Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Where the Sidewalk Ends: Choosing Resilient Trees for Tomorrow’s Urban Environments

This webinar series explores how agencies, universities and locally led organizations are working together to protect Michigan’s natural resources through the Michigan Invasive Species Program.

Webinar: Tuesday, Oct. 3, 9-10 a.m.

Where the Sidewalk Ends: Choosing Resilient Trees for Tomorrow’s Urban Environments

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Ash, elm and chestnut trees once were as common in cities as the streets that bear their names. Our tree canopy today is much less diverse due to insects, disease, invasive species and poor species selection.

Join Lawrence Sobson, Department of Natural Resources urban forester and partnership coordinator, to discover some ideal urban tree species, learn how to assess urban sites and find out how to ensure the trees you choose can live for the next hundred years.

Wildlife

Monitoring Raptor Migrations

The migration of Broad-winged Hawks is underway across much of the eastern region of North America (photos by Paul Konrad).

It’s that time of the year when Broad-winged Hawks, American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and many other birds of prey are being counted as they migrate south by the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands daily. Broad-winged Hawk migration has been building across the Upper Midwest during the past week and migrants are funneling down to count sites in Texas already. This year the largest numbers are being counted on the west and east sides of the Detroit River, where it meets the northwest corner of Lake Erie.

The specific count sites are the Detroit River Hawk Watch located in the Metropark on the American side of the river, and the Holiday Beach HawkWatch in neighboring Ontario, Canada. Yesterday at the Metropark, biologists counted 20,929 Broad-winged Hawks, and by the end of Tuesday the September total was 106,609 Broad-wings, along with 3,003 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 785 American Kestrels. On the other side of the border at Holiday Beach hawk counters added 23,246 Broad-wings Tuesday, along with 768 Sharp-shins and 117 American Kestrels!

Other hawkwatch hotspots across the Upper Midwest and Appalachian regions in recent days have been Hawk Ridge at Duluth, Minnesota; Hawk Cliff Hawk Watch in Ontario, Allegheny Front Hawk Watch and Little Gap in Pennsylvania, Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch and Harvey’s Knob in western Virginia, Montclair HawkWatch in New Jersey, Mount Watatic in Massachusetts, and Wachusett Mountain in Maine. Read more

Wildlife

Duck Stamp Modernization Act Passes House

CSF Leads Effort with Senate CSC Leadership to Pass Duck Stamp Modernization Act

Washington, D.C.– The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Duck Stamp Modernization Act (H.R. 2872) on a voice vote, a sign of the unanimous support for the bill thanks to Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) leadership Vice-Chair Rep. Garret Graves (LA) and CSC Member Rep. Mike Thompson (CA). Prior to the House floor vote, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) worked with the bill sponsors and key offices in the House to see that this bill was added to the House floor calendar.

The Duck Stamp Modernization Act will bring the Federal Duck Stamp process into the 21st century by providing that the electronic Federal Duck Stamp is valid for the entirety of the hunting season. Under current law, when a hunter purchases an electronic Federal Duck Stamp (e-stamp), the e-stamp is only valid for a period of 45 days to allow for the actual stamp to be mailed to the purchaser. Once the actual stamp is received by the e-stamp purchaser, the actual stamp must be signed by the respective hunter across the face of the stamp and be in the hunter’s possession while afield.

Specifically, this legislation will allow hunters who purchase a Federal Duck Stamp electronically to have the duck stamp on their smartphone while hunting without requiring the signed physical stamp to be on their person. To maintain the integrity of the Federal Duck Stamp, the bill requires that physical stamps will be mailed to those who purchased the e-stamp after the latest waterfowl season in the country has closed. Hunters will still be able to purchase the physical stamp from the U.S. Postal Service or from other locations that sell the physical stamp. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Gather Milkweed Pods this Fall to Support Migrating Monarchs

Gathering milkweed seeds now helps support future populations of monarch butterflies.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – As fall approaches, eastern monarch butterflies are migrating through Ohio on their way to overwintering sites in Mexico, and milkweed seed pods are ready to be picked, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Monarchs travel between 50 and 100 miles per day on a journey that may cover several thousand miles in total. By gathering dried milkweed pods this fall and planting the seeds, you can support next year’s monarchs.

Various species of milkweed are the sole host plants for monarch caterpillars. Each spring, eastern monarchs lay eggs on milkweed as they migrate north from Mexico. After several generations, monarchs reach their northernmost range in southern Canada. By the fall, a super-generation migrates all the way to southern overwintering sites.

Migrating monarchs rely on adequate food resources along their journey. Native flowers provide monarchs with the fuel needed to reach overwintering areas. Look for monarchs in the coming weeks in forests, fields, gardens, and waterways as they migrate through Ohio. Migrants may travel individually or in groups.

Monarch butterflies are in decline across their range, as are many other pollinating insects, because of the loss of prairie and grassland habitat. One of the most important ways to help declining butterflies and other pollinating insects is by conserving tracts of unmown grasslands. The Division of Wildlife manages habitat on many of Ohio’s state wildlife areas to provide these grasslands that provide nectar-producing plants.

All Ohioans can play a role in supporting monarchs by planting milkweed. Read more

Wildlife

Invasive spotted lanternfly: See it. Squish it. Report it.

Now is the prime time to be on the lookout for the invasive spotted lanternfly! Late summer to early fall is the most likely season to spot the colorful planthoppers, and the departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development are urging Michiganders to report any potential sightings of these destructive invasive pests.

“We’ve heard reports of spotted lanternflies swarming New York City and covering beaches on the Jersey Shore. We’d like to prevent similar scenarios in Michigan,” said Rob Miller, MDARD’s invasive species prevention and response specialist. “Everyone can help by looking for spotted lanternfly and reporting suspected sightings.”

The spotted lanternfly spreads to new locations by hitchhiking or laying eggs on vehicles and equipment that have traveled through infested areas. If you are returning from out of state, it’s important to look for and destroy spotted lanternfly insects and egg masses that may be hiding on cars, trailers, firewood, camping gear or anything that’s been outside.

The Michigan Invasive Species Program’s new campaign – “See it. Squish it. Report it.” – reminds Michiganders and visitors of the simple steps they can take to prevent new introductions of spotted lanternflies in the state. Read more

Wildlife

South Dakota Projects Receive Nearly $1.45 Million

Help is on the way to enhance more wildlife habitat, create more public access for elk hunters, better advance chronic wasting disease research and support more South Dakota hunting and outdoor programs.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its partners allocated $1,458,840 in grant funding to further those endeavors. RMEF committed $295,123 that helped leverage $1,163,717 in partner dollars.

The grant funding supports 25 projects across 16 counties and two others with statewide impact.

“A significant portion of these grants focus on invasive weed control, removing encroaching conifers on aspen stands, creating new wildlife water sources and better protecting riparian habitat. These treatments make a significant difference for elk, deer and other species,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer.

Highlighting a few examples, RMEF granted funding in addition to the previously announced $100,000 for chronic wasting disease research in the Black Hills and $15,000 to open public access for elk hunting on private land. In addition, RMEF allotted funding for 15 hunting heritage projects ranging from youth recreational shooting teams to helping expand The Outdoor Campus facility in Sioux Falls. Read more

Wildlife

Arizona Wildlife Views TV Show Returns for Another Season

If you enjoy wildlife and the outdoors, you won’t want to miss the new season of Arizona Wildlife Views on the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) YouTube channel and Arizona PBS Channel 8.

The Emmy Award-winning television program will open your eyes to the best of our state’s wildlife, wild places and outdoor adventure through spectacular video and compelling stories.

The 10-episode season will highlight a variety of wildlife conservation efforts in Arizona, including: Read more

Wildlife

Turtle Trafficking Suspect Indicted for Assault of Wildlife Officer

An individual suspected of trafficking red-eared slider turtles in Cincinnati and striking a state wildlife officer with his vehicle was recently indicted in Hamilton County by a grand jury, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

In July, State Wildlife Officer Brad Turner, assigned to Preble County, received a Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) report regarding turtles being sold in Cincinnati. Officer Turner and State Wildlife Officer Andrew Dowdell, assigned to Butler County, responded to the location. They found two men selling red-eared sliders without the required propagation permit.

During the encounter, one of the suspects, Alonso Oliver-Tucker, 37, of Philadelphia, PA, disobeyed an officer’s verbal commands and fled in his vehicle, striking Officer Turner as he accelerated. Officer Turner was treated at The Christ Hospital and released the same evening.

The Cincinnati Police Department filed three arrest warrants for Oliver-Tucker, who was arrested several days later in Pennsylvania. The suspect was recently indicted by a grand jury in Hamilton County on two felony counts: assault on a police officer and failure to comply with an order of a police officer.

The officers seized more than 100 red-eared sliders. Read more

Wildlife

QuietKat, First Lite, and the National Deer Association Team Up

QuietKat, the trailblazer in outdoor adventure and eBike technology, is thrilled to announce they have united their strengths with First Lite and the National Deer Association (NDA). Together they’re announcing a new tool to both raise money for conservation and to silently hunt this year: The QuietKat E-Bike First Lite Specter.

The QuietKat E-Bike First Lite Specter combines QuietKat’s engineering prowess and manufacturing with First Lite’s Specter Camo design. This electric bike packs a punch with its 1000-watt hub-drive motor, boasting an impressive 48-mile range and unmatched off-road performance. Perfect for year-round scouting, land management, and reaching those remote hunting spots, it can carry up to 325 pounds. With adjustable front suspension, 7-speed gearing, and powerful brakes, it’s ready for any terrain and powerful enough to make your pack-out incredibly easy.

But this collaboration is about more than just tech. Eight percent of every QuietKat E-bike First Lite Specter sale (4% QuietKat and 4% First Lite) will go to the NDA. This contribution will directly provide to initiatives securing a sustainable future for wild deer, preserving wildlife habitats, and safeguarding hunting for generations to follow. As a gesture of appreciation, we are also including the “Camo for Conservation” hat with every bike purchase, allowing you to proudly show your support of the National Deer Association. Read more

Wildlife
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