Life Sciences Commons^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 25. No. 4. December 1993

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

FACTORS INFLUENCING DEER/VEHICLE MORTALITY IN EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. S. Gleason and J. A. Jenks

PRONGHORN SKULL FOUND ALONG EDGE OF HISTORIC EASTERN DISTRIBUTION IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ W. F. Jensen and R. W. Seabloom

SOREX MERRIAMI IN NEBRASKA ▪ P. W. Freeman, J. D. Druecker, and S. Tvrz

ARE DEER MICE A COMMON PREY OF COYOTES? ▪ G. A. Kaufman, D. E. Brillhart, and D. W. Kaufman

EFFECT OF PRAIRIE-FIRE ASH ON FOOD CHOICE BY DEER MICE AND HISPID COTTON RATS …

Degradation Kinetics Of Aromatic Organic Solutes Introduced Into A Heterogeneous Aquifer, Wg Macintyre, M Boggs, Cp Antworth, Tb Stauffer

VIMS Articles

Degradation rates of benzene, p-xylene, naphthalene, and o-dichlorobenzene have been measured in a heterogeneous, unconfined aquifer during a pulse injection experiment at Columbus Air Force Base, Columbus, Mississippi. Dissolved oxygen in the pulse plume maintained aerobic conditions. Degradation kinetics calculated from the complete field data set were approximately first order with the following rate constants: benzene, 0.0070 d-1; p-xylene, 0.0107 d-1; naphthalene, 0.0064 d-1; and o-dichlorobenzene, 0.0046 d-1. Reaction rates were also calculated from a near-field subset of the data using a model based on the hydrologic characteristics of the aquifer. Shapes of the degradation rate curves were consistent with …

Characteristics Of The Private Nuisance Wildlife Control Industry In New York, Paul D. Curtis, Milo E. Richmond, Philip A. Wellner, Ben Tullar

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The nuisance wildlife control industry is rapidly expanding in New York State. To gain additional insight about this industry and the number of animals handled, we reviewed the 1989-90 annual logs submitted by Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators (NWCOs) to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservatlon (DEC). The specific objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the number and species of different wildlife responsible for damage incidents, (2) the cause of damage complaints, (3) the disposition of animals handled, (4) the location of damage events (i.e., urban, suburban, rural), and (5) an estimate of the economic impact of …

A Cooperative Approach To Resolving A Marmot Damage Problem In An Urban Recreational Site, Layne R. Bangerter

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE) requested that USDA, APHIS, Animal Damage Control (ADC) investigate methods of yellowbelly marmot (Mannota tlaviventris) removal along a parkway and levee system in Lewiston, Idaho. COE biologists determined that burrowing marmots had penetrated and were compromising the integrity of the levee core. In addition to protecting downtown Lewiston from flooding, the levee is used as a popular bicycle and foot path. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and other groups and individuals became involved at meetings held to discuss potential methods of resolving the problem. ADC in cooperation …

Excluding Non-Migratory Canada Geese With Overhead Wire Grids, Martin S. Lowney

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Non-migratory urban Canada geese present complex problems requiring innovative techniques that are effective yet acceptable to contemporary society. A grid technique was modified and developed to discourage nonmigratory urban Canada geese from using water sources and thus abandoning adjacent areas. The technique is believed effective because it restricts the use of water resources for escape and reduces the required long take-off and landing zones of Canada geese. The grid successfully reduced non-migratory Canada geese from using three sites in northern Virginia. Several grid configurations and types of materials are discussed.

A Survey Comparison Of Pest Control And Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators In Kentucky, Thomas G. Barnes

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

A variety of factors including increased urbanization, decreased funding for governmental animal damage programs, and increases in some urban wildlife populations have resulted in a greater demand for urban nuisance wildlife control. Historically, this demand was met by Cooperative Extension Service (San Julian 1987), state fish and wildlife agency, or federal wildlife damage control employees (Bollengier 1987). These agencies provided educational materials, consultations, and/or physically removed animals. Recently, there is an increased demand for physical animal removal evidenced by increasing numbers of private pest control operators (PCO), companies that do general pest or insect control work, specializing in the removal …

The Role Of The Nuisance Wildlife Control Practitioner In Urban Wildlife Management And Conservation, Lynn A. Braband

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Private sector involvement in nuisance wildlife control has evolved from primarily part-time trappers to full-time firms with their own professional organization, the National Urban Wildlife Management Organization (NUWMA). The private sector plays a key role in urban wildlife management by providing an effective service in addressing human/wildlife conflicts. This role can be improved and expanded by enabling nuisance control practitioners to provide accurate information on wildlife biology, damage prevention, and even wildlife habitat promotion. Both government agencies and private organizations, such as NUWMA, can facilitate this by developing appropriate training, regulations, licensing procedures, standards of ethics, and continuing education programs.

Balancing The Needs Of Society: A Perspective For Wildlife Damage Management In The '90s, Jack H. Berryman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

It is a privilege and honor to have this place on your program. I sincerely appreciate the Conference making my participation possible. The job of a keynoter is, I believe, to set a tone, encourage or sound a note of optimism and suggest a challenge for the future. Well, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. And the only problem with challenges is which to highlight.

Suburban Deer Management: A Matter Of Perspective, Paul D. Curtis, Daniel J. Decker, Rebecca J. Stout, Milo E. Richmond

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Many metropolitan areas in the eastern United States are experiencing management conflicts associated with overabundant deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations. Sometimes these deer populations exceed the biological carrying capacity of available habitat and wildlife acceptance capacity (Decker and Purdy 1988) of local residents. For nearly 2 decades, a deer management controversy has been developing in Durand Eastman Park and the Town of Irondequoit, located in the greater Rochester metropolitan area, Monroe County, New York. Three local citizen organizations concerned about deer are described, and each has promoted various nonhunting alternatives to reduce human-deer problems. For 15 years, the New …

Balancing The Needs Of Society: Listening To The Public, Robert H. Schmidt

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Wildlife damage management, as a professional activity, is involved in a broad range of management issues affecting agricultural productivity and profitability, human health and safety, and endangered and valued species management. Surveys by S. Kellert and others have indicated that the general public is agreeable to resolving wildlife damage issues, even utilizing lethal technologies. However, surveys and case histories have also indicated that the process involved in resolving wildlife damage issues invokes much public concern. By process I mean the specific methodologies, strategies, and resource and social tradeoffs involved in developing and implementing a wildlife damage management program.

The Applicability And Biopolitics Of Contraceptive Techniques For Deer Management, Robert J. Warren, Lisa M. White

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

While regulated public hunting or controlled lethal reduction programs are effective in controlling whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in most areas, increasingly there are settings (e.g., urban and suburban environments) where such programs are either unsafe or publicly unacceptable. Past research with contraceptive techniques in deer have shown these techniques to be either ineffective or infeasible for managerial implementation. Current research with immunocontraceptives show promise as being both effective and feasible for field application. Immunocontraceptive vaccines can be delivered remotely and are highly effective in causing infertility in most treated does. Much more research is needed before these …

Strategies To Address Human Conflicts With Raccoons And Black Bears In New Hampshire, Marsha E. Barden, Dennis Slate, Robert T. Calvert, Paul W. Debow

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Cooperative Animal Damage Control program in New Hampshire has received increasing requests for assistance over the past 5 years. This trend is due largely to changing public concern over black bears (Ursus americanus) in residential areas and an epizootic of the Mid-Atlantic strain of rabies in raccoons (Procyon lotor). A growing number of requests is related to improper garbage storage and feeding of songbirds during late spring and summer. Some traditional methods, especially live- trapping and relocation, are not generally appropriate to resolve these conflicts. In this paper we discuss trends in requests for assistance …

Opportunities And Challenges In Handling Nuisance Wildlife Damage In North Carolina, Peter T. Bromley, Carl Betsill, Rodney Cannon, Jon F. Heisterberg, Edwin J. Jones, William T. Sullivan Jr., Perry Sumner, Randall C. Wilson, David D. Woodward

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The current procedure for handling wildlife nuisance problems in North Carolina requires the landowner, manager, or lessee to obtain a Wildlife Depredation Permit from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), except when an animal is caught damaging property. The Wildlife Damage Committee of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society bas evaluated the policy. Current laws and regulations do protect valuable, native wildlife species, but these requirements are unsatisfactory for handling routine nuisance wildlife problems. Citizen demand for assistance could be satisfied better if existing legislation were rewritten to provide the Commission more latitude in declaring certain animals …

Wildlife Damage Management On A Public Water Supply, Paul J. Lyons

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Wildlife populations can pose a variety of problems to managers of public water supplies. Further, new federal and state regulations governing the management and protection of drinking water supplies require greater consideration and mitigation of these problems. The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) manages watershed lands that provide high quality drinking water to more than 2.4 million people in Massachusetts. This water originates from the central and western portions of the state, from 3 watersheds and 2 reservoirs that also provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife species. In recent years, the MDC has evaluated the impacts of various wildlife …

Assessing And Reducing Soybean Crop Losses From Deer: An Interdisciplinary, Multi-Agency Effort, S. U. Wallace, J. H. Palmer, G. K. Yarrow, D. Shipes, E. J. Dunphy, P. F. Reese Jr.

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Damage from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has become a common complaint of soybean (Glycine max) producers in many areas of the Southeast. Both short- and long-term, single-field and community-wide solutions to this problem are needed. This paper describes a multi-agency, multi-state effort, involving agronomists, wildlife biologists, producers, and other landowners, to assess soybean losses from deer and to evaluate potential solutions. One phase of this work, which is supported by soybean producer checkoff funds, involves evaluating agronomic practices for reducing crop losses. These include drilled (rather than wide-row) plantings and use of insect-resistant or dense-pubescent cultivars …

Use Patterns Of Nuisance Black-Crowned Night Herons On A Hydroelectric Dam In Eastern Tennessee, Michael A. Wefer, Joseph W. Lee, William G. Minser

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) droppings are a problem on Fort Loudoun Hydroelectric Dam. Annual and daily use patterns were monitored to determine when and what areas of the dam the herons were using. The dam was used primarily during the breeding season (April-July) and received 24.2% more use in the evenings than in the morning. The most use occurred in June with a high of 211 birds 12 June 1991 and 266 birds 5 June 1992. Herons used band railings on the dam the most (66%) for perching. About 12% of the night herons using the dam …

Predator Depredations On Sheep In Pennsylvania, Gary W. Witmer, Arnold Hayden, Michael Pipas

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The eastern coyote (Canis Iatrans) has become common and widespread in many eastern states. We surveyed 331 sheep producers in Pennsylvania (PA); 22% reported predator losses in 1991, primarily to dogs and coyotes. Losses were heaviest in the southwest part of PA and producers reporting losses tended to have more sheep and more acreage in pasture. To reduce losses, producers used lambing sheds, fences, guard dogs and donkeys, confinement of sheep, trapping, and shooting. It appears that we can expect greater depredations in the future because of increased coyote numbers and a relatively low level of protection of …

Effectiveness Of Dimethyl Anthranilate And Eyespots For Reducing Feed Consumption By Starlings, Michael L. Avery, Raymond E. Matteson

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The bird repellent properties of methyl anthranilate (MA) and dimethyl anthranilate (DMA) are well-established. Nevertheless, development of means to reduce the amount of chemical needed to effect satisfactory repellency would reduce costs and make their use even more attractive. Thus, we evaluated the usefulness of a visual stimulus for increasing DMA repellency. We offered groups of captive European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) untreated food and OMA-treated food, and to some groups we also presented a putatively repellent eyespot pattern. As expected, a DMA concentration of 1.4% (g/g) reduced (P = 0.001) consumption of treated food compared to untreated; 0.3% …

Techniques For Reducing Bird Use At Nanticoke Landfill Near E. A. Link Airport, Broome County, New York, Paul D. Curtis, Charles R. Smith, William Evans

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Human and wildlife conflicts have increased in importance in many suburban areas of the United States. Birds pose a serious hazard to air traffic, and 1,200 - 1,500 bird strikes are reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) annually. The location of a landfill near an airport may increase avian activity because landfills provide a food source for omnivorous birds. To reduce avian hazards at airports, FAA Order 5200.5A established a proximity criterion prohibiting the location of any runway used by turbojet aircraft within 3,048 m of a landfill. However, existing landfills within this proximity may be kept open if …

Advancing Deer Repellent Performance: Fine-Tuning Hinder Applications And Potential Uses For Insecticidal Soaps, Michael J. Fargione, Milo E. Richmond

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Deer feed on buds, shoots, leaves and fruit (Scott and Townsend 1985), and cause substantial economic losses for many apple producers (Purdy et al. 1987). A variety of mitigation techniques are used to control such damage including deer population reduction via hunting, exclusion fencing and scare devices. However, most commercial apple producers rely on home-made or commercial repellents to control deer damage (Purdy et al. 1987). Despite their popularity, repellents have often provided only limited or highly-variable control (Conover 1984, 1987, Hygnstrom and Craven 1988). There is considerable need to improve the performance of existing repellents, or to identify new …

Propagation Of Bamboo As Blackbird Lure Roost Habitat, Richard D. Flynt, James F. Glahn

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Bamboo and native cane species have been suggested as optimal lure roost habitat for shifting blackbird winter roosts away from objectionable urban/suburban sites. As the second phase in developing this potential concept of alleviating conflicts with blackbirds, we report on information gathered from the literature, consultations with bamboo horticulturists, and on-site visits to previously developed bamboo plantations to select desirable species of bamboo for this purpose, and to identify preferred propagating techniques. Bamboo species Phyllostachys rubromarginata and P. nigra henonis ranked highest in terms of greatest cold tolerance, greatest propensity for lateral spreading, and most suitable structure characteristics for maximizing …

Dispersal Of Ring-Billed Gull Nesting Colonies In New York State, James E. Forbes, Maury W. Bedford, William W. Beck, Brian V. Archuleta

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarenis) are adapting to rooftop nesting habitats throughout the Northeast and the Great Lake States. Presently, six such colonies exist in New York State. Noise, plus accumulations of droppings, feathers and nesting material, cause unsanitary conditions, structural damage, health problems, traffic problems and have lead to Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations. We began a 3-year project in 1991 at two locations, Niagara Falls and Syracuse, New York, to relocate nesting gulls to other nesting sites. Eight lethal and nonlethal control alternatives were considered and three nonlethal alternatives were selected. We concluded that: (1) the …

Shooting As A Blue Jay Depredation Management Technique In Native Pecan Groves, John R. Kerr, J. Grant Huggins

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We conducted a 4-year project in southcentral Oklahoma native pecan (Carya illinoensis) groves to evaluate the effectiveness of shooting blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) to reduce pecan losses. We monitored blue jay abundance by time-area counts and bird nut damage using ground plots in 5, 4.3-ha study areas during the fall damage periods of 1989-1992. In 1991 and 1992 we applied shooting to 3 of these areas. A mean of 16.3 blue jays/ha was shot at a mean cost (shotgun shells and labor) of $18.65/ha over the 2 years. The break-even savings level was 0.5 kg of …

Similarities Between Big Game Repellent And Predator Urine Repellency To White-Tailed Deer: The Importance Of Sulfur And Fatty Acids, Rebecca Lewison, N. Jay Bean, Evgeny V. Aronov, John E. Mcconnell Jr., J. Russell Mason

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In the present experiment, we evaluated the repellency of Big Game Repellent^® (BGR), whole coyote urine, coyote urine with sulfur compounds removed, and water. Each stimulus was applied to an ornamental plant (hostas, Alba marginata) at 5 sites in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. At weekly intervals for 5 weeks, damage was recorded, treatments were reapplied, and plants were replaced when necessary. There was no damage to plants treated with either BGR or whole coyote urine. This was not true for plants sprayed with sulfur-free urine or water. We conclude that the repellency of coyote urine is largely …

Effects Of A Bird Hazard Reduction Force On Reducing Bird/Aircraft Strike Hazards At The Atlantic City International Airport, Nj., Andrew J. Montoney, H. Christopher Boggs

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Bird-aircraft strikes at the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) increased from 18 in 1989 to 37 in 1990. The number of bird-aircraft strikes involving gulls (Larus spp.) during this time rose from 6 to 27, a 350% increase. The predominant species involved in bird strikes was the laughing gull (L. atricilla). Pursuant to an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/ Animal Damage Control (ADC), ADC established a Emergency/Experimental Bird Hazard Reduction Force (BHRF) at ACY …

An Evaluation Of Floating Ropes For Reducing Cormorant Damage At Catfish Ponds, Donald F. Mott, Richard D. Flynt, Junior O. King

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

A floating rope system consisting of lengths of 9.5 mm (3/8 in) yellow, polyethylene rope and foam floats was evaluated for reducing double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) depredation on farm raised channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in Mississippi. The ropes were placed at 15-17 m intervals across 2 ponds (4.6 and 6.0 ha) perpendicular to the prevailing winds. Helium-filled balloons were used in an attempt to enhance the effect of the ropes. Cormorant numbers entering both test ponds were recorded during pretreatment, treatment, and posttreatment periods. The floating ropes were effective in reducing cormorant numbers on ponds (by …

An Evaluation Of Max-Flex Fast Fence™ For Reducing Deer Damage To Crops, John T. Owen, James B. Armstrong, H. Lee Stribling, M. Keith Causey

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

A 2-year study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of Max-Flex Fast Fence™ electric fencing materials (polytape) for reducing damage to crops. Specifically, our goal was to look at the efficacy of this product for the home gardener. In the first phase of the project, plots of approximately 1/40 acre were established in areas of historically high deer densities. Each plot was planted with soybeans and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 fencing configurations or to the open control group. Within each plot, 6' wide strips were tilled across the length. These tilled areas were checked for the presence of …

The Use Of Odors To Induce Avoidance Behavior In Pine Voles, Christopher J. Salatti, Anthony D. Woolhouse, John G. Vandenbergh

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Commercial orchards, ornamental nurseries, and residential horticulture in North Carolina experience economic losses due to pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) depredation. Predator odors and the herbicide Casoron were tested as potential repellents for pine voles. To test for avoidance behavior, animals were allowed to build a nest in one of two chambers attached to each arm of a Y-maze. The cage containing the nest was treated with either a test repellent compound, methylene chloride (solvent control), or left unmanipulated (control). Animals were categorized as either maintaining or changing nest cage preference between pre-test and test periods. The number of …

Long-Term Trial Of An Inflatable Effigy Scare Device Or Repelling Cormorants From Catfish Ponds, Allen R. Stickley Jr., Junior O. King

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Growing winter populations of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) over the past decade have caused serious depredation problems for commercial channel catfish (lctalurus punctatus) growers in the Mississippi Delta (Stickley and Andrews 1989). Stickley et al. (1992) found that cormorants allowed to feed without hindrance took an average of 5 catfish fingerlings per foraging hour, but at times took as many as 28 fingerlings per hour. Obviously, growers have to repel these birds or suffer heavy losses where the cormorants are feeding on catfish fingerlings and not gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) as they at times …

Rejex-It™Ag-36, A Potential Tool To Protect Seeds From Bird Depredation, Peter F. Vogt

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The ever increasing bird populations (e.g., Black birds, geese etc.) are known to cause considerable losses to agriculture. This problem has reached serious proportions for crops that are farmed on large tracts and are seeded by aerial application such as rice and canola. ReJeX-iT™AG-36, a non-toxic, biodegradable bird aversion formulation, derived from food grade ingredients, has been proven in pen tests and field trials to be effective as a seed treatment to prevent birds from eating the treated seeds. The product does not harm the seeds or the effected birds in any way, even if ingested; it just makes the …