The Wildlife Professional November/December Issue
November 1, 2023
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced an extension of the public comment period for their May 21, 2015 proposed revisions to the regulations regarding petitions of the Endangered Species Act. Previously submitted comments do not need to be resubmitted. The public comment period now runs until September 18, 2015.
An indigenous group has asked UNESCO to list Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park as “in danger” to protect the biologically diverse area from negative effects of dam construction in British Columbia and oil sands development in Alberta. The World Heritage Committee will review the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Fort Chipewyn’s petition at a meeting next week in Bonn, Germany. Wood Buffalo has been listed as a world heritage site since 1983 partly due to the refuge it offers for wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) and whooping crane (Grus americana). The Mikisew Cree believe that the oil sands and the W.A.C. Bennett Dam built on the Peace River in B.C. are degrading one of the largest inland water deltas in the world.
Read more at The Globe and Mail.
Similar kinds of habitats may be more important than geographic proximity when it comes to finding which birds are of a genetic feather.
A new study examining white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) in so-called “sky islands” — forest landscapes that sit on top of mountains but are geographically isolated from each other by stretches of desert — found that the birds share more genetic similarities with birds in comparable habitats to their own rather than habitats that are nearby.
“It’s the first step to see how these organisms that can disperse better can move between these isolated environments,” said Joseph Manthey, a researcher in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas and the lead author of a recent study in Molecular Ecology.
It has long been know that the habitats of some species can become extremely limited by fragmentation to species that have difficulty moving between them. But Manthey and his coauthor wanted to see whether they could see genetic differences in a common species of songbird that had the ability to move between the different habitats if necessary.
The researchers took genetic samples from a few individual nuthatches on different sky islands in Arizona near the transition of the southern Rocky Mountains and the north of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The forested areas differed in that some were predominantly made up of pine, and others had more oak trees. The sky islands sampled were separated by distances of between five and 50 kilometers of desert.
A map of the Madrean Archipelago sky islands of southern Arizona and sampling localities for the KU study. Dark grey areas correspond to montane pine-oak and pine habitats.
Image Credit: KU News Service, University of Kansas
The results showed that nuthatches that preferred the oaky forests were more genetically similar to each other than nuthatches that lived in nearby pine-dominated forests, and vice versa.
“The nut hatches are more genetically similar in areas with more similar environments even if they’re not geographically close,” Manthey said.
The study could be a benchmark for other species, he said, since it shows that evolution could be taking places “at very small scales.”
“It’s interesting that this local adaptation is happening in a very widespread and common species,” he said.
The information has conservation value, he said, because it means that different populations of birds may adapt to changing environments nearby as they are pushed out by human development, climate change or other factors.
“You might not be able to take a nuthatch from my backyard and put it out there [in the sky islands],” Manthey said.
The United States, Canada, Russia, Denmark, and Norway entered into an agreement last Thursday to bar commercial fishing in the Arctic, until such a time that internationally accepted standards for the practice are in place. This agreement is seen as a preventative measure since the central Arctic is believed to hold few commercial fish stocks. As the ice sheets melt though, migrating fish could lure commercial operations further north before scientists have the chance to catalog the area’s marine resources. This agreement also seeks to gain commitments from other major fishing nations such as China and Spain.
Read more at Reuters.
A previously unknown insect species has hopped its way into the integrated taxonomic information system after scientists recently discovered it in the state-threatened pinebarren smokegrass (Muhlenbergia torreyana) in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
This is the first time a new insect — a leafhopper species researchers named Flexamia whitcombi — has been reported in the area using the plant as its host. But its small population may already be threatened, according to the researchers who published their findings in the journal ZooKeys.
Pinebarren smokegrass is threatened in the state of New Jersey. Researchers found the newly discovered leafhopper species uses the plant as its host and habitat.
Image Credit: Uli Lorimer
“The leafhopper, assuming it only feeds on this particular grass, at the very most could only be as abundant as the grass is,” said Gerry Moore, the leader of the National Plant Data team for the United States Department of Agriculture and a co-author of the paper. Most leafhoppers from the genus Flexamia are dependent on one particular plant, according to the paper. The pinebarren smokegrass is about a foot tall and pale green in color. “It’s a rare species, but once you find it, you will find it in abundance,” Moore said.
The new leafhopper species was discovered by Andrew Hicks, a researcher with the Museum of Natural History at the University of Colorado, and his team, including Moore and Uli Lorimer, a curator at theBrooklyn Botanic Garden. When Hicks noticed the species of grass in New Jersey that he was unfamiliar with, he contacted Moore to help him find out if any known leafhoppers had been feeding on this particular grass species, but instead, the team found a brand new species of leafhopper.
Hicks and his team discovered 35 individuals belonging to this new leafhopper taxon on the threatened plant, which was a surprise to Hicks because leafhoppers are more commonly associated with prairie and desert grasses in more remote regions in the United States. Hicks and his team didn’t expect to discover the new insect species in the most “densely populated state” in the U.S.
And while pinebarren smokegrass is relatively well-distributed in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the researchers say the area has already suffered from the effects of a warming climate. The changes, according to Hicks, are evident through the presence of the Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis), a beetle species that infests and kills pine trees and that has persisted since winters in the Pine Barrens haven’t been cold enough to kill them off.
The new leafhopper, which is about four millimeters long with light brown coloring and a pointed head,is named after Hick’s mentor, colleague and friend, Robert Whitcomb, who contributed to understanding leafhopper taxonomy and ecology, according to Hicks.
Moore says ecology of this particular species is especially important to look at because of the host grass that it feeds on, which proves difficult to protect because of its fire-loving nature. “When people live close by, it’s harder to have those kinds of large fires,” he said. “Fire suppression over time limits the habitat for the species.”
Hicks and his team agree that more research needs to be done regarding the new leafhopper species and its habitat while the species is still present in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
“The description of any new species may serve as a catalyst for additional research, and this will be best accomplished while the species still can be found in nature — something that can no longer be taken for granted,” the researchers said in their paper.
“Enlighten us, but make it quick.” — Ignite
Imagine that you’re about to present a talk that shares your passion about a personal or professional wildlife-related experience to over 300 peers and colleagues. However, you have just five minutes and 20 slides that will auto-advance every 15 seconds whether you’re ready or not. You take the stage, the timer begins and off you go.
It’s fun, it’s intense and the crowd loves it! Welcome to Ignite TWS.
Launched as a new event at our Annual Conference in Pittsburgh in 2014, our nine speakers created so much buzz with their talks that we’re doing it again at our 2015 Annual Conference in Winnipeg. This summer, we’ll share all nine presentations at wildlife.org to build up the anticipation for this year’s slate of talks that are scheduled for Wednesday, October 21.
This week’s featured Ignite TWS talk is by Brent Rudolph on They Trust Us, They Trust Us Not…Is Wildlife Management Pushing Up Daisies?
To learn more about this year’s conference, click here. To register today, click here.
Mitch Hartley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) employee and Past-President of the TWS Northeast Section, volunteered as an instructor at the Northeast Section’s wildlife field course this past May. He shares his teaching experience and discusses the impact that the course has on students. Read his article here on the USFWS Northeast Region’s blog.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 2898 on Thursday; a bill to provide relief from California’s drought to agricultural communities, which includes controversial provisions aimed at state fisheries.
The provisions of the largely Republican-backed H.R. 2898, known as the “Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015”, include expanding water access to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, streamlining state water infrastructure projects, and repealing the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.
Lawmakers in favor of the bill have hailed it as an effective way of redistributing water to those that need it most. It would speed up water infrastructure projects delayed as a result of ongoing impact studies as well as streamline permitting for future infrastructure projects. In addition, the proposed increase in water access to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta would redistribute the water to hard-hit agricultural communities in the Central Valley of California.
The Obama Administration and many House Democrats have come out against the measure, expressing concerns over the state’s right to regulate, the effectiveness of the bill in alleviating human suffering, and the toll the bill would have on endangered species.
A major point of contention is the proposed repeal of the San Joaquin River Restoration Act, which was enacted to restore California’s second-largest river along with its salmon runs. Those in favor of the bill claim that in a time of drought crisis and tight federal budgets, there are far better uses for these funds than supporting endangered salmon populations.
Many House Democrats have fired back, arguing that by halting restoration efforts and pulling large amounts of water from the San Joaquin River, House Republicans are attempting to slowly chip away at Endangered Species Act protections.
While proponents of the measure say this is not the bill’s goal, Representative David Valadao (R-CA), who authored the legislation, stated recently during an interview that legislators have an opportunity to “adjust and change and hopefully someday repeal” the Endangered Species Act.
Although the bill has passed the House, this version will likely never reach a vote in the Senate. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is currently drafting a Senate version of the drought relief bill. In a statement released by Feinstein, she expressed her willingness to negotiate with House Republicans on their version of the bill, as it contains some “useful short term provisions as well as some provisions that would violate environmental law.”
With the uncertainty of the bill’s future in Congress and a promise from the Obama Administration to veto the bill in its current form, it is unclear whether California will receive federal drought assistance before Congress adjourns.
Sources: Greenwire (July 16, 2015), Environment & Energy Daily (July 15, 2015), Environment & Energy Daily (July 13, 2015), Greenwire (July 9, 2015)
In the blink of an eye, an island on Florida’s Gulf Coast that was once filled with the chattering of the largest long-standing colony of seabirds and water birds on the coast, Seahorse Key, became silent and barren, left with only broken egg shells scattered on the ground and abandoned nests in trees.
The island — a 150-acre mangrove-covered dune and a part of the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge — was home to a colony of herons, egrets, ibises, pelicans, cormorants, and others for 30 to 40 years, according to Peter Frederick, a research professor with the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, a partner with the national refuge system. But in mid-April this year, the birds were gone.
“Typically, we have checks on the colony about three or four times during nesting season,” Frederick said. “The colony began nesting in late February and early March, and by mid-April, it was abandoned. And when I say that, I mean completely abandoned. There were no birds at all.”
Individuals with the refuge complete annual surveys where they count the birds in order to develop an index of the population. However, this disturbing disappearance was detected by an individual at the marine lab in Seahorse Key who showed up one morning and noticed there were simply no birds left, according to Larry Woodward, the deputy manager of the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. “I was out there a couple of days before the event and the birds were doing fine,” Woodward said.
About a week after the discovery, Frederick and Vic Doig, the wildlife biologist for the refuge system, hopped on a boat to Seahorse Key, which is about four to five miles off shore, and surveyed the island to find out what drew the birds away. They found bird carcasses, abandoned nests and broken egg shells, and determined that it had been about one and half weeks since the abandonment occurred. Frederick said the broken egg shells were likely from egg predators such as common fish crows (Corvus ossifragus) that knock them to the ground. Doig and Frederick sent the carcasses out to the lab and were able to rule out disease as the reason for their abandonment.
While Frederick said they don’t know why this abandonment occurred, they were able to rule out most natural causes. “We do not believe that there was an interruption in food supply,” Frederick said.
Frederick and others also noticed that after the site was abandoned, about a quarter of the birds began nesting in Snake Key, which is about 1.5 miles from Seahorse Key. While only some of the birds moved to nest in Snake Key, it’s a good representation of all of the species that were at Seahorse Key, according to Woodward. “This justifies the importance of protecting the surrounding areas as a reserve in these cases,” he said.
In recent years, a small number of birds have begun nesting in Snake Key because the mangrove area has been expanding, Frederickson said. And in the 1940s and 50s, there had been evidence of the birds switching from Snake Key to Seahorse Key due to predators and vegetation changes. However, this time, this doesn’t seem to be the case. “There have been predators like raccoons at times over the last decade, but there have not been more than one or two on the island,” Frederick said, adding that while there was one raccoon on the island at the time, it was unlikely that was the reason for the abandonment. “Raccoons typically bite and crush eggs, and we saw no crushing of eggs on the island,” he said. Frederick said predators such as bald eagles have also been ruled out since there are also bald eagles on Snake key where some of the birds relocated.
Since researchers have ruled out natural disturbances, they are now looking into human-related causes. “Predation is not likely, food interruptions are not likely. What we are left with are some unknown catastrophic disturbances,” Frederick said. “This could have been related to human activities.” Woodward added, “I feel strongly that there was some sort of human impact.”
These possible disturbances could range from someone shooting onto the island to helicopters flying by during the night time. However, aircraft overflights are generally not disturbing to nesting birds, according to Frederick. “It depends on the altitude, noise, duration and type,” he said. “If birds are abandoning in response to aircrafts, it has to be severe.” Law enforcement is currently looking into these possibilities.
Meanwhile, Frederick and Woodward feel lucky that Snake Key was nearby as a refuge for some of the birds. “It’s a darn good thing we had Snake Key for the birds to go to,” Frederick said. “It’s one of the functions of the national wildlife system to provide those safety valves.”
Woodward hopes the birds come back from Snake Key next year and that Seahorse Key’s site fidelity for nesting birds isn’t lost. “We’re hoping we can find out what could create such a catastrophic event where the whole colony is abandoned,” Woodward said. “It is unprecedented with that number of species of birds leaving all at once. My big concern is what happens next year.”
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, the old saying goes. But a bird feeder can be worth a lot more to farmers in England who participate in Environmental Stewardship, an agri-environmental program that encourages farmers to provide habitat and food to declining gamebird populations.
A study published recently in The Journal of Wildlife Management shows how farmers and game managers can maximize efficiency when it comes to supplementary feeding of gamebirds. The study looked at the distribution of grain from birdfeeders among various species of wildlife and how much of the food was being delivered to the target species. In this case, the target species were ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), gray partridges (Perdix perdix) and red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) across three lowland farms in southern England.
Lead author Carlos Sánchez-García along with researchers Francis Buner and Nicholas Aebischer found that in order to most effectively feed gamebirds and minimize visitation by rodents and other species, feeders must be placed strategically and moved often. In areas with efficient rodent control, the researchers suggest placing feeders along hedgerows and in open fields in areas with no rodent control. Contrary to popular belief, feeders also should be moved every 7-10 days, which helps reduce grain consumption by rodents, who take two to four days to find feeders after they’ve been moved. Birds, meanwhile, tend to find feeders fairly easily.
“There is still a significant proportion of estates that only feed during the shooting season and do not pay enough attention to pest species that may use feeders,” Sánchez-García said.
The researchers set up camera traps at 259 game feeders to identify the species at the sites and how many individuals were feeding there. They measured the amount of grain per feeder before and after each trial and used an equation to calculate the amount of food eaten by one animal of each species observed. In all, 47 different species visited the feeders, and targeted gamebirds accounted for less than half of those visits. Non-target species accounted for 67 percent of the total grain consumed during the study. To best replicate standard conditions throughout England, no pest control was used at the feeder sites.
Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) were the most frequent rodent to visit the feeders, accounting for 16.8 percent of all visits recorded. Only pheasants and wood pigeons (Columba palumbus) had higher percentages of visits to the feeders, with 19.6 and 17.3, respectively.
“In Britain, rats often spread from farm buildings to the countryside, so it is crucial to reduce the amount of food and shelter available at those areas,” Sánchez-García said. “Once rats have spread, trapping and hunting are recommended to halt their populations, and feeders can be used to concentrate and control them.”
Although the study was conducted in England, Sánchez-García says the results can be applied throughout Europe and elsewhere. Researchers and practitioners from around the world are interested in this study because of its implications for gamebird conservation as well as other species of conservation interest. The new data also has raised questions about feeder design, and moving forward, researchers may want to look at developing a feeder that prevents use by non-target species.
“Our research shows how game management may benefit game and other wildlife, though we need to rethink practices to ensure that they deliver what is promised,” Sánchez-García said.
