Author Archives: MadelineBodin

Wyoming Wins Praise on Sage Grouse Management

Posted on by
2

It’s pretty rare to see a newspaper editorial praising a state wildlife plan, so we wanted to make sure that you saw this one, in the Casper Star-Tribune earlier this week.

The editorial notes that the feds are pleased too, quoting Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at the sage grouse summit in Cheyenne last week: “We see Wyoming as a template for how we address the challenges the sage grouse is facing.”

It also notes that pleasing the feds has some benefits. Wyoming has received $17 million in federal funding (through the US Dept. of Agriculture) to conserve critical sage grouse habitat.

Read the entire editorial in the Casper Star-Tribune, here.

See State Wildlife Research News’ previous coverage of Wyoming’s sage grouse management plan, here. It includes a link to more detail about the plan itself.

Photo: Greater sage grouse by Stephen Ting. Courtesy US Fish and Wildlife Service.

More Disabled Hunter Permits Mean Fewer Elk in Montana

Posted on by
Reply

The elk population in some areas of Montana is being reduced by the abuse of disabled-hunter permits, which allow the holders to take cow elk, says the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission chairman in a recent Associated Press article.

Look for the quote buried in the story’s seventh paragraph. This is mostly a story about the abuse of the permits, sort of a healthy people parking in handicapped spots story of outrage, but with disabled-hunter permits in place of the convenient parking space.

According to the article, the abused loopholes seem to be the ability walk 600 yards carrying 15 pounds and the ability to carry 25 pounds. Lots of people who are just out of shape, and not handicapped at all, can’t do these things and can get a doctor’s note to prove it.

Read the Associated Press article for more details.

Photo: Cow elk and calf, courtesy US Fish and Wildlife Service

Hawaiian Fence Even Keeps Out Mice

Posted on by
Reply

When invasive species are harming the nests of ground-nesting birds, an obvious solution is to erect an exclosure. Sometimes that solution works, and sometimes it doesn’t. So just imagine the situation in Hawaii, where non-native rats and even non-native mice are part of the problem. It’s hard to keep those tiny critters out.

The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) announced recently that a 2,040-foot long, 6.5-foot-high, stainless steel fence surrounding a 59-acre wedge-tailed shearwater nesting area on O’ahu is a success. This year’s chick count is up 14 percent, and is the highest number ever recorded at the colony. The fence has been up for eight months.

Read the ABC press release for the details. Also see the press release announcing the project, which has some interesting additional information, including that the project has spirit gate in an accommodation to local belief.

This is the first time such a fence has been used in the United States, but it was developed in New Zealand, which has a similar problem with ground-nesting birds and non-native predators that range from house cats (high jumpers) to mice (can squeeze in just about anywhere).

Check out this link for more information on the New Zealand-style exclosure fencing. It may be expensive, but it seems to be effective.

You may not have Hawaiian-caliber nesting bird issues, but even adopting some aspects of this fence can offer solutions to tough exclosure problems.

Photo by George E. Wallace, ABC, used by permission.

Fisher Comeback Planned for California

Posted on by
Reply

Last week four more fishers were released in northern California, raising the number of fishers released to 39 in the Stirling City area in the past two years, says an article in the Contra Costa Times. With the release of the last four fishers, the program is now in a four-year monitoring phase, the article says.

Pacific fishers, unlike their eastern cousins, are thought to be dependent on old growth forests. The project area is anything but pristine, however. The land is owned by Sierra Pacific, a timber company. The article quotes a Sierra Pacific vice president saying that if the project is successful, it will show that fishers can survive on managed landscapes, which will mean Sierra Pacific can continue to log in fisher habitat, even if the animal is listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The article says the company will be allowed to do that anyway:

By hosting the fishers, the company, which owns about 1.6 percent of California’s land, also gets a 20-year guarantee it will be able to cut trees even if fishers are listed as endangered.

 Read the entire article here. There is also a slideshow of the recent release.

Here’s the California Department of Fish and Game’s description of the project. It includes a link to more detailed information in a .ZIP file and to the 2010 annual report.

Photo: Fisher release, courtesy of California Department of Fish and Game.

Fisher Comeback Planned for California

Posted on by
Reply

Last week four more fishers were released in northern California, raising the number of fishers released to 39 in the Stirling City area in the past two years, says an article in the Contra Costa Times. With the release of the last four fishers, the program is now in a four-year monitoring phase, the article says.

Pacific fishers, unlike their eastern cousins, are thought to be dependent on old growth forests. The project area is anything but pristine, however. The land is owned by Sierra Pacific, a timber company. The article quotes a Sierra Pacific vice president saying that if the project is successful, it will show that fishers can survive on managed landscapes, which will mean Sierra Pacific can continue to log in fisher habitat, even if the animal is listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The article says the company will be allowed to do that anyway:

By hosting the fishers, the company, which owns about 1.6 percent of California’s land, also gets a 20-year guarantee it will be able to cut trees even if fishers are listed as endangered.

 Read the entire article here. There is also a slideshow of the recent release.

Here’s the California Department of Fish and Game’s description of the project. It includes a link to more detailed information in a .ZIP file and to the 2010 annual report.

Photo: Fisher release, courtesy of California Department of Fish and Game.

More Info on Solar Power Impacts Needed

Posted on by
Reply

If you have felt lost while trying to evaluate the impact of a solar power project on wildlife, you are not alone. A literature review published in the December issue of BioScience says there is just not enough information out there.

The article focuses on the desert Southwest, but has broader implications. It goes through potential impacts by category, including habitat fragmentation, dust and noise.

You can find the entire article here.

You can read the editor’s note that summarizes the paper and findings here.

And, since the authors are U.S. Geological Survey scientists, you can read the USGS press release, which also summarizes the findings, here.

Photo: A desert tortoise. Photo by: Jeffrey E. Lovich, courtesy USGS

More Info on Solar Power Impacts Needed

Posted on by
Reply

If you have felt lost while trying to evaluate the impact of a solar power project on wildlife, you are not alone. A literature review published in the December issue of BioScience says there is just not enough information out there.

The article focuses on the desert Southwest, but has broader implications. It goes through potential impacts by category, including habitat fragmentation, dust and noise.

You can find the entire article here.

You can read the editor’s note that summarizes the paper and findings here.

And, since the authors are U.S. Geological Survey scientists, you can read the USGS press release, which also summarizes the findings, here.

Photo: A desert tortoise. Photo by: Jeffrey E. Lovich, courtesy USGS

Tuppence a Bag

Posted on by
Reply

I can’t answer the question of whether feeding the birds is a harmless way to get people to care about wildlife or a if its a tragedy. But of all the harm that feeding birds does or might do, it looks like we can cross pesticide exposure off the list.

The American Bird Conservancy had a lab test bird seed from various sources and found either no pesticide contamination, or levels below those believed to harm bird health.

Read the press release announcing the study here.

The nice thing about this study is that it included seed from WalMart, Home Depot, Lowes and Target, places where the average bird feeder might purchase seed.

The actual report does not appear to be available. I’ll keep looking and post when and if I find it.

Jaguar and Ocelots: Seeing Spots in Arizona

Posted on by
Reply

What happens when an exciting wildlife sighting gets national media attention? Increased reports of rare wildlife? A sudden interest in that creature? Leave a comment to let us know what reactions you commonly get in your state.

The exciting wildlife sightings of this week are jaguars and ocelots in Arizona. There has been plenty of national coverage, including this article in the New York Times. The Times article dutifully notes that the Arizona Game and Fish Department has reassessed one of those ocelot sightings, and now believes it was a serval (Leptailurus serval), an African cat popular in the pet trade, or possibly a serval hybrid.

Here’s AZGFD’s press release on the jaguar sighting. And here’s a backgrounder on jaguars in Arizona.

Here’s AZGFD’s press release on the most recent ocelot sighting. And here’s the press release reassessing the ID.

Photo: An Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife manager investigates a jaguar sighting. Courtesy of Arizona Game and Fish Department

Arizona Allows Night Hunting for Predators

Posted on by
Reply

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission believes that reducing predators in certain game management units will boost struggling pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep populations. It signed off on a rule that will allow the use of artificial lighting during night hunts of coyotes and mountain lions.

Read the full press release here. (All the media coverage I’ve seen about this so far is just a reprint of the press release.)

The press release says that 41 other states allow night hunting of predators.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know which states? The closest I could find to a list is this list of coyote hunting regulations from the National Predator Hunters Association. It reveals that as of early 2011: in Florida you can hunt coyotes at night by the light of the moon, but need a permit for an artificial light; you can’t use lights affixed to a vehicle in Georgia; you can’t hunt coyotes on Sunday in Maine; and you must use a light when hunting at night in Indiana and Ohio.

The link pops up a Word document.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Game and Fish Commission