Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Michigan: Forest Legacy Program nominations due May 13

From the trout-fishing haven of the Keweenaw Peninsula’s Pilgrim River to the prime elk habitat recently added to the Pigeon River Country State Forest, Michigan has more than 160,000 acres of environmentally sensitive forests that are protected through the federal Forest Legacy Program.

The program uses federal and matching funds to protect environmentally important forests by purchasing property outright or acquiring development rights through a working forest conservation easement.

Nomination applications are now open for the nationally competitive program; make sure to get yours in by May 13. Read more

Wildlife

Mexican Natural Resources Agency Releases Four More Wolves in Mexico

Photo of Mexican wolf in the U.S., taken several years ago.

Information taken from news release by Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP)

PHOENIX — Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) recently released two pairs of endangered Mexican wolves in two areas in the state of Chihuahua, where they are expected to adapt and survive in their native environment.

Both pairs, called “Manada del Arroyo” and “Manada del Gavilan,” came from the Ladder Ranch in New Mexico.

Mexico has now had 19 releases of Mexican wolves since 2011, bringing the total wild wolf population in that country to 45. In addition, there have been 14 litters born since 2014: one each in 2014, 2015 and 2016; two each in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020; and three in 2021. Read more

Wildlife

NRA Joins Other Organizations In Lawsuit to Keep Public Lands Open

Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) has partnered with Safari Club International, Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and filed motions to intervene in and dismiss a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to expand hunting and fishing opportunities on more than 2.3 million acres of land at 106 National Wildlife Refuges.

“The National Wildlife Refuge System was created to increase opportunities for families to engage in traditional outdoor actives including hunting, fishing, hiking, and more,” said Erica Tergeson, NRA-ILA’s director of hunting policy. “Denying access to more than 2.3 million acres runs counter to the entire concept of public lands.”

In 2020, the Trump Administration opened 2.3 million acres across 97 national wildlife refuges and nine national fish hatcheries. That expansion created 900 distinctly new hunting and fishing opportunities for America’s outdoorsmen and women. It was the largest expansion in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service history. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Introducing the KestrelMet 6000 Food Plot Weather Station

Kestrel® Ballistics, a subsidiary of Nielsen-Kellerman®, is pleased to announce the release of the KestrelMet 6000 Food Plot Weather station, a rugged, reliable monitoring solution that helps hunters more effectively grow and maintain a thriving food plot for years of successful hunting.

The KestrelMet 6000 Food Plot Weather Station ($2,199) is ideal for planning the optimum location for food plots, monitoring conditions during the growing season, and getting hyper-local wind data during hunting season. Choose a low-cost data plan from Verizon or ATT, with the first year of data completely free. This highly accurate food plot weather station comes with a metal tripod mount and includes sensors for measuring solar irradiance, soil moisture, and soil temperature.

A cost-effective, one-time investment, the KestrelMet 6000 provides the weather and site-specific growing conditions data needed to maintain a flourishing food plot season after season.

“Food Plots are no different than farming for agriculture, just on a smaller level,” states Katie Godfrey, Director of Kestrel Ballistics. “Knowing the exact conditions on your property will increase the success of plantings for the upcoming hunting season.” Read more

Wildlife

Michigan DNR extends conservation officer job posting to March 31

Two 2022 academies will be offered: the traditional 23-week academy and a shorter, hybrid academy.

DNR extends conservation officer job posting to March 31

In an effort to stay competitive with other law enforcement agencies that are hiring throughout the state, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has extended its application deadline for the 2022 conservation officer recruit school to March 31.

“As with most industries, it’s been a challenge recruiting qualified applicants in the current economy. We’re hoping this extension will provide prospective applicants additional opportunities to review our hiring and job information and training videos, and to reach out to our recruiters with questions before they apply,” said F/Lt. Jason Wicklund, DNR Law Enforcement Division. Read more

Wildlife

Elyria, Ohio – March 4, 2022 – When it comes to prepping shooting lanes and brushing in blinds for the 2022 spring and fall season’s, make sure you call on Wicked Tree Gear for precision cutting and durability you can count on.

“As our most exciting addition to the Outdoor Product Innovations family, we are proud to call Wicked Tree Gear one of our own. It truly sets the bar high in the hand and pole saw industry,” said Danny Reaser, Vice President of Outdoor Product Innovations. “The Wicked Tree Gear saws fit perfectly in line with OPI’s high quality products that continue to help every outdoorsman each time they go into the woods to hunt.” Read more

Wildlife

The “Sandhill Crane Finder”

You can find the nearest Sandhill Cranes as spring migration progresses by using the Sandhill Crane Finder (photos by Paul Konrad).

One of the first signs of spring is the call of Sandhill Cranes, followed by the sight of a migrating flock; then flock after flock. But where can you go for the ultimate spring crane experience in your area? Now you can refer to the “Sandhill Crane Finder,” provided by the International Crane Foundation. It’s common knowledge that the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska offers the most impressive concentration of cranes in the world, but there’s are a multitude of locations you can view, hear, and absorb exciting Sandhill Crane experiences in North America.

To monitor the location of Sandhill Cranes across North America, and especially to find a Sandhill staging area near you, see Sandhill Crane Finder (savingcranes.org)

Wildlife

Spring Nest Boxes

The Duncraft Eco-Friendly Bluebird House is a good example of a standard-sized nest box for cavity nesting songbirds.
The Duncraft Eco Chickadee Bird House.

The advent of March signals it is time to prepare our nest boxes for the variety of cavity nesting birds ranging from wrens and bluebirds to screech owls and Wood Ducks. Whether or not the weather in your area shows it or not, it’s time to clean and repair our bird houses for the nesting season, as well as plan for new additions. If you want to install new nest boxes, the time is right to get started, or in northern climes, you may want to follow through on building a new one, make a purchase. Then consider if where to position nest boxes to attract the birds you prefer?

Installing and monitoring a bird house is fun, but it’s also an important part of benefitting birds. By providing an “artificial cavity” – a nest box – you are helping cavity nesting birds, which is a great conservation service. Of course, nest boxes don’t come in one size to fit all birds, nor will one location necessarily fit the habitat requirements of all cavity nesting birds. Indeed, there are a number of topics to be aware of when planning for a bird house in your yard – or another location in your area. First, nest boxes and bird houses are simply the same product by a different name.

Cavity-nesting Birds – Not all birds use nest boxes, but 88 species of North American birds do nest in cavities and will use nest boxes, ranging from chickadees to Barred Owls. Read more

Wildlife

New name for a familiar pest: Gypsy moth is now spongy moth

New name for a familiar pest: Gypsy moth is now spongy moth

The Entomological Society of America Wednesday announced a new common name for the Lymantria dispar moth. The invasive moth most familiar in its voracious, leaf-eating caterpillar stage will now be known as “spongy moth.”

Formerly referred to as “gypsy moth,” the hairy, yellow-faced caterpillar with pairs of red and blue spots down its back was big news in 2021 when a population explosion in Michigan caused leaf loss in oaks and other trees in infested areas.

Spongy moth is now the approved common name in the ESA Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. The old name was removed from this list in July 2021 because it contained a derogatory term for Romani people. The move is part of the society’s Better Common Names Project.

Read more

Wildlife

Michigan awards $3.6 million for invasive species projects

The program – cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources – addresses prevention, detection, eradication and control of aquatic (water-based) and terrestrial (land-based) invasive species in Michigan through four key objectives:

  • Preventing the introduction of new invasive species.
  • Strengthening the statewide invasive species early detection and response network.
  • Limiting the spread of recently confirmed invasive species.
  • Managing and controlling widespread, established invasive species.

This year’s grantees have offered $541,500 in matching funds and services to support these projects, leveraging a total investment of $4,141,500.

Improving prevention and management

This year’s grants will provide funding for a range of efforts targeting aquatic invasive species: Read more

Wildlife
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