Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Iowa: Fatal deer disease confirmed in Wayne County

A hunter harvested adult doe taken in southeast Wayne County during the first shotgun deer season has tested positive for the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD). This is the first hunter harvested wild deer outside of northeast Iowa to test positive for the always fatal disease.

The deer was shot on Dec. 5.

“We contacted the hunter once it was confirmed,” said Terry Haindfield, wildlife biologist and coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources chronic wasting disease monitoring effort. “The test results are disappointing but not surprising. We are seeing an increasing number of CWD positive deer in northeast Iowa and from our neighboring states.”

Haindfield said there have been seven additional CWD positive tests so far from deer in northeast Iowa that came from the 2017 seasons – six in Allamakee County and one in Clayton County. The Iowa DNR is awaiting the final set of test results from the special collection in Allamakee and Clayton counties in January. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan: Artists sought for residence program at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

March 30 application deadline set; artists notified by April 25

Applications are being accepted for the Porcupine Mountains Artist-in-Residence Program for the 2018 spring, summer and fall and 2019 winter residencies.

The Artist-in-Residence Program is open to artists and artisans whose work can be influenced by the unique northern wilderness setting of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Michigan’s largest state park encompasses 25 miles of wave-washed shores, four inland lakes, entire river systems, countless waterfalls, enchanting wooded peaks, and an escarpment, which rises slowly from the edge of Lake Superior until it plummets abruptly into the Carp River valley.

Still, the park’s most impressive feature – and the reason for its creation – is the virgin forest of eastern hemlock and northern hardwoods and the variety of flora and fauna that it supports. Because of these attributes, the park is an ideal location to inspire creativity.

The Artist-in-Residence Program offers writers, composers and all visual and performing artists an opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the park and to express it through their art form. Each year a number of artists will be selected for residencies lasting a minimum of two weeks. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan Elk updates: results of 2017 elk hunting season, winter elk survey

The 2017 hunting season statistics are in, and the winter elk survey just wrapped up, giving the Michigan Department of Natural Resources a clear picture of where the state’s elk population currently stands.

Hunt period 1, which targets elk outside of their traditional range, was 12 days long. From Aug 29-Sept. 1, Sept 15-18, and Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 100 state hunters harvested 74 elk (30 bulls and 44 antlerless elk).

During hunt period 2, Dec. 9-17, all locations in the northern tip of the state were open to hunting. Another 100 state hunters harvested 84 elk (30 bulls and 54 antlerless elk) during this hunt.

Before regulated hunting can take place to assist in management, Michigan’s elk population has to be evaluated.

“Our population goal for elk is between 500 and 900 animals. This has been determined as the best balance for the forests, area agriculture and residents,” said DNR elk specialist Chad Stewart. “Besides having an estimated population, knowing where they are located is also very important.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Join a Global Bird Count for The Year of the Bird

Snowy Owls are also being reported in higher numbers than usual in parts of North America this winter. Photo by Kim Mann, Saskatchewan, 2017 GBBC

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place worldwide, February 16 to 19

New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON—The 21st Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place February 16 to 19—in backyards, parks, nature centers, on hiking trails, school grounds, balconies, and beaches. This global event provides an opportunity for bird enthusiasts to contribute important bird population data that help scientists see changes over the past 21 years. To participate, bird watchers count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then enter their checklists at birdcount.org. Read more

Wildlife

Nebraska: Sampling of deer results in 203 positives for CWD

GW:  These numbers are scary…

LINCOLN, Neb. – The presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer has been detected for the first time in the southwestern Nebraska counties of Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Frontier and Franklin, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The Commission conducted a CWD sampling operation in its Northwest and Southwest District deer check stations during the 2017 November firearm deer season.

There were 203 positives from 1,807 deer sampled primarily in the Frenchman, Platte, Republican, Pine Ridge, Upper Platte and Plains management units. Both whitetails and mule deer were sampled.

The goal of this sampling effort is to assess the spread and prevalence of the disease through periodic testing in each region of the state, which in turn helps biologists predict when and if future effects on deer numbers may occur. Testing will take place in regional locations of the state in the next several years.

Although present in Colorado and Wyoming for several decades, CWD was first discovered in Nebraska in 2000 in Kimball County. Since 1997, Commission staff have tested nearly 51,000 deer and found 499 that tested positive. CWD has been found in 40 Nebraska counties, but no population declines attributable to the disease have yet occurred. Read more

Wildlife

Free Feathered Friends Curriculum for Educators

Teachers receive a free bird feeder to support science lessons 

Ithaca, NY--Inspire students with engaging, hands-on science curriculum that meets the Next Generation Science Standards. BirdSleuth, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s K-12 education program, has updated its popular Feathered Friends curriculum with fun, new lessons that are perfect for elementary students. Thanks to the support of Pennington Wild Bird Feed, the entire curriculum is available free of charge.

“Feathered Friends is a fantastic resource for inspiring wonder, outdoor learning, and connections with families at home,” says Jerri Pisani, a teacher with Boston Public Schools. “The shared experiences lead to powerful learning!”

Feathered Friends provides year-round content to educators, which introduces children to their local environment through the pleasures of feeding and watching birds. Activities cover topics such as habitat, migration, citizen science, and bird behavior. To help bring bird feeding into the classroom, Pennington is offering a free window bird feeder to educators. Read more

Wildlife

Addressing deer disease: DNR, MSU collaborate on deer movement study in south-central Michigan

Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be placing location-tracking collars on white-tailed deer in south-central Michigan as part of a multiyear study of deer disease, including chronic wasting disease.

The study will assess deer movement and distribution patterns, and their influence on disease spread in and around Clinton and Ingham counties. This is one of a series of aggressive actions to address CWD in Michigan’s deer population and to maintain healthy wildlife for current and future generations.

Chronic wasting disease attacks the brain of infected animals, creating small lesions, which result in death. The disease is transmitted through direct animal-to-animal contact or by contact with saliva, urine, feces, blood or body parts of an infected animal, or infected soil. CWD first was detected in free-ranging deer in mid-Michigan in 2015.

The disease can spread through the deer herd and, once established, could – over the long term – significantly reduce the number of deer in the region and/or depress numbers of older age-class deer.

Presently, there are no known health risks posed to humans by CWD. As a precaution, however, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends animals infected with the disease not be eaten.

A scientifically based understanding of localized deer dispersal rates, timing and direction, seasonal movement patterns and basic population characteristics is critical for developing effective disease control strategies.

“We know that that CWD may be spread through direct deer-to-deer contact and by the shedding of CWD proteins, or ‘prions,’ into the environment. By understanding where and why deer are moving across the region, we can better understand the role deer play in moving the disease,” said Dr. Sonja Christensen, postdoctoral research fellow in the Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center at MSU.

This study will improve the ability to proactively manage CWD, particularly in areas where the disease is just being discovered.

“Understanding how local deer populations change with the presence of CWD and associated management actions will help us measure the effectiveness of disease control actions and anticipate future disease management needs,” said Dr. Dwayne Etter, DNR research specialist.

Another benefit of this research is the ability to measure how deer move during different seasons and to track movement in real time. Importantly, it could help the DNR and partners focus efforts on areas with high probabilities of disease risk.

This work is part of a larger collaborative effort between the DNR, MSU, the Hal and Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation and the Boone and Crockett Club, aimed at improving wildlife disease surveillance and management statewide.

“CWD is a serious threat to the state’s deer population and conservation efforts. No single stakeholder group has any hope of tackling that challenge alone. The Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center and our Michigan Deer Disease Initiative are uniquely positioned to partner with hunters, wildlife watchers, natural resource managers, veterinarians and scientists across the country to tackle the challenge of CWD in Michigan so that our kids and grandkids can see and hunt healthy deer,” said Dr. David Williams, principal investigator of the study and assistant professor at MSU.

For more information on deer in Michigan, visit www.mi.gov/deer; for more on chronic wasting disease, visit www.mi.gov/cwd. Information about the deer movement study can be found at www.bcqwc.org/cwd.html.

Wildlife

Elk Habitat Protected, Hunting Access Improved in Colorado

MISSOULA, Mont.—Thanks to a conservation-minded landowner and a key state funding program, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to permanently protect 2,677 acres of vital elk habitat in northwest Colorado.

“We are grateful to Rick Tingle, a RMEF life member, for placing a conservation easement on his Louisiana Purchase Ranch,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “Additionally, this project highlights the critical need for the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program (CWHP) and its Habitat Stamp which supplied important funding to help push things through to the finish line.” Read more

Wildlife

Arizona Elk Heading West Virginia

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — In late February, dozens of elk from Arizona will be establishing a permanent change of residency more than 2,000 miles away.

The healthy, strapping animals were captured earlier this week through a partnership between the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission approved the capture and transport as part of West Virginia’s ongoing restoration project at its August meeting.

“We’re pleased to assist the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources in its efforts to restore elk to their native range,” said Jim Ammons, commission chairman. “Helping restore wildlife populations is in keeping with the vision of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, using science-based principles to manage wildlife in the public trust.”

The roughly 50 cows and 10 bulls, captured east of Flagstaff, will be quarantined for a minimum of 33 days before being loaded on livestock trailers and transported to the 24,245-acre Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in southwest West Virginia, where they will join nearly two dozen elk received in 2016 from Kentucky. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan Sportsmen and Women to Support House Bill 5321

BAN STERILIZATION OF GAME SPECIES

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE NOW TO SUPPORT HB 5321

Around this time last year, the Michigan DNR gave the City of Ann Arbor the go-ahead to sterilize free-ranging whitetail deer in some parts of the city while culling deer in other parts of the city, all by White Buffalo, Inc., the same company behind the plan to give vasectomies to bucks on Staten Island, New York.

Introduced by Representative Triston Cole (R-Mancelona) at the beginning of December, HB 5321 would prohibit the Department from issuing permits that authorizes the sterilization of game.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has been pushing communities and state agencies around the country to adopt sterilization as a way to prevent urban bowhunting or future culling.

Sterilization as a wildlife management tool is not only impractical and expensive, it could even be considered less humane than a well-placed bullet (or arrow).

Next Wednesday, January 24, the House Natural Resources Committee will be taking up this important piece of legislation. Call your representatives today and support HB 5321!

Members of the House Natural Resources Committee can be contacted here, please urge them to support HB 5321:

Gary Howell (R) Committee Chair, 82nd District: (517) 373-1800

Beau LaFave (R) Majority Vice-Chair, 108th District: (517) 373-0156

David Maturen (R) 63rd District: (517) 373-1787

Joseph Bellino (R) 17th District: (517) 373-1530

Daire Rendon (R) 103rd District: (517) 373-3817

Curt VanderWall (R) 101st District: (517) 373-0825

William Sowerby (D) Minority Vice-Chair, 31st District: (517) 373-0159

Stephanie Chang (D) 6th District: (517) 373- 0823

Sara Cambensy (D) 109th District: (517) 373-0498

Also, find out who your representative is here and call them today!

Amy Trotter, Deputy Director
Michigan United Conservation Clubs
PO Box 30235
2101 Wood Street
Lansing, MI 48912
Ph: 517.346.6484
F: 517.371.1505
www.mucc.org

Wildlife
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