Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

ExxonMobil awards Ducks Unlimited $500,000 for Louisiana Wetland Restoratio

Funds will restore and support wetlands in Vermilion Parish

Photo Caption: ExxonMobil representatives presented Ducks Unlimited funding for coastal restoration at the recent DU Pecan Island event.

L-R Brandon Maxwell, ExxonMobil; Jay Owen, Ducks Unlimited; PR Burke, Vermilion Corporation; Joe Coletti, ExxonMobil; Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited; Paloma Pareja-Fernandez, ExxonMobil

Mike Smith, ExxonMobil

LAFAYETTE, La. – Nov. 28, 2022 – ExxonMobil recently committed $500,000 to Ducks Unlimited (DU) to help support the Bayou Chene restoration project in Vermilion Parish.

“We are pleased to see this partnership renewed and elevated,” said DU Director of Development Bob Dew. “ExxonMobil and Ducks Unlimited share a significant interest in ensuring the coastal wetlands that make Louisiana an incredible place to live, work, and visit are here for generations to come. For example, ExxonMobil has supported conservation efforts at Sherburne and Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Areas, which are owned and managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.”

ExxonMobil and DU first partnered in 1993 on the Leck Mayes Reservoir project in Wyoming. Since then, ExxonMobil has focused the majority of its support on wetlands conservation efforts in Louisiana, and its overall investment in conservation through Ducks Unlimited reached $1.5 million.

“ExxonMobil is committed to protecting biodiversity where our people work, live and enjoy the unique Louisiana culture that revolves around this sportsman’s paradise,” said Joe Colletti, Louisiana asset manager, ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. “The important wetland restoration and protection work that DU does through its Gulf Coast Initiative provides vital habitats for waterfowl, wildlife and fisheries, along with storm protection for coastal communities.” Read more

Wildlife

Pheasant-Pigeon Reported After 140 Years

How do you describe viewing an impressive bird that hasn’t been reported to science for 140 years? This Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon photo was taken on a trail camera by Doka Nason of the American Bird Conservancy.

The trail camera’s display was tiny, but there was no mistaking the creature it showed – a Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon – a species that hasn’t been documented by biologists since it was first described and last seen in 1882! Dedicated researchers traversed narrow mountain ridges, crossed and re-crossed rivers that roared through canyons cloaked in dense tropical forest, and endured blood-thirsty mosquitoes and leeches for a month, all in search of a bird that might not exist. They had just hours of searching left before leaving Fergusson Island, located off the east coast of Papua New Guinea.

At that point, expedition co-leader Jordan Boersma imagined their chance of success was less than 1 percent. Out of breath after climbing to retrieve trail cameras, he sat down on a lush hillside to catch his breath and begin looking through the photos from the cameras, not expecting to find anything. “Suddenly I was confronted with this image of what at that time felt like a mythical creature,” explained Boersma, a researcher with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “It was, without exaggeration, the most surreal moment of my life.” Read more

Wildlife

Ohio: Mussel Survey of Olentangy River Yields Two Endangered Species

Live snuffbox mussel discovered in the Olentangy by Dr. Hoggarth in September of this year.
Original freshly dead specimens of the snuffbox mussel Epioblasma triquetra discovered by Dr. Hoggarth in the Olentangy River in June of this year.

Mussel Survey of Olentangy River Yields Two Federally Endangered Species
First survey of the scenic river in more than 30 years.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the first survey of its kind in more than three decades, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP) Scenic Rivers Program has discovered two federally endangered mussel species in the Olentangy State Scenic River. The survey, funded by the Scenic Rivers Program, was conducted this summer.

“It’s exciting when we find wildlife in our Ohio waterways that we thought were gone, especially considering the decline of the freshwater mussels,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “These surveys and discoveries like this, help us take the necessary steps to protect these species and their habitats.”

The last survey was done in 1990. Dr. Michael Hoggarth of Otterbein University conducted that survey and the most recent one. He and his team focused on the Olentangy River from the headwaters to the confluence with the Scioto River. In July, they found two shells of recently deceased freshwater mussels at a location on the Olentangy River in Marion County above Delaware Reservoir. The shells indicated there may be living specimens of the federally endangered snuffbox Epioblasma triquetra. When the group returned in September, they found a living specimen of the snuffbox and a freshly dead specimen of the federally endangered rayed bean Villosa fabalis. The last time either was found in this section of the river was at least 60 years ago. Read more

Fishing, Wildlife

Michigan Deer Opener: Hiding and Watching

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

The first week of firearms deer season is well under way and the never-ending preparation has been supplanted by the deadline:  opening day.  My longtime hunting partner and friend, Joe Reynolds, couldn’t be with me on this day we’ve focused on for the entire year because of some physical issues, so I’d go it alone for now.

A small 7×8-foot hunting shack we’ve dubbed “The Housetrailer”, built atop a tandem-axle trailer, would be my home for the anticipated excitement.  In recent past the tiny building has been more of a get-away to relax and to watch nature close-up.   Situated on a ridge overlooking a swamp to the east and my neighbor’s clover field to the west, I hiked the half mile in the early morning darkness and settled in with my Thermos full of coffee and a full dose of optimism.

If it sounds comfortable, it is; in fact, it has been purposely outfitted so that, when hunting, a person could hunt the entire day without leaving.  With a northeast wind, my focus would be into the wind toward the treacherous swamp’s edge.  The swivel chair allowed me to check the field, as well.

From Heaven came a deer hunter’s greatest advantage:  the season’s first snowfall.  As the white stuff blanketed the ground, my neighbor sent me a text asking if I saw the buck in the field.  I hadn’t but soon spotted the long-tined 8-point buck at a distance of 263 yards.  No doubt, it was a good buck but one I had seen on trailcam photos and had decided to let to grow, if I came across it afield.  It was beyond my range limitations anyway, so I disregarded it and concentrated on the swamp side of the Housetrailer.

A bit later, looking toward the field, I was startled by two quickly approaching does heading directly toward me at a scant 40 yards.  Hot on their tails was that buck I had ignored previously.  If action like that doesn’t test the capability of one’s heart, nothing will.   I remained vigilant for another look at the buck but it vanished like smoke in the wind.

A group of 4 antlerless deer began to head down a nearby trail, when I noticed a trailing adult doe come to a halt at 50 yards.  It certainly couldn’t detect my scent, because it was upwind; however, I was mistaken.  The seasoned animal had picked up the scent from my rubber-bottomed boots along the path I walked to the shack hours before.  It finally joined the remainder of the group but did so in alert mode.  I made a mental note to use cover scent on my boots next time.

I had a few more whitetail encounters before the day was finished but none as enlightening as one provided by a rather chunky fox squirrel.  As mentioned, the Housetrailer has been used as more of a daytime respite from the daily grind of politics, inflation and other woes of the world.  For well over a year, I have fed the wild birds at the site and seemed to have found a durable galvanized metal feeder to stand abuse.

When I found it on the ground, I realized that some animal was out-foxing me and I set out to stymie its penchant for bird seed.  I had assumed it was jumping from a picnic table onto the feeder, so the table was moved.

The feeder was hung from a small branch of an oak tree with a drop-down wire of some three feet.  I figured that no squirrel would climb onto the precarious branch, let alone find a way to the feeder below tethered to the wire.  Wrong!  Before my eyes, a huge fox squirrel climbed the tree then onto the small branch with the feeder’s support wire between the squirrel and a nourishing meal.  The fat rodent then slid head-first down the wire like some circus performer directly onto and into the feeder, where it got breakfast.

That $20 deer-license was worth the price of admission to one of life’s greatest shows, and this was only the first day!

Hunting, Wildlife

ATA, Partners Complete New Video The Currency of Conservation: Archery’s Impact

A new educational video “The Currency of Conservation: Archery’s Impact” is available for industry members to use and share. The video will help people understand how federal excise taxes are collected, distributed and used for conservation projects.

The video was completed through a 2021 multistate conservation grant awarded to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. ATA staff helped facilitate the connection between Easton Technical Products, Hoyt, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources through the Partner with a Payer program, which works to increase the understanding between manufacturers who pay excise taxes and state agencies who use them.

ATA’s Vice President and Chief Conservation Officer Dan Forster said the video sheds light on the FET process and will be a useful resource for educators and the industry.

“This video provides an incredible educational tool for hunters and conservationists as it captures the essence of collaboration, criticality, and history of the partnerships forged between excise tax-paying manufacturers like Easton and the wildlife and habitat work done by state fish and wildlife agencies through the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program,” he said. “This quality production shares the story of conservation funding in the United States and why we are so blessed to have abundant wildlife, quality habitat, hunting, and robust access paid for through this incredible conservation funding model.” Read more

Archery, Wildlife

Wild Turkey Conservation Aids in Delisting of Endangered Tortoise

(A turkey hunter in Florida stumbles upon a gopher tortoise while out looking for Osceolas. Photo courtesy of NWTF staff.)

From increasing opportunities to go afield to making forests safe against catastrophic wildfires, the NWTF’s conservation work has far-reaching impacts that benefit overall ecological value. The delisting of the gopher tortoise in much of its historic range is a recent demonstration.

Just as wild turkeys benefit from active forest management, so does the Southeast’s celebrated burrowing turtle, Gopherus polyphemus.

The keystone species was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1987 as a threatened species in the western portion of its range, namely from Alabama to Louisiana. Since its initial listing over three decades ago, the species has undergone various levels of listing, which eventually encompassed the entire Southeast.

However, through the efforts of private landowners, state and federal agencies and conservation partners, the species has been delisted as threatened in the eastern half of its range, including in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and most of Alabama. The turtle will retain its status as threatened in western Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The announcement was made in October by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The NWTF’s role in helping the gopher tortoise is a result of the organization’s longleaf pine conservation efforts.

Longleaf pine ecosystems once dominated the Southeast, extending from Virginia to Florida and expanding as far west as eastern Texas, almost mimicking the gopher tortoise’s range. Today, however, estimates show that longleaf pine ecosystems encompass about 3% of their historic range and are highly fragmented. Read more

Wildlife

Montana: court order changes wolf hunting season, effective immediately

HELENA – On Tuesday, a District Court in Lewis and Clark County issued a temporary restraining order impacting some of Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping regulations. The changes go into effect immediately.

The changes outlined in the temporary restraining order are as follows:

  • Reinstitutes wolf management units (WMU) 110, 313, and 316 as they existed in the 2020 wolf regulations. WMU 110 borders Glacier National Park and WMUs 313 and 316 are north of Yellowstone National Park
  • Reinstitutes the quotas for WMU 110, 313, 316 as they existed in the 2020 wolf regulations, which are two wolves in WMU 110 and one wolf each in WMU 313 and 316. Currently, one wolf has been harvested in WMU 313 and no wolves have been harvested in WMU 316 and 110. Wolf hunting and trapping in WMU 313 is now closed.
  • Restricts all hunters and trappers to harvesting five wolves total per person, per season.
  • Prohibits the use of snares as a legal method of take for trapping wolves.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will make legal arguments in this case at a hearing scheduled for Nov. 28. The court has set the temporary restraining order to expire on Nov. 29. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

National Forest Foundation Receives $2 Million for Firewood Banks

Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supports the Wood for Life Partnership, providing firewood for families in need

Flagstaff, AZ – November 15, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is announcing today that as a partner of the Wood for Life project, the National Forest Foundation has received more than $2 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand its firewood relief program for homes in tribal communities in the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain and Southwestern Regions.

“The work of Wood for Life and its partners is vital to tribal communities and the health of the nation’s forests and grasslands,” said Randy Moore, Chief of the Forest Service. “This funding will have a significant impact for those that rely on firewood as a source of heat and offer job opportunities and skills building for youth in forestry. The Wood for Life project is a great model that can hopefully be expanded to support the health and wellness of tribal communities across the country.”

In addition to helping families heat their homes through firewood banks, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also funds forest restoration work to reduce wildfire risk and provide wood from those treatments to tribal communities. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and agency firewood bank initiatives, the Forest Service is investing more than $10 million in the Wood for Life program over the next five years, focusing on firewood banks serving tribal communities and aligning with USDA’s commitment to increasing investments in historically underserved communities. This work will also be implemented primarily by native, youth, and veteran crews, including Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps on the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona and the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan: six-month window for summer camping and boating reservations coming up

It’s not too early to think about planning your summer camping or boating trip! Campsite and harbor slip reservations can be made up to six months in advance, which means reservations will open Nov. 26 for dates starting Memorial Day Weekend.

Keep in mind that overnight lodging (cabins, yurts, safari tents and lodges) reservations can be made up to a year in advance. Make your reservation at MiDNRReservations.com.

The “Notify Me” feature lets you sign up for an email notification when a site becomes available for selected dates.

Wildlife

WiseEye Tech Helping Turkeys for Tomorrow Aid Field Research

WiseEye Tech’s donation of 40 cameras to Turkeys For Tomorrow will help researchers working to solve the mystery of declining turkey populations. Science being conducted in Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky is expected to help hunting conservationists improve turkey populations nationwide. WiseEye Tech cameras deliver their photos using cellular data, and the company’s photo management software pre-sorts the photos by subject. These services will save researchers hundreds of hours of work in the lab and the field.

“Hunting falls into seasons, but conservation is not seasonal,” said Darryl Monk, COO and co- owner of WiseEye Tech. “We’re excited to see our technology play an even bigger part in supporting and encouraging the heritage of the outdoors.”

Turkeys For Tomorrow is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping field researchers study turkeys in their native habitats. Scientists from Mississippi State and Auburn Universities, the University of Georgia and Tennessee Tech are tracking the life cycles of flocks on both private and public ground, work made possible in part by grants from Turkeys For Tomorrow.

Through these efforts, biologists expect to correctly weight the impacts of weather, predation, nutrition and disease on turkey numbers year to year. Studies now underway involve the significant use of trail cameras. By joining forces with Turkeys For Tomorrow, WiseEye Tech is delivering extraordinary aid to the mission.

WiseEye Tech’s cameras deliver strikingly-crisp images using cellular data, and the company’s photo management software sorts photos by subject before the cameras’ operators even get involved. By first sending images electronically, then sorting the photos that result, WiseEye Tech reduces human interference with flocks in the field and speeds the usefulness of the information that returns. Read more

Wildlife
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