Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Vermont: Moose Hunt Proposed to Improve Moose Health

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has proposed issuing 180 moose hunting permits in Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state in a continued effort to reduce the impact of winter ticks on moose in that area. No permits are recommended for the rest of the state.

The proposal was given initial approval by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board at its February 15 meeting and is now available for public comment.

The goal of the department’s 2023 moose harvest recommendation is to improve the health of moose in WMU-E by reducing the number of moose and thereby reducing the abundance and impact of winter ticks.

“Moose are abundant in WMU E with significantly higher population density than in any other part of the state,” said Nick Fortin, Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s moose project leader. “Winter ticks only thrive on moose, and higher moose densities support high numbers of winter ticks which negatively impact moose health and survival.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Utah DWR reminds pet owners it’s illegal to allow dogs to chase, harass big game animals

SALT LAKE CITY — Due to the deep snowfall this winter, deer, elk and other big game animals have migrated into lower-elevation areas looking for food sources. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants to remind dog owners to keep their pets under control after several recent instances where deer and other big game were chased by dogs, and an elk was injured.

Utah’s wildlife often struggles to find food during the winter, and some animals — like deer and elk — rely heavily on the body fat reserves they built up during the previous summer. Mid-winter and early spring are especially vulnerable times for these animals. Data from recent DWR monitoring efforts show that the extreme cold and increased snowpack across the state this winter are starting to impact mule deer fawn survival rates, and may negatively impact the ability of the adult deer to survive the winter.

With so many big game animals migrating into valleys this winter, there have been increased conflicts in both rural and urban areas. Dogs that are off leash — or not contained within a yard — may act on their instincts to chase deer and other big game animals they see. However, that is harmful for big game animals because by the end of winter, they are usually surviving on fat reserves. Read more

Wildlife

Learn more about Michigan DNR public land review in 11 Michigan counties at virtual meetings March 1 and 2

Residents invited to offer feedback on proposed actions by March 3

Cheboygan, Crawford, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Muskegon, Osceola, Otsego and Ottawa – if you spend time hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, birding or otherwise enjoying the outdoors on public lands in any of these counties, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants your attention.

The DNR has completed review of this seventh group of counties as part of the department’s multiyear state land review process and is determining which parcels best meet its goal of delivering broad public access to quality outdoor recreation opportunities, while also protecting natural and cultural resources on those lands.

The public is invited to participate in virtual meetings March 1 and 2 to share their input on the outcomes of that review. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: apply for spring and summer positions

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If you or someone you know is seeking valuable experience working in wildlife conservation – or just an interesting job that gets you outdoors – apply now for one of 100 spring and summer positions with the DNR Wildlife Division.

The division regularly hires staff to work at DNR field offices, customer service centers and state game areas. Seasonal staff helps in several areas, such as:

  • Assisting with wildlife habitat maintenance and improvement, which may include farming, planting trees, cutting forest clearings and using water control structures to adjust water levels in wetland areas.
  • Mowing, landscaping and other facility maintenance duties.
  • Helping with wildlife surveys, wildlife sample collection, crop damage inspections, nuisance animal control, and equipment operation and maintenance.

“These positions are perfect for college students, entry-level wildlife professionals, those looking to re-enter the workforce, and seniors or retirees who want to be involved in the outdoors,” said Jennifer Schafer, human resources liaison with the Wildlife Division.

Sound like you? Apply for seasonal wildlife job openings by Feb. 26. Read more

Wildlife

Upland Hunting Deepens Connection to Conservation

By Tera Baird

A covey of bobwhite quail taking to the wing is an unforgettable sight. The sound, startling and chaotic. Add a German Shorthaired Pointer named Rhett locked up like a stone staring nervously into hummocks of switch grass, followed by the dull report of a Baretta O/U .20 gauge on my shoulder, and it all makes for a treasured experience. And a pivot point in one’s trajectory.

I am a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Southeast. I have spent most of my career as a non-game biologist, and I was raised in a family that doesn’t hunt. So I’ve always felt a bit outside the realm of the hunting world. That changed when I had the opportunity develop further as a professional and participate in Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow (CLfT) at Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia. The center is named after the renowned outdoor writer and the first director of Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The workshop, sponsored by the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, is an intensive five-day hunting awareness and conservation education program designed for natural resource professionals who didn’t come into the profession through the portal of hunting. The workshop aims to give natural resource professionals a hunting immersion and encourages participants to explore and discuss the past and future roles of hunting in wildlife management. The goal isn’t to create new hunters but to foster a connection to a constituency we serve and provide that context for future natural resource leaders. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

21 communities to share $14.2 million in Michigan Spark Grants

The DNR received more than 460 applications for the dedicated American Rescue Plan Act funding

Nearly three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost two dozen of the hardest-hit Michigan communities are benefiting from $14,178,900 in Michigan Spark Grants funding – a big boost toward creating, renovating or redeveloping public recreation opportunities for residents and visitors.

“Every Michigander in every community deserves access to the great outdoors to connect with nature, exercise, and spend time with friends and family,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “These Spark Grants will fund a variety of public recreation projects across our state, including accessible trails at a Flint park, a rebuilt splash pad in Muskegon, and new bike racks, picnic tables and benches at a park in Sault Ste. Marie.

“Under the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan that I signed last year, we made the largest one-time investment ever in our state and local parks,” Whitmer said. “Now, we’re delivering those resources to move dirt and make a real difference in people’s lives while supporting good-paying jobs along the way.”

Open grant awards list 

Michigan Spark Grants, administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, offer the DNR a chance to reach people in communities whose economic opportunities and public health were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This reimagined approach activates historic support for projects that provide safe, accessible public recreation facilities and spaces to improve people’s health, introduce new recreation experiences, build on existing park infrastructure and make it easier for people to enjoy the outdoors.

Two key ways these grants differ from the department’s existing recreation grant programs are that applicants can seek up to $1 million for a single project and there is no 25% match requirement.

In total, the DNR considered 462 applications requesting more than $280 million – figures that far eclipsed what the department is used to. In comparison, the DNR’s top three recreation grant programs – the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Recreation Passport and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund – usually field a collective ask of around 150 applications seeking between $50 million and $60 million annually.

“The response was more than we could have imagined,” said acting DNR Director Shannon Lott. “Clearly, the Michigan Spark Grants opportunity and outreach have tapped into a critical need in many areas of the state, and we are proud to deliver support that will help create and restore the quality public recreation resources that we know can improve public health, anchor communities and strengthen a sense of place.”

Some of the funded projects in this round include:

  • $1 million to rehabilitate the St. John Street Neighborhood Memorial Park along the Flint River, in Genesee County, through improved and accessible trails, parking and a kayak/canoe launch, plus a new playground.
  • $716,600 to revitalize Alford Park in Sault Ste. Marie, in Chippewa County, with the addition of accessible pedestrian paths and amenities such as bike racks, picnic tables and benches.
  • $475,000 for replacement of the aging boardwalk at the Covert Park Beach and Campground, located along the Lake Michigan shore in Van Buren County.
  • $393,000 to renovate the Marlette Community Park, in Sanilac County, with an accessible walking trail and playground equipment and updated pavilions.
  • $250,000 to rebuild the city of Muskegon’s existing community splash pad, in Muskegon County. Read more
Wildlife

Rare Michigan Ecosystem Restoration Underway

Hunter-driven grant provides critical funding for pine-barren restoration in NWTF’s Huron-Manistee Focal Landscape.

Pine barrens and pine-oak barrens occur throughout the East and Midwest and are what they sound like, landscapes filled with pine and oak species that are barren for agricultural production. They are characterized by their sandy, acidic soils that hardly retain moisture – terrible for growing most food crops but a haven for wildlife, including wild turkeys, and are one of the rarest ecosystems in Michigan’s Great Lakes Regions.

With their low-growing grassy species, interspersed with mature mast-producing species such as oak, barren ecosystems provide a diversity of habitat for wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and even non-game species like Kirtlands’s warbler, a recently delisted endangered species that relies heavily upon pine barren ecosystems. However, the presence of these rare communities on the landscape is not what it used to be.

“Due to increases in human development, suppression of naturally occurring wildfire and fragmentation of the landscape, we have seen a decline in the abundance and quality of these habitats,” said Ryan Boyer, NWTF district biologist for Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. “We are also losing many of the forested wildlife openings once found within Michigan’s northern forests due to changes with succession tied to a lack of disturbance, as well as an influx of invasive species which out-compete native plants.

(NWTF Staff Photo.)

Ultimately, these factors reduce the quality of these habitat types for many wildlife species.”

While these essential landscapes are increasingly rare, the NWTF is currently working to revitalize oak and pine barren ecosystems back to their former glory throughout Michigan, thanks to a generous $277,000 grant from the MDNR via its Wildlife Habitat Grant Program. Read more

Wildlife

Starting  March 1 , residents will pay $13 for Recreation Passport

Feb. 10, 2023

Passport gives year-round vehicle access to state parks and other outdoor recreation, and an easy way to help protect natural resources for generations

Packing up for a camping trip. Fishing from your favorite pier. Parking the car, ready to enjoy thousands of miles of motorized and nonmotorized trails or drop your boat in the water …

Those are just a few outdoor amenities and experiences that start with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ valued-packed Recreation Passport, which gives year-round vehicle access to 100-plus state parks and recreation areas, more than 1,000 state-managed boating access sites, 140-plus state forest campgrounds, and parking at thousands of miles of trails and other outdoor spaces.

Next month, people will see a slight increase in the cost of a Recreation Passport, but at just over a dollar per month it is still the best recreation deal around. Effective , the Recreation Passport resident vehicle fee increases from $12 to $13 (and from $6 to $7 for motorcycles) – the first such increase since 2020. Read more

Wildlife

National Parks React to Crowding

From Jim Shepherd

During “the great lockdown” an equally great number of us discovered -or re-discovered- the allure of our national parks. The desire to get outside and breathe some non-filtered fresh air was strong-to the point that infrastructures already rundown due to a lack of government funding, took quite a hit.

Since the National Park Service started recording visitation numbers in 1904, more than 15.4 billion visitors have come to the sites. The most recent year (2021) saw 330 million annual visitors. Those numbers were record-setting in many of the more popular parks. Yellowstone National Park and Arches National Park, for example set new monthly records for consecutive months. The summer of 2021, for lack of a better word, saw huge visitation numbers.

There were more travelers last year- especially after the borders reopened, allowing foreign visitors to see our natural wonders.

2021 made it obvious that there needed to be something done to help balance the wear-and-tear of visitors and the capacities of the 424 sites of the National Park Service.

George, Thomas, Theodore and Abraham aren’t requiring reservations to visit, but there are plenty of restrictions in place at other national parks. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photo.

The solution for crowd control wasn’t simple, but it has been effective: reservation systems. They went into place at many of the most popular national parks: Yosemite, Zion, Rocky Mountain NP, and Dinosaur National Monument.

Last year, more parks and park service properties added them.

No, everyone isn’t a fan, and the idea of having to apply for a time to visit public land has rankled plenty of tempers. Read more

Fishing, General, Hunting, Wildlife

Bad bugs and pesky plants: Michigan forest health report covers threats to trees

Munching through the canopy, choking out seedlings or wilting backyard trees – invasive insects and plants and tree diseases threaten the health of Michigan’s forests.

Forest health experts at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources work every day to protect our trees and forests. They survey Michigan’s woodlands and teach foresters and land managers to look out for signs of harm. Monitoring outbreaks, managing infestations and preparing for future challenges ensure we will continue to have places for recreation, homes for wildlife, healthier waters and renewable forest products.

The 2022 Forest Health Highlights report covers the status of key forest health issues including the first detections of beech leaf disease and spotted lanternfly in Michigan. The news isn’t all bad though – the report also showcases the latest university research revealing progress on some of our toughest battles, collaborative work between agencies to protect forests and techniques to guide landowners in caring for their trees. Read more

Wildlife
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