The original Firminator was a brilliant solution for land managers looking to maximize their time, energy and financial resources by incorporating all the necessary food plot implements into one unit. But as the popularity of food plots grew, so did the demand, from a broader and more diverse group.

There were those who realize the best hunting plots are designed less for agricultural efficiency and more to maximize “huntability” by taking advantage of natural cover, terrain, wind direction and deer movements. As a result, these plots are often irregularly shaped and sometimes well off the beaten path, down the narrow trails, in the bottoms or up on the smaller ridges – places not easily accessible by heavy equipment and implements. There were more than a few land owners/managers who simply did not have tractors or larger implements, even for larger or more accessible areas.

With the technology already in place, Firminator needed only to downsize. The Firminator G-3 ATV Model puts all the same features of their full size G3 implement into a unit sized just right for an ATV (four-wheeler or side x side). Though light enough to be easily pulled by a 500cc or greater ATV, its 800 pounds proves ample weight for the 16-inch ground turning discs to break up and dig into hard ground that other ATV harrows would simply bounce across the surface of. Its 3-inch square tubing steel frame can withstand anything you’d expose your ATV to, and more. The seed box, constructed of the same steel as three point models, feeds the Firminator’s precision ACCU-Seed delivery system. When you’re done seeding you can finish with the true agricultural grade cast iron cultipacker.

The ATV Model comes with a tow bar sized for a 1-7/8-inch ball, but also retains the 3 point hitch for use on a small tractor.

ATV MODEL SPECS:

• • Frame material: 3-inch square tubing
  • Weight: 860 lbs.
  • Discing width: 32″
  • Cultipacker width: 34″
  • Seed hopper: 34: x 14.5″ x 12 W
  • Seed capacity: 2 bushels
  • Disc size: 16″ (6 discs at 6″ spacing)
  • Tow method: 1-7/8″ ball or three-point hitch

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Based on a judicial order and settlement entered on August 6, the Piping Plovers that nest annually at Jones Beach State Park in New York will no longer face the risk of predation from feral cat colonies inside the Park’s boundaries. The plover, a small shorebird, is federally protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a Threatened species in the Atlantic Coast region, and is listed as Endangered under New York law.

A lawsuit filed by American Bird Conservancy (ABC) in March 2016 alleged a violation of the ESA based on a concern that New York State Parks was not doing enough to ensure that feral cats do not harm the protected Piping Plovers and their chicks. Subsequent discussions between ABC and New York State Parks led to a settlement that provides protection to the plovers from cat predation.

Under the order and settlement, the cats currently living in colonies at Jones Beach will be humanely trapped and removed from the park by the end of the year to a sanctuary where they will be cared for. If the cats cannot be humanely relocated immediately, a limited number of cats will temporarily remain in a fenced area at the park. State Parks has also agreed that any new cats found in the park will be trapped and removed so new cat colonies do not exist at the park in the future. The agreement means that the plovers and their chicks will no longer face the possibility of predation from cats. Read more

App helps users identify and learn bird songs

BOSTON, MASS (August 6, 2018) – Song Sleuth (www.songsleuth.com), the popular and powerful birding by ear learning tool and bird song identifier app, is now available for Android devices.

Developed by Wildlife Acoustics in collaboration with world renowned bird expert and illustrator David Sibley, Song Sleuth is a simple to use application that provides details and auditory learning tools to help birders of all levels identify birds by ear in the field or study them while at home.

“Song Sleuth is one of many tools that can help identify a bird, but its true benefit is helping people become better birders by familiarizing them with known birdsongs in a logical, familiar way,” said Sibley.

The app features detailed information and recordings on over 200 North American birds and guides users to identify birds in the field by their song.  Song Sleuth’s ability to identify birds by their song in real-time is based on Wildlife Acoustics’ decade-long development of algorithms for wildlife study.  Its software is similar in concept to what is used in speech recognition software, but specifically tailored to the unique acoustical characteristics of bird songs. Read more

MISSOULA, MT – The Boone and Crockett Club, the oldest hunter-conservationist organization in North America, has entered into an agreement with Michigan-based Prestige Imports LLC tonationally distribute a line of spirits that will carry the Boone and Crockett Club name including a straight bourbon, straight rye and American blended whiskey.

“Tradition comes with age,” said Ben B. Hollingsworth Jr., president of the Boone and Crockett Club. “American-made spirits and an outdoor lifestyle are both traditions closely tied to one another. The social aspects of hunting and fishing are very strong. Sharing the day around a fire back at camp after time spent in the field or on the water make the memories complete. After 131 years, we’re proud to now offer a label that speaks for the North American sportsmen and these traditions.”

The Boone and Crockett Club was founded in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt assembled a group of fellow sportsmen to become the first organization to promote the conservation of wildlife on a national scale. He named this new coalition of sportsmen after the hunter-heroes of his day, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Read more

Bold commitment to map and conserve “last frontiers” for 230 birds, turtles, and more

Washington – Brazil has established itself as a world leader in biodiversity protection, becoming the first nation in the world to adopt the global Alliance for Zero Extinction(AZE) framework to identify and map sites holding the last known populations of highly threatened species.

The Ministry of Environment of Brazil published an ordinance in July 2018 recognizing AZE sites as an official tool to implement nationalpolicies for protection of the country’s threatened species.

Brazil is home to nearly 150 critical sites that are together the last frontiers for more than 200 endangered species. “The main goal is to put a spotlight on the last refuges of the most threatened species in Brazil,” explained Ugo Eichler Vercillo, Director of Species Conservation and Management for the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil. “It will help to promote the integration of public policies and private actions at these sites.” Read more

More than a dozen wildland firefighters from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have been sent to California, Oregon, Washington and elsewhere to battle wildfires and to gain valuable firefighting experience.

A crew of three firefighters has taken a DNR fire engine to help fight the vast and still raging Carr fire in northern California, said Dan Laux, fire section manager for the DNR’s Forest Resources Division. Laux just returned from a two-week fire assignment in Portland, Oregon, mobilizing resources to battle fires in Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho.

“We’re mobilizing as many people as we can to assist wherever necessary,” Laux said. “It’s a great way for our folks to get experience, while providing their own skills and experiences to the situation at hand.”

Assistance agreements go both ways. If a significant fire occurs in Michigan, firefighters from other states and Canadian provinces can be tapped for help. Michigan’s largest recent fire was the Duck Lake blaze in the eastern Upper Peninsula, which burned more than 21,000 acres in 2012. Read more

It’s time to get serious about the maintenance backlog in America’s Great Outdoors.  That’s the message of a striking new video from the Department of the Interior.  The video was premiered at a Capitol Hill event hosted by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and featuring Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) July 31.  To see the full video, click here.

America’s public lands and waters host nearly 900 million recreation visits every year, providing significant economic benefits to communities across the country.  But major problems still remain.  The combined deferred maintenance and repair backlog of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service – which amounts to $18.62 billion and includes trails, campgrounds, roads, visitor centers, bathrooms, staff housing, water systems, thousands of historic buildings and more – hampers access to, and enjoyment of America’s public lands and waters by visitors everywhere.

“Last year, more than 300 million people visited America’s national parks.  Unfortunately, many roads and bridges, visitor centers, historic buildings, trails and campgrounds in our parks need critical repairs and upgrades to meet the needs of today’s visitors,” says the video.  “The national parks are special places of wonder.  We must meet the challenge of preserving them for our children and grandchildren.” Read more

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation filed a joint summary judgement brief supporting a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to remove federal protections from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) grizzly bear population.

“We stand alongside the Sportsmen’s Alliance and our fellow conservation organizations in supporting federal scientists and wildlife biologists who declared the grizzly population fully recovered,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “The next step is keeping grizzly management under the umbrella of state agencies that manage all wildlife in accordance with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, which uses hunting as a management tool.”

“Despite the emotional rhetoric of the animal rights crowd, the time has come to return this population of bears to state management,” said Evan Heusinkveld, Sportsmen’s Alliance president and CEO. “The truth is, this is a historic moment for the species and the Endangered Species Act as a whole. Returning the Yellowstone area population of bears to state management should be a monumental achievement widely celebrated as a conservation success story.”

Numbering more than 700, the Yellowstone grizzly population meets all delisting criteria. These factors include not only the number and distribution of bears throughout the ecosystem, but also the quantity and quality of the habitat available and the states’ commitments to manage the population in a manner that maintains its healthy and secure status.

RMEF and its partners helped permanently protect more than 169,000 acres of vital wildlife habitat valued at more than $131 million in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Additionally, RMEF also directly contributed more than $3.1 million and leveraged an additional $17.5 million to help enhance wildlife habitat on more than 426,000 acres in the GYE. RMEF also contributed more than $1 million in funding and leveraged an additional $10 million from conservation partners to carry out 118 GYE wildlife management and wildlife research projects.

“These projects are crucial and helped to contribute to the understanding of wildlife populations, ecology and habitat needs, including increasing the understanding of grizzly bears and conserving the habitat needed for them to thrive in conjunction with all wildlife populations,” said Weaver. “Habitat needs to remain the focus of on-the-ground conservation work, not seemingly non-stop litigation.” Read more