Penn State researchers have confirmed what most Foresters have known for years-----That forest soils inundated by acid rain restrict the availability of calcium-rich food items, such as snails, critical for many song birds' reproduction.......... The availability of snails is typically related to the availability of calcium in the soil, because snails require high levels of calcium to produce highly calcified exoskeletons and to reproduce.............. Understanding the relationships between forest songbirds and soil calcium availability is of great importance in the northeastern United States, where decades of acidic deposition and forest harvesting and aging have resulted in chronically acidified forest soils with depleted calcium availability.............. The majority of forested lands in the northeastern United States have naturally acidic soils that are sensitive to acid inputs and receive high levels of acidic atmospheric deposition............. Soil quality has an influence that reverberates all the way through the forest ecosystem, and fertile soils are not only important for plants but also for the multitude of other organisms and animals found within the forest

  Acid rain and subsequent calcium depletion of forest soils in eastern North America may be limiting forest songbird populations, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. 

phys.org-news


 In a six-year study, Sarah Pabian, who recently received her doctoral degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science, monitored populations of ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) in four forested, 100-hectare sites in central Pennsylvania. To determine how forest songbird habitat quality is related to soil calcium availability, researchers experimentally elevated soil calcium by applying dolomitic limestone sand to two of the test sites. Lime was applied using a modified log skidder at the rate of 4,500 kilograms per hectare. "We measured ovenbird territory size and quantified breeding performance in 2008 and compared the data to our observations made before 2003 and for three years after -- from 2004 to 2006," Pabian said.

 "Replenishing calcium to the extremely acidic soils in Pennsylvania forests made a significant difference -- we observed a 1.8-fold increase in ovenbird territory density, larger clutch sizes and more nests where soil calcium was enriched," she reported. "However, surprisingly, we did not see effects on egg characteristics, such as shell thickness." Pabian -- who was advised by Margaret Brittingham, Penn State professor of wildlife resources who has done important research relating to the Pennsylvania habitat of neotropical migrant songbirds -- concluded that acidic forest soils restrict the availability of calcium-rich food items, such as snails, critical for the birds' reproduction.

Eastern Bluebird

 "Forest soils in many areas of the world are becoming increasingly acidified, in part because of atmospheric deposition of strong acids produced by the burning of fossil fuels," she said. Pabian's research, which recently was published in The AUK, an international journal of ornithology, is notable because little previous experimental evidence exists for the purported relationship between soil calcium and avian reproduction. Snails are a critical calcium source for many breeding birds, Pabian explained, and she suspects that snails are the link between soils and birds, because snail abundance increased with liming and was positively correlated with soil calcium.

 "We concluded that ovenbird habitat quality is related to soil calcium, that birds on our sites were calcium-limited, and that reduced soil calcium could play an important role in bird declines in acidified forests," she said. "Birds may be particularly sensitive to soil calcium depletion because they require large amounts of calcium to produce eggshells successfully and raise young," Pabian added. "For example, to produce a single clutch of eggs, some small bird species require more calcium than is in their entire skeleton." Small songbirds, which do not store much calcium for reproduction and do not have enough calcium in their normal diets to produce eggs, must rely on calcium-rich food supplements (particularly snails) at the time of reproduction, Pabian said.

 The availability of snails is typically related to the availability of calcium in the soil, because snails require high levels of calcium to produce highly calcified exoskeletons and to reproduce. "In areas where acidic deposition has driven down snail abundance, songbirds have laid eggs with thin or even no shells," she said. "Calcium deficiency also has been observed to limit clutch size, reproductive success and skeletal development of chicks."

 Understanding the relationships between forest songbirds and soil calcium availability is of great importance in the northeastern United States, where decades of acidic deposition and forest harvesting and aging have resulted in chronically acidified forest soils with depleted calcium availability. The majority of forested lands in the northeastern United States have naturally acidic soils that are sensitive to acid inputs and receive high levels of acidic atmospheric deposition.

Naturally acidic northeastern USA forests are sensitive to acid rain

Approximately 17 percent of forest soils in the United States exceed critical acidic deposition loads, with the greatest concentration of acidified forests in the Northeast. Pabian's research documented a close connection between soil parameters, including soil pH and calcium levels and habitat quality for songbirds. "Farmers long have known that soil quality has a direct influence on crop production," she said. "Current research shows that forest ecologists and wildlife biologists also should be concerned with soil fertility and anthropogenic effects that may negatively influence it.

 Soil quality has an influence that reverberates all the way through the forest ecosystem, and fertile soils are not only important for plants but also for the multitude of other organisms and animals found within the forest.

Provided by Pennsylvania State University

"Is the world still wild enough for wolves? A creature is not a wild creature unless it is being polished by unfenced landscapes, abundant prey, and the freedom to pursue it. We have added roads and radio collars and exotic animals to the forces of evolution. Have we so carved the world into geometric shapes of possession, liability, privacy and commercial haste that it cannot abide wolves?"--Peter Steinhart from his book THE COMPANY OF WOLVES-------Our friend Sadie Paar taking her cue from Peter to ask all of us to put pressure on the Alberta, Canada Provincial Government to put an end to Wolf bounties

From: sadie parr sadieparrwolfpact@gmail.com

Subject: No Room For Wolf Bounties in Canada


Welcome spring and wolf pups about to be born, although it will be several weeks before they see the sunshine.  We wish them safety in their warm and cozy dens!

At the same time - Alberta wolf bounties remain in the press, which is good news. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/Private+bounties+driving+large+wolf+kills+Alberta/8160067/story.html

People across the country have been outraged by learning that this unethical and misleading practice continues in western Canada, and wildlife supporters from around the world have been making the time to tell decision makers that killing contests, bounties, poison, and helicopter gunning is not only wrong on ethical grounds, but also straying way too far from recommendations based on scientific knowledge.  Follow the links below to stay "ïn the loup" and help make the change by using YOUR VOICE. 

Interestingly, funding for some of these bounty programs seems to come from the Wyoming-based Wild Sheep Foundation. 

Who is looking out for CANADIAN WOLVES?....You!

PLEASE contact ESRD Minister McQueen asking Alberta to take responsibility for wolves and manage by science, not special interest groups.    
Call Toll Free Alberta: 310-ESRD (3773)
Toll Free: 1 877 944-0313
Fax: 780 427-4407
Email: ESRD.Info-Centre@gov.ab.ca
tweet @DianaMcQueenMLA
Below is a link to the Alberta Wilderness Association's news release and letter on their Wolf Archive page.  You can also view the history of the Big Lakes Wolf Bounty internal discussions gained by AWA through the Freedom of Information Act.  We thank them for continuing to focus on this issue!

http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlife/wolves/archive

Thank you for speaking out to stop bounty programs!  If you need a few tips on what to write about, check out section on Wolves and Livestock at www.JustBeings.com or visit the link above.

Most sincerely, Sadie

Sadie Parr - Just Beings & the Western Wolf Pact
www.JustBeings.com

--

"Is the world still wild enough for wolves?  A creature is not a wild creature unless it is being polished by unfenced landscapes, abundant prey, and the freedom to pursue it.  We have added roads and radio collars and exotic animals to the forces of evolution.  Have we so carved the world into geometric shapes of  possession, liability, privacy and commercial haste that it cannot abide wolves?"

-Peter Steinhart from his book The Company of Wolves.

THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY, U OF NEVADA AND NEVADA DEPT. OF WILDLIFE just published a 15 year study of Nevada Black Bears...........The study encompassed an area locally referred to as the Carson front – reaching from the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada east to the Virginia Range and Pine Nut Mountains,,,,, and from Reno south to Topaz Lake. ....Historical records show that the bruins ranged throughout the state up until 1931...............Overhunting and conflicts with domesticated livestock contributed to the bear's local decline in the Great Basin.............. However, landscape changes from clear-cutting forests throughout the western and central regions of the state during the mining booms of the late 1800s played an important part as well.............. The bear population has rebounded, though, as fossil fuels replaced timber as a source for heat and energy, forestry and grazing practices evolved, and reforestation and habitat regeneration occurred in parts of the their former range

Black Bear Population In Nevada Is Coming Back From The Brink

redorbit.com

Image Caption: This image shows black bear cubs in study area. Credit: Jon Beckmann/WCS

One of Nevada's most interesting inhabitants, the black bear, is the focus of a new study from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the University of Nevada, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). The three agencies pieced together the last 150 years of history for the bear.

The study looked at everything from recent scientific studies to historic newspaper articles. These sources indicate that the black bears were once distributed throughout Nevada, but subsequently vanished in the early 1900s. Due in a great part to conservation and management efforts by NDOW and WCS, the bear population is increasing and rapidly reoccupying its former range.

The 15-year study was compelled in part by a dramatic increase in human/bear conflicts and a 17-fold increase in bear mortality due to automobile collisions between the early 1990s and mid-2000s. The study, published online in the Journal of Wildlife Management, included a review of the black bear's little-known history in the state.

Over the 15 years of the study, bears were captured both in the wild and at the urban interface because of conflict complaints. Before being released, the captured bears were evaluated for multiple physiological indicators. These included condition, sex, reproductive status, weight, and age. The information gathered allowed the scientists to estimate the population size in the study area to be 262 bears – 171 males and 91 females. The researchers mapped confirmed sightings and points of capture from 1988 to the present. This map was presented in the report to illustrate current population demographics. It will also be used to shape bear management in Nevada.

"It's critical to understand the population dynamics in a given area in order to make informed decisions regarding management," said WCS Conservation Scientist Jon Beckmann. "This includes decisions on everything from setting harvest limits to habitat management to conservation planning in areas where people will accept occupation by bears. We used this long-term study to determine if reported incidences were due to an increasing or expanding bear population, or people moving to where bears are located. The answer is both."

The study encompassed an area locally referred to as the Carson front – reaching from the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada east to the Virginia Range and Pine Nut Mountains, and from Reno south to Topaz Lake. The urban interfaces of cities and towns of the Lake Tahoe Basin were included because many captures were in response to conflicts in those locations.

The researchers wanted to integrate information on the historical demographics of the black bear, but found that little published scientific research or data was available. The bear's history in Nevada went mostly ignored until 1987 when complaints from sightings and road collisions with vehicles began.

Because of the lack of scientific literature, NDOW biologist Robert McQuivey began searching primary sources. He compiled historical records that included old newspaper articles, pioneer journals dating as far back as 1849, and NDOW records that had long been unavailable. These were reviewed, confirming that black bears were present throughout the state until approximately 1931. The study concludes, "The paucity of historical references after 1931 suggest extirpation of black bears from Nevada's interior mountain ranges by this time."

"The historical records paint a very different picture of Nevada's black bear than what we see today. This new perspective is a good indication of what bear management in this state could involve should the population continue to expand," said Carl Lackey of NDOW.

Overhunting and conflicts with domesticated livestock contributed to the bear's local decline in the Great Basin, however, landscape changes from clear-cutting forests throughout the western and central regions of the state during the mining booms of the late 1800s played an important part as well. The bear population has rebounded, though, as fossil fuels replaced timber as a source for heat and energy, forestry and grazing practices evolved, and reforestation and habitat regeneration occurred in parts of the their former range.

In addition to the current demographics map, the research team created historical maps of black bear distribution within the interior of Nevada during the 1800s and early 1900s, recommending that historical range maps for the species in North America be revised to include the information gathered as part of their study.

A good Easter Sunday(and end of Passover week) to all of you...............George Wuerthner reiterating the challenged state of the Wolverine in Montana and asking the Montana Fish & Wildlife folks to justify their unsustainable desire to continue to allow trapping of the Wolverines in their state...........George notes their contradictory outlook on gulo gulo---- "Human-caused mortality of wolverines is likely additive to natural mortality due to the low reproductive rate and relatively long life expectancy of wolverines… This means that trapped populations likely live at densities that are lower than carrying capacity, and may need to be reinforced by recruits from untrapped populations to maintain population viability and persistence."......."As trustees responsible for preserving Montana's wildlife heritage, MDFWP needs to use biology in formulating policies. And biology clearly warrants endangered listing status under the ESA."

From: George Wuerthner [mailto:gwuerthner@gmail.com]
 

http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/03/28/wolverine-clearly-endangered/

Wolverine clearly endangered

I attended the Fish and Wildlife Service's wolverine listing hearings in Helena.  Opponents, including a number of Montana state legislators as well as MDFWP,  argued that wolverine populations were "stable" or even "increasing" and therefore did not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act.

linformed state legislators who testified could be forgiven for not understanding basic biology, MDFWP does not have that excuse. Their opposition to listing of the wolverine and their insistence on continued trapping when the state's wolverine population is so tiny is both ecologically irresponsible and represents a breach of the public trust to protect Montana's wildlife heritage.

The most obvious long term threat to wolverine is climate change. That will become a greater threat to wolverine in the future. However, what is ignored by many opponents of listing is that with a population of only 250-300 animals in the entire lower 48 states, and perhaps no more than 175 in Montana, wolverine are already well under what most conservation biologists believe is a minimum number for long term survival.  In other words from a purely biological perspective they are clearly endangered with extinction now, regardless of what happens with global climate change in the future.

Wolverine have one of the lowest reproductive rates of any of Montana's mammals. Even in the best of circumstances, wolverine can barely balance their population increases against losses. Any increase in mortality, for whatever reason, could cause such a small population to spiral downward to extinction.

In addition, its breeding behavior makes the wolverine more prone to extirpation than other animals. Wolverine males will stake out a territory that over lapses with a number of females. This automatically ensures lower genetic diversity because the one male may breed several females.

With only 250-300 animals, due to this behavioral trait the "effective breeding population" is only 30-40 animals. This tiny reproductive effort almost guarantees a loss in genetic diversity and indeed, recent genetic studies have confirmed that wolverine in the lower 48 states suffer from low genetic diversity compared to wolverine in more robust populations in Canada.

Loss of genetic diversity can lead to all kinds of genetic disorders that can threaten the species survival, and also limits its ability to cope with random stochastic events that individuals with greater genetic diversity might be able to cope with. As a rule of thumb, most geneticists believe that an effective breeding population of at least 500 individuals is needed to ensure the long term survival of carnivore species. With only 35-40 breeding animals in any one year, wolverine are well below this safe threshold.

Worse for the wolverine's long term survival, the remaining wolverine populations are frequently found in small isolated groups in widely scattered mountain ranges. The survival of the larger population is dependent on the health of these small populations. Trapping or any other increase in mortality could easily wipe out the animals from mountain range to mountain range by removal of just one or two individuals.

As the FWS notes: "Human-caused mortality of wolverines is likely additive to natural mortality due to the low reproductive rate and relatively long life expectancy of wolverines… This means that trapped populations likely live at densities that are lower than carrying capacity, and may need to be reinforced by recruits from untrapped populations to maintain population viability and persistence."

Even though Montana's wolverine trapping regulations are conservative, it can still be additive to overall wolverine losses. For instance, the trapping of one male may result in immigration of a new male into the territory. Male wolverine will often attempt to kill the young sired by other males, so it's entirely possible that the loss of one male to a trapper, may in effect result in the loss of many more wolverine.

Similarly the trapping of a pregnant female or a female with young may result in the starvation of her kits, again creating a loss to the population. If this trapping mortality were to occur in one of the smaller sub populations, it could result in the local extirpation of that population.

As trustees responsible for preserving Montana's wildlife heritage, MDFWP needs to use biology in formulating policies. And biology clearly warrants endangered listing status under the ESA.

Florida Gulf Coast Universtiy has expanded the scope and consciousness of college basketball fans around the Country with their from "no where" emergence as a "force of one" during March Madness..............The "rust lining"(certainly not silver lining) to their "David versus Goliath" dominance in hoops is how against the strong recommendation of the USFW Service, the University was built on land deemed critical to long term Puma survival in the Sunshine State.................A very disappointing story on this Easter Sunday for you to digest

The Dark Side of Florida Gulf Coast University, March Madness Sweetheart

The university trampled over Florida panther habitat at the behest of a Big Ag benefactor. Cinderella who?

—By Tim Murphy;motherjones.com

William Streicher/Icon Smi/ZumaPress.com

The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles, the first 15-seed ever to reach the NCAA basketball tournament's second weekend, are the toast of March Madness on the basis of their high-flying style (nickname: "Dunk City") and up-from-nowhere story. Less than two decades ago, FGCU was little more than a collection of trailers looking out over a swamp. Today its hoops team is hanging with the heavyweights.

The less inspiring story, however, is how FGCU rose up out of the swamp. To put it bluntly: The school paved over it, using government connections to pressure the US Fish and Wildlife Service into green-lighting the development and in the process wiping out one of the last vital habitat areas of the severely endangered Florida panther. FGCU's is a particularly extreme version of a familiar story. For a century, South Florida developers have stared down all comers—and methodically reshaped the environment in the process.

To get to the home of FGCU, take the Ben Hill Griffin Parkway south, drive past Ben Hill Griffin III Hall (one of the oldest academic buildings on campus), and park your car at Alico Arena, the state-of-the-art gym named for the agribusiness empire formerly run by Ben Hill Griffin III. Alico specializes in citrus, sugarcane, cattle, and, with a great deal of success, real estate development.

After Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles approved the creation of a new public university in 1991, Griffin offered up Alico's property in the town of Estero, on the condition that he be allowed to use the surrounding 16 square miles for his own development purposes. Griffin sweetened the deal with a $1.2 million gift to fund an environmental studies program and $1 million worth of materials to fill in the land to build the aforementioned environmental studies program. The site was ranked at the bottom of a list of three proposed locations and faced stiff objections from environmentalists and regional planners. That didn't matter.

"Ben Hill Griffin just went in and lobbied different people and said this is what we want," one environmental lawyer told the St. Petersburg Times. "And he got it."

"The panther ain't never been there, ain't coming back," Griffin said.

The state began moving ahead with plans to build the school in Estero, but there was a problem. Because the land was part of the Everglades ecosystem, federal law required the approval of both the Army Corps of Engineers (which enforces the Clean Water Act) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (which enforces the Endangered Species Act). Although the the Corps initially dragged its feet on the project, it eventually yielded under pressure from Republican then-Sen. Connie Mack.

(The location is visually striking, but not ideal. As the St. Petersburg Times reported, "Two months into construction, the site was flooded with three feet of water, and since it opened, the university has been caught three times illegally pumping water off its campus into adjacent swamps.")

But the Fish and Wildlife Service was a tougher sell. After studying the proposal, and considering not just the impact of the university proper, but of the tens of thousands of acres that stood to be developed if it went forward, the agency did something it almost never does—especially in South Florida, especially in the 1990s. It issued a "jeopardy" draft opinion, finding that the placement of FGCU was "likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the Florida panther."

The report carried with it a hint of doom. "It cannot be overly stressed that continued deterioration, fragmentation, or loss of habitat will reduce the South Florida panther population below the level essential for demographic and genetic health, leading to extinction," read one underlined passage. The entire area studied by FWS, it concluded, would become uninhabitable to panthers.

FWS report (p. 21)

But that didn't sit well with Griffin, the university's principal benefactor. As he put it, "The panther ain't never been there, ain't coming back." He lobbied Democratic then-Sen. Bob Graham, who in turn pushed the FWS to reconsider its findings.

"They wanted the project and they weren't concerned at all about the environmental effects," said Andy Eller, a former FWS whistleblower who now works as a photographer in western Kentucky.

The FWS took another look and, this time, gave the project the green light. The agency relied on one of Eller's colleagues, whose projections woefully overestimated the number of panthers in the wild and the range of their habitat. (The biologist in question later left his post to take a job as a consultant to developers.) Alico stock jumped 20 percent the week of the ground-breaking.

As Times' Michael Grunwald reported, the Corps approved virtually every Everglades development proposal that crossed its desk in the 1990s. The Fish and Wildlife Service wasn't any better. "The FWS has a perfect track record of approving projects in the Florida panther habitat," says Matthew Schwartz, executive director of the South Florida Wildlands Association. Eller could only think of a handful of cases in which the agency had even put up a fight—usually resulting in a deal in which developers set aside land to "offset" the effects of a project.

The University has taken some steps to mitigate the effects of its existence. Through a program called "Panther Posse," FGCU students work with local schools to educate kids about the endangered panther and raise money to purchase infrared cameras for cat-monitoring. Alico has also, like other major landholders, sought to offset its environmental footprint by setting aside small preserves as panther habitat. But the effect, as Eller puts it, is like "punching holes in Swiss cheese"; panthers need large contiguous habitats to roam, not scattered oases.

No single piece of real estate development is responsible for killing of the endangered panther, but the cumulative effect of decades and decades of rubber-stamping is impossible to ignore.

"Eventually you're gonna get to the point where the habitat is simply not large enough for an animal with a range as large as a panther," Schwartz says.

And Griffin, who has given millions to the school and donated the 760 acres upon which the campus sits, has seen his investment pay off. Since the school's doors opened in 1997, the 13,000 acres surrounding FGCU, nestled in the suburbs of Fort Myers, have boomed into housing developments, shopping centers, and enough golf courses to validate the university's other nickname—Florida Golf Coast.

But it's difficult to escape the Griffin legacy in Florida, where the family has been a political and economic force for nearly a century. Just consider the Eagles' next tournament opponent. To get from FGCU to the home of the University of Florida Gators, the directions are pretty simple. Get back on the Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and head north (past Alico Road) and east (past the Ben Hill Griffin Jr. Citrus Hall in Lake Alfred) until you get to Gainesville. Park at the football field. You can't miss it—it's called Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Moose in Washington State seem to be holding their own and not succombing to winter ticks and deer brain disease................. Moose numbers are at least holding steady while moose continue to expand their range westward in the state.................Moose moved into Washington from Idaho. A 1970s survey indicated about 60 were in the northeast region, enough to allow three permits for Washington's first moose hunting season in 1977. The moose population is in the thousands now

Moose declining in Idaho, spreading in Washington

Moose in Washington appear to be bucking the decline that's plaguing the animals across most of the lower 48 states, a Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologist says.

Rich Harris, the agency's new special species manager hired last year, says annual aerial surveys and hunter success rates indicate moose numbers are at least holding steady while moose continue to expand their range westward in the state.

Idaho, however, is reporting declines in moose, primarily in the Panhandle and northcentral region where wolf packs have been revived.

Dave Koehler, Idaho Fish and Game Department wildlife biologist in Lewiston, said while predators are part of the problem, they may not be the most important factor. Citing moose studies in other states, he said habitat changes, parasites and warmer temperatures related to climate changes are believed to be major drivers of the decline.

"I'm not saying wolves are not having an impact on moose recruitment, but it's not as simple as saying they are the problem," he said.

The explanation could include other factors, such as infestations of parasites, changes in fire management and timber markets or the impacts of climate change.

Biologists across the northern tier of states are looking into moose declines:

--Minnesota's moose population is dropping so fast that conservation officials have suspended moose hunting indefinitely starting this year.

--Montana, where moose have been declining since the mid 1990s and moose hunting permits have been reduced, has launched a 10-year moose study on the health, reproduction rate and habitat of moose.

--Wyoming has documented serious declines of Shiras moose in the northwestern portion of the state over the past 30 years.

Idaho Panhandle herds are in obvious decline in some areas, such as the east side of Unit 1, said Jim Hayden, IFG's regional wildlife manager in Coeur d'Alene. "None except units 2 and 3 appear to be increasing anymore," he said.

Moose moved into Washington from Idaho. A 1970s survey indicated about 60 were in the northeast region, enough to allow three permits for Washington's first moose hunting season in 1977. The moose population is in the thousands now - Harris refused to guess at a more precise number - and 140 permits will be offered this year. A moose permit is still a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Washington through the annual lottery drawing.

"Poring over our index data with the district biologists, we're not seeing anything other than continued increase thus far," Harris said. "But there's room for subtle things to be happening that we're not aware of."

Wolves, for example, could be having significant impacts in small areas, he said.

Still, hunter harvest continues to be around 135 moose a year, with success rates running 92-97 percent.

Idaho is issuing 859 moose permits statewide.

Idaho, which relies heavily on hunting success rates in monitoring its moose population, is offering 695 bull tags statewide this year, down from 814 offered in 2010. Antlerless tags have been reduced from 197 to 164 in that period.

The permits are prized; hunters have around a 15 percent chance of drawing one.

The biggest decreases in permits have been in the Clearwater Region, where 262 moose permits were offered in 2004. This season, only 98 tags are offered.

"It's been a fairly precipitous drop and it's been fairly steady over the last 10 years or so," Koehler said.

The agency doesn't have hard data on moose numbers. Instead it relies on the success of hunters and anecdotal field sightings to gauge the health of the moose herd. When hunter success rates dipped below 75 percent, the agency called for permit reductions in some areas.

"In the Panhandle, we've had emergency closures for cow moose hunting except along the Washington border, and reduced bull moose permit numbers in Hunt 1-3 and Hunt 1-4 in particular," Hayden said. "Success rates there in the 40-50 percent range instead of the usual 85 percent or so.

"It's not all bad news," he added, noting that permits likely will increase in units 8 and 8A, where hunter success rates have been near 100 percent for more than a decade.

"Other areas we're still watching - but data are few with moose, just not enough money to monitor outside of harvest."

Washington issued 150 once-in-a-lifetime moose hunting permits last year. Although the number will decrease to 140 in 2013, it's not a reduction in moose hunting opportunity.

The number of advanced hunter education permits - issued to hunters who are on-call for dealing with moose that are causing damage to crops or a public hazard - will be reduced from 20 to 10, Harris said.

"Only a few of those hunters have been used in recent years, so we're just reducing the frustration of too many hunters waiting around with permits and never getting called," he said.

Harris hopes to step up Washington moose surveys to get more detailed population trends. "We don't have an unending budget," he noted, and any increases in research will take a few years to gel into more precise estimates."

As big as they are, moose are difficult to count. Aerial surveys must be scheduled in the narrow window of winter when snow is on the ground to make them visible and before the bulls drop their antlers. Distinguishing the gender is important survey data.

"The weather at that time of year makes the flying window even smaller," Harris said.

This fall the agency will ask hunters to voluntarily bring moose heads to offices so biologists can take tissue samples to monitor for parasites.

Moose have extended their range westward, with cows raising their calves in Walla Walla and Ellensburg, Harris said. "We think their numbers are still going up, but we know that no wildlife population continues to increase forever."

Eric Barker of the Lewiston Tribune contributed to this story.

Will early Springs and late Falls throw predator and prey out of whack with each other?..........The research shows that there are large differences between species in the rate at which seasonal events have shifted........... Changes have been most rapid for many organisms at the bottom of food chains, such as plants and the animals that feed upon them................ Predators have shown slower overall changes in the seasonal timing of their life cycle events............... However, the seasonal timing of reproduction is often matched to the time of year when food supply increases, so that offspring receive enough food to survive............... A key question is whether animals higher up the food chain will react to the faster rates of change in the plants and animals they feed upon, or whether they will fail to do so and become less successful at rearing their offspring.

Will Earlier Springs Throw Nature out of Step?

scicencdaily.com

 — The recent trend towards earlier UK springs and summers has been accelerating, according to a study published in the scientific journalGlobal Change Biology

The collaborative study, involving scientists from 12 UK research institutions, universities and conservation organisations, is the most comprehensive and rigorous assessment so far of long-term changes in the seasonal timing (phenology) of biological events across marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments in the UK.

Led by Dr Stephen Thackeray and Professor Sarah Wanless of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the research gathers together more than 25,000 long-term phenology trends for 726 species of plants and animals. More than 80 trends between 1976 and 2005 indicate earlier seasonal events. The study considers a diverse array of organisms including plankton, plants, insects, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals. On average, the seasonal timing of reproduction and population growth has become earlier by more than 11 days over the whole period, but change has accelerated in recent decades.

The research shows that there are large differences between species in the rate at which seasonal events have shifted. Changes have been most rapid for many organisms at the bottom of food chains, such as plants and the animals that feed upon them. Predators have shown slower overall changes in the seasonal timing of their life cycle events. However, the seasonal timing of reproduction is often matched to the time of year when food supply increases, so that offspring receive enough food to survive. A key question is whether animals higher up the food chain will react to the faster rates of change in the plants and animals they feed upon, or whether they will fail to do so and become less successful at rearing their offspring.

Coyote pup with a rabbit

Dr Thackeray said, "This is the first time that data have been analysed with enough consistency to allow a meaningful comparison of patterns of changing seasonal timing in the UK among such a diverse range of plants and animals."

Professor Wanless said, "It is important to realise that this analysis doesn't identify which predator-prey relationships are most at risk of disruption due to changes in timing. What it does do is highlight that the recorded changes need urgent investigation, particularly for species with high economic or conservation importance."

Co-author Richard Smithers of the Woodland Trust said, "Phenology is 'the canary in the cage'. The results of this new study make real our changing climate and its potential to have profound consequences for the complex web of life."

The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and carried out by staff from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Woodland Trust, Butterfly Conservation, University of Cambridge, Rothamsted Research, Marine Scotland, Royal Holloway University of London, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Sciences, Freshwater Biological Association, People's Trust for Endangered Species, British Trust for Ornithology, and the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit University of Worcester. Two of the research team, originally based at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, have since moved to Poznan University of Life Sciences in Poland and the Natural Environmental Research Institute in Denmark.

It is truly ironic that with Wyoming Elk hunters as successful as they have ever been and who consistently blast over 22,000 Elk from their woodlands and open spaces, still make the Wolf, Puma, Griz and Black Bear out to be the epitome of "EVIL INCARNATE".................In fact 2012, set an all time high record for Elk killed--over 26,000 of the browsers were removed from the population---And still, the cry is heard to expand the Wolf hunting and trapping season................As George Wuerthner points out in our email exchange(see below)-----"Gosh I wonder how this is happening with all those wolves in Wyoming "decimating" the elk hunting opportunities just like in Montana where the majority of elk management units are at or above objectives".

Wyoming has record elk harvest in 2012

From: George Wuerthner [mailto:gwuerthner@gmail.com]

Sent: Friday, March 29, 2013 02:16 PM
To: Meril, Rick
Subject: Re: Fwd: Wyoming has record elk harvest in 2012  

Exactly. That is the way to view this and it is not often stated, though it's there as the underlying issue. Same for wolf proponents. Many of us see changing the way predators are treated as a way to make atonement for past misdeeds. So wolves represent more than an animal for both camps.

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On Fri, Mar 29, 2013 at 2:07 PM, Meril, Rick <Rick.Meril@warnerbros.com> wrote:

The bizarre and intense anger of the wyoming hunting and ranching folks (as u have stated) is much more related to general federal government hatred than wolves per se

Wolves become the public face of all things Uncle Sam evil incarnate

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Wolves kill Elk in Wyoming but leave more than enough for human hunters

From: George Wuerthner [mailto:gwuerthner@gmail.com]

Sent: Friday, March 29, 2013 02:03 PM
To: Meril, Rick
Subject: Re: Fwd: Wyoming has record elk harvest in 2012  

Yes isn't it amazing. You would not believe this could be happening given all the rhetoric from outfitters, RMEF and others.

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On Fri, Mar 29, 2013 at 2:01 PM, Meril, Rick <Rick.Meril@warnerbros.com> wrote:

They are raining Elk faster from the sky than the wolves can catch them :))))))))

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From: George Wuerthner [mailto:gwuerthner@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 29, 2013 01:19 PM
To: Ron Moody <couleeking@hotmail.com>
Cc: Bob Ream <bobream@mt.net>; Dan Vermillion <dan@sweetwatertravel.com>
Subject: Fwd: Wyoming has record elk harvest in 2012  

Gosh I wonder how this is happening with all those wolves in Wyoming "decimating" the elk hunting opportunities just like in Montana where the majority of elk management units are at or above objectives.

In today's Bozeman Daily Chronicle, P. C6, I read,

Elk hunters in Wyoming killed a record number of elk last year.

The wyoming Game and Fish Department reports that favorable hunting conditions, long seasons and a growing elk population all contributed to hunters killing the highest number of elk ever in 2012.

According to the game department's recently completed harvest survey, just over 57,000 hunters killed 26,385 elk last year.  that amounts to a 46 percent success rate.

Last year's total exceeds the previous high of 25,692 elk killed by hunters in 2010.

Wyoming hunters have averaged over 22,000 elk annually with a hunter success rate of greater than 40 percent over the past 10 years.

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Wyoming has record elk harvest in 2012

billingsgazette.com

CHEYENNE — Elk hunters in Wyoming killed a record number of elk last year.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported that favorable hunting conditions, long seasons and a growing elk population all contributed to hunters killing the highest number of elk ever in 2012.

According to the game department's recently completed harvest survey, just over 57,000 hunters killed 26,385 elk last year. That amounts to a 46 percent success rate.

Last year's total exceeds the previous high of 25,692 elk killed by hunters in 2010.

Wyoming hunters have averaged over 22,000 elk annually with a hunter success rate of greater than 40 percent over the past 10 years.

Through the collaboration of public land managers, non-profit outfits, private landowners and wildlife biologists comes a sprawling study into rare and threatened carnivores in western Montana,............ The results secured from this research will help inform land management decisions when planning for forest thinning, timber sales, fuel reduction and restoration...........This study is funded through THE FEDERAL FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PROGRAM, an initiative focused on looking to restore overworked ecosystems...................Wolverines, Lynx, Bobcat, Coyote, Fox, Pine Martens and Weasels are all being evaluated

Crown of the Continent study focuses on elusive forest carnivores

missoulian.com

Tristan Scott

Wolverine, lynx and fisher will visit the “bait station,” which bristles with gun bore brushes that collect clumps of the critters’ fur. Subsequent DNA testing, to be completed this summer, will identify the individual animals and help establish a baseline for population and distribution of the three target species, as well as other small carnivores that sniff out the carrion – bobcat, coyote, fox, pine martens, and weasel.

This bait station near Condon is one of about 120 in a 1.5 million-acre area known as the southwest Crown of the Continent ecosystem. Researchers and land managers are working together to learn what critters are pawing their way through the snow-covered forests, and, in addition to the DNA samples, they are using tracking methods to identify hotspots that the animals frequent as prime habitat or migration corridors.

Through the collaboration of public land managers, non-profit outfits, private landowners and wildlife biologists comes a sprawling study into rare and threatened carnivores in western Montana, which will help inform land management decisions when planning for forest thinning, timber sales, fuel reduction and restoration.

“We want to be able to identify how these carnivores behave across this large landscape so that we know what changes are occurring 15 and 20 years down the road,” Melanie Parker, executive director of Northwest Connections, said.

Funding for the carnivore monitoring project, and numerous others, has come through the federal Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. It’s one of 10 projects selected for funding nationwide under a federal initiative focused on collaborative projects that restore overworked ecosystems. In fiscal year 2012, total funding amounted to nearly $7.5 million, with more than half of that coming from CFLR.

The carnivore monitoring study is a small component of the program, but wildlife managers say it is critical to understanding how these rare species interact with Montana’s public lands, now and into the future. There has been no long-term monitoring of wolverine, lynx and fisher in the region, and the CFLR funding will keep the project running for the next decade.

“A lot of these critters that we’re responsible for are still very mysterious to us,” Carly Lewis, of the Lolo National Forest, said. “There has been very little survey work done in these wilderness areas, and this will help tell us whether we’re still seeing the same critters in 2025 that we are seeing now, and whether they are in the same distribution areas. These species are part of our coexistence in this ecosystem.”

Adam Lieberg, conservation program coordinator at Northwest Connections, has become intimately familiar with the southwest Crown of the Continent region as he spends his days tracking animals over a five-by-five mile grid system, covering a minimum of 10 kilometers a day, amounting to more than 1,200 miles in a season.

He has also gathered rare footage of wolverine and lynx by installing and monitoring remote cameras. The cameras have recorded multiple wolverines feeding at a single bait station, which tells researchers that they are installed in high-quality habitat.

While tracking, Lieberg says he’ll collect scat and hair along the trail for genetic testing and identification.

Through the collaboration of public land managers, non-profit outfits, private landowners and wildlife biologists comes a sprawling study into rare and threatened carnivores in western Montana, which will help inform land management decisions when planning for forest thinning, timber sales, fuel reduction and restoration.

“When in doubt, track it out,” he says of the sometimes difficult tracking conditions. “There’s an art and a method to it, but it’s not some mystical spirit tracking. We are trying to build a case and understand what areas these animals are frequenting and why.”

The purpose of the CFLR program is to encourage collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration, and the southwest Crown of the Continent fits the bill, said Seeley Lake Ranger District wildlife biologist Scott Tomson.

The southwest Crown of the Continent forms the southern boundary of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and includes the forests and communities of the Blackfoot, Clearwater and Swan River valleys, while crossing three ranger districts on three national forests.

“It is a challenging but exciting task,” Tomson said. “It’s a huge opportunity to pull our ongoing monitoring together with our partners and make it more standardized.”

Habitats near river systems are more important for some caribou than previously believed..........A. U. of Florida study shows these lands are critical to successful birthing of baby Caribou............Testing two different habitats, the tussock tundra and riparian terraces, researchers found the latter has higher concentrations of shed female antlers and numerous newborn skeletons.............. The data suggests these terrace habitats are used more during some portions of the calving period than other areas traditionally viewed as primary calving terrain...........This is important because they comprise less than 10 percent of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge calving grounds,.........These insights will prove critical in directing where new oil and gas exploration can and cannot take place as it relates to enabling the Arctic Caribou herd to prosper into the future

New bone survey method could aid long-term

 survival of Arctic caribou

news.ufl.edu

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A study co-authored by a
 University of Florida
scientist adds critical new data for understanding
 caribou calving
 grounds in an area under consideration for oil
 exploration in
 Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The research may be used to create improved
conservation
 strategies for an ecologically important area that
 has been
 under evaluation for natural resource exploration
since
enactment of the Alaska National Interest Lands
 Conservation
 Act in 1980.

By studying bone accumulations on the Arctic
 landscape,
 lead author Joshua Miller discovered rare habitats
near river
 systems are more important for some caribou than
 previously
 believed. The study appearing online today in the
journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows bone
surveys
conducted on foot provide highly detailed and
 extensive
 data on areas used by caribou as birthing grounds.

"The bone surveys are adding a new piece of the
 puzzle,
giving us a way of studying how caribou use the
 landscape
 during calving and providing a longer perspective
for
evaluating the importance of different regions and
habitats," said Miller, an assistant scientist at the
Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus
and a Fenneman assistant research professor at the
 University of Cincinnati.

Unlikeother species in the deer family, both male and
female caribou grow antlers. Males shed them after they
 mate, while pregnant females keep their antlers until they
 calve, losing them within a day or two of giving birth.
 Newborn
 caribou calves also suffer high mortality rates within the
 first
couple days of birth. The female antlers and newborn
 skeletal
remains offer a unique biological signal for understanding
 calving
 activity, Miller said.

"This new tool has a lot of potential, and the idea that
these bones are providing new information is really exciting
 — bone surveys allow us to go into the field today and
collect historical information about ecosystems and animal
communities that are sometimes only known from a few
 years
 of observation," Miller said.

Miller recorded evidence of shed caribou antlers and
newborn
 skeletons from the Porcupine Caribou Herd in area 1002
 on
the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge, which comprises
about
 1.5 million acres on Alaska's northeast border. Because
these high-latitude habitats are frozen nearly three-
quarters
 of the year, bones may be preserved on the landscape
 for hundreds or thousands of years, researchers said.

Testing two different habitats, the tussock tundra and
riparian terraces, researchers found the latter has higher
 concentrations of shed female antlers and numerous
newborn
 skeletons. The data suggests these terrace habitats are
used more during some portions of the calving period
 than other areas traditionally viewed as primary calving
 terrain, which is important because they comprise less
than
10 percent of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge calving
 grounds,
 Miller said.

"Bone surveys are suggesting that these riparian zones
should
 be under special consideration as we think about how
 to
manage the Arctic Refuge and ensure this herd prospers
 in
the decades and centuries to come," Miller said.

The Porcupine Caribou Herd includes as many as 170,000
 animals that are essential parts of the delicate Arctic
ecosystem.
 These large, herbivorous, hoofed mammals are an
 important
food source for many indigenous northern peoples and
natural predators, including wolves, bears and eagles.

Anna Behrensmeyer, vertebrate paleontology curator at
 the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural
History, said that using skeletal remains as a research
tool is important because it helps scientists understand
which habitats need protection with minimal disruption to
caribou calving. It also allows researchers to collect
historical
information that may be used to better understand how
 climate
 change and other human influences have affected how
these
 animals use the landscape over time.

"We tend to think that what we see now is normal, but
we're just seeing a little bit of time," said Behrensmeyer,
who was not involved with the study. "Josh's work can
 extend
 our time window back maybe hundreds of years, so there's
the chance of seeing long-term cycles in the calving areas
 and
 also correlating those cycles with climate – if you can look
 back
 into the past, you might see what this species did to
adapt
its reproductive strategies to warmer or colder climate
periods."

Study co-authors include Patrick Druckenmiller of the
University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum and Volker Bahn
of Wright State University.

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