Animal Sciences Commons^™

2001 Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey For South Dakota And North Dakota

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The 2001 Waterfowl Breeding Ground and Habitat Survey for South and North Dakota was conducted 7 - 28 May with standard aerial coverage accomplished. Personnel changes occurred this year in both the air and ground crew. Habitat conditions were good to excellent through out most of the crew area. Compared to 2000 levels, wetland counts increased 58% in South Dakota and were similar (2%) in North Dakota. Waterfowl breeding populations were second and third highest of record for South Dakota (4.301 million) and North Dakota (5.767 million), respectively. The outlook for waterfowl production in 2001 is above average.

For The Birds

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

As you learn to enjoy the beauty of birdlife around their home, you may wish to improve the “habitat” in your yard so that more birds will visit your property. You can attract birds by placing bird feeders, nest boxes, and bird baths in your yard, and by planting a variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers. These can provide good nesting sites, winter shelter, places to hide from predators and natural food supplies that are available year-round.

Backyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife. More than 65 million Americans of all ages watch, feed and landscape for …

Validation Of Three Back-Calculation Models By Using Multiple Oxytetracycline Marks Formed In The Otoliths And Scales Of Bluegill × Green Sunfish Hybrids, Robert A. Klumb, Michael A. Bozek, Richard V. Frie

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We assessed the accuracy of the Fraser–Lee, biological-intercept, and Weisberg back-calculation models to estimate growth from otoliths and scales of laboratory-reared juvenile bluegill × green sunfish hybrids (Lepomis macrochirus × Lepomis cyanellus). Hybrid sunfish were injected three times with oxytetracycline hydrochloride at 90- day intervals to mark bony structures, creating simulated annuli for model validation. Back-calculated lengths (BCLs) with otoliths were generally less accurate than scales for all three models. Errors ranged from –8.2 to 7.8% for the Fraser–Lee model, from –8.0 to 8.3% for the biological-intercept model, and from –6.5 to 14.3% for the Weisberg model. For …

Creston National Fish Hatchery, Montana Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) is comprised of 70 Fish Hatcheries, 7 Fish Technology Centers, and 9 Fish Health Centers nation wide. The NFHS operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a unique responsibility in helping restore native aquatic populations, mitigate for fisheries lost as a result of federal water projects, provide fish to benefit Tribes and the National Wildlife Refuges, and to recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The NFHS works closely with other programs in the Service and with the States, Tribes, and the private sector to complement habitat restoration and other resource …

D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Established in 1896, DC Booth Historic NFH, formerly Spearfish NFH, is one of the oldest operating hatcheries in the country dedicated to fish culture and resource management. The hatchery was constructed to propagate, stock, and establish trout populations in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. After a very successful fish production history, the hatchery ceased operations in the mid-80's and reopened with a new mission and partnership to help preserve the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's historic and cultural heritage.

Today, DC Booth Historic NFH serves as a living fishery museum to the public and many organizations. Still …

Saratoga National Fish Hatchery, Wyoming: Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Saratoga NFH, established in 1911, has served as an egg-producing station during most of its years of operation. Between 1915 and 1984, various strains of brook, rainbow, brown, golden and cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden eggs were produced. In 1966, Saratoga NFH was formally designated as a broodstock hatchery, and in 1984 the hatchery became involved in the Great Lakes lake trout recovery program. Today, the hatchery's broodstock program includes supplying about 5 million eyed Lewis Lake lake trout eggs to the Great Lakes restoration program and 3 to 4 million Plymouth Rock brown trout eggs for Service, State, and …

Relationship Of Hydrological Conditions And Populations Of Breeding Piping Plovers, Daniel S. Licht

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

I used hydrological data and surveys of breeding piping plover (Charadrius melodus) from 1988 to 1997 to assess the relationship of water levels to piping plover breeding distribution, abundance, and habitat use in North Dakota. Piping plover abundance at wetlands surveyed in all years (n = 48) increased significantly as wetness increased (r = 0.93, P < 0.001). However, individual wetland sites often differed in their response to hydrological conditions with some sites showing significant decreases in piping plover abundance during wet periods. The abundance of piping plovers using the Missouri River system (Oahe and Sakakawea reservoirs and the free-flowing reaches of the river) correlated strongly with upland populations of piping plovers during periods of below-average water levels in the riverine system; however, once water levels within the Missouri River system reach a certain point the relationship turned negative with river populations·of piping plovers decreasing and upland populations of piping plovers increasing.

Review Of The Historical And Present Status Of The Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus Pallidicinctus) In Texas, Robert M. Sullivan, John P. Hughes, James E. Lionberger

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Historically, the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) occurred in sandy rangeland throughout the northeastern and southwestern (Permian Basin) regions of the Texas Panhandle. Analyses of the historical distribution showed a large reduction in the range of the species in Texas between 1963 and 1980 (78% or 1,070,426 ha), particularly in the southwestern and east-central panhandle, whereas populations in the northeastern Panhandle remained relatively stable. In the northeastern Panhandle, average number of males per lek increased since 1942. In the southwestern Panhandle, average numbers of males per lek decreased dramatically from 1969 to 1981 and from 1985 to 2000, but …

Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery, Colorado Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Hotchkiss NFH was established in 1967 as part of the Colorado River Storage Project Act. Located on 59 acres of forest surroundings on the North Fork of the Gunnison River, the hatchery's cold, clean water supply comes from the adjacent Tommy Dowell Spring.

Tommy Dowell Spring was created in the 1930's by an earthquake near Salt Lake City, whose tremors also affected the Hotchkiss area. The spring has a constant water temperature of 56 °F and flows from 2,200 to 5,000 gallons per minute, providing the ideal conditions for trout production.

Currently, the hatchery is rearing rainbow trout for stocking …

Fish Survey Of Nathan's Lake, Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Corey Lee, William Davison

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The Columbia Fishery Resources Office conducted fish surveys at Nathan's Lake, a proposed component of Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), in June 2001. Boyer Chute NWR is located in the Missouri River Floodplain about three miles north or Omaha, NE and four miles southeast of Ft. Calhoun, NE.

Nathan's Lake is located about one mile southwest of Boyer Chute (Figure 1) in Washington County and is connected to the Missouri River by a drainage ditch with a control structure located at the northeast corner of the lake, Nathan's Lake is approximately a 50-acre shallow lake (0.61-1.22-m) that contains aquatic …

Ennis National Fish Hatchery, Montana Restoring America’S Fisheries

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Established in 1981, Ennis NFH was located for the purpose of taking trout eggs from wild populations, and introducing fingerling fish back into public waters to sustain and enhance the sport fishery. The site was selected for the fractured rock out-cropping which gravity flows 15,000 gallons per minute of 54 °F spring waters; the ideal environmnet for producing trout.

In the 1970's the demand for catching trout decreased, but the demand for eggs increased. More emphasis was placed on broodstock and by the mid-80's production exceeded 20 million eggs. Today Ennis NFH operates as a federal broodstock hatchery and produces …

Trace Element Concentrations In Plants And Sediments At Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Karen J. Nelson, Brent J. Esmoil

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in the Sandhills of western Nebraska, an area which contains the largest remaining tract of mid-grass and tall-grass prairie in North America. Land use surrounding the refuge is dominated by rangeland and land use practices likely result in minimal inputs of point or non-point source pollution. Industrial development in the area is minimal and the refuge complex is believed to be in fairly pristine condition. The use of persistent organochlorine pesticides on the refuge has been limited. The objectives of this study were to determine background concentrations of metals in biotic and …