Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Arizona GFD, NPS Enter Agreement for Bison Reduction at Grand Canyon National Park

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

Wildlife

Michigan Deer movement study underway in Clinton, Ingham and Ionia counties

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center at Michigan State University are researching movements and survival of white-tailed deer in south-central Michigan. Deer in Clinton, Ingham and Ionia counties have been fitted with radio-tracking collars, ear tags or both. Be aware that radio-collared and ear-tagged deer may be encountered in these and adjacent counties.

If you see one of these deer, they are legal to hunt during regular deer hunting seasons.

If you harvest a collared or tagged deer, please register it at the nearest deer check station and provide the head for chronic wasting disease testing. Check station staff will collect the collars and tags and provide you with contact information for someone who can tell you more about the deer.

Hunting, Wildlife

RMEF Donates $300,000 to Defeat Colorado’s Proposition 114

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

Wildlife

New webinar series explores Michigan’s efforts to prevent and respond to invasive species

Many invasive species are already in Michigan, causing harm to the state’s waters, woods and open spaces – and others could be on the way. What is being done to respond to these threats?

NotMISpecies, a new, monthly webinar series from Michigan’s Invasive Species Program, will take an in-depth look at efforts across the state to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive plants, insects, animals and diseases.

Michigan’s Invasive Species Program, a collaborative effort of the departments of Natural Resources; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Agriculture and Rural Development, coordinates and supports invasive species initiatives across the state and provides support through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

Read more

Fishing, Wildlife

Michigan: deer check and CWD/TB testing changes for 2020 hunting season

Deer check and CWD/TB testing changes for 2020 hunting season

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources advises deer hunters to be prepared for big changes to DNR deer check stations this fall.

Staffing and financial shortages, due to both funding associated with long-term declines in the hunter base and the COVID-19 pandemic, will result in reductions in check station and drop-box locations, dates and hours operated, and the number of deer heads that will be accepted for chronic wasting disease testing (CWD).

Additionally, to protect hunters and DNR staff, some procedures will be changed to make deer check stations safer for all. Hunters are required to wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines, staying 6 feet away from other people, at DNR deer check stations. At many check stations, hunters will be required to stay in their vehicles while their deer is checked. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Bring on the birds for National Public Lands Day

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

Wildlife

My Avery Lake Campout

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member, Professional Outdoor Media Association

We’ve all been tested in ways we never imagined in this fight against an invisible enemy equipped to kill.  The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us around and cooped us up and everyone seems to be searching for some relief.  As I headed north for the opening day of small game season, Martina McBride’s Independence Day came over my truck’s radio and I had to turn it up; this was my personal day of independence.

I had no plan to fill the freezer with partridge or squirrels.  The adventure was to be a solitary one – not because it wouldn’t have been more fun with a pal or two, but they all are compelled to work in their retirement.  Some retirement.

I had my sights set on camping at Avery Lake State Park Campgrounds on the fringe of elk country in the rolling hills of Montmorency County.

Avery Lake

It’s a rustic camp with a hand pump for water, a community vault toilet plus one picnic table and one fire pit per site.  Since there are no reservations, my apprehension was soon allayed when I pulled in to find the park was almost vacant.

First order of business was to set up the tent.  Within a few minutes the tent was up and before I could begin driving the stakes into the ground, I couldn’t help but notice some ants were already climbing the poles.  Hundreds of ants!  I had invaded their space and now they were returning the favor.

Carpenter ants running up a pole sleeve already at the top

I had to do something before the insects owned my tent, because each second of indecision meant more trouble; one ant in the sleeping bag would be too many!  And, then I remembered a secret weapon:  soapy water spray.  Fortunately, I had packed the liquid solution as a means to clean up my hands.

Also, I’ve come to appreciate the effectiveness of dish soap on insects – all types of insects flying or crawling.  A short spritz on flying insects – including bees and wasps – changes their plans and puts an end to their diabolical ways.  For ants, it also destroys their scent trails so other industrious agitators cannot follow.

Like a madman I kept up the spraying duties until I had won the war, but what if I were to run out of soapy water and more ants volunteered for duty?  Perish the thought and into town for more dish soap – just in case.

After some exploring and a solitary meal around the campfire, I zipped myself into the cozy shelter for the night.  But, sometime in the hours of darkness, I was awakened by some type of commotion close at hand.  Camp raiders in the form of raccoons, I surmised, were frolicking in my stuff left outside.  I was simply too comfortable and warm to go out and run them off, so I just made some noise from within and it seemed to work.

At first light, I could see my metal-clad cooler had been breached and the lid was wide open; apparently,it’s better not to be lazy and to snap the latches closed than to leave the invitation accessible to intruders.  Although they made a mess of things, I found they only ran off with my raw breakfast sausage and scrambled a few raw eggs.  I policed the site for remnants of their raid and picked up wrappers from the trash bag, also left outdoors for their entertainment.  Lessons learned.

Thief in broad daylight with the metal cooler

And, you thought this was going to be about hunting.

Wildlife , , ,

Arizona: Mexican Wolf Pups Successfully Cross-fostered into Pack

PINETOP, Ariz. — On Aug. 24, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) wolf biologists using remote trail cameras documented eight Mexican wolf pups, an endangered subspecies, in the Hoodoo Pack in the northeastern Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. In April, AZGFD and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) cross-fostered four genetically valuable wolf pups into the Hoodoo Pack from a litter in captivity at the Sedgwick Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.

After cross-fostering was completed by AZGFD and USFWS, there were five wild Mexican wolf pups and four cross-fostered pups for a total litter of nine pups in this Hoodoo Pack litter. At least three of the pups observed are cross-fostered. Biologists are working to determine if a fourth pup may also be a cross-fostering success. Read more

Wildlife

Arizona’s Annual California Condor Release Will Be Virtual This Year

Covid guidelines on crowds and social distancing preclude public from watching in-person at viewing site; release can be viewed virtually on Peregrine Fund’s YouTube channel

VERMILION CLIFFS, Ariz. – Every year thousands of people gather at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to watch one of conservation’s biggest spectacles – the release of captive-bred California Condors to the wild.

The Peregrine Fund will release up to four California Condors atop the spectacular ledges of the cliffs in northern Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. This year, with Covid-19 affecting our ability to gather in large groups, we will not be able to hold an in-person public release at the Vermilion Cliffs, but the celebration will go on. Since the public is unable to watch from the annual viewing site, we are excited to offer the opportunity to observe the release virtually on The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/PeregrineFund.

This day is a celebration of the dedication and tenacity that hundreds of people have put into bringing the iconic California Condor back from the brink of extinction. In the 1980s, there were only 22 individual birds left on the planet, yet today they stand at nearly 500. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: fall camping is here, with plenty of availability

We know you’re already familiar with the sights, sounds and smells of Michigan’s most colorful season, so we can’t help but plug fall camping.

Summer crowds have dispersed, nights are a little longer, temperatures are cooler, insects sing a little quieter, you can hear the crackle of campfires and then, of course, there is fall foliage. Crimson, orange and yellow leaves line trails, skylines and campsites.

Although the busy summer season has come to a close, there are plenty of campsites and lodging still available this fall. Keep in mind that some parks offer WiFi, and many campers have been using mobile hotspots to work remotely.

Convinced? Visit MiDNRReservations.com to book your next trip. Or, check out our many rustic state forest campgrounds.

Wildlife
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