Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Resident Recreation Passport fee to increase slightly Jan. 1

GW: Another subtle reminder of how reckless spending by government translates into inflation.

Starting next year, Michigan residents will pay $14 for the Recreation Passport – just a dollar more for a year’s worth of vehicle access to state parks and recreation areas and a host of other state-managed outdoor destinations.

The moderate fee change is the result of a statutory provision that ensures Recreation Passport funding keeps pace with the economy. Basically, the law says that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources does not determine the cost of the Recreation Passport; instead, adjustments are based on the Detroit Consumer Price Index, as determined by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New fee, program support

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the resident Recreation Passport vehicle fee increases from $13 to $14, while the cost for motorcycles will not change.

The Recreation Passport is valid for 12 months when purchased at time of license plate registration renewal through the Secretary of State. Although some residents have already received their registration renewal notices (reflecting the old fee), the new rate takes effect Jan. 1 for all in-person and online transactions. Read more
General, Wildlife

Michigan Deer Kill Continues Downward Spiral

Editor’s note: This feature was compiled with the help of numerous DNR wildlife biologists and other staffers.

DNR and hunters look to address harvest decline in Upper Peninsula

By JOHN PEPIN
Deputy public information officer
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The 2023 firearm deer season is officially complete. Although there are still deer hunting opportunities happening in December, we know most of our 2023 hunter effort is officially in the books.

The license sales and harvest data are mixed throughout the state.

Harvest figures

The reported deer harvest for the entire state is down compared to last year by a total of 11% or almost 30,000 deer. This is certainly significant in the eyes of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and something that is being closely watched. There are many factors that can contribute to the reduction of harvest.

Reported deer harvest in Michigan as of Dec. 5, 2023 (all deer seasons) decreased compared to the autumn of 2022 by 26% in the Upper Peninsula, 16% in the northern Lower Peninsula and 7% in the southern Lower Peninsula.

Taking a look at where the highest harvest totals are within Michigan’s 83 counties, it is no surprise that they come in the southern portion of the state. Significantly milder winters and abundance of food from agriculture continue to support high deer density where these conditions exist. Read more
Hunting, Wildlife

DWR, UDOT Receive Over 3K Reports of Wildlife Killed by Vehicles Through Roadkill Reporter App After First Year

A year after launching the Utah Roadkill Reporter app, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Department of Transportation have learned some important things about wildlife migration from the submitted data.

The Utah Roadkill Reporter app was released in December 2022 to allow people to easily report the location and description of any dead animals they see on or near roads, so those animals can be removed more quickly from highways and freeways. The data also provides important wildlife migration information for biologists.

“This app is helping us keep Utah roads safe by helping us more quickly remove carcasses that can cause traffic hazards,” UDOT’s Natural Resource Manager Matt Howard said. “In addition, the data collected from the app will help us determine where to potentially place wildlife fencing and crossings, protecting people and wildlife.” Read more

Wildlife

New Claims Filed Over SpaceX Launchpad Explosion

Piping Plover by Ray Hennessey.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, December 15, 2023)— National and local environmental groups and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc., filed additional legal claims today against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Today’s filing focuses on the agencies’ failure to fully analyze and mitigate environmental harms from the April 20 explosion of the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy rocket and launchpad at Boca Chica in south Texas.

The April 20 launch resulted in the ejection of concrete and metal thousands of feet into the surrounding lands. This included sensitive tidal flats and other habitat for migratory birds and federally protected species covering an approximate 385-acre area, nearly 3 acres of which were sensitive dune vegetation that was severely burned. A plume of dust also blanketed a residential area more than six miles from the launchpad. Read more

General, Wildlife

Turkey Researchers Plan for Upcoming Capture Season

Wild turkey genetics, nesting success, and brood survival are among the research topics in a 4.5-year, $2 million study launched in 2022 by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and partnering with National Wild Turkey Federation, Turkeys For Tomorrow, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation, and private landowners to address wild turkey population dynamics Following is a summary of recent study activities. Read more

Wildlife

New cases of avian influenza confirmed in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK — Biologists conducting aerial surveys to generate waterfowl population estimates last week located a few small groups of dead snow geese and Ross’s geese in Arkansas, Craighead and Lonoke counties that were later collected and tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Additional suspected cases have been found in Prairie, Pulaski, Faulkner, Clay and Poinsett counties. While sightings are not as prevalent as last year’s outbreak, the continued presence of the disease on the landscape does create a need to update hunters and anyone who has domestic birds or poultry livestock.

The risk of humans contracting the disease remains low, but hunters can help further minimize that risk by following a few simple precautions. As a general precaution, hunters should use good hygiene practices when handling, cleaning and preparing harvested waterfowl.

Safety Guidelines for Hunters Read more

Wildlife

Arizona Game and Fish Confirms 3 Coyote Bites in North Phoenix

Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife officers are actively searching for a coyote or coyotes that have bitten three people since Saturday in the area just east of Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in Phoenix.

  • On Saturday, a 4-year-old child was bitten on the lower leg while walking with family members.
  • Also on Saturday, a man who was jogging in the same area was bitten by a coyote.
  • This morning, a man was bitten on the heel by a coyote south of Happy Valley Road near I-17. Read more
Wildlife

Enchanting Owls: Your Guide to Michigan’s Winter Birds

Each winter, Michigan’s landscapes transition from bustling migration activity and bursts of color to leafless trees and frozen ground. This quiet season allows us to hear and see large feathered visitors from the north, such as snowy owls (pictured), boreal owls, great gray owls and northern hawk owls. Surprisingly, these owls spend the winter in Michigan each year for its warmer, balmier weather, which is considerably warmer than the northern boreal forests and Arctic tundra they left behind!

January and February are the best time of year for an owling trip, and Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula is one of the best areas to view winter owls. The Shore to Shore Birding Trail can help guide you. Birding trails are driving routes with specific stops identified that offer bird viewing opportunities and can highlight natural and cultural features of local communities. Read more

Wildlife

Fat-tire biking returns to Michigan’s Silver Lake State Park

Starting Friday, Dec. 15, fat-tire biking at Silver Lake State Park in Oceana County is back, with cyclists invited to climb snow-capped dunes and cruise the sandy Lake Michigan shoreline all winter long. It’s a heart-pumping adventure, thanks to the low-impact cardio and the awe-inspiring views.

The park is home to 450 acres of motorized dune riding. Each summer, thousands of motorcycles, quads, four-wheelers and other off-road vehicles descend on these sugar-sand dunes, the only sand dune riding opportunity east of the Mississippi River. Come winter, the recreation options switch to shoreline horseback riding (Nov. 1-30) and then to fat-tire biking (Dec. 15-March 15). Read more

Wildlife
1 … 36 37 38 39 40 … 360