Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

NDA Launches All-New Edition of Online Deer Steward 1

February 2, 2023 – The National Deer Association (NDA) is excited to announce the launch of the 3rd edition of their Deer Steward 1 online course. Deer Steward is the world’s foremost personal training on deer biology and land management, and the Level 1 online course has been rebuilt from the ground up to feature an updated look, new learning platform, a broader variety of topics, and the absolute latest deer and habitat research from the nation’s top researchers. The state-of-the-art video course is administered through Today’s Hunter, the official provider of online hunter safety education for all state wildlife agencies and the NDA’s own Deer Hunting 101 course.

“The third edition of Deer Steward 1 is the best educational resource available for anyone interested in deer and habitat management,” said Ben Westfall, NDA Conservation Coordinator. “The complete overhaul of the program gives folks the opportunity to learn about the newest deer research from some of the most renowned researchers in the country, some of which are featured in Deer Steward for the first time. This is an extremely powerful tool that has shown to have a major impact on land management throughout the country, and it continues to improve.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: invasive hemlock woolly adelgid found at Benzie County country club

A new location of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid has been found in Benzie County, approximately 50 miles north of what was previously thought to be the northern edge of infestation in Mason County, Michigan. Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network staff members conducting a winter survey for the pest detected the insects on hemlock trees at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a sample taken from the site as positive for hemlock woolly adelgid on Jan. 27.

In 2021, a single tree infested with hemlock woolly adelgid was found at a campsite at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Benzie County. The tree’s infested branches were removed, and no signs of the insect have been found in subsequent surveys of the area.

Why be concerned?

Hemlock woolly adelgid is a small insect that uses its long, siphoning mouthpart to extract sap from hemlock trees. This feeding weakens needles, shoots and branches. Over time, tree growth slows, and trees take on a grayish-green appearance. Without treatment, infested trees die within four to 10 years. Read more

Wildlife

Delta Waterfowl Expands Hen House Program into South Dakota to Produce More Ducks

The Duck Hunters Organization is adding more than 2,000 nest structures in key duck breeding areas this winter

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Working amidst waist-deep snowdrifts, Jason Mix-Schneider made history for Delta Waterfowl on a frozen slough in South Dakota earlier this winter.

A cattle rancher by trade, Mix-Schneider is one of three newly hired Hen House delivery specialists installing nest structures in South Dakota as part of a major duck production expansion for Delta Waterfowl. By pounding in stakes, attaching cradles and positioning nest tunnels in early January, he erected Delta’s first program Hen Houses in the state.

Matt Chouinard, senior waterfowl programs manager for Delta, brought a trailer-load to Mix-Schneider’s Veblen, South Dakota ranch, then provided expert instruction and guidance for the first few structures.

“Looks good,” Chouinard said as Mix-Schneider fluffed the flax nesting material to complete the task. “Congratulations Jason. You just installed the first-ever Delta Hen House in South Dakota.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: hundreds of seasonal park positions available

Spend your summer outdoors in some of Michigan’s most beautiful places!

Our more than 1,300 seasonal park workers positions are great for college students, retirees or those that love to work in the outdoors. The hourly rate starts at $15. To express interest, provide your contact info and work location(s) where you’re interested in working. It should take less than five minutes.

We’re also hiring seasonal park rangers. These positions are paid $19.39 – $27.26 an hour and receive state employment benefits.

To learn about these and other DNR job opportunities, follow the link below:

Find openings ?

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Alaska’s Bristol Bay Region Receives Protections

EPA Final Determination preemptively revokes Pebble Mine permit under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act

WASHINGTON – A massive industrial mine proposed for the fish- and wildlife-region of Bristol Bay, Alaska, has been blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency, which announced it is proactively rescinding an industry fill and dredge permit under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act that will prevent development of the Pebble Mine.

The EPA determined that mine waste, including dredged or fill material, would have “unacceptable adverse effects” on Bristol Bay’s renowned wild salmon fishery, the largest remaining in the world, including the permanent loss of 8.5 miles of streams. This determination would necessarily preclude development of the Pebble Mine – thereby preventing more than 10.2 billion tons of waste from being disposed of in the Bristol Bay watershed in Alaska.

For more than a decade, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has been fighting to conserve Bristol Bay, joining a diverse consortium of hunters, anglers, commercial fishermen, Tribal members, business owners and others in advocating for the region. Bristol Bay supports robust recreational, subsistence and commercial salmon fisheries as well as undisturbed habitat for a wide range of wildlife. Read more

Wildlife

DNR Wildlife Habitat Grant application period now open

Jan. 31, 2023
Contact: Clay Buchanan, 517-614-0918

Now through , the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Habitat Grant Program will be accepting applications.

“We are excited to support those who want to increase habitat and enhance existing habitat through the Wildlife Habitat Grant Program,” said DNR Wildlife Division Chief Jared Duquette.  “Healthy and abundant habitats not only benefit wildlife, but also benefit Michigan residents.”

Funding is available for local, state, federal and tribal governments, profit and nonprofit groups, and individuals through an open, competitive process. The minimum grant amount is $15,000, and the maximum is the total amount of funds available for the grant cycle, which is approximately $1 million for 2023. Read more

Wildlife

NWTF Tennessee Helps Add New Dimension to Wild Turkey Research

(UT students attach transmitters to hens. Photo courtesy of UT.)

When we think of the NWTF and Tennessee, we can’t help but think about our 50th anniversary celebration in Nashville just on the horizon, but that’s not the only thing to celebrate in the Volunteer State — the Tennessee NWTF State Chapter recently helped expand research efforts that will ultimately benefit turkeys and turkey hunters.

The new research extends the work of an active six-year research project led by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the University of Tennessee.

Over the project’s six years, it has helped the TWRA manage wild turkeys with the best available science and has helped garner essential information for wild turkey management, including population vital rates (such as estimates of reproductive success and survival), habitat use, hunter attitudes and effort, disease ecology and the effects of habitat management.

“We are excited to continue this research partnership with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the National Wild Turkey Federation to address several important questions that have arisen during the past few years,” said David Buehler, Ph.D., UT professor of wildlife science. “Because of the intensive monitoring we have conducted over the past six years of over 700 radio-tagged hens and gobblers and over 225 poults, we are uniquely positioned to address contemporary questions such as the effect of the two-week season delay on turkey productivity and populations. Tennessee’s science-based approach to turkey management should serve as a model for others to follow.“

“This project has provided our agency important information,” said Roger Shields, TWRA wild turkey program coordinator and NWTF Technical Committee representative. “Foremost is an understanding that the observed decline in the turkey population here is not due to poor survival of adults, it’s being driven by low productivity. Almost across the board, we’re seeing reproductive rates are lower than we’d expect for a stable turkey population.” Read more

Wildlife

NDA’s Deer Report Finds 88% of the U.S. Whitetail Harvest Occurs on Private Land

January 30, 2023 – An average of 88% of state white-tailed deer harvests occur on private land, according to the National Deer Association’s latest Deer Report, released today. Texas reported the highest rate of private-land deer harvest at 99% while Massachusetts reported the highest rate of public-land harvest at 43%.

“Most of America’s 600 million acres of public land are in the West, yet proportionally few hunters are residents of those states,” said NDA Chief Conservation Officer Kip Adams and one of the report’s authors. “Most whitetails live in the eastern states along with most hunters, and this new data underscores the conservation importance of habitat management and deer hunting on private land.”

NDA’s Deer Report is available for free download at this link. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Great Backyard Bird Count, February 17-20

Every bird counts, and every birder helps by adding to our understanding of mid-winter bird distributions and population dynamics (Carolina Chickadee photo by Brad Imhoff).
How many birds can you find during the 4 day GBBC event? (Red-headed Woodpecker photo by Manny Salas)

It’s time to prepare for The Great Backyard Bird Count! As its name implies, this grand event grew from simpler beginnings that included feeder counts, but over the past quarter century the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) has expanded into a worldwide birding celebration that takes place over 4 days in February each year. This year you can participate in the 26th annual GBBC anytime over President’s Day Weekend, birding as often and as long as you wish from February 17 to 20. It’s free, enjoyable, and easy for people from all walks of life to participate in identifying and counting birds to create a real time mid-winter snapshot of bird populations that provides valuable information for biologists, conservation leaders, and anyone interested in birds. Read more

Wildlife

Pennsylvania: Watch Wildlife Round the Clock From Home

Eagles and snow geese and bears, oh my! You can watch all of them this winter, anywhere you go, through the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s round-the-clock livestreams.

A new 24-7 livestream from a black bear den in Pike County launched this week, bringing to four the number of livestreams the Game Commission plans to run into the spring of 2023. Also showing are the Farm Country Eagle Livestream, which provides a bird’s-eye view into a long-established nest in a giant sycamore overlooking scenic farmland, the ever-popular Hanover, Pa. Eagle Livestream and the agency’s Snow Goose Livestream capturing the migratory action at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.

This is the first time since 2021 the Game Commission is offering livestream viewers an up-close look inside a black bear den. Bears den each winter, but few of them in known spots where cameras can be installed and footage streamed to viewers.

Luckily, the opportunity has presented itself again, and the Game Commission is proud to bring the livestream back, said the agency’s Information and Education Director Steve Smith.

“While all of our wildlife livestreams are popular with viewers, there’s nothing like watching and listening to bear cubs as they begin to explore their surroundings and, ultimately, emerge from the den with their mothers to see their new world in Penn’s Woods,” Smith said. “We’re glad to bring back this livestream for 2023 and offer it alongside our annual wintertime wildlife cams, all of which entertain and educate viewers, and give them a whole new appreciation for wildlife.” Read more

Wildlife
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