The January/February issue of The Wildlife Professional

The Wildlife Professional is an exclusive benefit of membership in The Wildlife Society. Published six times annually, the magazine presents timely research news and analysis of trends in the wildlife profession.

Don’t miss another issue! Join today to start receiving The Wildlife Professional in your mailbox and all the other great benefits of TWS membership.

One of the most vexing problems in wildlife management is eradication of invasive species. From rats to snakes to feral hogs, invasive species wreak havoc worldwide, disrupting native ecosystems and inflicting more than $120 billion in damages every year just in the United States. In this issue of The Wildlife Professional, our cover feature, Editing the Ecosystem, introduces a new and highly controversial method to eradicate these invaders — genetic editing. Conservationists are divided on by the idea of modifying species genetically, but researchers are starting to cautiously explore the technology.

The issue also features two commentaries that dive into the workings of The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. First articulated in 2001, the Model emanates from two basic principles – fish and wildlife are for the non-commercial use of citizens, and wildlife populations should be managed for the benefit of future generations. But should some of its seven tenets be revised and an eighth one added?

On the lighter side, an article introducing The Wildlife Confessional, a project of TWS’ Western Section, tells the tale of a cantankerous kit fox and the trials of wildlife biologist Brian Cypher who was involved with monitoring the endangered species.

Finally, the 10^th anniversary of the “Miracle on the Hudson,” a jetliner filled with passengers that ditched in the Hudson River in 2009 after encountering Canada geese at takeoff, brought about a new era in wildlife monitoring at airports. The article, authored by APHIS Wildlife Services, presents an in-depth look at how wildlife strikes are managed at airports today.

There’s a lot more in the January/February issue of The Wildlife Professional, which will be arriving in members’ mailboxes in early January.