Shining or jacklighting white-tailed deer is a known poaching technique. A bright spotlight cast on deer in the dark of the night has a slight stupefying effect on the animal. For that reason, it is a remarkable tool used in deer management in Iowa.

For 43 years now, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has relied on spotlighting each spring as one means of counting deer. Since 1978, department biologists, game wardens and a multitude of volunteers have counted white-tailed deer along standard, predetermined routes. In 2006, Iowa DNR redesigned the statewide survey to better gather data representing all deer habitat types found in the Hawkeye State. The survey also collects information on observed nocturnal furbearers: raccoons, opossums, badgers, bobcats, and skunks. This is conservation work funded by excise taxes paid by archery, firearms, and ammunition manufacturers through the Pittman-Robertson Act.

Today, Iowa DNR staff and volunteers count white-tailed deer in all of Iowa’s ninety-nine counties. Each county has two regular routes run the same way and the same times every spring. The outcome is a robust data set that allows for year-to-year comparisons that may reveal trends, good or bad. The survey offers data resolution at a local level, says Iowa DNR wildlife biologist, Dan Kaminski. “The survey is robust and replicable and the data are reliable,” said Kaminski who helps oversee the deer data collection at his agency’s Boone Research Station.

“The annual spotlight survey reveals statewide white-tailed deer population trends,” said Kaminski. “It’s a most useful tool that yields an index of what goes on at the county level.” Read more

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is forwarding this Grand Canyon National Park news release to constituents who may have an interest in this opportunity

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — The National Park Service, in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), seeks skilled volunteers to assist with the removal of bison on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in the fall of 2021. Interested parties should carefully read this announcement and the information in the links below.

Given the current distribution, abundance, density and the expected growth of the bison herd on the North Rim, the NPS is concerned about increased impacts on park resources such as water, vegetation, soils, archaeological sites and values such as visitor experience and wilderness character. Reducing the herd size will protect the park ecosystem, resources and values.

Individuals who are interested in applying to be volunteers can submit an application on the following website (www.azbisonstewards.com) beginning at 12 a.m. (Arizona time) on May 3 through 11:59 p.m. on May 4, 2021. Read more

Ramsey, MN- A commercially available test that can be used to analyze deer urine for the presence of CWD prions before its distribution to the public has been in use by Wildlife Research Center® and Tink’s® for a year, and most of the major scent companies are also adopting this technology in 2020. Real Time Quaking Induced Conversion, RT-QuIC ™ for short, is a proven and reliable method for detecting the misfolded proteins that cause CWD.

A commercial laboratory began testing deer urine for the scent companies in 2019, enabling two of the industry’s largest manufacturers to test 100 percent of their natural deer urine products before releasing them to the marketplace. The laboratory company CWD Evolution has expanded and is testing products for many of the commercial scent manufacturers. Products that have been tested will be authorized to include the “RT-QuIC Tested“ logo. [See attached] Read more

By — Ben Ikenson

Sound wildlife management requires good data. By helping determine animal population sizes, wildlife surveys are vital to effective stewardship strategies, whether for the benefit of game management or the conservation of endangered species.

“But counting animals is no simple task,” says David Stewart, a statistician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Surveys must contain desirable properties, and should produce an estimate that is consistent, unbiased and precise, and, most important, be easy to compute.”

For six months in 2017 and 2018, Stewart and other biologists from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish addressed the issue, and produced some promising results. Their research, recently described in Scientific Reports, pioneers an innovative new method to count animals by estimating their population sizes simply, safely, and affordably.

When it comes to being surveyed, all animals are not created equal. Those with distinct markings, such as ocelots or giraffes, make for more convenient individual identification, and therefore easier population surveys. Similarly, animals living in open areas, like Serengeti grasslands or arctic tundra, are readily observed and counted from small aircraft. Obviously though, many species don’t have distinctive spots or inhabit open landscapes — and a simple process is needed for counting them too. Read more

ODNR reminds people of the importance of trees in a cicada’s life cycle.

COLUMBUS, Ohio –The so-called “Brood X” cicadas are set to emerge in parts of western and central Ohio after 17 years underground, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

The cicadas will begin to emerge when the soil, eight inches beneath the ground, reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. This typically happens between late-April and mid-May. Shortly after emerging, cicadas will climb a vertical surface, like tree trunks, shed their exoskeletons, and develop into winged adults. The dried, shed exoskeletons are orangish in color and may remain in place or on the ground for several weeks.

“Periodical cicadas make themselves known with their sheer numbers and their constant cricket-like noise, which is the male ’singing’ to attract female cicadas,” said Tom Macy, manager of the ODNR Division of Forestry Forest Health Program. “Cicada chorusing is the loudest natural noise in the world.”

After mating, female periodical cicadas use their saw-like ovipositors, or egg-laying appendages, to cut slits into the stems and branches of trees and shrubs. They will deposit dozens of eggs into the openings. Several weeks later, the tiny newly hatched nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the soil, where they feed on tree and plant roots, and develop for 17 years.

“Cicada egg-laying behavior can kill plant branches from the egg-laying site to the tips of the twigs, often resulting in wilted and discolored foliage becoming apparent in mid-summer,” said Macy. “Although this branch tip dieback may look like a major plant health concern, for most plants the damage is inconsequential.”

Cicadas can be a nuisance in yards, but they are not aggressive and are harmless to people and pets. Dogs or cats that ingest too many cicadas may experience stomach-upset resulting in vomiting, but cicadas are not toxic. Read more

DES MOINES—April is Arbor Month and a new five-minute video produced by the Iowa DNR aims to help residents learn to properly plant trees and avoid very common mistakes—vital to the longevity of new plantings.

“Learning to correctly plant trees really determines the longevity of that tree’s life,” said DNR urban forestry specialist Gabbi Edwards. “What we find at tree planting events is that people are wide-eyed during the planting instructions. They say ‘Oh my, I’ve always planted trees all wrong.’ But the video can easily help them do it the right way.”

Common errors such as planting roots too deep or too shallow, or not removing encircling roots can lead to improper rooting and other issues years later. Improperly mulching—especially with mulch mounded up around the tree trunk—can lead to rot and also dramatically shorten the life of the tree.

That’s where the video comes in. Read more

Higher payment rates, new incentives to help spur future program enrollment

St. Paul, Minn. – April 21, 2021 – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the open enrollment of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate resiliency. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are acknowledging the exceptional work of USDA Secretary Vilsack and agency officials to fast-track these critical improvements for the nation’s premier private lands conservation program.

“Today’s CRP announcement by Secretary Vilsack delivered upon every requested improvement we’ve made since he returned to USDA leadership. At the top of that list was the need for adjusted soil rental rates to make CRP an attractive option for farmers and ranchers once again. That had to be the starting point, and it’s clear our voice was heard. We’re also encouraged to see the grassland habitat created by CRP acknowledged as a massive component of the recipe for climate resiliency,” reported Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s director of governmental affairs. Read more