Category: conservation

Wildlife Conclave brings 320 future wildlifers to Cleveland State

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Imagine, please: You are in a college laboratory. There are two dozen dead animals laid out on lab tables for the seminar on necropsy – a synonym for autopsy, except it’s on wild animals instead of humans. There are dead beavers, otters, deer and even a buzzard. Into the lab march two dozen young men and women.

You would normally expect a few exclamations of, “Ewww, gross!” or “Yuck.”

Instead this group buzzes with excitement, including Adele Taber. The young woman literally bubbles with enthusiasm. Instead of a lab full of dead animals, you would think she had walked into a department store to pick out a new…READ MORE.

by Richard Simms

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SD Commemorates NWTF’s 50th Anniversary

EDGEFIELD, S.C. —The 98th Legislature of South Dakota recently passed a legislative commemoration celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the NWTF. House Commemoration 8013 recognizes the NWTF’s significant contributions to wildlife management research, habitat conservation and preserving outdoor traditions in the United States.

“As a member of the NWTF, I am honored to bring this commemoration,” said South Dakota Rep. Jessica Bahmuller. “This commemoration is extra special because I was the prime sponsor in the House, and my dad (also a member) was the prime sponsor in the senate. This is the first time we have…READ MORE.

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Secret Public Trout in the Driftless Area

The three of us loaded our fly-fishing gear into my loaner Toyota Land Cruiser and set out from the hotel in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, crossed the Mississippi River into Minnesota, stopped for gas, packable lunches, and fishing licenses with trout stamps, and followed a maze of two-lane and country dirt roads to a public access trout stream through private property in the Driftless Area.
The Driftless Area encompasses parts of western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa, deriving its name from its limestone geography and lack of glacial deposits – “drift” – left by ice age glaciers which covered the region just north of the Driftless Area. Coldwater streams fed by groundwater filter up through the limestone and flow down through a hilly, pastoral landscape of forests and farms. While most of these streams flow through private property, Minnesota boasts 221 miles of trout stream easements in the region which allow public fishing access.

My fishing partners were Scott Mackenthun, an outdoor writer and Minnesota fisheries biologist, and…READ MORE.

By Drew YoungeDyke (Originally published in the July 2020 issue of Wood-N-Water News)

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MARKETING TO THE TURKEY HUNTER

White-tailed deer may be, overall, the most widely hunted big-game animals in North America. But when it comes to hunter fanaticism, it often centers on the pursuit of feathers — turkey feathers.

In an evolving world where tools and technology are letting hunters be successful with longer shots, the turkey hunting experience — at its essence — mostly remains up close and personal. Few things hook a hunter more than learning how to use the right call to strike up a dialogue with a fired-up gobbler and then feeling adrenaline pump when that longbeard gobbles so close and urgently, the overhead leaves seem to shudder and shed morning dew.

Turkey hunting, like deer hunting, used to be a…READ MORE.

by Ken Perrotte

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North Dakota Fishing Tournament Fee Change Bill

Greg Power from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department joins the show to give us the rundown on the proposed changes to fishing tournaments in North Dakota. Greg breaks down what the rules and requirements are for hosting fishing tournaments in North Dakota right now, and what the changes might be. He also tells us how these changes will impact certain entities including boat ramps and fish cleaning shacks across the state.

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Breaking Ground on a New Beginning

When the bulldozer fired up and rolled off the trailer, it became very real. My new home was officially under construction, and a project I never intend to finish has begun. As long as I own the land the home is being built on, it will be an ever-evolving landscape managed for wildlife. I eagerly anticipate plantings, burns, builds, harvests, and more as I work to benefit the critters I hope to have as neighbors.

The property I’m building on is 40-acres currently in row crop production. It has historically been leased out for farming. To create a mix of food and habitat for wildlife, I look forward to continuing to farm about half of the property with a mix of corn and soybeans. For a while, I’ll contract the entire scope of this work to…READ MORE.

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Selling to Snow Goose Hunters

Special spring conservation seasons for light geese give waterfowlers a chance to extend their fun. They need some specialized gear, though.

Snow goose hunters are a special group within the waterfowl world. They’re decked out in white, instead of camo, and are usually in a field instead of on water. They can use electronic calls and unplugged shotguns and often have hundreds or thousands of decoys. Snow goose hunters are next-level diehards who need tough, reliable gear.

Once traditional waterfowl season ends in January, most hunters put away their gear with a sigh of relief tinged with wistfulness. Others are champing at the bit to get going for the light goose season to open. That’s technically what snow geese are called, along with blue and Ross’ geese. Similar to Canada geese, the snow goose has a Greater and Lesser variety. Blue and Ross’ geese are considered…READ MORE.

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The Old Oak Tree

For over 50 years, an old oak tree stood near the corner of our house. It was no ordinary tree. Two oak trees had grown together at the trunk many years ago. It was massive in circumference and stood over 80 feet tall. The shade over our house and the oxygen it produced were invaluable to us. The fall colors of that tree added beauty to our yard.

Six other oaks are in the backyard. Two other oak trees are in front of the house. All are big, all are old, but none as old or as big as the old oak tree. The giant stood out among the other oaks, the maple trees, the redbuds, the buckeye, the dogwoods, and the spruce trees.

The giant old oak was always home…READ MORE.

by Larry Whiteley

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NWTF, USDA Begin Restoration, Timber Transit as part of Master Stewardship Agreement

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — As part of the new 20-year national master stewardship agreement between the NWTF and the USDA Forest Service, critical wildfire risk reduction and forest restoration work will soon be underway, thanks to a galvanizing new sub-agreement centered in the agency’s Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5), which encompasses all of California. This critical work will be accomplished thanks to funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Through our new master stewardship agreement with the Forest Service, we will address the most critical ecological challenges on our…READ MORE.

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STUDY: THE FUTURE OF MOOSE IN THE ADIRONDACKS

Wildlife biologists in New York are currently in the midst of a multi-year research project to garner some insight into moose populations and the factors that could be affecting the population’s growth in the area.

Moose were extirpated from the Adirondacks in the late 1800s and early 1900s, due to the destruction of habitat and overhunting. But in the 1980s, moose sightings in the Adirondacks began to trickle in. Over the past few decades, moose have established a permanent population in the New York mountains, and in 2015 the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) began actively monitoring it.

First came a multi-year study of adult moose. It was estimated based on findings that the Adirondacks have an established population of approximately…READ MORE

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