Gentrification brings more wildlife to urban areas

April 18, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

When urban areas gentrify, it doesn’t just change the characteristics of the people who live in those neighborhoods. It also changes the wildlife.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found gentrified areas have notably more urban wildlife than ungentrified parts of the same city.

“This leaves marginalized communities without meaningful access to nature, which is a problem,” said Mason Fidino, quantitative ecologist at Lincoln Park Zoo and lead author on the study.

The study, led by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute, analyzed data from 23 cities across the continental U.S., collected by partners of the Urban Wildlife Information Network , a collective of scientists, ecologists and educators dedicated to understanding biodiversity and mitigating human-wildlife conflict in cities.

The study found that, on average, the number of different species living in a gentrified part of a city is 13% higher than in a compositionally comparable ungentrified part of the same city. This means that gentrified neighborhoods can support one to two more species on average.

Read the study here.

Oil and gas development, tree cover not good for pronghorn productivity

April 17, 2024 by Joshua Rapp Learn

More than three decades of intensifying oil and gas extraction and an increase in forest cover have stymied pronghorn productivity in Wyoming.

“This stronghold of pronghorn in Wyoming does seem to be under threat from oil and gas production,” said Victoria Donovan, assistant professor of forest management at the University of Florida.

In a study published recently in Global Ecology and Conservation, Donovan and her team tapped into data on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) productivity that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department gathered from 1984 to 2019. They then used remotely sensed vegetation cover, wildfire, road, climate, and oil and gas infrastructure location data to characterize ecosystem changes over this period.

Pronghorn productivity is decreasing in Wyoming. Credit: Martin Mitchell

The researchers found that oil and gas wells had increased during this time. further, as this infrastructure increased on the landscape, pronghorn productivity decreased. Not only do well pads directly take up habitat for pronghorn, Donovan said, but infrastructure like roads and power lines used to reach them, or fences related to fossil fuel extraction, also contributes to habitat fragmentation.

While these findings may not be surprising, the researchers also found that oil and gas development wasn’t the only problem that pronghorn have been facing in recent decades. Tree cover proved detrimental to the ungulates’ success as well. By the later end of the data collection, tree cover increased across the majority of Wyoming’s 40 pronghorn herd units, but it wasn’t as high in the early years of the study.

Pronghorn prefer areas with less woody tree cover. Credit: Martin Mitchell

“Woody cover is still pretty low in Wyoming, but we’re seeing that it’s having an impact on pronghorn,” Donovan said.

Tree cover provides opportunities for predators like coyotes (Canis latrans) and cougars (Puma concolor) to ambush the ungulates or their fawns more easily. Tree cover might also affect the vegetation that pronghorn forage.

Since putting a stop to oil and gas development is unlikely, Donovan said this study reveals that controlling the increase in tree cover in Wyoming might be another way to improve pronghorn conservation. This could be done through cutting trees or prescribed fires, she said.

The May issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management

April 17, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

The Journal of Wildlife Management is a benefit of membership in The Wildlife Society. Published eight times annually, it is one of the world’s leading scientific journals covering wildlife science, management and conservation, focusing on aspects of wildlife that can assist management and conservation.

Join today for access to the Journal of Wildlife Management and all the other great benefits of TWS membership.

Motion-sensitive cameras are commonly used to monitor wildlife occupancy rates, but how do their data correlate with density estimates obtained from more traditional methods? In the featured article of the May issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management, researchers compared camera data with more data from other methods for a variety of species, including moose, coyotes and snowshoe hares. Other articles look at sex-specific resource use by wild turkeys in response to hunting activity, Mojave desert tortoise head-starting, red fox expansion into the tundra, and more.

Log in to read the May issue today.

Current and past TWS presidents urge Wyoming to address wildlife abuse

April 16, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

In a letter to Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, the president and president-elect of The Wildlife Society—along with 23 past presidents—condemned the actions of an individual who allegedly ran over a gray wolf with a snowmobile and proceeded to callously display and photograph the animal before killing it.

In their letter, these professionals—each with decades of experience in wildlife research, management and conservation—expressed their disgust at the long delay in killing this injured wolf. The events, which occurred near Daniel, Wyoming, in February, sparked local and global outrage.

“The Wildlife Society supports responsible human use of wildlife where such use is an appropriate human activity,” said TWS President Bob Lanka, a Wyoming resident and retired Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist. “But this wasn’t hunting—it was intentional inhumane disabling, compounded by unnecessary suffering and delayed killing of wildlife, which has no place in our system of wildlife management.”

These longstanding leaders in The Wildlife Society urged Gov. Gordon to work with state legislators to swiftly remedy the lack of statutory laws that currently render the pursuit and harming or killing of wolves and other wildlife with snow machines—or other vehicles—legal in Wyoming.

“Every ethical hunter knows and every hunter education student is taught that one of their primary responsibilities is to take an animal quickly and humanely in order to minimize suffering,” the presidents wrote. “In this instance hunting was not involved, only inhumane handling, unnecessary suffering, and delayed killing.”

Read the position statements of The Wildlife Society on Responsible Human Use of Wildlife, Hunting, and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

Header Image: Wyoming lacks laws against the pursuit and harming or killing of wolves with snow machines or other vehicles in a portion of the state where they are statutorily defined as a predatory animal. Credit: John and Karen Hollingsworth/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Harmful flame retardants appear in peregrine falcon eggs

April 16, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

Researchers found that peregrine falcons across North America are heavily contaminated with harmful flame retardants—including some that have been phased out for years.

In a study published in Environmental Science & Technology, researchers found that the chemicals, which are added to furniture, electronics and other everyday products to meet flammability standards, appeared in peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) eggs collected from multiple locations in the U.S. and Canada.

The chemicals can migrate out of the products and end up in wildlife and people.

“Flame retardants phased out a decade ago are still accumulating in these birds and into their eggs, which indicates that the threats of these chemicals to wildlife and people can far outlast their production,” said lead Da Chen, a scientist at Jinan University.

Read more from Newsweek.

USFWS begins grizzly bear restoration assessment in the Bitterroot ecosystem

April 15, 2024 by Hannah Henry

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is evaluating the potential environmental impacts of restoring the grizzly bear to the Bitterroot ecosystem in Montana and Idaho.

The project is currently in the public scoping phase, a crucial early stage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. During this phase, the USFWS will solicit and consider stakeholder input to help shape an eventual environmental impact statement (EIS).

In line with NEPA requirements, the USFWS will prepare an EIS to assess various strategies for grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) restoration informed by information gathered during scoping. NEPA, enacted in 1969, mandates a systematic approach to evaluating the environmental effects of actions U.S. federal agencies propose.

The grizzly bear, an iconic symbol of the American wilderness, once roamed most of the western United States. However, human-caused mortality and habitat loss significantly reduced their numbers and distribution, resulting in their listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1975.

State and federal efforts have been made to restore grizzly bear populations in various ecosystems across the country. The Bitterroot ecosystem, encompassing parts of Montana and Idaho, is one such area identified for potential grizzly bear restoration. “The Bitterroot ecosystem is one of the six identified grizzly bear recovery zones in the lower 48 States,” the USFWS said in a press release, “Although individual grizzly bears have been documented in the Bitterroot ecosystem, no established population—defined as having two or more breeding females or one female with two consecutive litters—currently exists in this recovery zone.”

In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a similar plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to the Bitterroot ecosystem, involving transferring at least 25 bears over five years from regions in Canada and the United States with habitats similar to those in the Bitterroot. However, the George W. Bush administration did not take action on implementing the plan in 2001. Since then, the USFWS has noted an increasing frequency of individual bears migrating into the Bitterroot and surrounding areas from other ecosystems, particularly in recent years.

The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2021 for failing to implement the 2000 plan. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy then ordered the federal agency to draft a new environmental impact assessment.

TWS member Mark Boyce, a professor of ecology at the University of Alberta, and a prominent grizzly bear researcher, emphasized the vital role of grizzly bears in wilderness ecosystems. “Grizzly bears were a major component of these ecosystems. It is a vast wilderness area,” he said. “We need bears in places like that … to maintain the key components of those ecosystems.”

The public scoping process, which concluded on March 18, 2024, provided an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their opinions and concerns regarding the proposed grizzly bear restoration efforts.

The USFWS is seeking input from various stakeholders, including federal and state agencies, Tribes, NGOs, businesses and the general public. Additionally, the USFWS will host virtual public scoping meetings to further engage with stakeholders and address questions regarding the scope of the EIS and proposed alternatives. The draft EIS is expected to be available for public review and comment before the end of 2025.

Iran frees scientists who studied big cats

April 15, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

Four biologists who studied big cats have been released after six years of imprisonment in Iran. The scientists were pardoned as part of a mass amnesty at the end of Ramadan.

The four were among nine conservationists arrested in January 2018. One died in prison. The others were sentenced on espionage charges. After the previous release of four of them, none of the nine now remains in prison.

The scientists were researching species including the endangered Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) and Persian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana) at the time of their arrest.

The United Nations Environment Programme, which called for the release, welcomed the announcement. “All voices must be heard and protected as we seek environmental stewardship of the one and only planet on which we all depend,” it said in a statement.

Read more from Nature.

Wildlife Vocalizations: Josh Luebke

April 12, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

The biggest lesson that life has taught me so far is to keep an open mind and to do my best to fight any prejudices that I may have learned throughout my life. These prejudices could be as simple as seeing the good that spiders and snakes do for their ecosystems rather than viewing them as “creepy crawlies.” Many of them can be as cute as puppies or kittens!

A selfie of Luebke taken at St. Mary’s Glacier in Colorado in 2021. Image courtesy of Josh Luebke.

Other prejudices are trickier to navigate, such as any deep-set acts or thoughts of racism, sexism, etc. People come from all different walks of life, and differences between all of us should be seen as opportunities to learn and celebrate the things that make each of us unique. The biggest challenge that I face in my field of outdoor education and interpretation is finding ways for people to connect with each other. That almost always has to start interpreter.
Meeting other people, animals and plants with a closed mind means that you have stopped learning the truth about them.

Luebke (far right) with friends Nicole, Connie, Kelli, and Josh at Alpine Hills Adventure Park leading a 2023 Valentine’s day Cocoa & Co. Hike/Bike event. Image courtesy of Josh Luebke.

I am not perfect by any means, but looking inward to find and learn about the things that scare me or make me uncomfortable has become a tried and true method of opening my mind to the unknown to understand the world and embrace all of the things that make it beautifully diverse.

Wildlife Vocalizations is a collection of short personal perspectives from people in the field of wildlife sciences. Learn more about Wildlife Vocalizations, and read other contributions.

Submit your story for Wildlife Vocalizations or nominate your peers and colleagues to encourage them to share their story.

For questions, please contact tws@wildlife.org.

Header Image: Luebke holds a Pi, the bald eagle, during the Care and Management of Captive Raptors Workshop offered by The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota in 2023. Image courtesy of Josh Luebke.

Colorado calf killed by wolf

April 12, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

A wolf in Colorado has killed a calf, marking the first livestock kill after the predators were reintroduced to the state in December. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed the kill after examining the wolves and nearby tracks.

“The field investigation found multiple tooth rake marks on the calf’s hindquarters and neck, and hemorrhaging under the hide, consistent with wolf depredation,” Jeromy Huntington, one of the agencies wildlife managers, said in a statement.

Officials say the wolf or wolves responsible were part of the group of wolves reintroduced in December. The calf’s owner can be compensated for the loss.

Read more from the Associated Press.

Header Image: A wolf runs free after being among 10 wolves released in Colorado in December. Credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife

2024 TWS Elections: Vice President

April 11, 2024 by The Wildlife Society

The ballot for The Wildlife Society’s 2024 elections includes nominees for the position of vice president

Electronic ballots will be sent May 29 to all members with an email address. Members without an email address will receive a paper ballot in the mail. Voting will close June 30. Mailed paper ballots must be postmarked on or before June 30. In accordance with TWS’ Bylaws, newly elected council members are scheduled to be installed at the next regular meeting of Council during the 31st Annual Conference, Oct. 19-23, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The candidates’ statements expressing their vision for The Wildlife Society and their interest in running for this council position are below.

NOMINEES FOR VICE PRESIDENT

Adam Ahlers

I’m interested in running for the office of TWS Vice President so I can continue my service to TWS in an expanded leadership capacity. My past work with TWS, state chapters, and CMPS has been rewarding and I genuinely feel like my volunteer work in these units has positively affected the careers of other wildlife professionals and aided in the management and conservation of wildlife populations and landscapes. It is a great feeling to work with people who are passionate about wildlife conservation and management and who also volunteer their free time to contribute to the efforts of TWS (and state chapters and sections). The wildlife profession is changing in some ways, and TWS needs to adapt to meet the needs and ambitions of its members and also wildlife professional who are not members. Additionally, TWS needs to remain relevant to wildlife professionals across North America while also remaining an effective voice in wildlife management and conservation. My own leadership vision has been shaped by working with outstanding leaders across various disciplines ranging from agriculture, state agencies, academia, and the military. This also includes working with great leadership at the TWS, state chapter, and section levels. My leadership vision has equally been shaped by my work with less-than-perfect leaders in these fields and by my own shortcomings in past leadership roles. I would be excited to volunteer my time to help TWS meet the challenges ahead of our organization and enhance our relevancy as the voice of wildlife conservation and management in North America. As Vice President of TWS, I would work closely with our membership to ensure that our organization’s work will help enhance wildlife conservation and management. Additionally, I would work with our diverse TWS members and others to ensure we are delivering resources to wildlife professionals that enhance professional development and help them achieve their conservation goals.

Read Adam Ahlers’ complete biographical sketch here.

Evelyn Merrill

I started down The Wildlife Society (TWS) path in the 1970s and have never looked back. I have seen TWS evolve just like the ecosystems around me, and this is a strength of The Society. The current revision of the Strategic Plan reflects a blend of maintaining our core values while adapting to the realities of our future. I intend to support this direction with particular attention in: 1) strengthening policy engagement in North America while keeping science at the forefront and being proactive in developing effective partnerships, 2) fostering opportunities for students and new professionals (who will be our teachers and our legacy) along with seasoned mentors; 3) diversifying our community and expanding inclusiveness in creative ways that may take stepping outside of the box; and 4) by not losing sight of the financial solvency needed to support our staff and everyday efforts. The best steps forward for each of these may not always be clear and outcomes may not be immediate. But when weighing the options, we need to be transparent and communicate clearly the end-game, institute our decisions in an equitable manner, and learn from our mistakes. Martin Luther King was a leader because he had not only a plan but a dream. I aspire to help TWS stay relevant and to support our members and those around them to enjoy wildlife in sustainable and reverent ways that battle the malaise of emerging environmental grief, unites us in cause, and motivates us to step up. I am passionate about ensuring the same wonder and enthusiasm for the world of wildlife in the future that I have been fortunate enough to find in my life. I see my service to TWS as an important means for achieving that, and as an enduring legacy of my career.

Read Evelyn Merrill’s complete biographical sketch here.