Friday, May 30, 2014

Dietland Müller-Schwarze has studied beaver behavior for over 30 years and currently is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY...............Today, he gives us all a primer on how Beavers go about defending their territories from others of their kind................"Beavers mark their territories by creating "mud mounds" and then squirting them with castoreum from glands near the base of their tales".............."Castoreum contains many different kinds of compounds: alkaloids, phenolics, terpenes, alcohols, and acids among them"............. "The beaver appropriates the ingredients from the plants it eats"............"Compounds from a number of trees in the beaver’s diet end up in their castoreum".............. "Benzyl alcohol occurs in aspens and poplars, benzoic acid in black cherry and scots pine, and catechol in common cottonwood"................ "In summer, beavers eat aquatic plants such as pondweed and pond lilies – the alkaloids that these plants use to deter insects also end up in the beaver’s mix"...................."So there rages a chemical arms race in the woods"................. "Trees bolster their defenses against herbivores, especially during the dormant season"............ "Beavers and other animals defeat these defenses by breaking down, detoxing, sequestering, and recycling potentially harmful compounds"

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beaver Arms Race in the Woods: How Beavers Recycle Tree Defenses | The Outside Story | Ma...
Thursday, May 29, 2014

In the Preface for “Coyote Stories,” by Mourning Dove, the author writes, “The Animal People were here first — before there were any real people. Coyote was the most important because, after he was put to work by the Spirit Chief, he did more than any of the others to make the world a good place in which to live …............ There were many times when he amused himself by getting into mischief and stirring up trouble …............ Coyote was a great one to play tricks, sometimes he is spoken of as 'Trick Person.'”..................And while Coyotes can stir up some "mischief", we human animals can encourage them to fulfill their ecological role as rodent eaters and keep them out of our yards by not being sloppy with our garbage disposal habits, monitoring our pets outdoor activities and through simultaneous hazing

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http://www.today-magazine.com/people-events/coyote-spring/ A Coyote Spring Posted by:  Megan Pasche   in  People & Events   3 d...

The Barents Sea population of a few thousand polar bears is one of the biggest in the world.........However, the Norwegian Polar Institute study(admittedly a small sample of only 29 bears) on the bears reproduction reports that only 10% of female bears birthed cubs in 2014............This, on the heels of a series of warm years resulting in poor sea ice reducing the habitat for the bears to hunt seals..........What cannot be disputed is that Winter ice cover in the Arctic fell to its fifth lowest extent on record in 2014. This continues a long-term trend of decline which is occurring more rapidly than scientists expected and the ice cap could vanish in summer within decades.

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http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/28/polar-bear-cubs-arctic-climate-change Fewer polar bear cubs are  being born in the...

NY Dept. of Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens has historically been a strong environmental advocate............Yet in my opinion, he comes up short with his recent decision to allow increased Black Bear hunting in the Empire State starting this year-----"After careful consideration of thousands of public comments, the strategies outlined in the Black Bear Management Plan seek to achieve and maintain bear population levels that are acceptable to the public while providing sustainable opportunity for New York's big game hunters"............Joe, what about increasing education of the public on how to co-exist with bruins,,,,,,,,,,,,How about mandating bear proof garbage cans.-------Why is what hunters want the reason for killing more bears.............Why are you allowing unknowing residents to dictate policy prior to "co-existence education taking place,,,,,,,,,,,Why does your 10-year plan makes note of the need for DEC to assess the possibility of disregarding "fair chase" and potentially allowing the use of dogs, bait and live-capture cable restraints for taking bears."?????????????

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Check out this story on poughkeepsiejournal.com : http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/sports/recreational /2014/05/28/state-adopts-pl...

Our friend Rachel Tilseth up in Wisconsin sat in on the Wisconsin Wolf Advisory Meeting, and comments for us on the narrow minded and unscientific Wolf kill quota that her state has determined for this years hunt

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From: Rachel Tilseth [mailto:wolvesdouglasco@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 3:47 AM To: Meril, Rick Subject: First Hand...

Carnivore biologist and our good friend Cristina Eisenberg(new book just published-THE CARNIVORE WAY) sharing her blog post on the recent events surrounding the Oregon Wolf(OR7) that had previously wandered into California and most recently has pair bonded up with a female wolf in the southern Cascade Mountains,,,,,,,,,,,,first time in a century that this part of Oregon might see a Wolf family take root

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-----Original Message----- From: Eisenberg, Cristina [mailto: Cristina.Eisenberg@oregonstate.edu ] Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 9:...
Tuesday, May 27, 2014

A critical habitat requirement for Wolverines is sustained deep snow cover that persists well into late Winter and early Spring..........The pregnant Wolverine female digs her den into the snow and her kits come into the world snug and protected from the elements..............Many Idaho weather models predict that there could be as much as a 40% reduction in snowfall 50 years from now and an 80% "dryout"by the year 2100.............With such a contraction of snowfall predicted, Idaho Wildlife, the Round River Conservation Studies and other wildlife Agencies are making recommendations that will optimize safe travel corridors and reduce trapping of our strongest "pound for pound" carnivore.

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https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/may/24/report-shrinking-snowy-areas-may-not-be-enough/&ct=ga&cd=...
Monday, May 26, 2014

After "leaning in and knocking down and killing Wolves like they are "pins in a bowling alley", the Wisconsin Wildlife Wolf Advisory Board is calling for a 38% reduction in Wolf kills this year...............This Group is without legal power so the state Dept. of Natural Resources is not legally required to follow their recommendation which would reduce the kill quota from 251(2013) TO 156 this year......................The kill of 257 wolves by hunters and trappers in 2013 reduced the wolf population by 19%, according to the DNR................. Wisconsin had an estimated minimum population of 638 to 667 wolves at the end of the winter 2013-'14. ....If DNR goes with the 156 quota, it is estimated that another 5 to 20% reduction of Wolves will occur..........So, what this all means is that the roughly 845 wolves that existed in Wisconsin prior to federal delisting have been reduced by 200 wolves, with another 130 possible reduction planned for 2014------520 wolves to be alive come Christmas?----------Why is 300 plus wolf reduction necessary when farmers always had the ability to protect their livestock from wolves that sought to take their property?

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http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=301744121 Wisconsin Wolf advisory committee recommend...