For landscapes plagued by autumn olive or entangled in oriental bittersweet, a new website offers help identifying and managing woody invasive plants like these.

Across the eight Great Lakes states and Ontario, 28 woody plant species are regulated as invasive by at least one jurisdiction. Invasive species are those that are not native and can cause harm to the environment, economy or human health. Read more

No matter what you call them – pumas, panthers, mountain lions or cougars – these mysterious mammals, and suspected sightings of them, get people talking. The DNR wants residents to know the department is listening and keeping a careful eye on where cougars reportedly are turning up.

This year, the DNR has six confirmed reports of cougars in Michigan, all in the Upper Peninsula: one each in Chippewa, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft counties and three in Delta County. In February, DNR Wildlife Division staff confirmed two of those reports after finding cougar tracks while conducting the U.P. winter wolf track survey. Four additional sightings were confirmed after residents submitted trail camera photos of cougars.

The confirmed reports are rare. Since 2008 there have been 55 confirmed reports of cougars in Michigan and all but one have been in the Upper Peninsula. It’s also important to note that the reports could be multiple sightings of the same animal.

Though originally native to Michigan, cougars were driven from the state’s landscape due to several factors, including habitat loss, around the early 1900s. Despite the occasional reported sightings, wildlife experts say there’s no evidence of a breeding population in the state.

“DNA analysis of two cougars poached in the U.P., for example, showed the animals likely dispersed from their established populations in South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska,” said Cody Norton, large carnivore specialist with the DNR. Read more

The seabird made history after popping up along the Current River in Ripley County.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri welcomes numerous flying visitors throughout the year, but the state recently made history after a seabird was spotted in the Ozarks. Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff have confirmed a Brown Booby has shown up along the Current River in Ripley County.

The bird was first spotted by Debbie Prance-Orosz this past Saturday while she and her family were out enjoying the river. Not knowing what the bird was, she snapped a photo and posted it to her Facebook page.

“We first got word of it after it was posted to Facebook this past weekend wondering what it was,” said MDC Forester and avid birder Steve Paes. “We didn’t know where it was, other than somewhere on the Current River. After asking around, I got a tip on its location. On Monday, I set out on the river with Cindy Bridges with the Missouri Birding Society and we eventually found it perched on a dead tree.”

Brown Boobies are large, long-winged seabirds that are often seen from southern Florida south on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Central America to northern South America.

According to MDC State Ornithologist Sarah Kendrick, this is the first recorded sighting of a Brown Booby in Missouri. Read more

Michigan Department of Natural Resources trail officials are asking off-road vehicle riders traveling the East Marble Head Trail Route on Drummond Island to use extra caution.

Over the next couple of months, timber harvesting and road building, with heavy equipment use, will be taking place.

“We are not closing the routes at this time, but if conditions change, closure may be necessary,” said Paul Gaberdiel, eastern Upper Peninsula trails specialist with the DNR’s Parks and Recreation Division. “We are asking riders to please be patient and courteous. Give heavy equipment operators extra space and consideration, as there is no room for them to get off the roads.” Read more

Dogpatch USA, a derelict theme park in northern Arkansas, has been bought by Bass Pro Shops founder and conservationist, Johnny Morris.

While specific plans for the property – Dogpatch USA – remain in the early stages, Bass Pro says that the future development will be an extension of the group’s signature experiences that help families connect with nature. These include its award-winning Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to restore and share this crown jewel of Arkansas and the Ozarks so that everyone can enjoy the wonderful region we call home,” said Morris, a lifelong resident of Springfield. “We are going to take our time to restore the site, dream big and imagine the possibilities to help more families get back to nature through this historic and cherished place.”

The property is near the 135-mile Buffalo National River, the first national river in the USA, and a 35-minute drive from Big Cedar Lodge, a resort developed by Morris.

Dogpatch USA was built in 1967 and operated as a theme park that featured a trout farm, horseback and amusement rides and attractions. The park attracted 300,000 visitors annually at its height in the late 1960s before closing its doors in 1993 after years of decline.

No purchase price has been disclosed, but a local paper reported in June that the site had been sold for $1.2m.

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation supports and applauds the introduction of a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate to improve active forest management practices in the West and reduce catastrophic wildfire potential on national forests.

In response to growing threats of more intense and frequent catastrophic wildfires on the nation’s national forests and the communities that surround them, Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020.

Key elements of the bill that the NWTF supports include:

• Directing the USDA Forest Service to identify three landscape-scale collaborative forest projects to restore forest health and reduce wildfire risk. The projects will benefit from streamlined environmental reviews, allowing for timelier project implementation, and a higher threshold to meet for a judge to impose an injunction if they are litigated.
• Establishes a categorical exclusion in the National Environmental Policy Act for constructing fuel/fire breaks.
• Creates grant programs to build biomass energy conversion facilities, help develop markets for biomass (plant-based waste from forestry practices) and support forestry workforce development, all important factors that typically limit large-scale forest management and fuels-reduction treatments.

“The National Wild Turkey Federation thanks Senator Daines and Senator Feinstein for introducing this important bipartisan legislation,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “Forest health and wildfire prevention are important to all Americans. It is also an issue of safety for wildland fire fighters and the numerous communities around and within these forests. We need well-thought-out solutions that everyone can support.” Read more

ATHENS, GA (August 3, 2020) – The most detailed and instructional guide to aging live whitetail bucks in the field, Observing & Evaluating Whitetails by wildlife photographer Dave Richards and wildlife biologist Al Brothers of Texas, has been expanded and republished with new color photos, more multi-year buck aging sequences, and 36 more pages. It is available now at www.qdma.com/oew.

First published in 2003 in partnership with QDMA, Observing & Evaluating Whitetails was a ground-breaking book, the crowning achievement of Richards’ 25 years pursuing whitetails with a camera. Richards has followed the lives of untold numbers of wild bucks across multiple years, documenting with his camera the changes in body, behavior and antler size as they age. The first edition of his book compiled photographic aging sequences for 17 unique bucks, and the new edition adds four more for a total of 21. Each sequence is accompanied by Richards’ commentary on the changes to look for, helping any hunter sharpen their skills at identifying age characteristics in the field. Nearly 100 additional photos highlight the body characteristics of each individual age class from fawn to post-maturity.

In addition, Richards teaches hunters techniques for estimating Boone & Crockett antler score in the field. This section of the book includes live photos of 35 unique bucks (eight more than the first edition) that were later measured, so their antler dimensions and final score are known. Measurement charts for each buck are presented alongside photographs of the live deer. Read more

Check trees in August for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle

This year, many Michiganders have found time to reacquaint themselves with the outdoors. Whether you spend time walking, hiking or exploring neighborhood parks, you can help protect Michigan’s trees by spending a little of your outdoors time checking for signs of the Asian longhorned beetle.

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 Asian longhorned beetle has been found in 20 locations in six states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio and, most recently, South Carolina. Read more

PHOENIX — Earlier this month, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) received an alert from one of its solar-powered remote water sensors, located in the Chocolate Mountains near Yuma, indicating that a wildlife water catchment – critical to wildlife survival – was dry.

The sensors, developed and installed by the United States Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), deliver timely, remote notifications of significant water loss.

Concerned for the well-being of the animals, an AZGFD team hiked – in scorching heat – nearly 2 miles of steep terrain to assess the situation. Upon arrival, the team discovered the empty water catchment…and 15 bighorn sheep standing nearby. A broken pipe was responsible for the water shortage. The team mitigated the problem by turning on a back-up water system.

Without the real-time data from the electronic water measuring system, AZGFD would have not found the failure for weeks, which could have resulted in the death of bighorn sheep and other wild animals. In total, YPG has developed and installed four remote sensors on its property, where AZGFD manages several water catchments. Read more