By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

When I think about personal experiences over the past six decades and how they’ve formed the person I’ve become, they all share a common element:  discovery; some of it originated with friends and some with family.  But, the best moments of discovery came from people who took the time to pass on a certain skill or piece of knowledge.

When I was an emerging baseball pitcher in the early 60s, a friend of the family taught me the art of tossing a knuckle ball.  It was a different kind of pitch:  Nobody knew where that dancing ball was going – not the catcher, hitter or even I could predict its path.  That’s the nature of a knuckle ball, but it sure was fun confounding everyone.

And, the English teachers in elementary school had a way of driving certain principles of our complicated language into our brains – some of which remains spot-on 60 years later.  Here’s one:  To show possession of any noun, add an apostrophe “s”, except if the noun is plural and ends in “s”, just add an apostrophe.  That’s it, word for word.  How it hurts to see that little apostrophe misplaced by today’s professionals.

However, it was our neighbors next door who took me fishing with them for the first time.  Oh, how excited I was to learn how to use those archaic closed-faced reels.  A few years later I would hitchhike regularly to Upper Straits Lake in Oakland County, where I would rent a rowboat from Bill Shaw.  The only boat I’ve ever owned still takes me on adventures by means of arm-strong power and oars.

Now, with the great-grandkids leaving the big city to stay with me for a few days, the opportunity to impart a bit of outdoors wisdom to them is a responsibility worthy of doing it right.  It seems so long ago – although only one year has passed – that I spent a few hours on a lake with my great-grandson in that same little boat.

However, this summer’s visit will include my great-grandson’s two younger twin sisters, and for the first time, they will be camping outdoors.  As Americans are recreating less outside and have gone on a billion fewer outings in 2018 than they did only a decade ago, we are going to buck that ominous trend.  So what if the adventure is in our backyard?  To the youngsters it will be a rustic getaway far, far away from games that exercise only thumbs.

What makes it exciting for me is the idea of introducing the kids to the overflowing wildlife we have in our midst and sometimes take for granted.

A year ago, I was struck by one of the twin’s excited reaction as she noticed a cottontail rabbit, dashing away from the four-wheeler we were on together.  I thought to myself that I would open the door to the wild world for them when the time was right.

Now, that time has come and camp preparations have already begun.  We’ll be alone together under the stars amid the coyotes, turkeys and whitetail deer.  A campfire, a tent, sleeping bags, hot dogs and marshmallows are sure to make an indelible mark on the impressionable minds.  And, nobody knows where the experience may lead.

Raising awareness/donations for expansion of national pollinator habitat

St. Paul, MN – Coinciding with National Pollinator Week, June 22-28, Pheasants Forever and the Monarch Joint Venture are hosting a virtual Miles for Monarchs nationwide event to raise awareness around the decline of native pollinators, while generating much-needed financial support to advance pollinator conservation work throughout the country.

Miles for Monarchs is an exciting way to support monarch butterflies and associated pollinator habitat through athletic activities. By way of running, walking, biking, hiking or paddling through monarch regions of the United States, individuals and families can help raise critical funds for monarch research, education, and habitat projects.

“Pollinator Week festivities may look a little different this year, but there is still so much work to carry forward and fun to be had in sharing your support for pollinators,” stated Wendy Caldwell, executive director of the Monarch Joint Venture. “Miles for Monarchs makes it easy to choose any type of exercise you love, see how far you can ‘migrate’ during pollinator week, and help tell the story of pollinators and your support for them throughout your network. Registering to be a part of Miles for Monarchs not only supports monarchs and their amazing annual migrations, it supports the many other pollinators, wildlife, and plants who share the same habitats.” Read more

Recovery of the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes continues to gain momentum as spring nesting winds down after at least 21 pairs nested in Wisconsin this spring. The current estimated Eastern Migratory Population size is 83, which includes 40 females, 40 males, 3 Whoopers of unknown sex to date. To the best of biologists’ knowledge, at least 75 Whooping Cranes are in Wisconsin, 4 are in Michigan, and 1 is in Illinois, while three other Whoopers’ locations have not been confirmed during the past month.

Of the 83 Whooping Cranes in this reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population, 14 were wild raised by nesting pairs, showing a significant level of success among the reintroduced population. The other 69 Whoopers in the wild population were captive-reared and reintroduced to the wild as part of the Eastern recovery project.

The above population totals do not include this year’s newly hatched Whoopers, but biologists have ascertained that at least 21 pairs nested in Wisconsin this spring and at least 14 eggs hatched. One of the problems with North America’s Whooping Cranes is that they reproduce very slowly.

The primary Whooping Crane population nests in Wood Buffalo National Park and the surrounding area in Canada, where Northwest Territories meets the northeast border of Alberta. This population that numbers about 500 Whooping Cranes migrates south through the Great Plains to wintering range centered at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

The monumental bird conservation project to reintroduce the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes has been led by the International Crane Foundation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and state departments of natural resources from states along the migration route of this reintroduced population of Whooping Cranes. For more information about the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes and the work being conducted by the International Crane Foundation around the world, see https://www.savingcranes.org/whooping-crane-eastern-population-update-june-2020/

Wildlife biologists and technicians with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have been tracking reports of a bull elk spotted in the south-central part of the Upper Peninsula in Menominee County.

The young elk was reported first by a private landowner June 6, within about 10 miles of the Wisconsin border. Since then, there have been several additional sightings, including some unconfirmed reports of an accompanying cow elk.

The presence of the bull elk has been confirmed with photographs. Read more

DALLAS — Several weeks ago, DSC and DSC Foundation launched the Hunters CARE (COVID Anti-poaching Relief Effort) program. The purpose of the Hunters CARE program is to expeditiously deploy funds to on-the-ground anti-poaching efforts during these trying times.

The world has been immeasurably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conservation community has not been immune to its far-reaching consequences. As a result of hunt cancellations and postponements, hunting operators have been left with limited income to maintain their anti-poaching presence in their critical wildlife areas.

Corey Mason, DSC executive director, says, “Everyone recognizes the significant impact that COVID has had around the world from financial strain to loss of employment. The same is true across the African continent in which hunters’ dollars have not flown to Africa and they have not been there in the sense of employment as well. As unemployment has increased, so has the need for people to head to the bush to try to feed their family.”

DSC and DSC Foundation created the Hunters CARE program with the aim to quickly alleviate the fallout that COVID-19 has had on our important partners in the field. To date, the Hunters CARE program has helped secure over 16 million acres of habitat across seven different African countries and maintain the employment of more than 370 anti-poaching scouts. Read more

Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest health experts are getting reports of oak, aspen and maple trees losing leaves to gypsy moths in the southwestern and northeastern parts of the Lower Peninsula.

The gypsy moth is an invasive species that caused widespread defoliation in the state from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. This year, defoliation is likely to become visible within the next few weeks in localized outbreak areas and persist through mid-July.

“Gypsy moths are a nuisance but rarely kill trees,” said Scott Lint, forest health expert with the DNR’s Forest Resources Division.

Keep defoliated trees healthy by making sure they get water; avoid damaging tree roots and bark. Trees should begin to develop new leaves in July to replace those that were eaten.

Check out this update from Michigan State University Extension about gypsy moth caterpillars this season; additional resources are below.

For additional questions, contact Scott Lint at LintS@Michigan.gov.

BOZEMAN – As part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, is working to inform the public that pre-baiting and scientific capture operations are once again about to begin within the Gravelly and Madison Ranges of Montana. Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will begin work in southwest Montana beginning June 17th and will continue through July 17th. Capture operations can include a variety of activities, but all areas where work is being conducted will have primary access points marked with warning signs. It is critical that all members of the public heed these signs.

Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution and other activities are vital to ongoing recovery of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In order to attract bears, biologists use natural food sources such as fresh road–killed deer and elk. Potential capture sites are baited with these natural foods and if indications are that grizzly bears are in the area, culvert traps or foot snares will be used to capture the bears. Once captured, bears are handled in accordance with strict safety and animal care protocols developed by the IGBST.

Whenever bear-capture activities are being conducted for scientific purposes, the area around the site will be posted with bright warning signs to inform the public of the activities occurring. These signs are posted along the major access points to the capture site. It is important that the public heed these signs and do not venture into an area that has been posted. For more information regarding grizzly bear capture efforts call the IGBST hotline at 406-994-6675. Information about the grizzly bear research and monitoring is available from the IGBST website: https://www.usgs.gov/science/interagency-grizzly-bear-study-team

LANSING, Mich. –- The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is reminding the public about the risk of accidentally spreading invasive species while moving firewood. New infestations of invasive pests or diseases can be devastating and pose a serious threat to Michigan’s agriculture, forests and the environment.

Harmful invasive species, some of which are invisible to the naked eye, can hide in or on firewood. While most cannot move far on their own, these pests and diseases can be transported undetected on travelers’ firewood, starting new infestations in locations hundreds of miles away. These invasive species threaten native tree species without natural defenses against these pests and diseases. Infestations also can destroy forests, lower property values and cost huge sums of money to control.

“It is nearly impossible to detect diseases – like thousand cankers disease, which affects walnut trees, or oak wilt in oak trees – just by looking at the wood,” said Mike Philip, director of MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. “Never assume wood appearing uninfested is safe to move.” Read more