Enter the “Funky Nests in Funky Places” Contest

A puzzling nesting site could earn cool prizes

Ithaca, N.Y.–What prompts birds to build nests where they do? Some of their real estate choices are real head-scratchers. That’s where the Funky Nests in Funky Places challenge comes in. Anyone who finds a bird nest in a creative, quirky location can participate. Entries can be photos, poems, stories, or artwork. Past participants have found nests built on statues, barbecue grills, traffic lights, wind chimes, golf shoes, and–pretty much anywhere. The contest is run by the Celebrate Urban Birds citizen-science project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The entry deadline is June 30. Submit entries at funkynests.org.

Robin nestlings in door wreath
This pretty spring wreath for the door is also an
attractive nesting site for an American Robin. Photo by
Marion Haynes-Weller.

Entries are judged in several categories, including nests that are the funkiest, the cutest, the funniest, and the most inconvenient. Kind-hearted people have given up a favorite or necessary activity while they wait for chicks to fledge from a nest nestled in a pair of golf shoes, a motorcycle helmet, or on a tractor tire!

Participants don’t have to be bird or photography experts. We’re just looking for interesting stories. All ages are welcome to participate as individuals or with a class, community center, or afterschool program. Entries are being accepted from anywhere in the world. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan conservation officers offer important ORV safety tips

A view from behind of off-road vehicles riding away down a dirt trail, lined with mature treesSpeed and reckless driving are the primary contributing factors for off-road vehicle accidents, with 24 percent of all ORV accidents reported in 2017 resulting from people driving too fast, and 16 percent of riders not wearing a helmet.

Michigan DNR conservation officers are seeing more ORVs hitting the trail earlier in the season. They’re also seeing more accidents, which easily could be avoided by keeping safety in mind.

Most ORV accidents can be avoided by riding at a safe speed, riding sober, riding on the right side of the trail, easing up around corners, being familiar with the terrain and riding within the ORV’s limits. Read more

General

Anti-Hunting Congressmen Introduces Grizzly Bear Hunting Ban

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) has introduced legislation that would ban the hunting of grizzly bears anywhere in the country except for Alaska. Grijalva, who chairs the House Resources Committee, is a frequent author of anti-hunting bills and is consistently rated at 100% by the Humane Society of the United States. House Resolution 2532, has been referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife and is scheduled to have a hearing on Wednesday, May 13, at 2 p.m. in room 1324 of the LHOB.

* * * *

Take Action! American hunters must contact their member of Congress today and ask them to oppose HR 2532. For the contact information of your Congressmen, visit the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.

* * * *

Congressman Grijalva’s legislation would create a Grizzly Bear Scientific Committee to determine bear management policy in coordination with the Secretary of Interior. The committee of 18 people would include six people from the different regions of grizzly bear populations, six from native tribes in those same regions, and six more representing the agencies of the Department of Interior.

The bill only allows the Secretary of Interior to issue a permit to take a grizzly bear in extremely limited circumstances. Those exceptions include: for scientific or zoological purposes or for tribal purposes involving religion. They also include in those limited circumstances when a bear poses a threat to public safety or agriculture. In those instances, however, the secretary may only issue a permit if non-lethal methods of control have failed, if every native tribe in grizzly bear habitat agrees the bear cannot be relocated to their territory and if the governor of the state requests the permit in writing. HR 2532 expressly forbids any regulated hunting for grizzly bears by sportsmen. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting

Michigan: Oden hatchery readies for 10,000 Arctic grayling eggs

Arctic grayling swimming in a tankMichigan’s plan to reintroduce Arctic grayling to state waters is taking a big leap forward, courtesy of some generous donors and partners.

Plans are under way to install an ultraviolet water disinfection system at the DNR’s Oden State Fish Hatchery in Emmet County. The system, which should be in place by mid-August, is critical for both cultivating Arctic grayling and other fish broodstock – mature fish used for breeding – and ensuring that waters receiving those fish are protected from potential pathogens (things that can cause disease).

“We are grateful for the outpouring of support to bring this upgrade to Oden State Fish Hatchery, where protecting water quality is key to sustaining healthy fisheries across the state,” said Ed Eisch, manager of the DNR Fish Production Program.

The state of Alaska is providing Michigan with three “year classes” of wild Arctic grayling eggs. A year class is a group of fish of the same species and strain that hatched in the same year. Michigan’s first year class of eggs was collected a week ago at the Ruth Barnett Sport Fish Hatchery in Fairbanks, Alaska, with fish caught out of the Chena River. The eggs were collected by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, with assistance from Michigan DNR staff. Michigan State University PhD candidate Nicole Watson will be bringing back enough eggs – roughly 10,000 – to run her second year of experiments and produce the state’s first year class of broodstock.

A DNR fisheries staff member collecting Arctic grayling eggs on a trip to AlaskaThese eggs initially will be reared in isolation at the Oden hatchery. Once cleared by fish health testing, they’ll be transferred to Marquette State Fish Hatchery. During broodstock development, scientific evaluations will continue on the Manistee River and begin on the Jordan, Maple and Boardman rivers to determine suitability for reintroduction.

More than $350,000 was raised to upgrade Oden’s isolated rearing facility, including engineering and construction costs. Major gifts were granted by Henry E. and Consuelo S. Wenger Foundation, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Trout Unlimited, the DNR, Rosso Family Foundation, Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Oleson Foundation, Rotary Charities of Traverse City, Friends of the Jordan River Watershed and supporters of the Little Traverse Conservancy.

Learn more about the initiative at MiGrayling.org.

Questions? Contact Ed Eisch, 231-922-6055 or Archie Martell (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians), 231-398-2193.
Fishing

AFFTA: Tariffs Add “Excessive Burden to the Fly Fishing Industry”

Increase will undermine $1 billion industry, hand cost to 10 million anglers

BOZEMAN, MT. – In response to the Administration’s action to increase tariffs on goods from China, AFFTA president, Ben Bulis, released this statement:

“The backbone of the fly fishing industry is small- to mid-sized business. Locally-owned and employing local people. From specialty retail shops, guides and outfitters to the manufacturers who develop and produce the gear that they rely on for their livelihood, we are a significant part of our nation’s powerful and growing outdoor economy, contributing more than $1 billion annually.

This increase in tariffs, on top of the already harmful tariffs imposed over the past 10 months, will only make it more difficult and costly for our industry’s businesses and the local economies that rely on them to stay viable. The increase will further stifle innovation, force unfair and highly expensive production changes, inhibit the free market and freeze, or worse, cut employment. Read more

Fishing

Primary Arms 6.5 Creedmoor Precision Rifle Giveaway

·22” 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Giveaway ($3011.24 Value)

·Features High-Grade Parts from Criterion, Timney Triggers, Radian, and More

·Includes Primary Arms SLx6 3-18x50mm FFP Rifle Scope and Magpul Bipod

·Giveaway Ends May 31st, 2019 at 11:59PM CDT

Primary Arms is happy to announce another great rifle giveaway! This May, participants will have an opportunity to take home a serious long-distance contender—a full 6.5 Creedmoor build, complete with a scope and bipod to go the distance. With over $3000 in parts, Primary Arms has assembled a rifle capable of reaching out to the 1000-yard line with ease, and one lucky entrant will be able to claim it as their own.

No expense has been spared in building a top-tier precision machine. Built around a 22” 416R stainless steel Criterion barrel, this rifle includes components from top manufacturers, including Timney Triggers, Odin Works, FailZero, Cross Machine Tool, and more. To complete the setup, the rifle comes with a Magpul M-Lok Bipod and Primary Arms SLx6 3-18x50mm FFP Rifle Scope. This scope comes equipped with an ACSS Apollo reticle, which displays ballistic compensated holds for both drop and windage out to 1000 yards. The reticle is supported by a scope that features optimized magnification for the caliber, a generous eye relief, and daylight-bright illumination for unprecedented ease in landing shots. A full list of parts is available on the Primary Arms Website, along with entry instructions and relevant conditions.

As always, entrance into the giveaway is free, and entrants can improve their chances of winning by following the guidelines available on our Giveaway Landing Page. New entries are accepted until May 31st, 2019 at 11:59 CDT, at which point, the giveaway will close. The winner MUST be able to legally possess a firearm and pass a federal background check. Please view the full contest terms and conditions on the giveaway landing page. Best of luck to all those participating!

Firearms

Critically endangered Florida grasshopper sparrows released into wild

Captive-reared Florida grasshopper sparrows are being released on public lands in Osceola County during the coming weeks in an ongoing effort to reverse a near collapse of the species.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners are releasing captive-reared sparrows in an effort to boost the existing population. Current survey counts show fewer than 80 sparrows in the wild.

In recent years, the population of Florida grasshopper sparrows has declined sharply. Extinction in the wild is a very real possibility, and the multi-partner recovery program’s captive breeding and release efforts are part of the strategy to avoid this outcome.

“There’s no time to waste for this charismatic songbird found nowhere else in the world. The sparrow is fighting hard for its existence and so must we,” said Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida. “This release throws a lifeline to the species while agency researchers continue to search for the key to the sparrow’s recovery in the wild.” Read more

Wildlife

Colorado: Petition to Ban Bobcat Trapping, Hunting Fails

GW:  Not tired of winning yet!

Yesterday, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously denied a petition to ban all bobcat hunting and trapping.

Safari Club International took swift action to ensure that the ill-conceived petition did not succeed.

SCI reached out to Colorado members and in less than a week they responded in full force by sending over 350 letters to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioners.

The letters explained why the petition was not only unnecessary but also could have negative impacts on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department’s ability to manage the state’s bobcat population.

SCI looks forward to continuing working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and their Commission to make certain that hunting continues to be an important part of the state’s management of wildlife and that Colorado remains a state with excellent hunting opportunities. Read more

Animal Rights
1 … 869 870 871 872 873 … 1,898