Latest round of Asian carp eDNA sampling on Kalamazoo River produces zero positive results

The Department of Natural Resources today announced that the latest round of Asian carp environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling on the lower Kalamazoo River in Allegan County produced all negative results.

Earlier this month the DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a single positive eDNA result for silver carp – a species of Asian carp – within the river, discovered during water sampling efforts conducted this summer.    Read more

Fishing

In Major Setback for Anti-Hunting Efforts, FWS Rejects Attempts to Stop Lion Hunting

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rejected the claim that the African lion merited listing as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.  After a long and comprehensive review of the species status, which included information from the foremost lion researchers in the world, the FWS concluded that the African lion simply is not on the brink of extinction and did not merit listing as an endangered species.

The FWS concluded “[s]port-hunting was not found to be a threat to the species at this time.” This conclusion is a blow to the anti-hunting rhetoric put forward by organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and International Fund for Animal Welfare. The FWS’s conclusion contradicts the assertions made by these anti-hunting organizations in the petition they filed with FWS to have the lion listed as endangered. The on the ground facts and the science simply did not support their position.

“By rejecting an endangered listing, the FWS has officially recognized the reality that the African lions are not actually on the brink of extinction.  More important, today’s decision will likely help further the cooperative efforts of the African nations, and the many organizations and individuals who are working to study and ensure lion populations are sustainable today and into the future.” said Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) President Joe Hosmer. “Given the outstanding efforts of African governments in creating and maintaining protected strongholds for a large majority of the lion population, it is doubtful that the Service will be able to defend its conclusion that the lion is threatened with extinction in the foreseeable future.” Read more

Animal Rights, Poachers

New Funding Encouraged for Non-Game Species

GW:  I find this proposal to be a sincere approach to the manner in which funding by animal-rights groups has been decimated through frivolous lawsuits by gaming the system.  Equal Access to Justice reforms have been stalled by Democrat leadership in the U.S. Senate by Harry Reid and will never happen, because his animal-rights supporters count on the money to fuel anti-hunting drives across the country.  “…Goals and actions [include] identifying and developing new sources of dedicated, long-term funding for federal, state, and tribal fish and wildlife agencies to support conservation and hunting…”

MISSOULA, Mont.- Four Boone and Crockett Club members are serving on a panel charged with developing new funding mechanisms for conservation. The goal is bridging the funding gap between game and nongame species – a concept heartily endorsed by the Club.

The 20-member Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources was announced at a recent Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies meeting.

Download Blue Ribbon Panel
brochure here.

The panel is co-chaired by Johnny Morris, CEO of Bass Pro Shops and regular member of Boone and Crockett Club. The panel also includes three professional members of the Club including Becky Humphries, Steve Williams and John Tomke. Read more

Animal Rights, Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Maine Bear Hunting Issues and HSUS

On Nov. 4, Maine residents will vote on Question 1, a ballot initiative foisted upon them by a special-interest group and funded almost entirely by out-of-state monies. At stake is the ability of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to properly manage black bear populations in the Pine Tree State. Question 1 seeks, in effect, to ban bear hunting. The initiative would make it illegal to hunt bears over bait, with dogs or by trapping. In the impenetrable forests of Maine, those three methods account for 93 percent of the yearly harvest from the state’s robust population of 30,000 black bears.

Question 1 would hamstring the fish and wildlife department’s ability to scientifically and effectively manage black bears in Maine. The consequences being an unhealthy increase in bear populations, increased human-bear conflicts, increased management costs to taxpayers and economic losses that reverberate throughout the state. This has proven true in other states where the Washington D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States, which has organized and funded more than 97 percent of the $2.1 million campaign, has successfully passed similar measures – most notably in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

Ohio Confirms First Case of CWD in Captive Deer Herd

REYNOLDSBURG, OHIO – The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) today confirmed the first positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the state in a captive deer herd in Holmes County. The state continues to take quarantine action to control the further spread of the disease. There is no evidence that CWD has affected the wild deer population in the state. Read more

Wildlife

Owners of Safari Company Indicted for Illegal Rhino Hunts

Out of Africa Charged with Wildlife Crimes, Fraud and Money Laundering

The owners of Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris were charged with conspiracy to sell illegal rhinoceros hunts in South Africa in order to defraud American hunters, money laundering and secretly trafficking in rhino horns, announced Sam Hirsch Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division; George L. Beck, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama; and Dan Ashe, Director of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The indictment was unsealed today in Montgomery, Alabama following the federal indictment.

The indictment charges Dawie Groenewald, 46, and his brother, Janneman Groenewald, 44, both South African nationals, and their company Valinor Trading CC (d/b/a Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris) with conspiracy, Lacey Act violations, mail fraud, money laundering and structuring bank deposits to avoid reporting requirements. The Lacey Act, the nation’s oldest criminal statute addressing illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking, makes it a crime to sell animal hunts conducted in violation of state, federal, tribal and foreign law. Read more

Poachers

New Bird Biology Website Awakens the Sense of Discovery

Enjoy interactive activities about bird song, feathers, and more

Ithaca, N.Y.-We know birds have feathers-but what are they made of, how do they work, and how many kinds are there? Birds sing songs-but how do they produce those sounds, what do they mean, and can you learn to identify birds by sound alone? If just knowing the name of a bird isn’t enough, then it’s time to make new discoveries at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Bird Biology website. The new site is designed to appeal to anyone who’s even a little bit curious about what makes birds tick. Read more

Wildlife

NRC Youth Conservation Council invites youth bloggers to share stories about Michigan’s great outdoors

One year after launching its blog, the Natural Resources Commission Youth Conservation Council is opening up that public platform – http://michiganycc.wordpress.com/ – to young outdoor voices across the state. The Youth Conservation Council, established by a Natural Resources Commission resolution in 2012, provides a forum where a diverse group or conservation-minded teens can talk about and take action to protect, promote and enhance Michigan’s outdoor recreation opportunities – including everything from hunting, fishing and trapping to hiking, wildlife viewing and camping.

The YCC blog was one of the council’s first projects, initially providing a place where members could share their own outdoor experiences. Now the Youth Conservation Council wants to hear from the rest of Michigan’s young outdoor enthusiasts. Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife
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