DNR announces new Michigan black bear education program for grades 6-8

GW:  The kids should love this…

The Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Division is offering a fun way for educators to integrate Michigan’s unique flora and fauna into their curriculum while still meeting the required educational standards. Teachers and their students now have an opportunity to experience A Year in the Life of a Michigan Black Bear.

black bear mascotThroughout the school year, students will learn about the life cycle of the Michigan black bear, general black bear biology and behavior, and how the DNR manages and maintains a healthy black bear population. An educator guide with activities and video lessons will be provided.

Classes also will have the chance to “follow” a black bear by using actual data points from a radio-collared bear to track it through its seasonal movements and see what a year in a bear’s life is really like.

This program is free of charge and open to all interested educators of grades 6, 7 and 8. Classes will need access to a computer lab and the internet in order to use the mapping application to follow the bear. Educators also will need access to the internet (YouTube) in their classrooms as well as a projector to make it easier for all students to see the video lessons.

Classrooms that participate in the program will be eligible to enter the Year in the Life of a Bear contest, where students can use what they learned to tell the story of a year in the life of a Michigan black bear. Students can choose to retell the actual journey of the bear they followed or get creative and use the information to interpret a typical bear’s yearly activities. Contest winners will be awarded prizes, provided by the Michigan Bear Hunters Association and the DNR, for their classrooms. Prizes are limited to one per school.

For more information and to sign up, please visit www.michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the “Education” button. Applications are due by Aug. 1 in order to receive the materials for the upcoming school year.

DNR awards Wildlife Habitat Grants for projects around the state

The Department of Natural Resources today announced recipients of the 2014 Wildlife Habitat Grants. A total of $737,720 was awarded to various conservation and nonprofit organizations, units of government and landowners.

 

Examples of funded projects include planting native grasslands for pheasant habitat at Lake Hudson State Recreation Area, planting fruit trees for wild turkey and ruffed grouse food sources in several locations across the state, and improving accessibility for limited-mobility hunters and wildlife enthusiasts at Sharonville State Game Area.

 

Below is a list of successful applicants, the award amount and the county in which the habitat projects will take place. Read more

Seed Bed Preparation is Crucial to Planting Success

WEST POINT, MS – It’s the time of year for planting spring food plots and one way to ensure a successful crop is proper seed bed preparation. Many planting failures can be attributed to poor seedling survival or lack of germination due to incorrect planting depth and poor seed bed prep.

“If you’re planting small seeds like clover, chicory, brassicas or alfalfa, it’s especially important to have the correct seed covering,” said Jesse Raley with Mossy Oak GameKeepers. “These seeds only need to be covered with about a quarter-inch of soil. Many times when small seeds are broadcast onto a very finely disked and fluffy seed bed, even a moderately heavy rain can cause them to be buried too deep resulting in an uneven stand.” Read more

Anti-Hunting Senator Takes Another Run at Nebraska Mountain Lion Ban

Despite having already suffered multiple defeats in his quest to ban mountain lion hunting in Nebraska, Senator Ernie Chambers has again surfaced with another attempt to ban the season.

With little more than a week to go in the 2014 legislative session, Senator Chambers filed a motion yesterday to yet again vote to over-ride the governor’s veto on LB 671, the mountain lion ban, despite previous attempts failing twice last week. Because the previous attempts to overturn the veto both failed, it’s up to Senate Speaker Greg Adams whether to suspend the rules to grant Senator Chamber’s another attempt. Read more

Expected Announcement From U.S. FWS Will Close Elephant Imports From Zimbabwe, Tanzania

Washington, D.C. – Statement By Safari Club International President Craig Kauffman   “Safari Club International’s advocacy team is alerting the international conservation community that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to soon announce a new policy to reject all elephant ivory imports from Zimbabwe and Tanzania. It is unknown precisely when the decision by the U.S. FWS will occur, but SCI will do everything in its power to fight this reckless decision that has no basis in law, science, or conservation policy. Read more

Nebraska Legislature Upholds Governor’s Veto of An Unjustified Attempt To Ban Mountain Lion Hunting

On April 2,  sportsmen-friendly legislators upheld Governor Heineman’s veto of Nebraska L 671, and, in so doing, protected the future of successful science-based natural resource management, while also upholding the integrity of Nebraska’s state constitution. While Nebraska L 671 would have done nothing to help the mountain lion population or any other species of wildlife in the state, it would have undermined the future of hunting and fishing in America’s heartland. Read more

Help conserve jack pine forest – the Kirtland warbler’s paradise – by planting trees May 3

Looking for an opportunity to get outside and give back to Michigan’s natural resources? On Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will gather in Grayling to plant an acre of jack pine seedlings.

Kirtland's warblerThe jack pine forest provides the primary nesting habitat for the rarest member of the wood warbler family, the Kirtland’s warbler. Very restrictive habitat requirements result in nests in just a few counties in Michigan’s northern Lower and Upper peninsulas, in Wisconsin and the province of Ontario and, currently, nowhere else on Earth. Kirtland’s warblers are ground-nesters that prefer jack pine stands more than 80 acres in size, where the nest can be concealed in mixed vegetation of grasses and shrubs below the living branches of 5- to 20-year-old trees. Read more

1 252 253 254 255 256 353