Alberta, Canada is creating six new conservation areas that total three times the size of Banff National Park......... Existing conventional oil and natural gas tenures will be honoured in the protected areas and oilsands development will not be allowed unless access can be had from outside the boundaries through, for example, horizontal drilling........... That means talks will begin for 19 energy companies on cancelling their leases and compensating them............... No new tenures will be sold.............Simon Dyer of the environmental think-tank Pembina Institute called the plan a good start but cautioned that the plan only protects around 20 per cent of caribou habitat in the region and caribou continue to decline.............

Alberta tries again to balance oilsands, environment in plan for lower Athabasca

Bob Weber, Canadian Press

EDMONTON — The Alberta government is enacting a sweeping plan for its controversial oilsands region in another attempt to balance development and the environment.
 

"Alberta's last period of hyper-growth clearly demonstrated the need for responsible long-term use planning," Environment Minister Diana McQueen said Wednesday as she announced the plan for the lower Athabasca region."In a new time of strong growth, the need to plan for the area that contains our main economic driver is abundantly clear."

The strategy, which comes into force Sept.1, creates six new conservation areas that total three times the size of Banff National Park. Existing conventional oil and natural gas tenures will be honoured in the protected areas. But no oilsands development will be allowed unless access can be had from outside the boundaries through, for example, horizontal drilling. That means talks will begin for 19 energy companies on cancelling their leases and compensating them. No new tenures will be sold.

The plan also increases protected habitat for threatened woodland caribou by prohibiting energy and forestry activity in the Dillon River Conservation Region, which is to be expanded from 27,000 hectares to 192,000 hectares.

The plan also legally commits the government to establish contaminant limits for air, surface and ground water, and sets up firm timetables for that to be done. McQueen said the limits will be legally enforceable through the regulatory system.

"There will be thresholds and triggers and targets. We will work with industry so that they will know they can't go over those numbers."

The plan addresses infrastructure and planning concerns in Fort McMurray, and also promises tourism opportunities through nine new provincial recreation areas. A regional trail system is also promised.McQueen said it will cost about $30 million to set up infrastructure for the new parks.Simon Dyer of the environmental think-tank Pembina Institute called the plan a good start.

He said it was "problematic" to allow existing energy and mineral tenures to continue in conservation areas, but welcomed the exclusion of oilsands mining. He did point out that the conservation areas are clustered where there is little bitumen.

"I think we're going to have to revisit this, particularly around caribou," Dyer said. "The plan only protects around 20 per cent of caribou habitat in the region and caribou continue to decline."
Nor does it address the growing greenhouse gas emissions from the oilsands, he said. "Alberta needs to take a similar level of seriousness to address growing greenhouse gas pollution."

David Pryce of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said the plan is one that the industry can live with."The overall product is very good," he said. "The province tried very hard to strike a balance over where the value of the resource is and I think they've done a pretty good job of it."

Pryce said companies that will lose oilsands leases are likely to seek compensation for both the value of the lease and the profits they won't be able to earn."The lost opportunity cost is an important part of the discussion for industry."The purchase value of the leases is about $30 million, said McQueen.

Two previous attempts to provide some sort of planning for the region foundered. Alberta introduced its first try strategy in 2005. It proposed that oilsands extraction would be the priority in the entire area. Environmentalists called it a formula for turning the entire region over to industry and the plan was rapidly shot down.

The next one, the first draft of what will come into effect in September, was introduced by Mel Knight, who was environment minister at the time, in April 2011. Energy companies quickly voiced concerns that that version would mean they'd lose access to some oilsands deposits that some firms had already bought leases for. They wanted to know how they would be compensated.
Environmentalists still didn't like it either. They pointed out the plan would allow all proposed oilsands developments to proceed — even in protected areas. They also said the plan deliberately avoided setting aside land in areas where development pressure was heaviest.

That draft died after all Tory candidates vying to replace retiring premier Ed Stelmach backed away from it, including his eventual successor Alison Redford.

The latest land-use plan is intended as the first of seven that will ultimately cover the entire province and guide its development.
It's part of the government's response to both Canadian and international critics that oilsands development has gone too far, too fast, and that it has outstripped the government's ability to regulate it.

That response also includes an extensive and expanded program of environmental monitoring for the oilsands region being implemented by the federal and provincial governments.Monitoring work has begun, but the province has yet to detail how it will be funded and how much independence it will have. A report on how it should be overseen was delivered to both levels of government at the end of June, but has not yet been made public.

Our forests, fields and meadows continue to be under attack by a growing myriad of exotic insects, pathogens and diseases.................A European invader, The Viburnum Leaf Beetle hitched a ride from Europe to Ontario, Canada in 1947 and has been slowly making its way south into New England..........A critical wildlife food source in our Forests, Viburnum have umbrella-like or flat-topped clusters of white, spring flowers that give way to berries that provide food for birds and other wild animals in the fall and winter........... The color of the berries varies from red in highbush cranberry to blue in arrowwood.........What once was an eon evolving process of species drifting from one Continent to another(with appropriate time frame for the absorbing ecosystem to adapt to the invader), now happens with virtual overnight speed as globalization and international trade intensifies.............How do we keep our natural systems intact and functioning as the firestorm of exotics hit our shores daily?

 

Beetle Tests Native Viburnums' Resilience

by Beatriz Moisset;northern woodlands.com

Illustration by Adelaide Tyrol

Move over emerald ash-borer and hemlock wooly adelgid. There's a new invasive pest in town, and it may be coming to a viburnum near you.The viburnum leaf beetle, (Pyrrhalta viburni) was first detected in Ontario in 1947 and has since spread to New Hampshire and Vermont. As the name suggests, the beetle eats viburnums – a type of shrub (there are around 150 species) that are prized by gardeners and landscapers. Unfortunately, the beetles have spread from the ornamental viburnums in the garden to the native viburnums in the forest. 

 

Forest-dwelling viburnums are typically tall shrubs (some might consider them small trees) and are a common part of the understory of many northern forest types. The most instantly recognizable may be the hobblebush (a.k.a. witch hobble, moosebush) that grows in high-elevation deciduous forests. All species have umbrella-like or flat-topped clusters of white, spring flowers that give way to berries that provide food for birds and other wild animals in the fall and winter. The color of the berries varies from red in highbush cranberry to blue in arrowwood.

 

Some species of viburnum, including hobblebush, mapleleaf viburnum, and nannyberry, have been able to withstand beetle infestations. Other species, including arrowwood, possum-haw, and highbush cranberry (both the European and American varieties) are more vulnerable. The beetle larvae may completely skeletonize the leaves of a plant by June, and after two to three years of consecutive infestation by the beetle, the plant may die. The problem has become serious enough in recent years that it has led biologists to think that some native viburnum species may become extirpated in large areas, especially in northern states, since the beetle eggs need a period of cold weather to hatch in the spring.

 

The rice-sized larvae are yellowish-green with black dots; they emerge in May, and promptly start feeding on the underside of leaves, creating a lace-like appearance by feeding nearly exclusively between leaf veins. In June, they crawl down the shrubs and burrow underground to pupate and become adults. In July, the adult beetles emerge and start adding more oblong holes to the leaves, rather similar to the ones caused by the larvae. The beetles are coppery brown or greenish, covered with very thin fuzz. They are quick to drop to the ground when disturbed. The females lay their eggs in little holes that they chew in the terminal twigs, adding more damage to the already stressed plants. They lay as many as a dozen eggs, which they cover with a mixture of sawdust and their own feces. The eggs hatch the following spring when the plants are beginning to leaf out.

 

 

 

The beetle seems to have few enemies. Some of the non-native viburnum species have built up a defense: the twigs, stressed by the egg sacs, develop a tough and thick layer of scar tissue that crushes the eggs. Unfortunately, the viburnums of our forests lack that defense, and are helpless against this pest.

The Cornell University Viburnum Leaf Beetle page has a few suggestions on how to minimize the damage. The most effective measure is to destroy the eggs during the fall and winter by pruning the infested twigs. Insecticidal soap can kill larvae in spring and horticultural oil can smother the eggs in fall; however, these methods work best in gardens or small fields and are not practical in forests.

Dr. Paul Weston and others at Cornell University are studying the possibility of using biological controls, but that remains far in the future. For now, the best we can do is hope that our native viburnums don't go the way of the American elm.

 

There will be an untold number of challenges from Industry, border fence afficianados and conservative writers about the Fish & Wildlife proposal to create 838,000 acres of Critical Habitat for the Jaguar in Arizona and New Mexico...............Here is the first of those challenges that I have seen------- The writer below insinuating that the habitat plan is a ruse to keep the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine from being established in this part of the world................That is what Critical wildlife habitat is supposed to do,,,,,,,,,,,,,,keep industry, roads and housing developments away from wildlife so that they have a place on this earth to roam, multiply and make the system healthier for all living organisms

Jaguars versus the Rosemont mine

by Jonathan DuHamel;tucsoncitizen.com

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will seek public comment on its proposal to designate “Critical Habitat” for the jaguar in Southern Arizona and New Mexico. USFWS had previously determined that Critical Habitat “for the jaguar in the United States would not be prudent.” However, an Arizona District Court found that the previous decision was “not legally sufficient.”

The proposal is not scientifically sufficient either. Two years ago I wrote:

A Freedom of Information Act inquiry has revealed that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service decision to declare portions of Arizona and New Mexico as “Critical Habitat” for the jaguar has no basis in fact. USFWS based its decision on unsubstantiated anecdotal stories that did not meet the Endangered Species Act definition of minimum scientific standards. The inquiry also found possible collusion between an employee of the Arizona Fish and Game Department and the Center for Biological Diversity. The report of the inquiry was written by Biologist/Attorney Dennis Parker.

Read the rest of that story in my article: Jaguar Listing and Habitat Designation Based on Junk Science. At the time that story was written the USFWS claimed that designation of “Critical Habitat” was “prudent”, i.e., it was prudent before it was not prudent and now it is prudent again.

FWS is now proposing “Critical Habitat” again. From a FWS press release: The Service has identified 838,232 acres in six units in primarily mountainous portions of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that will be considered for potential critical habitat. These include 547,000 acres of Federal land; 111,741 acres of State of Arizona land; 76,329 acres of Tribal land; and 103,143 acres of private lands. Critical habitat designations have no effect on actions taking place on non-federal lands unless proposed activities involve federal funding or permitting.

I wonder if collecting Social Security payments would be considered “federal funding” and trigger the bureaucratic implications on private land.



The proposed Rosemont copper mine would be directly impacted by “Critical Habitat” designation because the mine site occurs in the northern end of the designated lands (see map from the Arizona Daily Star below).

The Rosemont mine’s footprint is about 4,400 acres according to the Arizona Daily Star. That’s 0.5% of the whole area. Is that half percent really critical? The portion of habitat occupied by the mine is broken in four places by highways. The Arizona Daily Star notes that the proposed “Critical Habitat” “includes areas known to have been occupied by jaguars since 1962, or land considered essential for the animal even if jaguars haven’t been seen there in recent decades.”

So, if jaguars haven’t been seen for decades, how “critical” is the land? In the last twenty years, there have been about a half dozen jaguar sightings throughout Southern Arizona and all those sightings have been of male jaguars. It is obvious that Southern Arizona is not breeding ground for jaguars. Those few male jaguars have wandered north from their main breeding areas in Mexico. Southern Arizona is obviously not “critical” to jaguar breeding.

I find it curious that the proposed “Critical Habitat” includes the Rosemont site, the site of mineral exploration farther south near Patagonia, and the water source for the City of Tombstone, but does not include the Chiricahua Mountains farther to the east near the New Mexico portion of proposed habitat. According to the National Park Service, “The Chiricahua mountains were also historically the home of the jaguar.” Of course, there are no known economic mineral deposits in the Chiricahua Mountains. That makes it look like the radical environmentalists and USFWS are targeting potentially productive land to make them off limits.

Another question: How will designation of “Critical Habitat” affect border security?

The jaguar’s range extends through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America. A few thousand acres in Arizona will not make a difference to the species as a whole. This whole jaguar issue shows how the Endangered Species Act can be abused. ESA should be repealed.

This “Critical Habitat” proposal is scientifically unjustified. It is just another green utopian obstacle placed in the path of job creation and beneficial use of the land.

California bill)SB 1221) to ban bear & bobcat hound hunting passes the House and now back to the Senate for reconfirmation before going to the Governor..............Another California conservation victory(in the spiirit of the Fair Chase docterine) if no monkey wrenches are thrown into the process................

California closer to banning hunting bobcatsa and black bears with hounds

On Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 11:58 PM, Camilla Fox cfox@projectcoyote.org wrote:

Rick

Great news! Today the CA Assembly passed SB 1221- the CA bill to ban bear & bobcat hound hunting- by a vote of 46 to 30! S.B. 1221 now goes back to the Senate for a concurrence vote and, if it passes there again, to Governor Jerry Brown for his consideration.

the end of this type "non-fair chase" in California?????

Thanks to all for taking action and making your voice heard! We will keep you posted on next steps.

For the Wild,

Camilla

____________________Camilla H. Fox, Executive Director
Project Coyote
P.O. Box 5007
Larkspur, CA 94977
ph: 415.945.3232
www.ProjectCoyote.org

Exciting to know that a large # of Polar Bear dens have been verified along the Hudson Bay coast near the Ontario/Manitoba border................With the temperatures melting the ice that the bears depend on to hunt seals and rest on, a 3-year study is beginning to determine the long term probability of this new "clutch" of bear dens producing cubs that survive into the future

Conservation officers find more polar bear dens near Manitoba-Ontario boundary

montrealgazette.com

 WINNIPEG - Manitoba conservation officials have stumbled across a pleasant surprise — a large number of polar bear dens along the Hudson Bay coast near the Ontario boundary. The dens lie in an area southeast of Wapusk National Park and east of the Nelson River. It's a region along the southern end of the polar bear's range and not as well-known as Wapusk, Churchill and other areas to the north. "We've always known that there are dens in there ... but not to this extent," said Daryll Hedman, the regional wildlife manager for northeast Manitoba. "We have a fairly large number of denning females in there, equal to or even maybe surpassing Wapusk National Park, so it's fairly exciting news."

Female polar bears dig the dens in the ground to give birth. The discovery could be a sign that the polar bear population in the area is in good shape, at least for now. The province is beginning a three-year study to get more detail. "'For now' might be a fair statement, but that ice-free period is getting longer each year."

The area's polar bears are threatened by a shrinking feeding season. The amount of time every year that ice covers that stretch of Hudson Bay, allowing the bears to hunt seals, has been reduced by three weeks. That makes it harder for female bears to gain enough weight to give birth.

Climate change is also affecting the permafrost the bears use for their dens. Dens do not collapse under permanently frozen ground, but scientists are worried warming temperatures will cause the permafrost to recede northward.

Not everyone agrees that polar bears are in trouble. The Nunavut government released a survey earlier this year that said Canada's polar bear population hasn't significantly declined in the last seven years as predicted.

The aerial survey estimated the western Hudson Bay bear population at around 1,000. That's about the same number of bears found in a more detailed study done in 2004. That study, which physically tagged the bears, predicted the number would decline to about 650 by 2011.

GO NATIVE---INDIGENOUS TREES, SHRUBS, PLANTS AND FLOWERS provide an assist to wildlife in and around your neighborhood..............U. of Massachusetts and Arizona State University researchers demonstrate that desert-like, "xeric" yards had a more even bird community and superior habitat compared to moist, or "mesic," grass lawns in the Phoenix area..............Results continue to build evidence that native landscaping can help to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on common songbirds

Native Landscaping in Urban Areas Can Help Native Birds

ScienceDaily  — A recent study of residential landscape types and native bird communities in Phoenix, Ariz., led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst urban ecologist suggests that yards mimicking native vegetation and wildlands offer birds "mini refuges," helping to offset the loss of biodiversity in cities and supporting birds better than traditional grass lawns and non-native plantings.

  The study, led by Susannah Lerman with her advisor Paige Warren at UMass Amherst, and Hilary Gan and Eyal Shochat at Arizona State University, is one of the first to use quantitative measures and a systematic approach, with 24-hour video monitoring, to assess and compare foraging behavior of common backyard birds in yards in Phoenix, at the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert. It appears in the current issue of PLOS ONE.      

Desert backyard habitat

It is also one of the first to conduct experiments to compare different types of a single urban landscape form (residential yards), Lerman says. Overall, the study found that desert-like, "xeric" yards had a more even bird community and superior habitat compared to moist, or "mesic," grass lawns in the Phoenix area.

She explains, "We already know that bird communities differ and there are more desert birds found in the desert-type yard. With this study, we're starting to look at how different yards function, whether birds behave differently by yard type. We do that using behavioral indicators, specifically foraging, as a way to assess the bird's perception of habitat quality between the two yard designs."

Lerman and colleagues conducted the experiment in 20 residential yards at least 1.8 miles (3 km) apart, making it unlikely that the same birds would visit more than one study yard. Half of the yards were xeric, or desert-like, while the other 10 were mesic, with exotic green lawns. Homeowners removed bird feeders before and during the 24-hour experimental data collection period during February and April 2010.

The researchers set up feeding stations (seed trays) in each yard to simulate resource patches like those used by wild birds. Plastic trays had 0.70 ounce (20 g.) of millet seed mixed into six lbs. (3 kg) of sand, and were left out on a low stool for 24 hours. Later, Lerman and colleagues removed the trays, sifted out and weighed uneaten seed to the nearest 0.01 gram. This represents the giving-up densities (GUD) or amount of seed remaining, which quantifies the foraging decision and quitting point for the last species visiting a seed tray. Trays were videotaped for the entire 24-hour experiment.

This experiment assumes that an animal behaving optimally will quit foraging a seed tray when its energy gains equal the "costs" of foraging, Lerman explains. Costs include predation risk, cost of digestion and missed opportunities to find food elsewhere. As time spent foraging a seed tray increases, so do costs associated with foraging. When a bird first arrives at the tray, seeds are easy to find, but this gets harder as it is depleted. Each bird makes a decision about whether to spend time searching in the tray or to move on to a new patch in the yard. The "giving up" point will be different for different species and in different environmental conditions. Birds visiting seed trays in yards with more natural food available will quit a tray sooner compared to birds in resource-poor yards.

Eastern woodland backyard habitat

Since the method only measures the foraging decisions for the last species visiting the seed tray, the researchers devised a mathematical model for estimating the foraging decisions for all visiting species. Using the videotapes, they counted every peck by every bird for each tray to calculate the relationship between the number of pecks and grams of seed consumed (the GUD) for each seed tray. This was the GUD-peck ratio for the last species visiting the seed tray.

They then estimated the seed consumption (GUD) for all other species visiting the seed tray based on the number of pecks per tray when each species quit. "We know how many pecks each species had and can put that number into the model and calculate the number of grams at that point," Lerman explains. This greatly enhances the GUD method by expanding the ability to assess foraging decisions for all species visiting trays.
In all, 14 species visited the trays, 11 of which visited both yard types. Abert's towhee, curve-billed thrasher (species unique to the Sonoran desert), house finch and house sparrow were the most widespread tray visitors.

In this study, the researchers found that birds foraging in mesic yards depleted the seed trays to a lower level (had lower GUDs) compared to birds foraging in xeric yards. Further, species that visited trays in both yard designs consumed more seed from trays placed in mesic yards, indicating lower habitat quality compared to the xeric yards. Similarly, foragers in the desert-like yards quit the seed trays earlier due to greater abundance of alternative food resources in those yards, spending more time foraging in the natural yard and less at the seed tray.

Lerman says that by videotaping the trays, counting pecks and measuring giving-up points by species, this work also advanced the GUD method, allowing researchers to disentangle some of the effects of bird community composition and density of competitors, and how these factors affect foraging decisions between two different landscape designs. Results continue to build evidence that native landscaping can help to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on common songbirds, she says.

 

Chris Spatz from COUGAR REWILDING did check in on the alleged New Hampshire Puma we reported on yesterday........In Chris" words: "looks like a bad taxidermy job on the head and face, the kind of rote pose to make the cat look menacing"

UPDATE ON THE ALLEGED NEW HAMPSHIRE PUMA

From: Christopher Spatz 
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 06:34:45 -0400
To: Rick Meril;rick.meril@gmail.com
  Subject: Re: Moth-eaten, how-did-they-get-his-face-to-do-that mount

We've seen mounts faked and photographed out there before. There were a series of pics from the sequence with the attached pic. Both the deer and cat were mounts. In one pic, a raccoon mount was riding the cat mount.

The alleged New Hampshire Puma

It(above picture)looks like a bad taxidermy job on the head and face, the kind of rote pose to make the cat look menacing.

chris

Minnesota is all ready to institute its first Wolf hunting season when in fact they should be looking to restore wolves and pumas to the southern part of the state where farmers crops are getting hammered by deer..............

Deer Wreak Havoc On Southeastern Farms

Reporting Bill Hudson;cbslocal.com(wcco-tv minneapolis)

 

ALTURA, Minn.  - Farmers in Southeastern counties say their crops are under attack by herds of hungry deer.While driving on county roads in the area around dusk, the sight of deer browsing in corn and soybean fields is quite common. And with deer numbers so high, their appetites are costing farmers thousands of dollars.
Vegetable growers, like Lonnie Dietz of Whitewater Gardens Farm, say there's less produce to pick from due to the deer.
"They can do it in a hurry too. They can come out and take out 3,000 feet in a night," said Dietz.

Puma's are a deer neutralizer

He's talking about rows of crop loss – everything from beets and potatoes, to carrots, zucchini and squash. "We're trying to grow vegetables in their dining room, really," he said.

On his farm alone, Dietz will lose between $5,000 and $10,000. Now, the Minnesota DNR is helping out farmers like Dietz.The state is lending Dietz a solar powered electric fence to protect his most valuable crops. And within a year, he'll install a permanent 10-foot-high fence to keep the deer from dining on his profits."As they touch it to go through or under it, they'll get a zap. It's electrified," he said.

white-tails will leave the swamp for farmers fields for easy food

The DNR's depredation program will also reimburse farmers up to $5,000 to install permanent fences to keep the deer out.Dietz hopes to have his up by next growing season.

Other than sharing the cost of fencing what else can the DNR do to minimize the problem? The DNR can also set harvest quotas to target areas where the deer are more numerous. Recently, hunters could take up to five deer a season.Currently, the hunting quota in Dietz's area is only one deer per season. This may soon be adjusted to further reduce the herd.

While we know that a South Dakota Puma took a 3 year road trip across America where last Summer it met its demise on a Connecticut roadway,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the snapshot of what appears to be a Puma in New Hampshire that an unidentified man passed onto New Hampshire Wildlife Officials for further investigation..............Our friend Chris Spatz ot COUGAR REWILDING emailed me suggesting that the Puma perhaps was superimposed (or doctored up in some other way) into the woodland backround...............Chris, can you expound further for us please?

Cougar caught on camera in southwestern NH?

By JOHN HARRIGAN
Special to the Union Leader

This photograph of a mountain lion, also known as a cougar, panther, or catamount, was taken in Alstead, New Hampshire by a hunter and lifelong resident who wants to remain anonymous because of what he refers to as past hassles with Fish and Game. A hunter and lifelong wildlife enthusiast out looking for shed antlers this spring in Alstead, New Hampshire just happened to have a camera along when he came upon a startling sight over a rise on the trail and photographed what seems to be the first verifiable mountain lion in modern New Hampshire history to be caught on film.

A real or a "doctotred" photo of a Puma in New Hampshire??????

The man, a retired professional who has hunted in the West and has seen plenty of cougars, does not want to be identified. “I've had problems with Fish and Game and do not want to be involved with them in any way,” he said, “and besides, I just plain don't want the hassle.”

This past May 3, the man said, he was on a deer trail looking for shed antlers when he topped a slight rise and saw movement in the woods close by, and out onto a fallen tree stepped a mountain lion, an apparent full-grown animal that would weigh well over 150 pounds. “It was about 50 feet away,” he said. “It just stopped and looked at me. I don't carry a camera all the time when I'm in the woods, but this time I happened to have my 35 millimeter hanging around my neck.”

“That was the last shot on the roll, and I immediately stood still and began reloading the camera,” he said. “It stood right there and watched me, but there was no way I could reload fast enough, and it just walked off into the woods, in no particular hurry.”

The photographer has hunted extensively in western states with viable mountain lion populations and has seen them there, as well as in New Brunswick, where many residents believe there is a small population, perhaps remnants of the officially extinct — as recently declared by United States wildlife agencies — Eastern cougar.

Cougar sightings are reported every year in New Hampshire, all over the state, but until now no clear, verifiable photograph has surfaced, although a trail-camera image in Sharon a couple of years ago was thought clearly to be a mountain lion by many people. Fish and Game did not agree.

Patrick Tate, who among other duties serves as the clearinghouse for cougar reports at Fish and Game, viewed a computer inage of the recent image sent to him by email Tuesday afternoon. “I'm certainly interested,” he said, “and want to investigate the scene.”

Some wildlife professionals will, off the record, agree that people are seeing what certainly seem to be mountain lions, and agree that some cougars do seem to be out there, perhaps passing through — the real unknown factor being just where they're coming from. Few wildlife experts are willing to entertain the thought that there might be denning pairs producing young, but many farmers, loggers, hunters and hikers reporting sightings believe this is indeed the case.

Editor's Note: John Harrigan has been an outdoor columnist for the New Hampshire Sunday News for 37 years.

California Sea Otters are on a population pendulum more erratic than our stock exchanges.................Their numbers have seemingly hit an equilibrium point of about 2700 animals spanning San Mateo County to Rincon Point in Ventura County.............Competitors with commercial fishermen and predators of seals, this dynamic carnivore needs further room to roam in its Ocean haunts off our Western Coastline.

California sea otters making a small comeback

A new count shows southern sea otters making a tepid comeback along the coast of California, and experts say more work needs to happen to protect the furry mammals.

Working with other agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey has counted the sea otter population each spring since the 1980s. Federal and state wildlife agencies use the information to help manage the threatened species and aid its recovery, officials said.

"We're pleased to see a reversal in the negative trend that happened in the last few years," said Tim Tinker, a research biologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center.

But overall, the population seems to have reached a plateau, he said.

This year's count started in April and spanned from San Mateo County to the edge of Ventura County at Rincon Point. The survey found 2,865 otters and pups this year, bringing the three-year average to 2,792. That's slightly up from the three-year average of 2,711 in 2010.

The 2011 survey wasn't completed due to weather conditions, officials said.

The number of California sea otters significantly increased in the mid-2000s and exceeded 2,800 in 2007. The population started dropping three years ago.

Some areas along the coast are showing increases while others have stayed stable or declined slightly, said Tinker, also an adjunct professor at UC Santa Cruz. Work is ongoing to better understand what's causing those differences, he said.

Threats to sea otters continue to include infections and boat strikes. This year, officials found an increase in the number of lethal shark bite wounds."That's one of the causes of death we're investigating right now," Tinker said. The so-called tasting bites may happen because sharks mistake the otters for similar-size seals and move on when they get a mouthful of fur instead of blubber.

Little can be done about natural factors affecting the sea otters, but the Fish and Wildlife Service says the marine mammal's recovery likely depends on the population's expansion into new areas.

A no-otter zone was established in 1987 as part of the recovery program to protect the marine mammals, keeping them away from fishermen after the same food otters eat.

Otters were relocated to San Nicolas Island off the Ventura County coast with the hopes they would establish a population there. Any animals found south of Point Conception — the no-otter zone — would be captured and moved to the island or back north.

But most of the otters swam away, and the program was abandoned in 1993.

The federal agency, however, did not officially end the plan at the time. That process is ongoing and likely will be completed by the end of the year.

More information about the southern sea otter survey is at http://www.werc.usgs.gov/project.aspx?projectid=91.

Biologists look for answers to pine marten mystery in Michigan

By Michigan Radio Newsroom




Adaptations to deep snow are particularly important in areas where the American marten is sympatric with the fisher, which may compete with and/or prey on American marten. In California, American marten were closely associated with areas of deep snow (>9 inches (23 cm)/winter month), while fishers were more associated with shallow snow (<5 age="age" american="american" and="and" areas="areas" cm="cm" deep.="deep." few="few" fishers="fishers" inches="inches" intermediate="intermediate" levels.="levels." marten="marten" month="month" overlap="overlap" ratios="ratios" recruitment="recruitment" reproductive="reproductive" shallow="shallow" snow="snow" suggested="suggested" sup="sup" that="that" there="there" was="was" were="were" where="where" winter="winter" with="with" zones="zones">---blogger Rick



Nearly a hundred years ago a small animal that most people have never heard of was wiped out of the northern forest. In the mid-1980’s, wildlife biologists reintroduced the pine marten in two locations in the Lower Peninsula. They thought the population would take off and spread but it hasn’t. And now researchers are trying to find out why.

American Marten

The pine marten is the smallest predator in the northern forest. It’s a member of the weasel family… related to otters and ferrets. It weighs roughly two to two-and-a half pounds, has big furry ears, a pointed nose, a bright orange patch on its chest and a bit of a temper. “I don’t know how big of an animal they would take on but they do have a reputation for being quite fierce.”

Jill Witt is a wildlife biologist with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. She has a marten caught in a wire cage tucked next to a fallen log, half buried in twigs and leaf litter. More than 80 years ago, martens lived in big pine trees before logging, wildfire and trapping wiped them out. “And I think marten really is a good example of a species that can do well if the forest is allowed to recover and return to and continue on towards a more mature, possible even old growth state.”

American Marten

The marten that are here appear to be doing okay in the Manistee National Forest. But the population doesn’t appear to be growing or spreading. Researchers think one reason might be that the prime habitat is isolated. So there aren’t places in between for martens to get a toe hold. But the study also is looking at other possibilities.

Veterinarian Maria Spriggs uses a gas to anesthetize the marten. She lays it out on a cloth on the tail gate of a pick-up truck and monitors its heart rate and oxygen intake. She’s the vet at Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville Indiana. She declares it a robust male. “He looks healthy. Nice looking male. He’s in good weight. Good body condition.”

The Fisher will usually dominate and even kill the Marten(Fisher in picture)

One of the main points of the study is to find out if there are signs of in-breeding or disease. That could be a key reason why the animals aren’t doing better. After the fit of a new radio collar meets her approval, Spriggs places the marten in a wooden box lined with a towel.

“Oh. He’s waking up.”

KEENLANCE: “They do have bit of an attitude at times. Although I guess if a UFO plopped down and knocked me out and put a collar on me and punched a hole in my ear and all kinds of things I might not be real friendly when I woke up either.” Paul Keenlance likes the marten’s feisty attitude. He’s a professor of wildlife biology at Grand Valley State. Keenlance thinks forest managers could make a few changes to help martens recover without a lot of restrictions or costs. “Is the ecosystem going to collapse because there aren’t martens? Well no, probably not. But it is, I think, a healthier ecosystem and more fully functioning with as many of the original components as you can have.”

For American Indians, the marten isn’t just related to the health of the forest but it’s also connected with the health of the people. That’s why the Little River Band is putting so much effort into the research. Jimmie Mitchell is head of natural resources for the tribe.

“We look at most species that were here during the time prior to the big change that occurred that those all were part of our family. We all interacted. We keyed-in on what each other did. We learned a lot from our environment and how the animals acted.”

There is a tradition for families to identify certain animals as part of their clan. Members of the marten clan were warriors and stood for courage. Mitchell says the tribe wants to hold on to those traditions because they still have value today

"The coyote trickster took great delight in pricking open the balloon of pride and in shattering one of humanity's single greatest illusions — arrogant superiority.It was said that a coyote could dress up in human disguises and walk among us. When a point was brought home to some overly-confident or prideful human, the coyote could be observed back in animal form, loping away with a sly grin on his face"----Ode to the Coyote by Margaret Jarek

Coyotes are Native American symbols against arrogance

 By Margaret Jarek ;fdlreporter.com

In the culture of the first Americans, coyotes were seen as the "tricksters." Perhaps that was the source of Looney Tunes' "Wile E. Coyote" character.But in their roles as the tricksters, coyotes were no fools. In fact, a coyote's cultural role was predicated on teaching the two-leggeds a couple of life lessons which could very well determine survival.

The first lesson taught by this entity, is to never make quick assumptions about anything. Nothing is ever quite what it first appears to be and often what we think we know for certain, is seldom as certain as we think; illusions abound.

The coyote trickster took great delight in pricking open the balloon of pride and in shattering one of humanity's single greatest illusions — arrogant superiority.It was said that a coyote could dress up in human disguises and walk among us. When a point was brought home to some overly-confident or prideful human, the coyote could be observed back in animal form, loping away with a sly grin on his face.

I once met a man who told a story about such an encounter he experienced. It made a terrific story but my psyche is so awash in western skepticism that I found it difficult to believe. And yet who is to say the trickster doesn't on occasion invade our modern world just to let us know we may not be as bright as we like to think?

The lesson the story delivers is the lesson it has always delivered — don't be so sure you are right. Like the court jesters of old, the trickster forces us to take a second look at ourselves. Even kings have flaws and the wisest among us knows that it is prudent to never take ourselves too seriously. It does us all a world of good to laugh at ourselves from time-to-time.

While coyote as trickster is a metaphor in Native American culture, every culture contains symbols that convey the same message.

Arrogance, pride and over-confidence will never serve our best interests. They are flaws that can and no doubt will cause us to take a prat fall. What's more, they are among our most reprehensible behaviors and can lead to all sorts of negative conduct.
Anyone of us can on occasion make a fool of ourselves. But when we do so, rest assured that coyote, in one form or another, will be seen loping away into the shadows with a very satisfied gleam in his eyes, having found a way in which to bring his point home by showing us the error of our foolish pride.

Margaret Jarek lives in Fond du Lac. She writes a weekly column for The Reporter, published on Sundays

"While hunting may sometimes be necessary in control of large-population species, in the case of small-population species, it can actually produce problems that didn't exist before".........."Why are young, malnourished mountain lions coming into human-occupied areas?"....." It doesn't take a wildlife biologist to explain this one"............... "These are the slowly starving offspring of lion females killed during the lion hunting season"-----Dean flage; South Dakota State Wildlife Biology graduate student............Flage concurs with all of the research done at Washington State University at the LARGE CARNIVORE LAB where study after study has revealed that human hunting of Pumas causes disruption both to yearling cats as well as to roving male adolescents ..............Yearling pumas begin to starve without their mothers guidance and adolescent males tend to take more chances around human habitation seeking an easy meal of domestic livestock

FORUM: Mountain lion policies creating more problems

rapidcityjournal.com

Dean Flage, a South Dakota State University graduate in wildlife and fisheries biology. He writes from SturgisBehold, the mystery of the century.

Why are  young, malnourished mountain lions coming into human-occupied areas? It doesn't take a wildlife biologist to explain this one. These are the slowly starving offspring of lion females killed during the lion hunting season.

It has been more than four months since the hunting season closed and the orphans are reaching the end of their lines as unskilled hunters and are resorting to desperation hunting and going after domestic stock and pets and scavenging as necessary. It is also increasing the chances that they could become a threat to humans.

So what have we done? Why are young, malnourished mountain lions coming into human-occupied areas? It doesn't take a wildlife biologist to explain this one. These are the slowly starving offspring of lion females killed during the lion hunting season.
Where there was no problem, there now is. But this problem is twofold. Now there is a problem for people, but there is a bigger problem for the cats. Those that are killed during the season leave kittens to slowly starve to death. These secondary deaths threaten the very existence of the species in this area.

A recent Journal article almost made it sound like lions are targeting collared elk calves. While the calves are a target of convenience for cats, empty collars don't mean the calf is dead. Many of the collars are being shed as the calves struggle through fences that their parents simply jump.

On the other hand, hunters knowingly take lions and elk that are fitted with collars as shown by a picture on the news at the end of the season of a hunter proudly displaying his collared cat with no regard to the effect on the science of the research study.

When a species' population becomes so small in an area, one of the unfortunate results is inbreeding of the remaining species members. This is the problem that hit the Florida panther population several years ago. The cats developed unexplained kinks in the ends of their tails obvious to anyone seeing them. But along with this, the cats developed a form of cancer of the blood and suffered reduced reproductive success.

I asked South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks officials if they ever considered capturing what some people considered excess cats here and shipping them to Florida. I was told no one wanted any cats from South Dakota. However, that didn't match with what Florida officials told me. So Florida got captured lions from Texas, and it appears the inbreeding problems have resolved themselves with the input of new blood.

Another Florida incident showed just how committed they are to the preservation of their lions. One afternoon a lion wandered into the city limits of Fort Myers along the west coast. Police and game officials put out an immediate broadcast on radio and TV, and in minutes, hundreds of people mobilized to where the cat was and assisting police in detouring traffic, while others formed lines to drive the cat back to its territory.In short order, the cat was returned to its native territory and local residents returned to their normal lives, knowing they had done their part in preserving a creation of God.

While hunting may sometimes be necessary in control of large-population species, in the case of small-population species, it can actually produce problems that didn't exist before.

Man cannot improve on nature. Nor can he replace God. All God's creatures have a place in the master plan, even if that plan doesn't fit with our self-serving goals.

The US Dept of Agriculture works with Counties and States around the country in targeting rabies through the use of vaccine-laden bait dropped in the woodlands and fields via airplane and hand.................Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire have found the "bait" program effective in lowering rabies outbreaks in Raccoons and Foxes

Rabies vaccine 'baits' to target raccoons

Julia Bayly, Bangor Daily News

Maine |

Northern Maine continues to see fewer cases of wildlife-related rabies than other parts of the state, and health officials want to keep it that way.

Starting this week, the United States Department of Agriculture's animal and plant health inspection service is teaming up with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Agriculture Department to distribute 125,000 oral rabies vaccination baits in northeast Aroostook County.The distribution area covers 900 square miles and includes Caribou, Presque Isle, Fort Fairfield, Ashland and Mapleton, The program is expected to run Aug. 15-23."We have been doing this for a number of years with the USDA," Dr. Stephen Sears, state epidemiologist, said Monday. "This has proven to be a pretty efficient strategy to get the vaccines to wildlife."

Animal control Office lacing the woods with vaccine to halt rabies

The distribution efforts specifically target raccoons and the fish-meal-coated bait pellets will be distributed by air and from the ground."The vaccine is in a fish packet and it's made to be attractive to raccoons," Sears said. "We want to stop the spread of rabies by raccoons in Aroostook County."

Vaccines will be distributed by air in rural wooded areas and from vehicles in more populated areas.

Rabies is more prevalent in southern portions of the state where, according to Sears, 60 cases already have been reported for the year.

"We have not had any reports of rabies associated with northern Maine this year," he said. "But we are pretty saturated in southern Maine."Rabies does pose a serious health threat to humans and can be fatal, Sears said.

The baits are coated with fishmeal and are distributed in 1-inch square cubes or 2-inch plastic packets, Sears said.

Humans and pets cannot get rabies from contact with the baits but should leave them undisturbed should they encounter them.f contact with baits occurs, immediately rinse the area affected with warm water and soap, he said. The vaccine has been shown to be safe in more than 60 different species of animals, including domestic dogs and cats, but dogs that consume large numbers of baits may experience an upset stomach."It's not unusual for a dog to pick one up and bring it home," Sears said.

This is the ninth year the USDA has dispensed the oral vaccines and Sears said this new batch is targeted toward raccoons that may have not eaten any in previous years."We really do not know how long [the vaccine] is good for," he said. "But it is probably very effective over the long haul."

Foxes, which also can carry rabies, more than likely will consume some of the vaccine as well, Sears said.

For information on the raccoon oral rabies vaccine program, call 1-866-4-USDA-WS (1-866-487-
3297).

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Vt. dropping new bait to fight raccoon rabies

BURLINGTON, Vt.—Vermont's rabies bait drop is starting this week to prevent the spread of the disease among wildlife.

A new bait is being used this year to prevent the spread of raccoon rabies into Canada. It's covered with a sweet-scented dark green waxy coating with a label to help people identify it. Previous drops used a fish-scented bait.

The Burlington Free Press reports (http://bfpne.ws/PgV5ah) more than 227,000 baits will be dropped from U.S. Department of Agriculture planes and another 15,000 will be placed by hand in eight counties in Vermont and in Coos County in New Hampshire.

The baits are not harmful to children or pets. If discovered, people should use a plastic bag or glove to move it to an area where a raccoon or skunk could find it.

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"Proper management of the region's White-Tail Deer is key to maintaining and improving the habitiat for all of the National Forest's species"---Robert Hilliard; author of "A SEASON ON THE ALLEGHENY"..............Even back in 1920, Pennsylvania Game biologists were saying the density of deer was killing the forest!................In 2001, Pennsylvania had an estimated 1.5 million deer- about 30 per square mile............That's more than 3 times what the state had before European settlement(8 to 10 per sq mile which allowed for forest regeneration)-------And even with 8 to 10 per sq. mile, Indians, Wolves, Bears and Pumas all existed in harmony with the White-Tails..........We love the fact that Eastern Coyotes and Black Bears are doing their thing in "Penn's Woods"...........However, even their "spring pulse" "bite" on fawns is not slowing down the growth of the states deer herd.............Bringing back the wolves and the Pumas which will give the woodlands of this beautiful state a chance at healing and seeing the widest variety of tree and shrub species once again flourish

Hunting: Deer browsing having impact on national forest:

In 2001, Pennsylvania

had an estimated 1.5 million

deer—about 30 deer per

square mile. That’s more than

three times what the state had

before European settlement.By John Hayes / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

   

Despite Allegheny National Forest's reputation as a wilderness haven, it has always been a man-made habitat and its wildlife should be managed to reflect that fact, said the author of a new book on the region."A Season on the Allegheny," written and independently published by biologist and outdoors writer Robert T. Hilliard of Beaver County, is a well-researched, well-written account of his family's hunting and exploring adventures on the 513,175-acre patch of the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Comprising much of the Game Commission's Wildlife Management Area 2F in Warren, McKean, Forest and Elk counties, the National Forest is known for its rare tracts of old-growth timber. But they are on small parcels in a large environment that Hilliard described as "very different than it was 200 years ago." Proper management of the region's white-tailed deer, he said, is key to maintaining and improving the habitat for all of the National Forest's species.

white-tail deer

"The native forest where early European pioneers found white pine and beech was originally cut for farming and later for the logging and wood chemical industries," he said. "The native trees were virtually gone. When it became a National Forest in 1923 people called it 'The Allegheny Brushland.' "
Trees returned -- smaller and in different proportions -- and so did the deer, which had been practically eliminated in Pennsylvania and repopulated by the Game Commission. The National Forest we now know, said Hilliard, is mostly second growth hardwoods that are greatly impacted by the deer.

"First, there are more deer than before. They stop regeneration and selectively browse some species over others, changing the composition of the forest," he said. "What we see now is really different from the original forest. The deer impact every habitat and by extension every species."

One thing hasn't changed, said Hilliard. While researching documents from the 1920s, he found a letter with Game Commission biologists saying there were too many deer and hunters saying there weren't enough.

The Allegheny Forest in the Fall

     

6% of Americans hunted in 2011,,,,,about 15% went fishing and a good 1/3 of all Americans did some type of wildlife watching..............Seems like State Game Commissions and Wildlife Agencies should be looking to hear from those 33% of Americans who like watching wildlife at least as often as the hunters and fisherman in determining how to manage all types of wildlife including carnivores

AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOOORS: Reversing Decades of Decline, the Number of Hunters and Anglers is on the Rise

doi.gov

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Salazar: Survey Delivers 'Great News for America's Economy and Conservation Heritage'

 Contact: Blake Androff (DOI)703 358 2081                     Kim Betton (FWS): 703-358-2081         

MILWAUKEE, WI – Highlighting the reversal of decades of declining numbers, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the results of a comprehensive national survey of outdoor recreation showing a significant increase in hunters and a double-digit increase in anglers over the past five years.

"Seeing more people fishing, hunting, and getting outdoors is great news for America's economy and conservation heritage," said Salazar. "Outdoor recreation and tourism are huge economic engines for local communities and the country, so it is vital that we continue to support policies and investments that help Americans get outside, learn to fish, or go hunting. That is why, through President Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative, we have been focused on helping Americans rediscover the joys of casting a line, passing along family hunting traditions, and protecting the places they love."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation found that hunters nationwide increased by 9 percent while anglers grew by 11 percent. Nearly 38 percent of all Americans participated in wildlife-related recreation in 2011, an increase of 2.6 million participants from the previous survey in 2006. They spent $145 billion on related gear, trips and other purchases, such as licenses, tags and land leasing and ownership, representing 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service is dedicated to connecting people and families with nature," said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. "We look forward to continuing to work with the States, non-governmental organizations, and additional partners to help keep recreational fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching going strong for people across America's great outdoors."

Other key findings include:

• In 2011, 13.7 million people, 6 percent of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, went hunting. They spent $34.0 billion on trips, equipment, licenses, and other items in 2011, an average of $2,484 per hunter.

• More than 33 million people 16 and older fished in 2011, spending $41.8 billion on trips, equipment, licenses, and other items, an average of $1,262 per angler.

• More than 71 million people engaged in wildlife watching in 2011, spending $55.0 billion on their activities

At the request of state fish and wildlife agencies, the Fish and Wildlife Service has been conducting the national survey every five years since 1955. It is viewed as one of the nation's most important wildlife-related recreation databases and the definitive source of information concerning participation and purchases associated with hunting, fishing and other forms of wildlife-related recreation nationwide.

"State agencies, hunters and anglers are the key funders of fish and wildlife conservation through their license and gear purchases," said Dr. Jonathan Gassett, Commissioner of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission and President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. "An increase in participation and expenditure rates means that agencies can continue to restore and improve habitat and fish and wildlife species, bring more youth into the outdoors and provide even greater access to recreational activities."

The U.S. Census Bureau interviewed 48,627 households across the country to obtain samples of sportspersons and wildlife watchers for detailed interviews. Information was collected through computer-assisted telephone and in-person interviews.

The Survey is funded through a Multi-State Conservation Grant from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, which celebrates 75 years of conservation success in 2012.

The report is the first in a series that the Service will release. The next report of findings will contain State data and will be available in the coming months. In late November, the National Report with more detail participation and expenditure estimates will be available online. From December 2012 to May 2013, the 50 State reports will be released on a rolling basis.

The results of the National Overview report can be found here.