Life Sciences Commons^™

National Wildlife Refuge System: Friends Forward

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Contents:

First Friends Academy Hailed as a Success

Pass the News Around

From the Chief: Out from Behind the Desk

In the Hopper

Six Congressmen to be Honored

Thinking of Starting a Bookstore at Your Refuge?

14,000 Hours and Still Working: Ron Tillier

Focus on Kids and Cranes

On the Fire Lines at Okefenokee Refuge

Fighting Invasives With Education and Cat Traps

An Employment Dream

Grant Deadlines are Fast approaching

Frequently Asked Questions

Calendar of Friends and National Events

Study Confirms Popularity of Outdoor activities

Refuge Update Article Index, Ellen Fritts

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

This document was developed to promote protection of Alaska’ wildlife from nonnative rodents, especially rats. If constitutes a statewide invasive rodent management plan, which is part of a multi-agency effort to minimize the impact of invasive species in Alaska. A literature search and interviews were conducted, and reviews were obtained from experts in Alaska and elsewhere. The plan summarizes resisting information relevant to Alaska and recommends a collaborative structure for undertaking strategic actions, the Alaska Rodent Action Team. It also identifies dozens of strategic actions that are needed to prevent and eradicate invasive rodents. These fall into six categories: legal …

Annual Report Of Lands Under Control Of The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service As Of September 30, 2007, U. S. Fish And Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Annual Report of Lands Under Control Of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service As of September 30, 2007

Message from the Director

Key to Real Property Numbers

Map of National Fish and Wildlife Management Areas

Map of Waterfowl Productions Areas

Significant Land Acquisition Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2007

Tables
1 Summary by Categories
2 Summary by States, Associated Governments and Possessions
2A FY 2007 Summary by States, Associated Governments and Possessions
3 National Wildlife Refuges
4 Waterfowl Production Areas
5 Coordination Areas
6 Administrative Sites
7 National Fish Hatcheries
8 Wilderness Areas in National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries …

National Wildlife Refuge System: Friends Forward (Spring 2007)

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Contents:

Design Concepts Bring Down Costs

“America the Beautiful Interagency Pass” Is Key to Refuge Travel

From the Chief: Refuges are Great!

Reading Rachel Carson

National Honors Bestowed on Friends Group and Volunteer

Friends Support Florida’s Winter Whooping Cranes

Walk on Winn Dixie: A Monthly Promenade

Writing a Newsletter? Here Are Some Tips

Noxubee Friends Advertise Refuge on Free Billboard

Glacier Activity at Togiak National Wildlife Refuge

Frequently Asked Questions

Calendar of Friends and National Events

Evaluation Of Wetlands Created With Effluent From A Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Using Mallard Sentinels: Implications For Mcmurtrey National Wildlife Refuge, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Previous work by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified nutrients, elemental contaminants, algal toxins, bacterial pathogens, and hormones as contaminants of concern (COCs) associated with wetlands created from the secondary effluent of a large swine concentrated animal feeding operation. In this follow-up study, COC exposure and effects to waterfowl were evaluated using game farm mallards. Mallards were kept in enclosures built on two created wetlands (treatment sites) and two reference wetlands that are federally managed for waterfowl habitat. Water quality in the created wetland enclosures had higher specific conductivity, BOD, turbidity, pH, and nutrients than reference wetlands. Algal blooms …

Lead Shot Availability To Birds Using The North Platte River Near A Trap And Skeet Range, Kimberly Dickerson, Aida Farag, Andrea Gray, Dave Harper, William Brumbaugh

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

A trap and skeet shooting range gun club is located on the North Platte River, below the Guernsey Reservoir in Wyoming. In 1999, we obtained sediment samples to determine if lead shot from shooting activities was present and potentially available to waterfowl and bald eagles. We collected 25 sediment samples, each consisting of the upper 10 cm of sediment, every 1.5 meters along transects that paralleled the river bank and skeet range. Sediment was sorted using a series of sieves. Nineteen of the 25 samples contained at least one lead shot (range = 1-14 lead shot/sample). Samples nearest the bank …

Dietary Overlap Of An Alien And Native Carnivore On San Clemente Island, California, R. Brand Phillips, Clark S. Winchell, Robert H. Schmidt

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Predation by feral cats (Felis catus) is recognized as a major threat to native fauna worldwide, but the competitive effects of cats on native species have not been extensively studied. Cats occur on San Clemente Island, California, in sympatry with endemic island foxes (Urocyon littoralis clementae). We examined diets of cats and island foxes between years, seasons, and habitats to assess the potential for resource competition between the 2 species. Analysis of 602 cat and 958 fox feces revealed a high level of dietary overlap (O = 0.93) and relatively narrow niche breadths for both …

A Bioenergetics-Based Population Dynamics Model Of Pacific Herring (Clupea Harengus Pallasi) Coupled To A Lower Trophic Level Nutrient–Phytoplankton–Zooplankton Model: Description, Calibration, And Sensitivity Analysis, Bernard A. Megrey, Kenneth A. Rose, Robert A. Klumb, Douglas E. Hay, Francisco E. Werner, David L. Eslinger, S. Lan Smithg

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We describe an approach to dynamically couple a fish bioenergetics-based population dynamics model to the NEMURO lower trophic level nutrient–phytoplankton–zooplankton model. The coupled models, denoted NEMURO.FISH and configured for Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasii) on the west coast of Vancouver Island, are capable of simulating the daily dynamics of the lower trophic levels and the daily average weight and numbers of individual herring in each of 10 age classes over multiple years. New recruits to the herring population are added each June based on either constant recruitment or dynamic recruitment generated from an environmental Ricker spawner–recruitment relationship. The …

A Guide To Nestling Development And Aging In Altricial Passerines, Dennis Jonsomjit, Stephanie L. Jones, Thomas Gardali, Geoffrey R. Geupel, Paula J. Gouse

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Nestling growth and development studies have been a topic of interest for a greater part of the last century (Sutton 1935, Walkinshaw 1948) and continue to be of interest today. This is not surprising since studies on nestling growth can provide a wealth of biological information that has larger implications for avian management and conservation. Despite this history of studying nestling development, basic information is still limited or absent for many species. Many questions remain unanswered, and contradictory conclusions are often found in the literature (Starck and Ricklefs 1998a). Therefore, much information on aging and development can still be gained …

Assessment Of Impacts To Aquatic Organisms From Pesticide Use On The Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Elizabeth J. Materna, Jeremy Buck

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The primary habitat management objective for the three refuges of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex is to provide high quality forage for wintering Canada geese. To accomplish this, much of the land within the refuge is managed for grass production involving applications of herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Other agrochemicals such as insecticides are applied to agricultural land outside the refuge. Some agrochemicals used in the area have the potential to enter aquatic habitats of the refuge and could impact species such as amphibians, turtles, or the federally-listed Oregon chub. The objective of this investigation was to sample both biotic and …

Annual Report Of Lands Under Control Of The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service As Of September 30, 2006, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Annual Report of Lands Under Control Of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service As of September 30, 2006

Message from the Director

Key to Real Property Numbers

Map of National Fish and Wildlife Management Areas

Map of Waterfowl Productions Areas

Significant Land Acquisition Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2006

Tables
1 Summary by Categories
2 Summary by States, Associated Governments and Possessions
2A FY 2006 Summary by States, Associated Governments and Possessions
3 National Wildlife Refuges
4 Waterfowl Production Areas
5 Coordination Areas
6 Administrative Sites
7 National Fish Hatcheries
8 Wilderness Areas in National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries …

Long-Term Abundance Of Breeding Songbirds During Restoration Of Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie, Robert Murphy, Karen Smith

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

There are no published, long-term accounts of responses of grassland passerine birds to the restoration of northern mixed-grass prairie through combined use of fire and grazing. During 1979-2001, we assessed abundance of passerine birds (9 grassland species and 1 shrub-associate species) on 2 brush-invaded, mixed-grass prairie tracts at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern North Dakota. Each tract encompassed 90 ha (220 ac) that were being restored through 4 prescribed fires then 3 consecutive years of grazing by cattle. Fires were separated by 2-4 years of rest (i.e., nondisturbance) and grazing was initiated 2 years after the last fire. Among …

Predicted Responses Of Small Mammals To Reintroduction Of Fire Along A Northern Prairie River Valley, Aren Eddingsaas, Robert Murphy, Patrick Isakson, Keith Behrend

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Fire is being reintroduced to restore native mixed-grass prairie that has been invaded by woody vegetation and introduced species of grasses at 8000-ha (20,000-ac) Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern North Dakota. Implications of this management for much of the local fauna are merely speculative without basic inventory data. We measured the occurrence and habitat relationships of small mammals (< 450 g [< 1 lb]) in prairie and woodland on the refuge. Using snaptraps, we captured 7 mammal species on 42 75-m (245-ft) radius plots in prairie during summer 1998 (n = 193 individuals in 5,208 trap-nights) and 5 species on 32 11-m (36-ft) radius plots in woodland during summer 2000 (n = 289 individuals in 2,560 trap-nights). We found 13-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) and western jumping mouse (Zapus princeps) almost exclusively in open prairie and southern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) almost exclusively in woodland. Based on logistic regression analysis, occurrence of 13-lined ground squirrel …

White-Tailed Deer Spotlight Survey Trends On Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, 1989-2005, Donald Althoff, Philip Gibson, Gary Meggers, David Hilley, Jim Sellers

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Legal harvest of deer has never been allowed on Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (QNWR) in south central Kansas; however, it is permitted on lands adjacent to the refuge. We assessed whether the rifle season for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) caused increased use of QNWR between 1989 and 2005. Deer spotlight surveys were conducted pre-rifle, rifle, and post-rifle seasons from 1989-2005. Total count, buck count, buck:doe ratio, fawns per doe, and percentage of does with twins were computed for each survey conducted. The average of the last 4 years (2002-2005) of the pre-rifle season surveys was 4.5 times greater …

A Preliminary Biological Assessment Of Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, North Dakota, Murray K. Laubhan, Robert A. Gleason, Gregory A. Knutsen, Rachel A. Laubhan, N. H. Euliss Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

This report represents an initial biological assessment of wetland conditions on Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Slade NWR, and Florence Lake NWR that was conducted as part of the pre-planning phase for development of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). According to the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (NWRSIA), decisions guiding NWR management should be based on the best available scientific information. Therefore, this report attempts to integrate relevant information from many different scientific disciplines (e.g., geology, hydrology, biology) to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in identifying ecological constraints and opportunities imposed by the land …

Lists Of Potential Hydrophytes For The United States: A Regional Review And Their Use In Wetland Identification, Ralph W. Tiner

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The U.S. federal government has developed lists of plant species that occur in wetlands. The initial purpose of these lists was to enumerate plants that grow in wetlands and that could be used to identify wetlands according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s wetland classification system. The first list was generated in 1976 by the Service, and since that time, the list has undergone several iterations as more information was reviewed or became available through field investigations and scientific research. Two lists are currently published and available for use: a 1988 list and a 1996 draft list. The latter …

Alaska Reflections, Volume 18, Number 1 – Spring 2006

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Table of Contents:

Reflecting
Outreach News
“Chinese” Dunlin in Barrow!
Life’s Work
Out Foxed
Jack Paniyak
Submerged Salmon Surveilance
Awards
Fish Schticks

Coordinated Spring Survey Of Mid-Continent Sandhill Cranes

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The aerial transect portion of the coordinated spring survey of mid-continent sandhill cranes was conducted on 23 March in Nebraska’s Platte and North Platte River valleys. The 2005 photo corrected aerial estimate was 491,900 birds. Outside the traditional aerial transect portion, observers utilized both ground and air coverage during the period 5 – 25 March. From this region, observers in the Official Survey Area (OSA) of Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas reported an additional 38,700 cranes. The 2005 total estimate (530,600) increased 18% since 2004 and is the fourth highest in twenty-four years of comparable figures. The current three-year average (2003 …

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge Established 1924 Compatibility Determination

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Establishing and Acquisition Authority(ies):

The Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge was established by Public Law No. 268, 6gth Congress on June 7, 1924. This act authorized acquisition of lands for Refuge purposes. Additional lands acquired in fee title by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are managed as part of the Refuge under a 1963 Cooperative Agreement between the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior.

Refuge Purpose(s):

"The Refuge shall be established and maintained (a) as a refuge and breeding place for migratory birds included in the terms of the convention between the United …

Status And Harvests Of Sandhill Cranes: Mid-Continent And Rocky Mountain Populations 2006, David E. Sharp, Kammie L. Kruse, James A. Dubovsky

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Compared to the increases that were recorded in the 1970s, annual indices to abundance of the Mid-Continent Population (MCP) of Sandhill Cranes has been relatively stable since the early 1980s. The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska spring index for 2006, uncorrected for visibility bias, was 183,000. The photo-corrected 3-year average for 2003-05 was 422,133, which is within the established population-objective range of 349,000-472,000 cranes. All Central Flyway states, except Nebraska, allowed crane hunting in portions of their respective states during 2005-06. About 9,950 hunters participated in these seasons, which was 8% higher than the number that participated in the 2004- …

Poststocking Movements And Habitat Use Of Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Pallid Sturgeon In The Missouri River Below Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota And Nebraska, George R. Jordan, Robert A. Klumb, Greg A. Wanner, Wayne J. Stancill

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Telemetry was used to evaluate seasonal and diel movement patterns, general habitat use, survival, and spatial distributions of hatchery-reared juvenile pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus stocked in the Missouri River below Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota and Nebraska. Sampling occurred at about 2-week intervals during spring through fall. Of 22 ultrasonically tagged fish, 13 were intensively followed to assess hourly diel movement rates. A total of 258 relocations were made for the 22 tagged fish; 19 fish were relocated at least once, and 16 were relocated multiple times. At least 68% of tagged fish survived for 2.5 years. In 2000, fish …

A Health Risk Evaluation For Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Albus) In The Lower Platte River Using Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus) As A Surrogate, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick, Donald E. Tillit, Diana M. Papoulias, Timothy S. Gross

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Most sturgeon species worldwide have been in steep decline since the 1900s. This research evaluated shovelnose sturgeon health, reproduction, and exposure to environmental contamination in the lower Platte River. Shovelnose sturgeon served as a surrogate species for the endangered pallid sturgeon and their health was assessed by incorporating measurements of general health with hepatic, immune, and reproductive system biomarkers. Environmental contaminants were measured in water, potential pallid sturgeon food items (cyprinid minnows), and shovelnose sturgeon digesta, liver, and blood plasma. Contaminants detected in shovelnose sturgeon at concentrations of concern included PCBs, selenium, and atrazine. Total PCBs in carcasses (n = …

2005 Annual Report: Migratory Bird Conservation Commission

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Report of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission for the Fiscal Year 2005:
Approvals During Fiscal Year 2005
Migratory Bird Conservation Fund
Summary of Fiscal Year 2005 MBCF Land Acquisitions
New National Wildlife Refuge Boundary Approvals
Membership of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
Map Showing National Migratory Bird Refuge Areas
Map Showing Waterfowl Production Areas by State and County
Notes on Tables One and Two
Table One––National Migratory Bird Refuge Areas
Table Two––Waterfowl Production Areas by State and County
North American Wetlands Conservation Fund
Table Three––U.S. Wetland Conservation Proposals Approved by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission for FY 2005
Table Four––Canadian …

Fisheries Monitoring At Mel Price Lock & Dam: May 2005 – June 2006, Nathan Caswell

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway System (UMR-IWW) Navigation Study was completed in September 2004 after more than 14 years of intensive study and evaluation of the navigation improvement and ecological restoration needs for the UMR-IWW system for the years 2000-2050. The final recommendation included a program of incremental implementation and comprehensive adaptive management to achieve the dual purposes of ensuring a sustainable natural ecosystem and navigation system. The program was initiated in 2005 as the working title of Upper Mississippi River (UMR) System Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) (USACE 2006).

A series of …

Native Salt Marsh Plants And Animals: Flora And Fauna Respond To Restoration Projects, John Portnoy

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Cape Cod National Seashore has an active program of estuarine restoration for the nearly 2500 acres of Outer Cape coastal marshes altered profoundly since the construction of tide-restricting dikes and causeways during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Tides were restricted by roads and railways built across coastal wetlands, and by dikes intended to limit floodwater mosquito breeding and to promote lowland agriculture. With tide restoration under way since 1999 at 90-acre Hatches Harbor in Provincetown, and just beginning in 700-acre East Harbor (also referred to as Pilgrim Lake) in Truro, both native and introduced plants and animals are responding.

Alaska Reflections, Volume 17, Number 2 - Fall 2005

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Table of Contents:
Reflecting
Outreach News
Dead Thing Duty
It Ain’t Easy
A Slowed Burn
Fish Schticks

Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District Bird List, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The Rainwater Basin of south central Nebraska has attracted millions of migratory birds each spring for generations. During migration, millions of snow geese, Canada geese, white-fronted geese, ducks, and 1/2-million sandhill cranes use the Rainwater Basin and the adjacent Platte River. The shallow wetland basins and surrounding croplands of the area provide the birds with critical resting and feeding sites during their migration north. The Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) of the Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District (WMD) are managed as grassland-playa lake ecosystems. The Rainwater Basin WMO staff currently manages 59 WPAs in the Rainwater Basin. Most of the WPAs …

Whooping Cranes: The Road To Survival

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Whooping cranes are one of the best known of all endangered species and symbolize the struggle to maintain the vanishing creatures of this world. One scientist estimated that only 1400 whoopers survived by 1860. Their population continued to decline due to drainage of wetlands, conversion of grasslands to agriculture, and hunting until only 15 or 16 cranes survived the winter of 1941-42 in Texas. The present world population is about 450 wild and captive whooping cranes (2005). Only one self-sustaining population survives in the wild; these birds spend the winter at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast and …

Th E Conservation Reserve Program And Duck Product Ion In The U.S. Prairie Pothole Region, Ronald Reynolds

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Th e Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America has historically been considered the most important area of the continent for many species of waterfowl, particularly upland nesting ducks (Bellrose 1976). However, during the time since settlement of this area by Europeans, productivity by species such as mallard, gadwall, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, and northern pintail has apparently declined. Beauchamp and others (1996) reported a system-wide decline in nest success of upland nesting duck species in the PPR between 1935 and 1992. Nest success has been identified as the single most important factor influencing population change of mallards breeding in …

A Survey Of Elemental Contaminants And Organochlorines At North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, 1993., Matthew S. Schwarz, Brent J. Esmoil, Timothy E. Fannin

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The North Platte National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is located 8 miles northeast of Scottsbluff, in Nebraska's Panhandle. It was established by Executive Order in 1916, and was managed by the Bureau of Reclamation (BR) until 1986, when primary jurisdiction was granted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The 2,909 acre Refuge includes three reservoirs: 1) Lake Alice, 2) Winters Creek Lake, and 3) Lake Minitare (Figure 1). Water levels in all three reservoirs are managed by BR for irrigation and Lake Minitare is managed as a State Recreation Area under a lease agreement with the Nebraska Game and …