Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

The Kirtland’s warbler: June’s Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial featured bird


The Kirtland’s warbler is one of Michigan’s special creatures, an international traveler who calls the Great Lakes area – and nowhere else on Earth – its summertime home. Ninety-nine percent of the world’s Kirtland’s warblers nest here, making their success story unique to Michigan!Kirtland’s warblers are small birds, roughly the size of a tufted titmouse. The males have blueish-gray backs, yellow bellies and chins, and whitish undertail feathers. Their faces sport a bright, broken white eye ring and a black patch in front of the eye. The female birds are duller grey on their backs and lack the black face markings.

The Kirtland’s warbler is among the rarest wood warblers in North America. It nests mainly in young jack pine forests on public lands near the Au Sable River drainage and winters in the Bahamas. The males return to Michigan in early to mid-May, a few days ahead of the females. The males establish and defend territories and then court the females when they arrive. The males’ song is loud, yet low-pitched.

Kirtland’s warblers have very specific habitat requirements; they prefer large blocks of young jack pine, usually hundreds of acres in size. The Kirtland’s warbler is a ground-nester, often using the living branches of five- to 20-foot-tall jack pine trees to conceal their nests. Because of these specific requirements, stands of jack pine trees must be actively managed. Large areas of sandy soils are planted with jack pine and then cut decades later, on specific intervals, to achieve the perfect-aged stands. Jack pine is an important resource for the timber industry. Read more

Wildlife

Farm Bureau Asks Court to Block Federal Overreach on Sage Grouse Preservation

WASHINGTON – The American Farm Bureau Federation and Utah Farm Bureau Federation have asked a federal district court in Utah to overturn a host of illegal land-use restrictions hampering ranchers in the western states. The groups made the request as part of a motion to intervene on the side of the State of Utah in a lawsuit against the federal government. The litigation challenges federal land management plans imposing restrictions on ranching and other human activities in Utah as part of a larger effort to manage federal lands for species protection rather than for “multiple uses” as required by law. Read more

Wildlife

Enjoy ‘Coffee with the Commissioners’ July 14 in Lansing

Members of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission will be available to meet with the public Thursday, July 14, in Lansing. The commissioners will be at the DNR Lansing Customer Service Center, 4166 Legacy Parkway, Lansing, 48911, from 8 to 8:45 a.m.

Part of the commission’s “Coffee with the Commissioners” program, it’s a great opportunity for area residents to sit down with commissioners over a cup of coffee and share their thoughts, suggestions and concerns about Michigan’s natural resources.

“It’s important that we give Michigan residents every chance to hear from them on the management and long-term future of Michigan’s natural resources and outdoor recreation opportunities,” said NRC chairman John Matonich. Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Satellite Images Indicate Port St. Lucie Pollution Traveling to Georgia

Ocean color images from June 15, 2016 from VIIRS sensor on the Suomi National Polar Orbiting Partnership satellite enhanced by ROFFS™ that shows the discolored water from Port St. Lucie, FL reaching the western side of the Gulf Stream and being carried all the way north offshore of Savannah, GA approximately 270 miles (straight line distance). This is the polluted water coming from Lake Okeechobee that has been diverted to Florida’s east and west coasts instead of being sent down its natural path through central Florida to be cleaned by the Everglades before entering into Florida Bay.

The water appears brown off Port. St. Lucie and by the time it reaches the Savannah area it appears as a blue-green water. The change in color is likely to be due to the dilution by the Gulf Stream waters (dark blue). Other recent satellite imagery does not show this water as clearly as this one due to clouds and other atmospheric effects. This provides evidence that Florida is transporting its unhealthy polluted waters to other states.

From ROFF’S.com

Fishing, Wildlife

North American Butterfly Association strives to elevate conservation efforts

“If we can save butterflies, we can save ourselves” is more than a slogan. Agricultural sustainability, urban development, habitat fragmentation and contaminants become evident in butterflies as a precursor to what’s to come for people.

The crown jewel of NABA’s efforts is the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas. The 100+ acre facility is home to native plant gardens with more than 200 species of butterflies present. The climate of the site makes visiting year round a spectacular experience. The Center allows the organization the ability to educate the general public about butterflies while providing a laboratory to researchers. The site will be home to the 2016 Biennial Members Meeting in conjunction with the Texas Butterfly Festival. For more information about the event visit: http://texasbutterflyfestival.com/ Read more

Wildlife

MUCC’s 2016 Annual Convention Recap

Michigan United Conservation Clubs had its most important event of the year this past weekend in Big Rapids: our Annual Convention, where delegates representing our 50,000-plus members and 250-plus affiliated local sportsmen’s clubs vote on what hunting, fishing, trapping and conservation policies we will pursue, honor dedicated conservationists, elect officers and even improve local wildlife habitat.

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New conservation policies adopted by MUCC’s membership (and their sponsors) this weekend include:

  • Support for the use of centerfire rifles at night for coyote hunting. (Chris Kettler and Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association)
  • Banning the use of large quantities of chocolate in bear bait. (Michigan Hunting Dog Federation and Michigan Bear Hunters Association)
  • Educate bear hunters about the danger of using chocolate in bear bait. (Richard P. Smith)
  • Base chumming regulations on the best available science. (Adam Trenz, Metro-West Steelheaders)
  • Creation of a statewide urban deer management plan emphasizing bowhunting and venison donation. (Tomahawk Archers)
  • Define and regulate “airbows” as pneumatic firearms, not archery equipment. (Michigan Bow Hunters)
  • Reverse MUCC’s prior opposition to the use of crossbows during the archery deer season. (Elden Montross, Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club)
  • Support for bass tournaments. (Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation)
  • Encourage the DNR to use adaptive management for bass. (Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation)
  • Increase waterfowl hunting opportunities in county parks and extend liability protection to local government units which allow hunting on their properties. (Macatawa Bay Waterfowl Association and Jack Van Rhee)
  • Create a Federal Fish and Wildlife Disease Trust Fund. (MUCC Wildlife Committee)
  • Reduce the use of chemicals in native aquatic vegetation management, which provides fish habitat. (Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation)
  • Move the start date of the early turkey season in southern Michigan up from a Monday to the prior Saturday. (Millard H. Holton)
  • Allow rough fish harvested during bowfishing tournaments to be donated to rendering facilities. (Rob Miller, Bowfishing Association of Michigan)
  • Encourage the DNR to recognize Michigan’s diverse landscape in management decisions. (Tom Heritier, Saginaw Field & Stream Conservation Association)
  • Increase penalties for hunter harassment. (Jim Pryce)
  • Allow purple paint to be used in place of “No Trespassing” signs. (Jim Pryce)
  • Support the designation of the monarch butterfly as the official state insect. (Tomahawk Archers)
  • Support the designation of a 1.8-mile stretch of county road in a Grouse Enhanced Management System in Marquette County, currently open for ORV use, as a multi-use ORV route to allow funding allocation for signage. (Tim Kobasic, Hiawathaland Trail Association)
  • Confirm an earlier emergency resolution to encourage moose culling at Isle Royale National Park. (MUCC Wildlife Committee) Read more
Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Senior Official of Beverly Hills Auction House Sentenced for Wildlife Trafficking

Joseph Chait, 38, of Beverly Hills, California, the senior auction administrator of I.M. Chait Gallery, located in Beverly Hills, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and a $10,000 fine for conspiring to smuggle wildlife products made from rhinoceros horn, elephant ivory and coral with a market value of at least $1 million, announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York and Director Dan Ashe for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). On March 9, Chait pleaded guilty to a two-count Information before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken for the Southern District of New York, who imposed today’s sentence.

“Conspiring in the trafficking endangered wildlife is a serious crime, and those involved in the auction industry should take note that facilitating this trade can result in prison,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden. “The African Elephant, the rhinoceros, and coral are all deeply threatened species that have undergone dramatic losses in recent decades as the trade in them has become highly lucrative. We must stop this trade, and we will vigorously investigate and prosecute those engaged in it.”

“By illegally trafficking in wildlife, including rhinoceros horns, Joseph Chait and his co-conspirators have fueled the illegal trade in endangered wildlife,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara. “Chait’s conduct, a federal crime for which he will now spend time in prison, threatened the already precarious existence of certain endangered species of animals.” Read more

Poachers, Wildlife

Michigan urges travelers to leave firewood at home

As the summer travel season begins, the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources remind vacationers to leave firewood at home to prevent the spread of invasive tree insects and diseases.

Hauling firewood from one part of the state to another is a common way for these destructive pests to move to new locations, which could be devastating to Michigan’s native trees. The emerald ash borer already has wiped out millions of ash trees across the state. High-impact diseases, including oak wilt and beech bark disease, now are making their way through Michigan – often helped by travelers with trunkloads of wood harboring unseen fungi that can spread to healthy trees in new areas.

“Visual inspection does not always reveal disease or insect damage in wood,” said Gina Alessandri, MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division director. “Disease may be in an early stage, and insect larvae can be hidden under bark. The safest choice is to burn firewood at or near the location it was harvested.” Read more

Wildlife
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