You’ve probably heard of the American robin, and may have seen one tugging at worms in your yard. These birds – harbingers of spring, joyful songsters, jolly, round bundles of grey and rust – are a common sight in Michigan. In fact, the robin is so identifiable and well-loved that it was named our state bird in 1931. There was a time, however, when robins were not as common as they are today.

In the post-World War II years, DDT and other pesticides were widely used. Farmers sprayed DDT on their fields to reduce crop pests, cities applied it to elm trees to kill the beetles that spread Dutch elm disease, and homeowners used it to control household insects.

Luckily, scientists began to recognize that widespread use of pesticides, including DDT, was causing problems for birds like the American robin. An ornithologist from Michigan State University named George Wallace and his graduate students collected birds from MSU and surrounding suburbs from the mid-1950s into the 1960s. Most of these birds were robins. While some birds were found dead, others were discovered on the ground suffering from seizures or tremors before dying. Tests on the birds’ carcasses revealed elevated levels of DDT. Read more

Michigan’s approximately 20 million acres of forest land play a key role in the state’s recreation, forest products and other important industries, and the health of those forests is essential to sustaining this vital resource for many generations. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has released its 2015 Forest Health Highlights report, an overview of Michigan’s forests, the insects and diseases that have threatened them over the past year, and details about what is being done to improve the state’s urban and rural forests.

The report breaks down forest health threats by examining insects and diseases, forest decline and ongoing forest health research. Accompanying photos and maps illustrate the pests and show the effects they have had on Michigan’s forest system.

Among the highlights in the report are the DNR’s efforts to control oak wilt, a serious disease that threatens Michigan’s extensive red oak resource. In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, tens of thousands of feet of root graft barriers have been created on state forest land. These barriers prevent oak wilt from moving to healthy oak trees. Read more

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a non-profit wildlife habitat conservation organization, seeks a performance motivated team player with strong interpersonal skills to engage and manage volunteer activities, event fundraising and major gift fundraising in Michigan. BS/equivalent degree and five years of experience in business, marketing, and fundraising required. Volunteer management experience and a pro-hunting background are critical attributes. Extensive weekday and weekend travel required. Email cover letter and resume to jobs@rmef.org. Closes March 4th. RMEF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Read more

PHOENIX — The Mexican wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT) has completed the annual year-end population survey, documenting a minimum of 97 Mexican wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico at the end of 2015. At the end of 2014, 110 wild wolves were counted.

“These latest population numbers demonstrate we still have more work to do in stabilizing this experimental population and maximizing its anticipated contribution to Mexican wolf recovery,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Southwest Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle. “While disconcerting, the drop in numbers represents just one year and our strategy for the experimental population continues to be viable. The Service and our partners remain focused and committed to making this population genetically healthy and robust so that it can contribute to the recovery of the Mexican wolf in the future. We all understand the challenges we face as we try to increase the wild population of this endangered species.”

The population decline in 2015 is due to a combination of factors:
There were 13 Mexican wolf mortalities compared to 11 in 2014. Of these 13 mortalities, nine were females and four were males.    Eleven additional wolves are considered fate unknown compared to three in 2014.   A significantly lower proportion of pups survived to December, relative to last year: 55 percent survival in 2015 compared to high 86 percent in 2014.
“We cannot be certain if this abrupt decline is an anomaly, as our trends since 2010 had been more encouraging prior to this year, including a 30 percent growth in 2014,” said Sherry Barrett, the Service’s Mexican wolf recovery coordinator. “Although there are many dynamics that may have contributed to this year’s count results, we will carefully analyze the contributing factors to try to actively reverse this decline.” Read more