Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

DNR wildfire pilots have stressful, rewarding jobs

Experts tell us that stress is a killer.

Yet, the small handful of pilots who fly missions for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said they wouldn’t trade their high-pressure occupations for anything.

Soaring above the smoke and flames of raging wildfires, searching for moose, elk and wolves or aiding investigating conservation officers as eyes in the skies, these pilots are a talented breed.

Flames shoot toward the smoke-filled skies in an aerial photo of a wildfire in the Upper Peninsula.And while these aviators do a lot of work for a number of DNR divisions, their main job is to look for, report on and guide ground personnel who fight wildfires.

Think of any of the state’s most notorious recent blazes – Sleeper Lake, Meridian Boundary, Duck Lake and 4-Mile – these pilots have been there for all of them.

“It’s really the bread and butter of what we do,” said Bill Green, the chief pilot at the DNR. “However, it’s not always the majority of our flight hours because fire detection and suppression is weather related.” Read more

General, Wildlife

Sportsmen’s Community Opposes Proposal to Restrict Scientific Fish and Wildlife Management in Alaska

GW:  Centralized government’s big nose and the push for more control over its subjects.  Let the individual states manage their own affairs and stick to more important matters such as sidling up to Cuba or getting Hillary off the hook.

In recent weeks, a wide array of key entities, including the state and national sportsmen’s community and members of Alaska’s Congressional Delegation, have highlighted concerns with proposed rules from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that would severely restrict the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s (ADFG) ability to carry out traditional, effective wildlife management techniques on National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) lands in Alaska. The FWS rule docket, titled “Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska (proposed rule),” would severely inhibit ADFG’s ability to engage in predator management practices that have historically been used to sustain populations of key big game species critical to subsistence users in Alaska.

Among the chief concerns expressed by the aforementioned parties are that the proposed FWS rules:

  • Run counter to Congressional direction on fish and wildlife management authority given to FWS in both the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (NWRSIA);
  • Abridge wildlife management primacy given to the state of Alaska in both the Alaska Constitution and the federal Alaska Statehood Act;
  • Constitute an arbitrary assertion that managing for “natural” diversity takes precedence over all other management considerations, despite the fact that no scientific justification for the rules was ever provided or demonstrated by FWS, and that humans are considered by ANILCA to be a natural part of the environment;
  • Did not take into any real consideration feedback and concerns expressed by ADFG on the negative consequences that the proposed rules would have for scientific fish and wildlife management efforts in the state;
  • Would almost certainly have a negative impact on populations of key big game species in Alaska, which constitute a critical component of the diet of the many subsistence-based users that reside in the state;
  • If passed, would represent a dangerous precedent for federal overreach into the fish and wildlife management duties that have traditionally been carried out by state fish and wildlife agencies, the primary managers of fish and wildlife resources in the United States; and
  • Run directly counter to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, the unique and hugely successful ethic that has guided fish and wildlife management in the United States for over a century by relying on science-based management efforts carried out by trained professionals. Read more
Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Gov. Rick Snyder approves nearly $28 million in outdoor recreation development and acquisition grants

LANSING, Mich. – More opportunities for quality outdoor recreation will be available from $28 million in Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants undersigned today by Gov. Rick Snyder.

“No matter where you are in Michigan, you’re never far from a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund-supported project,” said Gov. Snyder. “These important grants create better, broader access to public recreation opportunities for individuals and families in every county statewide.”

House Bill 5377, sponsored by state Rep. Jon Bumstead and co-sponsored by state Rep. Al Pscholka, approves funding for 70 recreation projects and land purchases recommended by the board last December. It is now Public Act 61 of 2016. Read more

Wildlife

DNR advises caution to prevent spread of oak wilt disease

For most people, April 15 is the annual tax-filing deadline. For people like Roger Mech – and other forest health professionals – April 15 also marks the beginning of the yearly window when oak wilt can be transmitted from diseased to healthy red oak trees.

Oak wilt symptoms According to Mech, forest health specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Forest Resources Division, oak wilt is a serious disease of oak trees. It mainly affects red oaks, including northern red oak, black oak and pin oak. Red oaks often die within a few weeks after becoming infected. White oaks are more resistant; therefore, the disease progresses more slowly.

“The normal time-tested advice is to prevent oak wilt by not pruning or otherwise ‘injuring’ oaks from April 15 to July 15,” Mech said. Read more

Wildlife

MDF Funds Over $1.1 Million in Utah Habitat and Research Projects


Salt Lake City, Utah: Today the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) announced that it was providing over $1.1 million for habitat projects and mule deer research in Utah. The funding is generated from the sale of Utah Conservation Permits (Governor’s Tags) and money raised from the 200 Big Game Tag drawing held at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City in February. The $1.1 million sets a record for the amount of money a wildlife conservation group has contributed to the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative since its inception in 2005 in a single year. Read more
Wildlife

Court Approves the Largest Environmental Settlement in History

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has approved the settlement reached between the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (Trustees) and BP for natural resource injuries stemming from the spill and also a settlement of the Clean Water Act violations with the United States. This settlement is the largest settlement of environmental claims in history. The Trustee Council, which includes the Alabama Trustees, will now begin implementing restoration as laid out in its comprehensive restoration plan. Read more

Fishing, Wildlife

ScentBlocker BugBlocker Insect Repellent


The Zika Virus, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and other insect-borne illnesses are a major health concern in today’s world. ScentBlocker’s new BugBlocker insect repellents provide important protection from mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies with two specially formulated Sportsmen’s Strength products.Cannon Falls, MN —— ScentBlocker, the constant innovator of hunting products and scent control technology, brings two specially formulated insect repellents developed to provide long lasting, multi-species protection. Both have been extensively tested, from the swamps of southern Florida to Alaska’s northern reaches. These two new sportsmen’s strength products contain no added fragrances or additional scents. Both formulas are packaged in premium containers that feature a twist lock cap to prevent accidental discharge, and allows the product to spray upside down. Read more
Wildlife

MI DNR teaching teachers, connecting conservation to classrooms

Tori Frailey, a senior biology student at Grand Valley State University, holds a live sea lamprey during her dad’s presentation.

At first they trickled in.

But as the time approached 10 o’clock, the audience began to swell.

Once the seating was gone, teachers began to stand around the edge of the room.

“If this session was titled ‘Oak Wilt and You,’ how many of you would be here,” asked Kevin Frailey, Michigan Department of Natural Resources education services manager.

One teacher in the crowded room raised her hand.

“I thought so,” Frailey said.

He then began his session titled “Invasive Monsters of the Deep,” which featured live sea lampreys. Frailey said one of the keys to guaranteeing a large audience is a creative program title. Read more

Wildlife

Hunting Shed Antlers

By Glen Wunderlich

One of the most curious acts of nature involves antler growth. As most deer hunters know, antlers become an annual phenomenon by sprouting each spring and maturing during the summer months. The bony growth is used by deer to signal dominance and to ward off challengers. And, if a lesser buck doesn’t understand the significance of numerous, long antler tines and starts shoving his weight around, he’ll get the point. Yet, not unlike the leaves on a deciduous tree, the magnificent, coveted headgear falls to the ground just in time for the process to begin anew.

Hunting for sheds this time of year is a great way to break the monotony of the off season for a hunter or the entire family. It can be good exercise, while providing some of the motivation to get out and do something productive. It’s also a means to minimize the possibility of getting flat tires on tractors or other off-road vehicles before venturing out to work the food-plot ground. And, that brings me to the best place to find antler sheds: around food.

This year's found sheds

This year’s found sheds

Food plots attract deer, but especially so during late season and afterward. Cash crops have been cashed in and by late winter browse becomes scarce. The effect is a concentration of deer in relatively small areas, giving shed hunters better odds with less time afield. In any event, if you’ve seen deer in a particular area routinely during winter, that would be a wise place to begin your own treasure hunt. Another area to inspect – again, where deer congregate – is bedding areas in and around conifer stands. It may not be as productive as food sites, but antlers are easily spotted atop pine straw in the sparse understory of dense canopies, where deer seek shelter from harsh winter weather.

Finding the bones can be problematic, if prospectors are looking for entire antler racks for 2 reasons: Antlers are cast in halves, typically in separate locations. Secondly, they can be camouflaged by vegetation, leaves, or branches. Much like attempting to see deer in heavy cover, hunters look for telltale indicators of a deer’s horizontal back line, or other seemingly insignificant portions of an animal that stand out against cover. The same logic applies to finding sheds by focusing on small, white colorations that don’t fit in, rather than some massive prize.

Using an ATV to cover more ground makes sense, as long as the speed is kept down. I like to stand on the foot pegs at times helping to gain an advantage of perspective. Binoculars can also help to cover ground with less effort, but it’s important to pan slowly, as well.

Michigan’s deer herd faces many challenges of survival with the onset of various diseases, an increase in predators and ever-shrinking habitat. Although sheer numbers are down widely, the age and quality of deer remaining has grown steadily over the past few years. And, if you want to get fired up about next year’s prospects for bagging a buck, there’s no better time than now to begin your search for evidence that a given bruiser has made it through another season.

Hunting, Wildlife

The osprey: March’s Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial featured bird

osprey in flight over water, carrying a fishKeep your eyes to the skies in the next week or two, as ospreys soon will be returning to Michigan. They migrate south for the winter to southern North America, Central America and even South America. They return to Michigan in late March or early April.

These majestic predators can be identified by their dark brown backs and white undersides. Females have chestnut brown feathers, often described as necklaces, around their necks. Their wingspan stretches 4.5 to 6 feet, and they weigh about 2 to 4 pounds.

Known as the “fish hawk,” the osprey is an amazing angler and diver. An osprey can dive up to 3 feet into the water after its prey – fish.  In Michigan, 99 percent of an osprey’s diet consists of fish. They are excellent anglers too, with a 70 percent success rate!  They have several special adaptations to assist in fishing, including an extra bend in their wings to mimic wrists, which aids in diving, and special grips on their feet called spicules to help catch and hold onto fish. Read more

Wildlife
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