WASHINGTON – The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, today approved $23.8 million in grants for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners to conserve or restore almost 135,000 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds and other birds in 17 states throughout the United States. The announcement was made by Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, who led today’s meeting on behalf of Secretary Zinke.

The grants, made through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), will be matched by over $60 million in partner funds. NAWCA grants ensure waterfowl and other birds are protected throughout their lifecycles.

“These projects provide tens of thousands of acres of hunting, fishing and recreational access, while strengthening important migration corridors and local economies,” said Deputy Secretary Bernhardt. Read more

Connecting children to wildlife and other natural resources can be one of the most exciting, rewarding and fulfilling endeavors for educators and students.

With another school year beginning, some people may not know the Michigan Department of Natural Resources provides numerous opportunities to help teachers make those valuable connections between the state’s natural and cultural resources and students of all ages.

Elementary students get wild

Through the Go Wild for Michigan’s Wildlife curriculum, elementary school educators can introduce young learners to Michigan’s wildlife species and their habitats.

“Go Wild for Michigan’s Wildlife brought an excitement into my class that I wasn’t anticipating,” said Charlotte Simpson of Shettler Elementary, part of Fruitport Community Schools in Muskegon. “My youngest of learners – kindergartners – were engaged in the lessons and materials and were making connections to their beautiful home state.” Read more

PHOENIX — The latest international research study on Mexican wolves says that encouraging recovery of the endangered subspecies north of its outlined historical range would be detrimental to preserving the wolf’s unique characteristics.

The leading wildlife science journal Biological Conservation recently highlighted the new research, further rebuking calls for Mexican wolves to be released far outside their historical range, defined as southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico. Doing so would encourage genetic mixing with northwestern wolves originally from Canada, which threatens the genetic uniqueness of the Mexican wolf. Read more

Game and Fish continues to notify hunters of new areas where CWD is found

Cheyenne – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department confirmed a bull elk harvested by a hunter tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Elk Hunt Area 66. The elk was killed northeast of Meeteetse and this is the first time CWD has been found in this elk hunt area.

To ensure that hunters are informed, Game and Fish has the practice of announcing when CWD is found in a new hunt area. Additionally, Game and Fish follows the human health recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control, which state that hunters should strongly consider having their elk, deer and moose tested if harvested in an area where CWD is known to occur, and not consume any animal that is obviously ill or tests positive for CWD. Read more

BOONE – Iowa’s pheasant hunters can expect to find more birds this fall when they head to the fields, predict state wildlife experts. That forecast is based on the recently completed statewide population survey of pheasants, quail, partridge, cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits.

Iowa’s pheasant population increased in every nine county region except northwest where it was similar to last year. The survey counted a state average of 21 birds per 30 mile route which translates to a statewide harvest estimate of 250,000 to 300,000 roosters this fall.

The August roadside survey is tool used by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to physically record the number of upland game seen while driving the survey routes. It’s a product of 218 30-mile routes across that state that are conducted Aug. 1-15 beginning at sunrise. The survey has used the same routes since 1962. Read more

Registration is open for wildlife classroom curricula available to elementary through high school educators. Curricula fit current state educational standards and are free of charge.

K-5th grades

Go Wild for Michigan’s Wildlife introduces elementary students to a variety of species found throughout Michigan and their habitats. Included in the materials are sets of “critter cards” for each student to keep. Sets of the cards are limited and are issued on a first-come, first-served basis to Michigan educators who register.

6th-8th grades

Students can learn about Michigan black bears – from their life history to how the DNR manages populations – with A Year in the Life of a Michigan Black Bear. Students get to “follow” black bears’ movements by looking at actual location data from collared bears.

They also can get an introduction to wetland habitats and the ducks, geese and swans that call Michigan home with Michigan’s Wondrous Wetlands and Waterfowl.

9th-12th grades

One hundred years ago, wild elk were brought to Michigan to re-establish our state’s elk population. High school students are put in the role of a wildlife manager while learning about this conservation success story through Elk University. These lessons also include Michigan history, forest management and social considerations for wildlife management.

Register for wildlife classroom curricula and learn about additional opportunities the DNR has to offer educators by visiting michigan.gov/dnreducation.

ATHENS, GA (August 22, 2018) – QDMA’s Director of Conservation Kip Adams recently joined a group organized by the National Deer Alliance (NDA) to visit the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. The meeting was intended to encourage collaboration between the wildlife management community and experts in human prion disease research to advance efforts to address the chronic wasting disease (CWD) threat to white-tailed deer.

“It was extremely refreshing to talk to prion experts removed from the wildlife field who have a different perspective on the CWD issue,” said Adams. “They don’t have to manage hunters or wildlife and can look at CWD strictly from a disease standpoint. That perspective will be very useful to the wildlife management community in trying to address the CWD threat.”

The National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center was established in 1997 at Case Western Reserve University to monitor the occurrence of prion diseases in humans. Several European countries established surveillance centers in response to the epidemic of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also know as “mad cow disease,” but the Ohio surveillance center is the only one in the United States.

The Center acquires tissue samples (through biopsy or autopsy) from human prion disease in the United States, identifies the types of disease, and transfers the data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state Health Departments to monitor prevalence and investigate possible cases in which the disease has been acquired from other humans or from animals.

The visiting group included QDMA’s Adams, Nick Pinizzotto of the National Deer Alliance, Scott Talbott of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Colin Gillin of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Ed Arnett of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. After touring the facility and learning how the center’s staff studies and tracks prion diseases in humans and animals, the two groups engaged in a discussion of opportunities for cooperation that could advance the goals of both.

“Prion diseases like CWD are very complex, and it just makes sense that we are working closely with the top prion scientists in the country,” said Nick Pinizzotto of the NDA. “This was an important meeting in the continued development of our partnership with the Prion Center team.” Read more