21st Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA

October 23, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

The 21st Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, more than 1,400 wildlife professionals and students are packing their bags for a robust learning, networking and engaging experience!

Attendees will notice a number of improvements at this year’s conference, including wireless access in the convention center for up to 500 concurrent users.  Between sessions, you’ll be able to enjoy stunning views of the Allegheny River and the city of Pittsburgh through floor to ceiling windows on the 2nd Floor Concourse while strolling through our new Member Activities Center. In the Center you’ll find our exhibitors, poster sessions, the TWS store, the Internet Cafe, message boards, a lounge and our refreshment breaks stations. Additionally, you’ll be able to view “Ding” Darling artifacts and memorabilia that has never been displayed anywhere else in the world!

On the third floor river side, directly above the 2nd Floor Concourse, attendees will find rooms for educational sessions and receptions before walking the connecting hallway to the city side of the building. Over there, they’ll find the Gallery, home of this year’s photo contest with a significantly upgraded presentation of the works of wildlife photographers so that our members and judges can select their favorites. In that same area, in addition to more educational session and reception rooms, attendees will be able to access the main ballroom where the Awards Dinner, Plenary, General Session, Quiz Bowl, and Annual Members Meeting will be held.

New to this year’s conference on Tuesday is Ignite! TWS, and it is shaping up to be a major event that could become a standard offering at future conferences. Speakers are given just five minutes to talk on a wide variety of topics, including tales from the field, as well as unique and controversial perspectives. But what makes these talks even more interesting is that each presentation includes 20 slides–that auto-advance every 15 seconds–to ensure a fast-paced and focused talk that is fun, memorable and sure to stimulate more conversation.

Also in the lineup are four great films during our daily Brown Bag Film Festival. So bring your lunch and enjoy wildlife videos that will inspire you before heading into the afternoon sessions of compelling educational sessions.

It’s not to late to join us! Visit our conference website through this link for more information. You can register on site for a day, two days, or for the entire conference.  We hope to see you there!

TWS Supports Duck Stamp Increase

October 21, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

The Wildlife Society, along with 34 other wildlife conservation and sportsmen’s groups, urged Members of Congress to increase the price of the Duck Stamp.  Congress is currently considering legislation to raise the price from $15 to $25.

Duck Stamps were first issued in 1934 for one dollar as a result of concerns over declining waterfowl populations stemming from overhunting and prolonged drought in the mid-section of the country where many species breed.

All migratory waterfowl hunters must purchase a duck stamp each year. Funds generated from sales are used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase and maintain waterfowl habitat, resulting in over 6 million acres being protected since its inception.

In order to sustain vital and viable habitat for waterfowl, it is crucial that funding levels match the price of lands, but while the price of a stamp has not increased since 1991, the cost of land has tripled, making a price increase essential.

FWS to Establish Recovery Plan for Endangered Frog

October 21, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

In a lawsuit settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to restore habitat and reintroduce the endangered, mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) in California. More.

New Fact Sheet: Impact of Disease on Bighorn Sheep

October 21, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

TWS members can now access the most current science, management tools, and federal action regarding conservation of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) through a new fact sheet developed and released by the Society.

Bighorn sheep are being impacted by pneumonia and other respiratory diseases introduced by domestic sheep grazing on rangelands. The diseases cause large mortality events and reduce recruitment of bighorn lambs, impacting population growth and conservation efforts. Managers are developing methods to temporally and spatially separate domestic sheep from wild sheep herds in order to prevent spread of disease.

TWS Government Affairs staff worked with Society members, the Wild Sheep Foundation, and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Wild Sheep Working Group to create the fact sheet. The bighorn fact sheet, along with other policy resources, can be accessed at wildlife.org/policy.

Student Conclaves Announced

October 21, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

Five Student Conclaves are hosted by universities from across the United States and Canada annually, each representing a different section of The Wildlife Society. The host institutions have been announced for four of these Conclaves as follows:

  • Northeast Conclave: Paul Smith’s College
  • Southeastern Conclave: Virginia Tech
  • Western Conclave: Texas A&M University – Kingsville
  • Midwest Conclave: University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University

All of the above Conclaves will occur during the month of March 2015, and are an excellent opportunity for professional development. A variety of competitions occur, testing both wildlife knowledge and physical ability. Main competitions include the Team Competition and Quiz Bowl. During the Team Competition several stations are set up along a trail covering a variety of natural resources-related topics, from plant and animal identification to field techniques. Quiz Bowl is a competition during which two teams, each composed of four players, earn points by answering questions. Other events include photography contests, obstacle courses, and radiotelemetry.

Student Chapters are encouraged to attend Conclaves not only to learn, but also to network and share experiences.

The Wildlife Society proudly supports each Conclave with $1,000 grant. Grant applications must be submitted to Headquarters two months prior to the event in order to receive funding. For more information on dates and locations please visit https://wildlife.org/professional-development/student-conclaves. Updated information will be posted to the site as it becomes available.

Fun in San Francisco

October 21, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of TWS has recently provided members with several opportunities to learn and engage. Recent events have included a hike to observe Tule Elk at Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore, CA. Members had excellent views the animals and even witnessed some rutting behavior. Members also enjoyed an outing to Mount Diablo where they observed tarantulas and scorpions up close and personal.

On October 3-5th, the San Francisco Bay Area hosted an Advanced Camera Trapping Workshop, which was sold out due to high popularity. The workshop provided participants with a wealth of knowledge, such as how to design a camera trapping study and how to analyze the data. Dr. Susan E. Townsend led the workshop, along with guest lecturers Ken Hickman and Jerry Roe. The following week, the chapter hosted their first annual Gourmet Greens and Beasts Feast. Members of the S. F. Bay Area Chapter (the wildlife biologists) competed against members of The Native Plant Society (the botanists) in a variety of fun competitions, including Tug-of-War and scavenger hunts. Feast attendees were also asked to bring a potluck dish that highlighted a native or non-native ingredient.

Upcoming activities include owling at Point Reyes on November 1st and kayaking Big Break on November 9th. For more information on events and how to join please visit https://wildlife.org/SanFrancisco.

Sources: Matthew P. Bettelheim, Past-President/Chapter Representative to Section https://wildlife.org/SanFrancisco, http://gourmetgreensandbeastsfeast.wordpress.com/

Hemorrhagic Virus Threatens Spain’s Amphibians

October 21, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

The world’s amphibians cannot catch a break. Climate change, habitat loss, and the spread of chytrid fungus already contribute to declining populations. Now, a deadly virus is ravaging Spain’s toads and newts, and may spread to other amphibian species across a wide geographic range, according to a study published last week in Current Biology.

Unusual amphibian deaths first appeared in Spain’s Picos de Europa National Park in 2005 when animals exhibited skin lesions, limb necrosis, and internal hemorrhaging; some even vomited blood. With help from colleagues at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid and park biologists, researchers with the University College London began observing population trends and collecting tissue samples from six amphibian species at different life stages from 15 sites around the park between 2005 and 2012. Using a series of genetic techniques including polymerase chain reaction, targeted sequencing, and comparative genomics, they identified the culprit as two new strains of a ranavirus called Common Midwife Toad Virus (CMTV).

Ranaviruses are found on every continent except Africa, and have a wide range of hosts including fish and reptiles. Over the past decade, Europe has seen its fair share of CMTV outbreaks — the virus was implicated in amphibian deaths in the Netherlands, Belgium, and more recently France. Until now however, CMTV has never been linked to such catastrophic population declines in more than one species.

“The capacity of these viruses to infect multiple species means that there is the possibility that some host populations may be extirpated due to infection,” said lead author Stephen Price in a press release. “Pathogens that can exploit more than one host simultaneously are able to persist even when one host drops to low numbers, and eventually zero, because there is another susceptible host available.”

The team’s study found decreases between 60 to 100 percent in populations of the common midwife toad (Altyes obstetricans), alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris), and common toad (Bufo bufo). And although three additional species (Rana temporaria, Lissotriton helveticus, and Salamadra salamandra) suffered less severe declines, they tested positive for the virus. Unfortunately, affected populations in some observed areas showed no signs of rebound after five years and are feared extirpated.

The source of the virus and how it spread remain unclear. However, Price and his colleagues hypothesize that CMTV may have been introduced at multiple locations throughout the park by human transportation of infected material along with livestock and equipment. Further genetic testing of the virus — including phylogenetic analysis, which Price plans to do in the future — should provide more clues.

TWS Recommendations for Critical Habitat Policies

October 20, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

The Wildlife Society submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) applauding their efforts to bring regulatory clarity to rules and policies related to critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act. Two proposed rules included revisions to the process for designating critical habitat and changes to the definition of adverse modification of critical habitat. FWS also proposed one policy change regarding their process for determining which lands to exclude from critical habitat designations.

The Society developed several recommendations based on its 2005 Technical Review, Practical Solutions to Improve the Effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act for Wildlife Conservation, and input from several expert TWS members. TWS’s primary recommendations included using more quantitative and spatial considerations when designating critical habitat and defining adverse modification to that habitat, clarifying the definitions of certain terms in the proposed rules, the use of best available science when designating critical habitat, and putting policies in place to ensure FWS regularly looks for newly available data related to habitat needs of listed species.

Flyway to the Danger Zone

October 20, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

Flying at night should be old hat for bats, but this routine feat is becoming increasingly dangerous. Tens to hundreds of thousands of migratory bats turn up dead at the bases of wind turbines every year, and now scientists may know why.

Bats that primarily roost in trees, such as hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), make up more than three quarters of bat fatalities at wind-energy sites in North America. Marcos Gorresen from the University of Hawaii thinks bats may confuse the turbines for trees — a mistake that could be fatal.

Gorresen and a team of scientists studied the behavior of migratory bats approaching turbines at a wind farm in Benton County, Ind., from July 29 to October 1, 2012. They analyzed more than 1,300 hours of thermal and near-infrared video footage looking for bats zipping across or tumbling through what Gorresen calls the “danger zone” — the area where turbine rotors and blades sweep through the air.

They found bats were selective about how they interacted with turbines. When wind conditions were favorable, the bats approached operational turbines from downwind where air currents are calmer, according to the study recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Once wind speeds reached over three feet per second, bats were less likely to approach turbines.

The results may help wind-energy companies better focus their bat mortality mitigation strategies. One popular method to discourage bats from visiting wind farms employs sound deterrent devices, which reduce bat fatalities by up to 50 percent. “To keep [bats] completely away might not be possible,” said Gorresen. “We just want to reduce the amount of time that they spend in close proximity to the danger zone.”

Currently, the devices send acoustic signals out in all directions. Using these new findings, wind-energy companies can focus the sound downwind where they know bats are likely to be. Companies also could set their turbines to activate at higher wind speeds.

The Wildlife Confessional

October 20, 2014 by The Wildlife Society

Have you spent hours in the field being eluded by a species you were making every effort to locate? Did your day of field research turn in to a comical adventure? Your story may be the perfect addition to The Wildlife Confessional.

The Western Section of The Wildlife Society has announced its plans for a new publication titled “The Wildlife Confessional.” A play on words with TWS quarterly publication, The Wildlife Professional, this anthology will include narratives from wildlife experts about their numerous adventures and experiences in the field.

By combining the tales of individuals throughout the wildlife profession, “The Wildlife Confessional” will allow wildlifers to come together and bond over their trials and tribulations. The publication will also serve as an educational tool for students, hopefully encouraging them to study wildlife biology and management and to become members of The Wildlife Society. The Western Section hopes that proceeds from the book sales can be used towards scholarships, grants, and training opportunities for students.

Tell your story and share your experience. All members of the wildlife profession are welcome to submit. Submissions must be received no later than May 15, 2015. For more information please visit http://thewildlifeconfessional.wordpress.com/. Submissions and questions can be sent to editors.wildlifeconfessional@gmail.com.

Sources: The September Issue of Wildlifer (http://news.wildlife.org/wildlifer/the-wildlifer-september-2014/news-from-subunits-13/), http://thewildlifeconfessional.wordpress.com/