting banquets, membership drives and other activities. We are grateful for all they do,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO.

There are more than 16,000 members and 30 chapters in Colorado.

Dating back to 1987, RMEF and its partners completed 807 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Colorado with a combined value of more than $183 million. These projects protected or enhanced 471,699 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 122,107 acres.

Below is a sampling of Colorado’s 2021 project, listed by county. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan: invasive balsam woolly adelgid confirmed in Kent County

First detection of this invasive bug in the state

Monday, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Gary McDowell announced the state’s first verified detection of balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) near Rockford in Kent County.

“It’s not known how BWA may have gotten to Michigan or how long it’s been here, but it’s plausible it was on infested nursery stock,” said McDowell. “Arborists, tree experts and the public are our extra set of eyes with invasive species. With August being National Tree Check month, this is another critical reminder to look for irregularities with your trees and to not move firewood.” Read more

Wildlife

Pennsylvania Elk Cam Goes Live

Can’t wait for the September peak of Pennsylvania’s elk rut? Get a jumpstart now with the Game Commission’s Elk Cam.

The Game Commission again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season heats up. Video and sound from the camera are being livestreamed at www.pgc.pa.gov, and viewers can expect not only to see elk, but turkeys, deer and other wildlife, as well.

“Nature is full of surprises, and that’s some of the reason the Game Commission’s wildlife livestreams have proven so popular,” agency Executive Director Bryan Burhans said. “The Elk Cam gives viewers a chance to experience the wonder of Pennsylvania’s elk rutting season, without ever leaving home. Sit back and enjoy the show.”

The livestream, which is provided by HDOnTap and made possible with the help of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, is the latest in a string of real-time wildlife-watching opportunities offered by the Game Commission. Read more

Wildlife

Davidson’s Adds Exothermic Technologies

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Davidson’s, one of the nation’s top firearms wholesalers, is pleased to announce the addition of Exothermic Technologies to its product lines.

Founded in early 2019, Exothermic Technologies, LLC has taken the market by storm with cutting-edge product design and patent-pending technology.

Owned and operated by firearms and firefighting professionals, their combined experience, networking, and proven success across multiple industries has allowed them to forge a team like none other. They’re setting the standard and continuing to raise the bar.

The initial SKU being offered by Davidson’s is the Pulsefire LRT flamethrower. The patent-pending Pulsefire is the ultimate compact, lightweight, fully handheld flamethrower that sends a blast of fire 25 feet away with the press of a button. Fill it like any other outdoor tool. With the system off, unscrew the cap and pour in gasoline or a gas/diesel mixture. When the battery gets low, take it out and charge it or swap in a spare to keep bringing the heat.

Exothermic has spoken with, demonstrated, and sold to local firefighters, farmers, controlled burn prescribers and/or members of the U.S. Forestry Service, and they love the idea of an efficient, portable, long range torch for their work. The Exothermic Technologies Pulsefire is the safest and most effective way to apply fire at a distance. Read more

General, Wildlife

26 Michigan communities and organizations get grants to plant trees

From Iron Mountain in the western Upper Peninsula to the village of Dundee in the state’s southeast corner, 26 communities across Michigan will share $92,500 in grants this year to plant trees.

The trees, to be planted along streets and in parks and other public spaces, come courtesy of a program sponsored by the DTE Energy Foundation and administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and nonprofit ReLeaf Michigan. This year’s individual grants range in size from $1,800 to $4,000.

“The DTE Energy Foundation looks forward to seeing this year’s seedlings become catalysts for environmental change statewide,” said Lynette Dowler, president of the DTE Energy Foundation. “That’s why our foundation continues to support tree plantings and other initiatives that protect our air, land and water in communities across the state.”

An annual request for proposals goes out each spring; the next opportunity to apply is in late April 2022. Read more

Wildlife

BUG-A-SALT Realtree Camo 3.0 Fly Gun

BUG-A-SALT’s new limited-edition Realtree Camo 3.0 model fly gun reflects a love of the adventurous outdoor lifestyle and provides a super-fun time slaughtering flies, roaches, mosquitos and other insects.

This Realtree camo fly gun is designed for the serious fly hunter. Those who understand weaponry and gun handling will appreciate custom improvements, such as the cross-bolt safety, trigger redesign and the Patridge sight.

BUG-A-SALT is excited about this new lethal edition to the family. However, it’s warning customers that while other models leave flies whole for easy cleanup, the 3.0 may splatter them. The 3.0 model greatly increases odds for in-flight take down. Read more

Wildlife

Look for signs of invasive Asian longhorned beetle during Tree Check Month in August

August is Tree Check Month, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking the public to look for and report any signs of the Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive pest that is not native to Michigan and could cause harm to the state’s environment and economy.

The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources are joining the USDA in asking people to take just 10 minutes this month to check trees around homes for the beetle or any signs of the damage it causes.

In late summer and early fall, adult Asian longhorned beetles drill perfectly round, 3/8-inch holes to emerge from within tree trunks and limbs, where they spend their larval stage chewing through the heartwood. After a brief mating period, female beetles chew oval depressions in trunks or branches to deposit eggs. Sometimes a material resembling wood shavings can be seen at or below exit holes or coming from cracks in an infested tree’s bark.

Asian longhorned beetle in the U.S.

The Asian longhorned beetle was first detected in the U.S. in 1996, when a Brooklyn, New York resident noticed a large, black beetle with irregular white spots and black-and-white banded antennae and reported it. Since that time, the invasive beetle has been found in 20 locations in six states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio and, most recently, South Carolina.

Asian longhorned beetles likely arrived hidden in untreated wood packaging material like pallets and crates before the development of international standards for treating these materials to prevent the spread of insects.

Because adult beetles fly only short distances, it is likely that human movement of infested logs, firewood or other wood products has contributed to the spread of Asian longhorned beetle within the U.S.

To date, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has been successful in eradicating the beetle from all but four locations in the U.S. However, eradication has both financial and environmental costs. According to the USDA, over $750 million has been spent on the Asian longhorned beetle eradication program in the last 23 years, and at least 180,000 trees have been removed from infested areas.

You can help

The beetle has not been detected in Michigan, but discovering early signs of infestation can prevent widespread damage to the state’s forest resources, urban landscapes and maple syrup production. Read more

Wildlife

Key Habitat Connectivity Secured in Wyoming

MISSOULA, Mont. — Thanks to a Wyoming family that successfully worked with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, 634 acres of important elk habitat are now permanently protected in the southeast part of the state.

“This voluntary conservation agreement is a credit to Al and Barb Johnson for their dedication to wildlife and conservation,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We appreciate and salute them for their efforts.”

The Terry Creek property lies within the Upper Laramie River Watershed and links a peninsula of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest to U.S. Forest Service lands in the Snowy Mountains to the west. It also falls within the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Upper Laramie River and Little Laramie River Crucial Habitat Priority and Sheep Mountain Mule Deer Initiative Areas.

“Not only does this property provide vital winter and year-long range for elk, but elk migration routes funnel directly through it,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “Groups of 100 to 200 elk on the property are a common occurrence. The immediate landscape also offers important range for mule deer, moose and other wildlife.”

Pronghorn antelope and mule deer also pass through the property as well. The owners, together with RMEF and WGFD are completing a boundary fence conversion to wildlife friendly specifications as well, to bring even more enhancement to the connected and conserved landscape.

Project partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resources Trust, Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition, Ducks Unlimited Inc., the Knobloch Family Foundation, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife
1 … 112 113 114 115 116 … 376