When Bill and Betty Perkis of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula plan their vacations each year, an enthusiasm for the outdoors always shines through; they love to camp and tour national parks to explore the beauty of nature.

That passion led the couple to wonder — how could they bring the wonders of nature home?

Working with forestry and wildlife experts, the Perkis family incorporated new techniques into their property management to turn the 40-acre parcel around their western Upper Peninsula home into a wildlife paradise. Read more

Grand Prairie, TX – Evolved’s new 5 Card Draw™ combines the growing powers of oats, wheat, white clover, turnip and chicory for a food plot that’s as diverse as it is palatable. The forage variety annual/perennial blend is designed to be eaten, grow back, then be eaten again. With a deer favorite always growing, you’ll quickly build regular hoof traffic and a stronger overall herd.

5 Card Draw™ is a unique annual/perennial blend that features 42 percent forage oats, 42 percent forage wheat, 4 percent perennial white clover, 2 percent Barkant turnip, and 2 percent chicory. Each 10 lb. bag will cover approximately one-quarter acre, or 11,000 square feet, and is best planted in tilled soils with a pH range of between 6.0-8.0. It can be planted in summer through fall.

MSRP is $19.99 per 10 lb. bag. More information is available atwww.evolved.com. Read more

MONTPELIER, VT – The onset of fall sends Vermont’s bats into motion as they begin either migrating south or moving to regional underground hibernation sites for the winter.

Summer groups of bats that roost in buildings start to scatter in the fall, making it the perfect time to safely evict these uninvited guests from your attic, barn, or office building following the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Best Management Practices, available at www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

Bat houses provide an alternative location for safely evicted bats to remain in your yard and continue eating huge quantities of insects that may be forest, agricultural, or human pests. However, bat houses do require some simple maintenance. Late fall or winter is the time to look up inside your bat house and make sure all the bats have left before cleaning out any abandoned wasp nests and planning any needed caulking or repainting.

You can also help bat conservation efforts by reporting large colonies of bats living in structures to the department’s website. Locations with rare colonies of endangered little brown bats are eligible for free bat houses from Vermont Fish and Wildlife. Read more

FWC biologist Pierson Hill recently documented an extremely unusual “patternless” eastern diamondback rattlesnake in north Florida, which he then microchipped and released safely for identification by researchers in the future. This color morph is exceptionally rare – only a small handful of patternless diamondbacks have been documented by biologists, according to FFWCC. It is worth sharing with you because it’s still warm enough for cold-blooded creatures to be active in the woods, despite it being hunting season.

PHOENIX and GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Commission (AZGFD) and the National Park Service (NPS) entered into an agreement on Friday, Sept. 25, to reduce the number of bison present on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

In a concerted effort to disrupt the “refuge effect” that allows the bison herd to grow where there is no pressure on them, the agreement includes a number of tools for herd reduction including live capture and translocations, hazing, and lethal removal by skilled volunteers. Given the current distribution, abundance, density and the expected growth of this herd, the public and the NPS are 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 to under 200 bison will protect the ecosystem, park resources and values.

The herd reduction activities are conducted under a 2017 Environmental Assessment conducted by NPS and supported by the State of Arizona and the US Forest Service. Read more

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committed more than $300,000 toward efforts to defeat a dangerous 2020 ballot initiative to forcibly introduce wolves into Colorado. In addition to the significant funding for multiple forms of educational outreach, RMEF also contributed in-kind donations of staffing and video production as well as member donations.

“This is not just about simply checking a box on a ballot. Proposition 114 would have significant, long-lasting, detrimental impacts on both wildlife and Coloradans,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We are doing everything in our power to help educate Colorado voters about the very real costs that a forced introduction of an apex predator would have on wildlife management, wildlife populations, the hunting industry, ranchers and the pocketbooks of taxpayers who will be left to foot the bill.” Read more

This Saturday is National Public Lands Day, and we’ve got three ways to make the most of the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands and national parks – by engaging with Michigan’s birds!

Visit a nearby Important Bird Area

Did you know that many state game and wildlife areas double as Important Bird Areas? IBAs are places that are vital for the conservation of bird populations. Researchers need help monitoring IBAs and mapping bird ranges, especially in state game and wildlife areas. You can be a citizen scientist and report your observations on eBird, a global community science database. Having more data from these often-underrepresented state game and wildlife areas gives eBird researchers a better understanding of the IBAs and the birds using them. On your next visit, help advance conservation efforts by sharing your bird sightings on eBird or at MiBirds@Audubon.org.

To plan your birding trip, check out the Michigan Hunting Digest for hunting season start dates, or call your local DNR center or field office. Birders are advised to wear brightly colored clothing, as fall hunting will be in full swing. Read more