Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
The federal government announced yesterday that all National Wildlife Refuges have been closed and all public access, public programs and fish and wildlife management operations on the refuges have been suspended until the government resumes operations. At this time it is not known when operations will recommence. Read more
Fall tillage practices, even reduced tillage techniques such as disking and chisel plowing, can eliminate waste grains and crop residue that provides important food and cover for species such as pheasants, quail, partridge, turkey, and deer. Studies of harvested untilled crop fields show wildlife consume 55-85 percent of the waste corn and soybeans between fall harvest and the following spring. Read more
The Wildlife Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has come up with an interactive way to teach students a little fun fact each day about Michigan’s cherished wildlife species and their habitat. The daily #CritterQuiz provides a new Michigan-specific, multiple choice wildlife or habitat question each day at 7 a.m. via Twitter! Teachers are invited to pose the question to their students each morning, and to poll them for the correct answer. Then, don’t forget to reply with your answer to @MDNR_Wildlife and “hashtag” the name of your school (i.e. @MDNR_Wildlife: The answer is opossum. #NorthwestElementary – Jackson, MI).
Help foster an understanding of Michigan’s unique wildlife heritage among your students, and represent your school with pride by participating in the daily #CritterQuiz
EAGLEVILLE, PA – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, introduced its first high lumen lithium battery headlamp, the ProTac HL® Headlamp, delivering a blinding 540 lumens. The first in the company’s headlamp line to feature a lightweight, machined aluminum body, it is one of the brightest headlights available for its size, ideal for a variety of tactical, outdoor, first responder and industrial applications. Read more
MISSOULA, Mont.–The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed up with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to permanently protect 32 acres of prime elk habitat it will transfer into public hands. Read more
It’s time to polish up the shotgun, round up the retriever and don the camouflage – it’s the season for hunting ducks and geese in Michigan! Area wildlife managers are beginning to see a widespread movement of waterfowl in the state, and they predict a good hunting season this year. Read more
MISSOULA, Mont.–Conservation groups are gathering behind a Boone and Crockett Club-initiated push to resolve decades of controversy over legal challenges against the US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal conservation agencies.
A joint letter from many of the nation’s top wildlife, sporting and conservation organizations is circulating this week to lawmakers in Washington D.C. The letter urges support and co-sponsorship for the bipartisan bill H.R. 2919–The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act. Read more
The Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, has announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to expand fishing and hunting opportunities throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System, opening up new hunting programs on six refuges and expanding existing hunting and fishing programs on another 20 refuges. Read more
The popular online survey group, SurveyMonkey.com, has contributed over $100,000 to the nation’s largest anti-hunting organization, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), through their charity program known as SurveyMonkey Contribute. Read more