News Center

Drilling sites will have a lower impact if the road has two-tracks and follows the contour of the land to avoid straight lines and cut & fill. The well location is mowed, not excavated, to temporarily reduce vegetation (Credit: BLM).

On December 13, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued an Instruction Memorandum regarding protection of wildlife from causes of direct mortality associated with oil, gas, and geothermal facilities on BLM lands.  The new BLM Best Management Practices (BMP) policy aims to carry out BLM’s multi-use mission by facilitating responsible domestic energy production while proactively protecting wildlife through effective mitigation strategies.

The policy focuses on the BMPs for reducing wildlife mortality from risks such as open pits and tanks containing freestanding liquids; open exhaust stacks; pit, tank, and trench entrapment hazards; chemical tank secondary containment; and wire exclosure fencing.

Some of the mitigation strategies in the memorandum include utilizing closed loop systems or nets for managing fluids, constructing wildlife escape ramps in open excavation operations, and installing screens on all open exhaust stacks to prevent wildlife entry or nesting.  Also included are strategies specific to reducing threats to important and at-risk bird species like the greater-sage grouse and lesser prairie chicken. These mitigation strategies involve fence marking around facility exclosures to prevent wire collisions near the bird mating areas. Many of the BMPs also focus on improving the protection of livestock and human health and safety as well as safeguards against groundwater contamination and emissions around these BLM authorized fluid mineral facilities.

While developing the appropriate permit conditions for all new projects, the BLM will incorporate the necessary BMPs through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process. The mitigation measures implemented will help BLM and fluid mineral industry leaders to remain in compliance with the agency’s regulations, Onshore Orders, and the Fish and Wildlife Service’s enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The new BMP strategy is expected to have only minor costs associated with inspections, enforcement, performing environmental analyses as part of NEPA review, and monitoring to ensure mitigation is effective.

Source: BLM (January 7, 2013)

A manatee (Trichechus manatus) and her nursing calf. (Credit: Gaylen Rathburn/USFWS)

Milder Winter Temperatures Lead to Lower Annual Manatee Mortality Count in 2012
(Broward News)
Researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission documented fewer manatee deaths in 2012 than in the previous three years, as milder winter temperatures led to significantly less cold-related mortality. The FWC recorded 392 manatee carcasses in state waters last year, of which a quarter were determined to be from human-related causes. More

 

Expert: Killer Whales’ Apparent Escape from Sea Ice Likely Short-Lived
(The Globe and Mail)
A northern Quebec town cautiously celebrated after a dozen orcas appeared to have freed themselves from the shifting floes of Hudson Bay. But while some in the village of Inukjuak expressed relief, others feared the orcas might not have escaped danger. Many locals believe the water currents and ever-moving ice in the massive, frigid bay may eventually box the mammals in somewhere else. More

DNR Proposes Bird Conservation Area for Moulton, Iowa
(The Associated Press via San Francisco Chronicle)
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is proposing to establish a bird conservation area in a wildlife management area along the Chariton River in southern Iowa near Moulton. Bird conservation areas are at least 10,000 acres and include permanently protected bird habitat. More

Montana Wildlife Officials Urge Lawmakers to Ease Wolf Hunting Rules
(The Associated Press via The Oregonian)
State wildlife officials asked lawmakers to make it easier to hunt and trap wolves in Montana, while a Bozeman legislator backed off a proposal to cap the population at 250 of the predators. A legislative panel took up the proposals by Fish, Wildlife and Parks and state Rep. Ted Washburn, R-Bozeman, as the wolf debate took the spotlight in the first week of the 2013 legislative session. More

Birders Ready to Flock to Titusville, Fla.
(Orlando Sentinel)
By Jim Abbott: When it comes to bird-watching, or sighting other critters in the wild, I’m often reduced to acting like that annoying guy in the movie theater who doesn’t understand what just happened in a big-budget spy thriller. I’m the one leaning over the person next to me and whispering, “Is that the eagle’s nest? Over there?” “There’s a gator in those weeds? Is that it?” More

Louisiana Adds 11,145 Acres to Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area
(The Times-Picayune)
Louisiana has purchased 11,145 acres of forested wetlands on the northern shoreline of Lake Maurepas to add to the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area, using money given the state under a settement with MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC over environmental issues involving the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. More

Montana Judge’s Ruling Gives Yellowstone Bison More Room to Roam
(Yellowstone Gate)
Bison migrating out of the North Gate of Yellowstone National Park during cold and snowy weather will have some extra room to roam following a ruling by a Montana judge. District Court Judge E. Wayne Phillips dismissed a lawsuit brought by state and local livestock groups that sought to block a plan that would allow bison to move throughout a 70,000-acre “tolerance zone” of mostly federal land north of the park. More

Attacking Polar Bear Gives Arctic Wildlife Documentary Filmmaker Scare of a Lifetime
(Alaska Dispatch)
If you have ever wondered what if feels like to come face to face with a polar bear, check out a video by Scottish wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan. He was shooting a documentary about a family of polar bears in Norway’s Svalbard Arctic archipelago when he attracted the attention of a female bear. Luckily for him, Buchanan was inside a protective pod, an “ice cube” made of reinforced steel and Plexiglas. More

DEFRA Investigating Bird Deaths Mystery in Scotland
(The Courier)
A mysterious virus or natural event has baffled residents of a Scottish town, after a number of seabirds were found washed up on their shore. At least 17 geese and other unidentified birds were found on the coast of Arbroath, Angus, and dog walkers contacted The Courier to air their concerns. More

Zambia Bans Game Hunting of Lions and Leopards as Populations Fall
(GlobalPost)
The Zambian government has decided to ban the big-game hunting of lions and leopards within its borders, a considerable turn around for a country popular with trophy-seekers. “Tourists come to Zambia to see the lion, and if we lose the lion we will be killing our tourism industry,” said Zambian tourism minister Sylvia Masebo to Reuters, noting that her country makes a relatively insignificant $3 million a year off the big game hunting industry. More

The United States Capitol Building (Credit: Leader Nancy Pelosi).

The new year brought with it a new Congress to Washington, DC, which means changes in committee members and leadership.

The 113th Congress has already had significant shifts within some key House committees. The House Science, Space and Technology Committee’s new chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), has split responsibilities for energy and environmental issues into two new subcommittees.  The Energy and Environment Subcommittee was previously chaired by Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) alone, but Chairman Smith believes the issues are important enough for separate subcommittees.  Harris will now chair the Environment Subcommittee, while Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) will chair the subpanel focused on energy development.

Within the House Appropriations Committee, the new Republican member additions are Reps. Jamie Herrera Beutler (WA), Chuck Fleischmann (TN), Jeff Fortenberry (NE), David Joyce (OH), Thomas Rooney (FL), and David Valadao (CA).  The Democratic additions to this committee are Reps. Tim Ryan (OH), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL), and Steve Israel (NY). The House Natural Resource Committee’s newest members include freshmen Reps. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Chris Stewart (R-UT), Jared Huffman (D-CA),  Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), and Raul Ruiz (D-CA).

In the 113th Senate, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), replacing Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) as chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is expected to energize discussions on polarizing issues and has already made early steps towards bipartisan cooperation with Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the committee’s ranking Republican.  Within the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) has been named chairperson, a position left open after the passing of Hawaiian Sen. Daniel Inouye last December. Mikulski’s appointment as chair makes her the first woman to hold this position in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees funding for federal agencies and programs that impact wildlife management and conservation, among other things.  New additions to this committee include Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Begich (D-AK) –  filling the vacant seat left by Sen. Inouye, Mike Johanns (R-NE), and John Boozman (R-AR).

Also notable are the Senate freshmen that have been assigned to some key Committees.  Newly elected Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) will join the Agriculture Committee and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) has been assigned to the Environment and Public Works Committee.  The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will add two conservative freshmen, Sens. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Tim Scott (R-SC), along with Democratic Senators Brian Schatz (HI) and Martin Heinrich (NM). Flake and Scott have been consistent with their support of GOP efforts to expand domestic gas and oil production. The Senate’s newest member, Schatz, is expected to become a leading voice on renewable energy policy and has mentioned that one of his top priorities is to focus on climate change.

The Congressional committee assignments are still subject to caucus and will be finalized when approved by the full House or Senate in the coming weeks.

Sources: E & E News (E & E Daily, January 6, 2013), United States Senate Democrats (January 7, 2013), Govtrack.us (January 8, 2013). 

The Wildlife Society (TWS) is searching for a full-time employee to work in our membership marketing department as the Professional Development Coordinator.

MAJOR FUNCTION

The Professional Development Coordinator oversees all aspects of the certification and professional development programs including overseeing TWS Certification program and TWS Professional Development program, being the primary contact with TWS subunits, coordinating subunits’ financial and annual reporting, responding to member inquiries, processing certification application payment, participating in certification meetings, and creating letters and certificates.

This position also coordinates student and new professional membership recruitment and development activities during the annual conference, student conclaves, and Sponsor-A-Student campaign. This position will assist student chapters, chapters, sections, and working groups during all stages of development. This position will work to automate many of the administrative functions involved.

DUTIES: Duties will include writing articles for TWS’ blog, Facebook account, and other social media; recruiting new members; and performing online research and some clerical work. This position supervises the marketing department interns.

POSITION: This position is full-time and comes with health benefits, 403B retirement plan, free parking, and additional benefits.

QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree, wildlife background and some work experience in non-profits preferred. Candidates should have a strong interest in wildlife conservation, with proven skills in writing, social networking, online research, and MS Office. Preference is giving to applicants holding Associate Wildlife Biologist® or Certified Wildlife Biologist® certificates. Social media and website (Drupal) and software design experience is preferred. Location: TWS headquarters office in Bethesda, Maryland. Hours: 37.5 hours a week. Travel required several times per year. TWS reserves the right to request a background check on final applicants.

TO APPLY: Qualified applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Yanin Walker, yanin@wildlife.org. The Wildlife Society is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds.

A museum specimen of a Javan rhino is displayed in the National Museum of Natural History in the Netherlands. Researchers recently declared the Vietnam’s javan rhino officially extinct. Credit: Peter Maas

Vietnam’s Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus), a rare subspecies of the Javan rhino (R. sondaicus), is officially extinct. In 2010, rangers in Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park found a partial rhino skeleton at the bottom of a ravine. Nearby, a skull was found with a hole where the animal’s horn once was. A recent study published in Biological Conservation confirmed that this was the country’s last Javan rhino.

The Javan rhino is one of the world’s most endangered mammals and the Vietnamese Javan rhino is the second of three subspecies to go extinct. The Indian Javan rhinoceros (R. sondaicus inermis) disappeared sometime before 1925. The only remaining subspecies — the Indonesian Javan rhino (R. sondaicus sondaicus) exists only on a small portion of the Indonesian island of Java. Rhino populations are targeted primarily for their horns, which are believed to cure a number of diseases and ailments from cancer to hangovers. In reality, the rhino horn — made of keratin (the same protein that makes up our hair and fingernails) — has no proven medicinal value. Still, the horns demand a high price in the black markets of Vietnam and China.

The researchers carried out a comprehensive field survey of the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros population between October 2009 and April 2010 by using scat detection dogs to track rhino dung. Genetic material present in the dung revealed that it all belonged to a single individual rhino — the same rhino found killed in 2010.

Wildlife protection laws in Vietnam aren’t stringent and authorities don’t expect to catch the perpetrators who delivered the final blow to the Vietnamese Javan rhino population. In fact, wildlife populations across Southeast Asia appear to be declining, according to a recent article, largely because of a growing demand for animal parts used in traditional medicine.

 

 

Agriculture Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service (FFAS) Michael Scuse tours a drought stricken soybean field in Missouri, August, 2012 (Credit: USDA).

On January 1, the House passed a nine-month extension of the farm bill as part of the fiscal cliff deal.  The partial extension, signed into law by President Obama on January 3, was passed in place of a full five-year farm bill.

The extension has been criticized by many, including Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), because it does not include disaster assistance programs for farmers and ranchers, fails to provide mandatory funding for energy programs, and does not support research on organic crops, but maintains a $5 billion-a-year subsidy program.

Conservation groups are especially worried about the cuts to the Conservation Stewardship Program, a program that rewards farmers for making environmental improvements on their land.  Under the extension, the number of acres available to enroll through the program will decline significantly from that previously authorized under the 2008 farm bill.

The extension deal comes after the Senate passed a new five-year farm bill in June that would have cost $976 billion over a decade and saved about $23 billion in direct spending. The House Agriculture Committee also approved a five-year replacement of the 2008 farm bill measure in July that would have funded rural conservation, national nutritional assistance, and energy programs.  However, the House bill never made it to the floor for a vote.

Source: E & E News (Greenwire, January 7, 2013).

Several narwhal (Monodon monoceros) engaged in tusking behavior. Typically only males grow the tusk which is formed by an elongation of the upper left canine tooth. In medieval times, tusks were sometimes passed off as unicorn horns. (Credit: Glenn Williams/National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Narwhal Smuggling Ring Busted by American and Canadian Authorities
(Global Post)
An illegal narwhal smuggling ring has been busted by U.S. and Canadian officials in Maine, reported the Associated Press, ending a wildlife trafficking operation that lasted for a decade. Two Canadian accomplices smuggled the ivory, which was purchased legally in Canada, into Bangor, Maine, inside of a secret trailer compartment, and then shipped them to American agents via FedEx, who sold them to buyers for thousands of dollars each, said AP. More

 

 

Actions by Feds Cut Annual Bird Deaths in Oil and Gas Fields by Half
(The Chattanoogan)
According to a recently released policy document from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, migratory bird deaths at oil and gas operation waste pits have been reduced by 50-75 percent in the last 15 years, saving an estimated one to one-and-a-half million birds from grisly deaths caused by their landing in chemical-laden waste water pits associated with oil and gas operations. More

Michigan Wildlife Officials Will Start Mulling Wolf Hunt this Month
(Michigan Radio)
Michigan natural resources officials will start the new year considering a possible wolf hunt in the state. Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed a bill that establishes the gray wolf as a game species. But that doesn’t mean there will be a wolf hunt in the state. That will be up to the state wildlife commission. More

Kentucky Wildlife Officials Search for Solutions to Dangers Posed by Increasing Elk Population
(Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
Marauding elk had been trampling gardens, grazing on lawns and causing car crashes on the twisting country road that winds its way through Stoney Fork, Ky. No more. Folks got fed up and, with the approval of wildlife officials, started shooting the cow-sized animals that have multiplied by the thousands throughout Kentucky’s mountain region over the past 15 years. More

Bear Tunnels to be Built Under Georgia Highway
(Our Amazing Planet)
Bears and speeding cars don’t mix too well, and collisions can be deadly for man and beast. To avoid traffic accidents and put less pressure on black bears, the state of Georgia has completed initial plans to build six tunnels underneath a highway in the center of the state to allow the animals to safely cross, the Associated Press reports. The state is currently purchasing land adjacent to State Route 96 to enable the construction of the tunnels. More

Canadian Province Probes Killing of 12 Elk
(Winnipeg Free Press)
The province of Manitoba is investigating the killing of 12 elk about a week ago near Swan River — the dead animals were lined up and photographed for posts on Facebook and YouTube — to see if the hunters shot the animals on private land without permission. Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship officials are also concerned the elk may have been baited with shared feed put out to lure them to the kill. More

University of Wyoming Professor Traps Polar Bears, Studies Climate Change
(The Associated Press via Billings Gazette)
It’s not landing on ice in a helicopter next to a sedated polar bear that worries Merav Ben-David, it’s getting stuck there. In more than a decade of studying polar bears in the world’s farthest reaches, she’s never had to spend a night on the ice. She hopes she never will. As her career progresses, the University of Wyoming wildlife ecology professor still goes out on the ice. But, she is also working with the public. More

An Avalanche of Decline: Snow Leopard Populations are Plummeting
(Mongabay)
The trading of big cat pelts is nothing new, but recent demand for snow leopard pelts and taxidermy mounts has added a new commodity to the illegal trade in wildlife products, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency. Traditionally, the market for large cat products has centered around tiger bones and parts for traditional Chinese medicine. Snow leopards, however, are a novel trend in the illegal wildlife trade arena. More

Should China be Reintroducing More Giant Pandas Back into the Wild?
(Mother Nature Network)
In 2006, a 5-year-old captive-bred giant panda named Xiang Xiang (“Lucky”) was released into the wild — the first of his kind to make that transition. Ten months later, he was dead. Chinese wildlife officials said it appeared Xiang Xiang had suffered fatal internal injuries after being attacked by other wild-born male pandas in a battle for food and territory. More

(Credit: Voere/Wikimedia)

Former U.S. Senator John Edwards and several wildlife organizations have begun a campaign to outlaw hunt pens — fenced enclosures where captive foxes and coyotes are used to train hunting dogs to track and catch game — in North Carolina. The state is one of 19 in which the practice is legal, and currently has 129 hunt pens, according to a recent article by The Associated Press.

Groups including the North Carolina Wildlife Advocates and Project Coyote are assisting with the first step in the campaign — a petition that contends that hunting preserves violate the fair chase ethic, which states that hunters should not have an unfair advantage over the animal being chased. Meanwhile, groups such as the North Carolina Sporting Dog Association argue that hunt pens are necessary to train hunting dogs and that the captive wildlife are never mistreated.

Hunt pens have been legal in North Carolina since 1989, and legislation to ban them in 2009 failed to pass. The state’s Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) monitors operation of the hunting preserves. Wildlife advocates are concerned that while the WRC was integral in banning cock fighting and dog fighting in the past, it is currently taking a back seat in the hunt pen debate.

US Will Let Otters Roam Along Southern California Coastline (Los Angeles Times) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to allow sea otters to roam freely down the Southern California coastline, abandoning its program to relocate the voracious shellfish […]

Sea otter (Credit: Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire)

US Will Let Otters Roam Along Southern California Coastline
(Los Angeles Times)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to allow sea otters to roam freely down the Southern California coastline, abandoning its program to relocate the voracious shellfish eaters from waters reserved for fishermen. Federal officials determined that their sea otter trans-location program had failed after 25 years and thus they were terminating it, according to a decision published in the Federal Register. More

Opposition to Northern Gateway Pipeline Higher Than Ever: Poll
(MetroNews Canada)
A new poll shows the Northern Gateway pipeline has never been less popular with British Columbians. The Forum Research survey commissioned by the Gitga’at First Nation found 60 percent of British Columbians oppose the pipeline, up from 52 percent in … More

Wildlife Officials Declare Bounty on Burmese Pythons
(Tallahassee.com)
They, with help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will have a chance to do their part with the 2013 Python Challenge. The program is aimed not only at capturing as many Asian Burmese pythons, which can grow up to twenty-plus … More

Researchers Say Florida Panther Effort Likely Saved Big Cats from Extinction
(University of Florida News)
When wildlife managers imported eight female Texas pumas in hopes they would mate with native Florida panthers, they knew they were taking a bit of a risk. But a new University of Florida research study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, suggests their gamble paid off. Without those pumas, researchers Madan Oli and Jeff Hostetler found that the probability of the Florida panther population falling below 10 panthers by 2010 was nearly 71 percent. More

Low Water on Mississippi River Good for Some Wildlife, Bad for Others
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Low water levels on the Mississippi River are presenting challenges for some fish while benefiting other wildlife, experts say. The drought has left the middle Mississippi River near record lows, prompting grave concerns about river commerce. The impact on wildlife varies greatly, driving some fish out of normally safe areas but allowing some animals to thrive along sandbars and side channels exposed by the low water level. More

Alaskans React to Federal Plan for Management of NPR-A
(KTUU)
The Department of the Interior released its final environmental impact statement with regards to the area in Northern Alaska known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The statement was received with mixed responses from Alaskans. The plan allows for the designation of five areas of the NPR-A to be designated as “special areas” wherein oil exploration and development would not be permitted. More

Wilderness in Idaho’s Panhandle, Canada ‘Provides Critical Habitat’ to Woodland Caribou
(Boise Weekly)
Santa’s reindeer have to work for a living, but they have it better than their southern cousins, the woodland caribou, who live in scant numbers along the U.S.-Canada border in Idaho and Washington and the province of Alberta. Though caribou are found in large numbers in Quebec — more than 1 million animals roam 390,000 square miles there — their habitat has been disrupted and they’ve been heavily hunted by indigenous peoples. More

Butterflies Fly High on India’s Wildlife Conservation Map
(News Track India)
India has managed to protect nearly 1,504 species of butterflies discovered in the subcontinent despite threats to their survival by sporadic forest fires and depleting green cover, says leading butterfly researcher and environmentalist Peter Smetacek. “The most beautiful and endangered of the five specimens of butterflies collected from an unknown valley in Bhutan in 1934 have been rediscovered in India,” said Smetacek. More

Thousands of Baby Turtles Released in Bolivia
(Global Animal)
In an attempt to boost the region’s turtle population and ultimately rescue the species, thousands of turtle hatchlings were recently released into a river in Bolivia. Because these animals are extensively hunted for their meat and eggs, South American turtle populations have drastically fallen due to excessive hunting. More than 120,000 yellow spotted river turtles and South American river turtle were released into the Amazonian river. More

Is This the End of the Wild Rhino?
(Conde Nast Traveler)
They’ve lived through the Ice Age, the rampant hunting of the Victorian Age, and even climate change, but the African rhinoceros may not survive the poaching pandemic raging in Africa today. Graham Boynton reports on the race to save one of the oldest — and most magnificent — creatures on earth. More

Cameroon Mobilizes 600 Elite Soldiers to Defend Country from Poachers
(WWF)
Fifty kilometers from Chad’s border, at the edge of North Cameroon’s Bouba N’Djida National Park, speaking to media, General Martin Tumenta does not mince his words. “We are not dealing with ordinary poachers,” he told a group of national and international reporters. “They are highly armed, they have heavy machine guns, automatic rifles … they wear uniforms, they are organized and they are after our elephants.” More

It appears that more people are venturing into the great outdoors to hunt, fish, and observe wildlife, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final national report on the 2011 Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The report […]

Wildlife enthusiasts participate in a waterfowl hunt. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent report  on hunting, fishing, and wildlife recreation, 11.6 million U.S. residents hunted big game, 4.5 million hunted small game, 2.6 million targeted migratory birds, and 2.2 million hunted other wildlife species. Credit: Megan Durham/USFWS

It appears that more people are venturing into the great outdoors to hunt, fish, and observe wildlife, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final national report on the 2011 Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The report revealed that wildlife-related recreation increased significantly in the last five years across the United States, from $122 billion ($137 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars) in 2006 to $145 billion in 2011. Released December 20, this report follows closely on the heels of the FWS’s preliminary and state reports that were released earlier this year, and expands on the types of activities and money that Americans spent on hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.

Based on the 2011 survey, approximately 91 million U.S.residents aged 16 and older participated in some form of wildlife-related activity—an increase of 3 percent from the previous survey carried out in 2006. Further, wildlife recreationists spent $70.4 billion on equipment, $49.5 billion on trip-related expenses, and $24.8 billion on licenses, land leasing and ownership, and other expenses. An increase in wildlife-related expenditures benefits small businesses and communities that rely on wildlife-related tourism. Meanwhile federal funds from excise taxes on weapons, ammunition, and equipment along with state funds raised from hunting and fishing licenses are invested in conservation projects nationwide.

While fishing expenditures appear to have marginally decreased from $42 billion in 2006 to $41.8 billion in 2011, hunting expenditures are up from $22.9 billion in 2006 to $33.7 billion in 2011. Big game hunting ranked highest—11.6 million hunters targeted big game species, while a smaller percentage hunted small game, migratory birds, and other wildlife. Among anglers, of the 33.1 million anglers, 27.5 million fished freshwater species while 8.9 million targeted saltwater species. The survey also revealed that total wildlife-watching expenditures, which includes activities such as visiting public parks as well as feeding and photographing wildlife, added up to $54.9 billion in 2011—up from $45.7 billion in 2006. Most people didn’t have to go very far to appreciate nature: According to the report, almost 68.6 million people observed wildlife around their homes. Similarly, of the 46.7 million people who bird watched, 88 percent stayed around their homes and 38 percent traveled about a mile or more from home.

The FWS is scheduled to release 50 state reports starting this month until May 2013, followed by an analysis of evolving trends in hunting, fishing, and wildlife recreation.

November 29, 2012 the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Ocean, and Insular Affairs heard expert testimony relating to H.R. 501 which would list nine species of constrictor snakes as injurious under the Lacey Act.  It is […]

  Registration is open for the for the 2013 annual Teaming With Wildlife (TWW) Fly-In event, which is the coalition’s premier event to educate members of Congress about the importance of the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program and […]

The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) has released a draft Communications Strategic Plan online for public comment.   The purpose of the plan is to increase visitation and awareness of the Refuge System and ultimately fostering the next generation of Refuge […]

 

Credit: AFWA

Registration is open for the for the 2013 annual Teaming With Wildlife (TWW) Fly-In event, which is the coalition’s premier event to educate members of Congress about the importance of the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program and State Wildlife Action Plans.

The TWW coalition is comprised of more than 6,300 diverse State fish and wildlife agencies, wildlife related businesses, wildlife biologists, wildlife enthusiasts, sportsmen, and other conservationists in support of wildlife conservation funding.  The TWW coalition is the leading advocate for the SWG program, which is the only federal program with the specific goal of preventing endangered species listing by assisting with the conservation of at-risk species.

In 2012 more than 30 TWS members participated in the Fly-in. TWS members are encouraged to attend the Fly-In to represent their State fish and wildlife agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and subunits to advocate for the SWG program.  The event, sponsored by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), the Teaming With Wildlife Steering Committee, and the National Invasive Species Council, will be held on March 5 and 6 in Washington, DC.

 

Registration
The registration fee of $50 includes all meetings, meals, and admission to the Congressional Reception and can be paid by prior to or upon arrival. Contact Liz Skipper at lskipper@fishwildlife.org for more information.  The deadline for registration is February 28, 2013.

Lodging
AFWA will not be blocking rooms for the Fly-In; however, the National Invasive Species Council will be making their room block available for Fly-In attendees under the group name “2012 National Invasive Species Awareness Week.”  You can also find a list of hotels in the Washington DC area here.

Awards
As part of this annual event, the TWW Steering Committee is accepting nominations for two awards until January 4. The awards, the TWW Coalition Member Achievement Award and The State Wildlife Action Plan Partnership Award, will be presented at the Congressional Reception on March 6.

The National Park Service (NPS) hopes to exempt three national preserves from a change in hunting regulations by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and prohibit hunters from taking grizzly bears over bait in the preserves. The three preserves […]

The National Park Service (NPS) hopes to exempt three national preserves from a change in hunting regulations by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and prohibit hunters from taking grizzly bears over bait in the preserves. The three preserves are Denali National Preserve, Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

In addition, NPS proposes a shorter season for wolves and coyotes in those and an additional six preserves.  NPS plans to continue to enforce restrictions put in place last season that prohibited the take of black bears at dens with artificial lights and the take of black bear cubs and sows with cubs.

NPS expressed concern that baiting will habituate brown bears to humans as a source of food, and wishes to restrict the season on wolves and coyotes while they are raising pups: a time when pelts will be of little commercial or trophy value. Numerous hearings will be held across the state over the next two weeks to discuss the proposed restrictions.  Public comment from the hearings will be considered before the release of the draft compendium, scheduled for January 15th.  A 30-day public comment period will be held for the draft, and a final version is expected to go into effect April 1.

Source – AP/Portland Oregonian December 10, 2012, NPS December 11, 2012

In November 2012, I traveled to Bangalore, India, because I was asked to chair a committee to evaluate the master’s degree program in wildlife at the National Center of Biological Sciences (NCBS). The other committee members were Drs. Barry Noon […]

This edition examines a variety of critical wildlife issues such as the impact of deer breeding on public trust wildlife, the ethics of wildlife photography, ongoing efforts to protect Vietnam’s rarest primate, and more. Read now!