During the pandemic, people across the country ventured outdoors in record numbers, to destinations including Michigan state parks, trails and waterways. In fact, visitation to state parks went up 30% over the past two years, with annual visitation jumping from approximately 28 million to 35 million people.

While the outdoors is an important component of many people’s leisure activities and healthy lifestyles, it’s just as critical that we each do our part to take care of these outdoor spaces so they are protected and here for future generations to enjoy and use.

“We’ve seen record numbers of both established and new visitors over the last couple years,” said Jason Fleming, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division’s Resources Section. “Many visitors have grown up coming to state parks and others are new to outdoor recreation. We’re always excited to provide these opportunities to create new memories, but we also need everyone’s help to work together to maintain these natural and historical spaces.” Read more

GW:  Click on the link below and you can send an email directly to Ms. Stabenow

The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act has been languishing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry chaired by Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. MUCC has sent an action alert urging Senator Stabenow to hold a hearing on the bill as soon as possible. That action alert can be found here.

www.wildsheepfoundation.org

Bozeman, Montana. July 20, 2022. Thanks to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) efforts, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Utah Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, and the D. Gary and Mary Young Family, Utah has its first nursery herd for desert bighorn sheep.

Thirty-one desert bighorn sheep were captured in late June in Nevada’s Muddy Mountain Wilderness and safely relocated to the 1,800-acre Skyrider Wilderness Ranch near Tabiona in Duchesne County, Utah. The ranch is owned and managed by the Young Family of Young Living Essential Oils.

“A nursey herd approach is a vital tool in the restoration and expansion of wild sheep populations,” said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “A cross-state translocation like this to a secure, private ranch holding-area takes a lot of cooperation and coordination. We applaud everyone who had a hand in making this a successful conservation action.”

Trapping and transplanting is the most successful and fastest way to expand wild sheep populations back to their historical ranges. A nursery herd has been used successfully for bighorn sheep on Utah’s Antelope Island, Montana’s Wild Horse Island, and Texas and New Mexico for desert bighorns in the USA. Nursery herds have also been a key component of desert sheep restoration in Mexico, exemplified by WSF’s Mexico Initiative.

Travis Jensen, President of the Utah Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, explained, “The goal is to establish a protected, disease-free desert bighorn herd that will grow to the point of being able to supply animals for future transplant efforts in new suitable free-range habitats and to supplement existing herds throughout Utah and potentially other States if needed. This project was first outlined in 2018 and included in the Utah Bighorn Sheep Management Plan. It is a very exciting project for Utah’s wild sheep and should help ensure the future of Utah’s desert bighorn sheep for many years to come”

By 1960, research indicates that Utah had only a remnant population of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and desert bighorn sheep were gone entirely. Current estimates of the state’s desert bighorn sheep are approaching 5,000 animals.

“Wild sheep restoration is a business where the rewards outweigh the risks,” Thornton added. “We all know the risks that separation from domestic sheep to avoid disease transmission and predation from mountain lions can be factors in establishing new bighorn sheep herds, but these are not insurmountable obstacles. You do miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Utah and other states would not be as successful have they have been by not taking shots.”

###

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by wild sheep conservationists and enthusiasts. With a membership of more than 10,500 worldwide, WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep and other mountain wildlife and their habitats. WSF has raised and expended more than $140 million on wild sheep habitat and population enhancements, education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia to “Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain”®. These and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations in North America from historic lows in the 1950-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. www.wildsheepfoundation.org.

Media Contacts: Keith R. Balfourd 406-404-8754 or keith@wildsheepfoundation.org

The National Deer Association (NDA) partnered with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) to provide a customized three-day Deer Steward course for AGFC staff and leadership in mid-July. NDA has held custom Deer Steward courses for five other state wildlife agencies, but with 86 certified graduates, the Arkansas course was the largest agency class yet.

“NDA’s Deer Steward course is a great opportunity for hunters and managers alike to learn more about the most recent deer and habitat research and how it directly applies to our management efforts here in Arkansas,” said Ralph Meeker, AGFC Deer Program Coordinator. “NDA did a great job communicating many of the individual components related to deer and habitat management and how they tie together. This made it much easier for our staff to not only understand but will undoubtedly help them communicate those same ideas with our constituents.” Read more

HELENA – Boaters and other visitors will soon have a new resource when venturing out on the lower Yellowstone River corridor this year. Starting this week, the “Lower Yellowstone River Guide” will be available for free at FWP offices and local sporting goods stores in communities along this scenic remote stretch of the Yellowstone River. The guide can also be downloaded from the webpage: https://fwp.mt.gov/activities/boating/lower-yellowstone-river.

This guide is aimed at helping current and future visitors of the Lower Yellowstone River corridor know how to plan for their time on the river, where to access service and how to stay safe while recreating outdoors. It includes more than 30 maps, scenic photos, tips on points of interest and recreational opportunities, historical and cultural information about the area and safety information.

“The Lower Yellowstone and its eastern Montana communities offer a treasure trove of recreational, historical and educational opportunities,” said FWP’s Parks and Outdoor Recreation Administrator Hope Stockwell. “It’s a beautiful, vast landscape but the power of the river must be respected, and this river guide will help visitors enjoy their time here and stay safe.” Read more

The NWTF is helping fund a new research project in South Carolina that seeks to inform hunting season frameworks and overall understanding of wild turkey ecology in the Palmetto State. Conducted by the University of Georgia, Louisiana State University, the USDA Forest Service and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, this novel research will examine movements, gobbling activity, nesting activity and habitat use in a wild turkey population devoid of turkey hunting.

“This project is unique in that we’re studying flocks of birds that are not subjected to hunting activity, hunting pressure or the harvest of males,” said Mike Chamberlain, Ph.D., Terrell Distinguished professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia. “Not only are we studying male behavior, but we’re extensively studying reproduction to see how nest success and brood survival on the site compares to the many hunted populations we’ve studied.”

The project will occur on the nearly 200,000-acre Savannah River Site, a Department of Energy-owned site in Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties. The rich medley of upland and bottomland hardwoods, mixed-pine hardwoods and planted stands of longleaf pine and loblolly pine, coupled with active forest management, provide the unhunted birds with exceptional habitat.

During the 1970s, while restoration efforts were in full effect, wildlife managers stocked this site to establish a large source population to assist trap-and-transfer efforts elsewhere. From the late 1970s to the early 2000s, almost 1,000 turkeys were trapped and relocated from SRS, a reference point for how strong the population was and continues to be to this day. Read more

Landowners with property in Alcona, Alpena, Crawford, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties who want to create deer habitat are invited to apply by Aug. 1 for Michigan Department of Natural Resources funding.

The DNR’s Deer Private Land Assistance Network grant program supports habitat improvement projects on private land in the northern Lower Peninsula. Desired projects should focus on increasing deer harvest near cattle farms or agricultural land. Read more