MISSOULA, Mont.— The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners awarded $87,630 of grant funding to benefit conservation and hunting heritage efforts in Michigan. RMEF directly granted $29,425 and leveraged an additional $58,205 in partner funding.

“Michigan sports a strong and vibrant hunting lifestyle. This grant funding assists a number of different programs and events around the state that opens up many opportunities for youth to enjoy the outdoors. A chunk of it also goes toward a project aimed at improving habitat for elk, deer, turkeys and other wildlife,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We are grateful for our dedicated Michigan volunteers who generated these funds by hosting banquets and other activities.”

There are 15 RMEF chapters and more than 6,300 members in Michigan.

Since 1990, RMEF and its partners completed 161 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Michigan with a combined value of more than $5.4 million. These projects protected or enhanced 5,977 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 877 acres.

Below is a listing of Michigan’s 2019 projects, shown by county. Read more

The state of Michigan today announced the 32 projects that will share $3.6 million in grants through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

The program – cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources – addresses prevention, detection, eradication and control of aquatic (water-based) and terrestrial (land-based) invasive species in Michigan through four key objectives:

• • Preventing the introduction of new invasive species.
  • Strengthening the statewide invasive species early detection and response network.
  • Limiting the spread of recently confirmed invasive species.
  • Managing and controlling widespread, established invasive species.

Read more

Long-billed Curlew by Nick Saunders.

Weather radar detects change on a continental scale

Fort Collins, CO & Ithaca, NY—A team of researchers has found that the timing of spring bird migration across North America is shifting as a result of climate change. The study, one of the first to examine the subject at a continental scale, is published in Nature Climate Change. The work was done by scientists at Colorado State University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the University of Massachusetts.

Using 24 years of weather radar data, the study found that spring migrants were likely to pass certain stops earlier now than they would have 20 years ago. Temperature and migration timing were closely aligned, with the greatest changes in migration timing occurring in regions warming most rapidly. During fall, shifts in migration timing were less apparent. Read more

Efforts continue to protect eastern entrance road to Michigan’s largest state park

Work begun in August to protect the main east access road to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is continuing in the face of violent late fall storms off Lake Superior.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Ontonagon County Road Commission have teamed up to protect County Road 107 to ensure continued east access to the 60,000-acre park and its signature attractions.

The DNR is not typically involved in county road projects but is in this case because of the road’s importance to the park. About 80 percent of the 1.6-mile stretch of affected county road has less than 20 feet of shoreline between the lake’s edge and the road.

“Without this main accessway, should a road washout or undermining occur, visitors to the park’s east end may be required to take an 80-mile detour, via west end entry, or be prevented altogether from reaching numerous points of interest,” said Eric Cadeau, a DNR Parks and Recreation Division regional planner.

Some of those points of interest include the Lake of the Clouds overlook, Union Bay Campground and the park’s ski area. Read more

Cornell Lab zooms in on a Royal Albatross nest in New Zealand

Otago, New Zealand & Ithaca, New York—Millions of people from around the world can now witness a rare sight in real time: a Northern Royal Albatross pair nesting and raising their chick. The live views originate from a coastal albatross colony in Otago, on South Island, New Zealand, and are made possible by a new partnership between the country’s Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The Cornell Lab’s Bird Cams website now carries the popular Royal Cam which will continue to be hosted by DOC on a windy hilltop near the ocean. Viewers will see a 21 year old male bird (identified as OGK, with orange, green, and black leg bands) and a 25 year old female (YRK, with yellow, red, and black bands). YRK laid her egg on November 14. Look for hatching to begin on the live cam in late January and early February. Chicks usually fledge in September and will remain at sea for several years before returning to the breeding grounds. Read more

Contact: Patricia Allen, 202-838-3461 / Fax 202-350-9869, pallen@fishwildlife.org

Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap Now Available

Washington – The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is pleased to announce the release of the Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap. The roadmap is meant to be a practical guide that state, provincial and territorial fish and wildlife conservation agencies can use to overcome barriers to broader relevance, public engagement and support. The roadmap was adopted by the Association at its 2019 Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the world’s most successful system of policies and laws to restore and safeguard fish and wildlife and their habitats through sound science and active management,” said Secretary Kelly Hepler of South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks and President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “We also recognize that as society is becoming more urban and diverse, fish and wildlife agencies need new approaches to help engage the public and promote an understanding of the importance of maintaining healthy fish and wildlife. This roadmap is a tool to assist us in achieving that goal.”

“The relevancy of fish and wildlife conservation is one of the most important challenges confronting natural resource agencies,” said Steve Williams, President of the Wildlife Management Institute and member of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Sustaining our diverse fish and wildlife resources in the future will require all constituents to join ranks with our traditional supporters.” Read more

LITTLE ROCK — The National Audubon Society recently announced the dates for the 120th annual Christmas Bird Count — Dec. 14 through Jan. 5.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running wildlife survey in the world, employing tens of thousands of bird-loving volunteers to gather data on the number and type of bird species found during the peak of migration.

Individual counts take place in a 15-mile-wide circle and are led by a compiler responsible for organizing volunteers and submitting observations to Audubon. Within each circle, participants tally all birds seen or heard that day — not just the species, but total numbers to provide a clear idea of the health of that particular population.

Data from Christmas Bird Counts have been used in more than 200 peer-reviewed, scientific articles, including Audubon’s landmark, “Birds and Climate Change Report.”

There is no fee to participate and the quarterly report, “American Birds,” is available online. Counts are open to birders of all skill levels and Audubon’s free Bird Guide app makes it even easier to chip in. For more information and to find a count near you, visit www.christmasbirdcount.org.

Camera offers viewers a unique experience of migrating birds

PHOENIX — Sandhill cranes have returned to southeastern Arizona and the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s live-streaming camera is again trained on their wintering grounds at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area.

The live stream, which can be viewed at www.azgfd.gov/sandhillcranes, offers viewers a glimpse into the wintering habits of up to 14,000 cranes roosting at the wildlife area. The live stream is offered through March or early April when the birds migrate to northern nesting grounds.

“Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area has again sprung to life with thousands of Sandhill cranes,” AZGFD Watchable Wildlife Program Manager Jeff Meyers said, noting that each year sandhill cranes come as far away as Siberia to winter in southern Arizona. “It’s a true pleasure to offer this high-definition camera to bring an unfiltered view of our state’s wildlife directly to the public.”

Download Sandhill crane camera b-roll Read more