Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Boone and Crockett Club Partners with Timber Companies, Conservation Organizations to Stop Spread of CWD

Seven timber companies and four conservation organizations are joining together to fight the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) among deer, elk, and other species of the deer family (known as “cervids”). The new CWD coalition will promote practices that help discover, manage, and mitigate the negative impacts of CWD. The Coalition includes the Forest Investment Associates, Molpus Woodlands Group, PotlatchDeltic, Rayonier, Resource Management Service, The Westervelt Company, Weyerhaeuser, Alabama Wildlife Federation, Boone and Crockett Club, Georgia Wildlife Federation and National Deer Association. This footprint spans to well over 20 million acres across the nation.

“We are pleased to join with so many other private landowners and other stakeholders in addressing this critical problem,” said Brian Luoma, The Westervelt Company President and CEO. “Federal and state agencies, the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, researchers and sportsmen conservationists are all doing their part in educating the public about this critical issue. We are fully supportive of all efforts to prevent further spread and are grateful to everyone who is participating in the coalition, including our own employees, who have taken the lead in combating CWD.”

The new coalition acknowledges it will take the cooperation of state wildlife agencies, hunters and private landowners working together to slow the spread of the disease. The group has developed a list of voluntary “best management practices” to help monitor, manage, and prevent the spread of CWD. The coalition will also support communication, research, policy, and public health. These categories parallel the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies CWD recommendations and are tailored to address the challenges facing private landowners and managers in the U.S. with large numbers of recreational users. Read more

Wildlife

Conservation in Session

                                    Photo courtesy of Blake Grisham
                                             Photo courtesy of Blake Grisham

A growing program at Texas Tech University is providing students with a transformational, hands-on approach to working with wildlife, gaining a skillset not common in a traditional classroom.

As part of the NWTF’s recent $360,000 investment into wild turkey research, a Texas Tech project in Texas’ Edwards Plateau seeks to understand the factors leading to diminishing habitat for Texas Rios and correlate them with the increasing dip in harvest rates. The findings will ultimately help the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department implement scientifically backed management to boost habitat quality and, in extension, bird production.

Blake Grisham, Ph.D., associate professor of wildlife management at Texas Tech University, is leading the charge for the research project. Still, Grisham prefers not to take all the credit, as he is proud to share it with his students, who collaborate with him in the field as part of his Wildlife Techniques class.

During the summer, at the over 400-acre Llano River Field Station, students in the class attend an 18-day, intensive, hands-on program instructed by Grisham and Warren Conway, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Natural Resources Management.

“To the best of our knowledge, this class is the only remaining field-based immersion wildlife techniques course in Texas,” Grisham said. “Students not only benefit from the hands-on experience in the field but also from the collaboration of an array of faculty and guest wildlife professionals. This immersive and interdisciplinary approach is a crucial element of the experience for our students who take this course annually.” Read more

Wildlife

Nebraska fire officials begin burning slash piles across the state

GW: A proactive measure to pay dividends. Very smart!

Starting immediately as weather allows over the winter months, officials across the state plan to burn slash piles.

Nebraska Game and Parks will burn slash piles containing trees and shrubs removed from grasslands and forests, along with other debris piles, on both wildlife management areas and state park areas. The goal is to reduce fuel loads while conditions are safer for burning.

In the Pine Ridge, Nebraska Game and Parks is partnering with the Pine Ridge Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands to reduce fuel loads in forested areas.

When burns are occurring, smoke likely will be visible from nearby communities and other nearby roads and properties.

The burn piles will be checked at least daily until they are completely extinguished.

Thinning and reducing hazardous fuel accumulation and build-up on the ground is an important tool in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Many of these slash piles are from mechanical thinning completed in grassland and forested areas throughout the state and some residue from previous fires.

For more information contact the Nebraska Game and Parks Wildlife Office at 402-471-5431, and for information on the Pine Ridge fires, contact the Pine Ridge Ranger District at 308-432-0300 or the Game and Parks Commission Pine Ridge Field Office at 308-665-2924.

Wildlife

LightFighter’s Fido A1 Tents

Roswell, Georgia (December 13, 2022) – Crafted for the adventurer, LiteFighter announces the FIDO 1AI tents are available. The FIDO1 AI (All-In) is a one person, rugged and durable 3/4 season tent. This battle-tested and proven shelter system is the perfect set-up for anyone who enjoys everything the outdoors has to offer. The FIDO 1 AI includes everything needed to endure the elements in any season.

This shelter system comes complete with:

  • Cold weather kit (windbreaker + 4 snow/sand parachute stakes)
  • Inner tent
  • MultiCam® rainfly cover
  • Waterproof groundsheet
  • All-in-one aluminum pressfit pole set
  • Waterproof tuff sack
  • 6 ground stakes
  • Accessory kit

The FIDO 1 Basic and FIDO 2 Basic are also available which do not include the cold weather kit and tuff sack. Read more

Wildlife

Winter’s for the birds – bundle up for bird counts across Michigan

While the weather outside may, as the song goes, be frightful, winter is one of the most exciting times to go birding across Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

Many new visitors from the north arrive in the colder months, including snow buntings, horned larks and dark-eyed juncos. Snowy owls, great gray owls, northern hawk owls and boreal owls also make their way into the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Winter is the perfect season for waterfowl birding, too, as hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese and swans descend on the Great Lakes.

Participating in bird counts is a fun and fruitful way to spend winter days.

“Tracking the birds you see helps scientists better understand how birds move throughout the winter and how healthy their populations are,” said Erin Ford, conservation manager for MI Birds, a public outreach and engagement partnership between Audubon Great Lakes and the DNR. “This information can help guide meaningful, on-the-ground conservation action to protect birds and the places they need.” Read more

Wildlife

NWTF’s Waterways for Wildlife Announces Second Round of Funding

(photo credit: Monte Loomis, courtesy NWTF)

EDGEFIELD, S.C.—The NWTF’s Waterways for Wildlife Initiative is starting another round of funding for critical riparian conservation projects in 2023.

Jumpstarted by the NWTF in 2022, the bourgeoning Waterways for Wildlife Initiative made significant headway in improving wildlife habitat along water corridors in its first year through 14 shovel-ready projects, currently underway and on target to enhance approximately 7,677 acres of wildlife habitat and impact nearly 80 stream miles.

For 2023, the Waterways for Wildlife initiative is looking to expand its impact on critical riparian habitat. The landscape-scale initiative is again accepting applications for financial assistance in support of projects that improve wildlife habitat in riparian systems and those with a direct benefit to water conservation.

Eligible parties include federal, state and local agencies and entities, conservation organizations, colleges/universities and private landowners currently working through an existing recognized federal, state or locally sponsored conservation assistance program.

“Through the collaboration with our partners, we will end up delivering nearly $3 million in critical conservation work in just one year,” said Jared McJunkin, NWTF director of conservation operations for the central region. “We are looking forward to continuing the collaborative efforts established in just one year to ensure riparian areas are conserved into perpetuity.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Florida Approves Listing of Striped Newt as Threatened

FWC photo by Kevin Enge

At its Nov 30-Dec. 1 meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) gave final approval to add the striped newt to the state’s threatened species list. New Species Conservation Measures and Permitting Guidelines, the Species Action Plan and updates to the Imperiled Species Management Plan were all approved as part of the listing process.

Significant population declines have been documented throughout the range of this native salamander since 2000. Striped newts face a variety of threats, including:

  • Habitat loss and alteration,
  • Disease,
  • Off-road vehicle impacts,
  • Land use changes and
  • Changes in climate.

The FWC received the most recent request to evaluate the striped newt in 2019 and staff completed the Biological Status Review Report in 2021 with the recommendation to list the species as threatened, per Rule 68A-27.0012 F.A.C. Commissioners approved the initial staff recommendation at their May 2021 Commission meeting, pending development of a management plan. Read more

Wildlife

LiteFighter Launches New Commercial Line: Military Tents Available to All

Roswell, Georgia (December 1, 2022) – LiteFighter is the world’s largest provider of military tents. Now these durable, rugged, and easy-to-set-up, camouflage tents are available to all with the launch of LiteFighter’s new commercial line featuring the all-new FIDO tents. The FIDO tents are available in 1-man and 2-man configurations, and all come with an included groundsheet.

Outdoor Gear – From their Recondo 1 Jungle Hammock to the Commando Field Trap, to the popular LF1 (1-man tent) to the 4 season CataMount 2, LiteFighter offers shelter systems that are not only going to withstand the elements but will also be the easy to set-up. Due to their origin and history in sheltering the U.S. Military, LiteFighter tents are designed for soldiers by soldiers, ensuring rugged durability.

“LiteFighter tents are the best! I have an issued one and my own personal one. I love them, they keep you super warm and have plenty of room to get dressed in the tent (I’m 6 feet tall and 200lbs) so you don’t have to get out in the cold. It provides enough airflow, so it doesn’t build up condensation in the tent when it is raining or cold. The rain fly with the “porch” is perfect for storing your ruck and other equipment while also keeping it dry. I would give them 10 out of 10 if I could. Will definitely be buying a lite fighter hammock next!” – DJ Johnson Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: time to check trees for hemlock woolly adelgid

Invasive pest already confirmed in five southwest Michigan counties

The Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development encourage those who have eastern hemlock trees on their property to take time this winter to inspect the trees for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid. Anyone taking to the woods also can help by looking for signs of this invasive insect while hunting, hiking or enjoying other outdoor activities.

Winter is the best time to look for evidence of an infestation, according to Robert Miller, MDARD’s invasive species prevention and response specialist.

“Cooler temperatures trigger feeding activity,” Miller said. “As hemlock woolly adelgids feed, they secrete a white, waxy material that creates ovisacs. The presence of these small, round, white masses makes it possible to identify infested trees.”

As they feed, these tiny, soft-bodied insects consume a hemlock’s stored nutrients, slowly sucking the life from the tree. Read more

Wildlife

Winter Bald Eagle Van Tours

The chance to see Bald Eagles in the Land Between the Lakes is an annual event for many (photo by Paul Konrad).

Winter is the peak season to enjoy viewing and photographing Bald Eagles in Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes, and now through early February you can sign up to join a 3-hour van tour to explore the Bald Eagles’ favorite bays, shorelines, and roosting sites. Both resident and wintering Bald Eagles search for fish around the lakes where you will search for these majestic symbols of America as they soar overhead, perch in the trees, and maybe you will even see one in action as it tries to catch a fish. US Forest Service naturalists will help you spot eagles and other wildlife, and provide magnified views with spotting scopes for better looks. Van tours begin at the Woodlands Nature Station near Cadiz, Kentucky; to register, call (270) 924-2020.

Van Tour Dates and Times
December 10 & 11, 2022: 1 to 4 pm CST
January 7 & 8, 2023: 1 to 4 pm CST
January 14 & 15: 9 to 12 pm CST
January 21 & 22: 1 to 4 pm CST
January 28 & 29: 1 to 4 pm CST
February 4 & 5: 1 to 4 pm CST

For more information, refer to the US Forest Service site at Woodlands Nature Station – Land Between the Lakes

Wildlife
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