Life Sciences Commons^™

Corrigendum To “Avian Use Of Solid Waste Transfer Stations” [Landscape Urban Plan. 104 (2012) 388–394], Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Safety And Immunogenicity Of Onrab® In Raccoons And Skunks In West Virginia – 2011 Field Trial Report, D. D. Slate, R. Chipman, K. Nelson, C. Croson, S. Mills, C. Rupprecht, K. C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In 2011, a field trial was conducted in southeastern West Virginia to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a live recombinant human adenovirus (serotype 5)-rabies glycoprotein vaccine (ONRAB®) in wild raccoons and skunks. ONRAB® was selected for evaluation based on the success achieved in eliminating raccoon rabies from Ontario and Quebec, Canada, through the integration of this vaccine into rabies management strategies and significantly higher sero-positivity in comparison to Raboral V-RG® in studies along the U.S.-Canada border. The field trial site was composed of forested and agricultural habitats in an area where raccoon rabies is enzootic and oral rabies vaccine …

Rabies In North America: A Model Of The One Health Approach, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Christine Ellis, Richard Chipman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Dennis Slate

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The One Health concept merges environmental, wildlife, domestic animal, and human health into a global, interconnected context. Though recently a popular catchphrase due to the emergence and reemergence of diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Q Fever, Rift Valley fever, Nipah virus, West Nile virus (WNV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, and plague, the One Health concept is not new. The One Health approach to managing infectious diseases aims to promote and implement meaningful collaboration and communication between multiple allied disciplines working locally, nationally, and internationally to attain optimal health …

Using Three-Dimensional Flight Patterns At Airfields To Identify Hotspots For Avian-Aircraft Collisions, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, John S. Humphrey, Trey S. Daughtery, Michael P. Milleson, Eric A. Tillman, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) pose significant birdstrike risks to aircraft. Understanding flight behaviors of vultures in and around military and civilian airfields is necessary to alleviate these risks. Using satellite telemetry data collected from 11 black vultures and 7 turkey vultures equipped with Global Positioning System backpack harness technology, we collected data on location and altitude near the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, South Carolina from September 2006 to September 2008. We used military aircraft flight landing patterns to visualize a new concept, a flight …

Summer And Migrational Movements Of Satellite-Marked Doublecrested Cormorants From A Breeding Colony Managed By Egg-Oiling In Lake Ontario, Usa, Brian S. Dorr, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii, Scott J. Werner, D. Tommy King, James F. Farquhar, Irene M. Mazzocchi, Russell D. Mccullough

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A two-year satellite telemetry study was initiated in May 2000 at a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) breeding colony on Little Galloo Island (LGI) in eastern Lake Ontario, New York, USA, which is managed by egg-oiling. The objective was to describe cormorant (N = 26/year) movements, specifically during the period of reproductive management by egg-oiling and seasonally (breeding, migration and wintering). Egg-oiling at two-week intervals resulted in a hatch success on LGI of 5.7% for 2000 and 2001, combined. The majority (97%) of core use areas of marked cormorants contained LGI throughout three egg-oiling treatments (six weeks), and 71% …

Site Use Of European Starlings Wintering In Central New Jersey, H. Jeffrey Homan, Anthony A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz, Wendy Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Managing European starlings with DRC-1339 near urban and suburban areas can lead to adverse publicity resulting from encounters by the public with dead and dying birds. Collectors could retrieve the birds, if the likely sites of mass mortalities were known. In December 2009, we radio tagged 50 starlings at 3 sites in central New Jersey and studied their movements and behavior. Two of the sites were ensconced in a mosaic of suburban and urban habitats, whereas the other was in a rural setting. The sites were selected from a list of agricultural producers that had requested assistance from the Wildlife …

The Net Benefits Of Controlling Bird And Rodent Pests In Wine Grape And Avocado Production, Aaron M, Anderson, Katy Kirkpatrick, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The objective of this analysis was to estimate the net benefits of controlling bird and rodent pests in California production of wine grapes and avocados. These two crops were chosen because of the expected differences in types and extent of pest damage and methods of pest control used by growers, as well as their importance in California agriculture. A web-based survey was designed to capture grower experiences with current levels of pest damage and their expectations about damage levels without control. Information on the methods of pest control and associated costs was also solicited from growers. We obtained 83 responses …

Association Of Wild Bird Density And Farm Management Factors With The Prevalence Of E. Coli O157 In Dairy Herds In Ohio (2007–2009), N. Cernicchiaro, D. L. Pearl, S. A. Mcewen, L. Harpster, H. J. Homan, G. M. Linz, J. T. Lejeune

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Our objective was to determine the role that European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) play in the epidemiology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in dairy cattle. We visited 150 dairy farms in Ohio twice during summer and fall months from 2007 to 2009. Fresh faecal pats from 30 lactating cows were collected during each visit. Information on farm management and environmental variables was gathered through a questionnaire administered to the farm owner. The number of starlings observed on the farm was also recorded. Approximately 1% of dairy cattle and 24% of farms were positive for E. coli O157. Risk factors associated …

Movement And Habitat Use Of Feral Swine Near Domestic Swine Facilities, A. Christy Wyckoff, Scott E. Henke, Tyler A. Campbell, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa), a successful invasive species in the United States, have established growing populations in 38 states and are a reservoir of diseases important to domestic swine. An understanding of habitat use and movements is important for the prevention of disease transmission between feral and domestic swine. To assess risk posed to neighboring domestic swine facilities in East and South Texas, we determined habitat use and movement patterns of feral swine within 10 miles of domestic swine facilities, identified similarities in habitat preferences and vegetation types directly surrounding facilities, assessed effects of wet and dry conditions …

Economic Evaluation Of Vampire Bat (Desmodus Rotundus) Rabies Prevention In Mexico, Aaron M. Anderson, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Karen Gebhardt, A. J. Ramırez, Steven S. Shwiff, Dennis Kohler, Luis Lecuona

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vampire bat rabies causes significant impacts within its endemic range in Mexico. These impacts include livestock mortality, animal testing costs, post-exposure prophylaxis costs, and human mortality risk. Mitigation of the impacts can be achieved by vaccinating livestock and controlling vampire bat populations. A benefit- cost analysis was performed to examine the economic efficiency of these methods of mitigation, and Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine the impact that uncertainty has on the analysis. We found that livestock vaccination is efficient, with benefits being over six times higher than costs. However, bat control is inefficient because benefits are very unlikely …

A Comparison Of Methods For Estimating Raccoon Abundance: Implications For Disease Vaccination Programs, James C. Beasley, William S. Beatty, Todd C. Atwood, Shylo R. Johnson, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Accurate estimates of demographic parameters are critical to the management of wildlife populations, including management programs focused on controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases. Rabies managers in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have applied a simple raccoon (Procyon lotor) abundance index (RAI) based on cumulative catch of unique raccoons per unit area to determine vaccine-bait distribution densities. This approach was designed to allow for both the collection of biological samples and to index raccoon abundance to determine bait densities for oral rabies programs. However, postbaiting surveillance data indicate that, on average, only 30% of raccoons sampled …

Genetic Structure Of A Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) Population Inhabiting A Fragmented Agricultural Ecosystem, William S. Beatty, James C. Beasley, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fragmentation has drastically altered the quality of habitats throughout numerous ecosystems, often leading to dramatic changes in the composition of wildlife communities. The ecology and associated movement behavior of a species may also be modified as a result of forest fragmentation, resulting in changes in genetic composition of the affected species. In this research, we evaluated the genetic structure of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana Kerr, 1792) at the landscape and local scales in a fragmented, agricultural ecosystem in northern Indiana using 13 microsatellite loci. We examined 290 samples from opossums inhabiting 28 discrete habitat patches, and evaluated partitioning …

Influence Of Forest Structure On The Abundance Of Snowshoe Hares In Western Wyoming, Nathan D. Berg, Eric M. Gese, John Squires, Lise M. Aubry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are a primary prey species for Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in western North America. Lynx management plans require knowledge of potential prey distribution and abundance in the western United States. Whether even-aged regenerating forests or multi-storied forests contain more snowshoe hares is currently unknown. During 2006–2008, we estimated snowshoe hare density in 3 classes of 30–70-year-old lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and 4 classes of late seral multi-storied forest with a spruce (Picea engelmannii)-fir (Abies lasiocarpa) component in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming. We recorded physiographic variables …

Surveillance For Avian Influenza Viruses In Wild Birds In Denmark And Greenland, 2007–10, Charlotte Kristiane Hjulsager, Solvej Østergaard Breum, Ramona Trebbien, Kurt Jensen Handberg, Ole Roland Therkildsen, Jesper Johannes Madsen, Kasper Thorup, John A. Baroch, Thomas J. Deliberto, Lars Erik Larsen, Poul Henrik Jørgensen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In Denmark and Greenland, extensive surveillance of avian influenza (AI) viruses in wild bird populations has been conducted from 2007 through 2010. In Denmark, the surveillance consisted of passive surveillance of wild birds found dead or sick across Denmark and active surveillance of apparently healthy live birds in waterfowl reservoirs and along migratory flyways, birds living in proximity to domestic poultry, and hunted game birds. Dead birds were sampled by oropharyngeal swabbing. Healthy live wild birds were captured with nets, traps, or by hand and were sampled by swabbing of the oropharyngeal and cloacal tracts, or swabs were collected from …

Evaluation Of Elevated Bait Trays For Attracting Blackbirds (Icteridae) In Central North Dakota, George M. Linz, Jamison B. Winter, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) became an economically important crop in North Dakota in the 1970s, providing a major source of food for post-breeding blackbirds (Icteridae). Reducing local blackbird populations with rice grains treated with an avicide is one proposed alternative for reducing sunflower damage. In fall 2007 and 2008, we evaluated the idea of attracting blackbirds to rice-baited trays attached to wire cages supplied with live blackbirds. During our observations (1011 h), we saw 3888 birds, consisting of 25 species and 12 families, on the bait trays. Blackbirds made up 90.4% of the bird observations, whereas sparrows (Emberizidae) made …

The Role Of The National Wildlife Disease Program In Wildlife Disease Surveillance And Emergency Response, Kerri Pedersen, John A. Baroch, Dale L. Nolte, Tom Gidlewski, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The National Wildlife Disease Program (NWDP), overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS), was established in 2003 to develop a nationally coordinated wildlife disease surveillance and emergency response system. Since its inception, the NWDP has developed collaborations with over 200 national and international partners. The national partners include state, tribal, federal, and private organizations. These partnerships have resulted in surveillance and management of over 100 pathogens, toxins, and disease syndromes affecting wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Several of these pathogens, including avian influenza, plague, tularemia, bluetongue, and 10 pathogens carried by …

A Novel Bipolar Electric Fence For Excluding White-Tailed Deer From Stored Livestock Feed, G. E. Phillips, M. J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. White, Scott J. Wells, K. C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Where cattle (Bos taurus) and free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) coexist, they frequently share space and resources, potentially resulting in damage to stores of livestock feed and risk of interspecies disease transmission. Preventing use of stored feed by deer can be an important objective in farm management, depending on amount of damage experienced and perceived risk of disease transmission. Woven wire fences (2.4 to 3.0 m high) are generally considered to be the most effective means for excluding deer. However, rapidly deployable temporary means of excluding deer could be useful, especially during late winter when deer …

Producer Survey Of Bird-Livestock Interactions In Commercial Dairies, Stephanie A. Shwiff, James C. Carlson, J. H. Glass, J. Suckow, Martin S. Lowney, K. M. Moxcey, Bruce Larson, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The objective of this producer survey was to identify and estimate damage caused by bird-livestock interactions in commercial dairies. The interactions between birds and livestock have previously been implicated in causing economic damage while contributing to the environmental dissemination of microorganisms pathogenic to livestock and humans. Very little research exists to help producers understand what bird species use dairies, why they use dairies, or the scope and nature of damage created as a result of bird-livestock interactions. To better characterize these interactions, we surveyed dairy operators within Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin. Survey results suggest that the most common and …

Synergistic Stressors And The Dilemma Of Conservation In A Multivariate World: A Case Study In Allegheny Woodrats, T. J. Smyser, S. A. Johnson, L. Kristen Page, Olin Eugene Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contemporary patterns of species decline frequently stem from multiple, synergistic pressures, which much like the genetic concept of lethal equivalents, must be interpreted in sum rather than as independent deleterious entities. For example, the recent, range-wide decline of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) is likely a result of numerous, minor, human-mediated stressors including habitat fragmentation and disruption of metapopulation dynamics, reduced hard mast availability associated with the functional extirpation of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and recent shifts in forest composition, and expansion of a human adapted species, the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the parasites …

Using Three-Dimensional Flight Patterns At Airfields To Identify Hotspots For Avianeaircraft Collisions, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, John S. Humphrey, Trey S. Daughtery, Michael P. Milleson, Eric A. Tillman, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) pose significant birdstrike risks to aircraft. Understanding flight behaviors of vultures in and around military and civilian airfields is necessary to alleviate these risks. Using satellite telemetry data collected from 11 black vultures and 7 turkey vultures equipped with Global Positioning System backpack harness technology, we collected data on location and altitude near the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, South Carolina from September 2006 to September 2008. We used military aircraft flight landing patterns to visualize a new concept, a flight …

Cow Dogs: Use Of Livestock Protection Dogs For Reducing Predation And Transmission Of Pathogens From Wildlife To Cattle, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Lavelle, Thomas M. Gehring, Jean-Marc Landry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Dogs have been employed to protect an array of resources from various species of offending wildlife. Historically, livestock protection dogs (LPDs) protected domestic sheep and goats from predators based on development of a strong bond between protected and protector. Within reason, developing that bond between a LPD and other species of livestock should be achievable. We conducted several studies in which we raised and bonded LPDs with bovine calves and evaluated them for protecting cattle in a variety of settings. Though successful strategies in developing LPDs to protect cattle were similar to those established for sheep, we found differences that …

The Direction Of Research And Management Of Double-Crested Cormorants Heading Into The 2000s: Symposium Overview And Future Information Needs, Brian S. Dorr, Christopher Somers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An overview is provided of a symposium on the direction of research and management of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) heading into the 2000s. The current symposium built on previous efforts and described a number of focus areas of informational need, including cormorant impacts on natural resources, demographics of cormorants, assessment of control efforts, assessment of fish consumption and bioenergetics, and cormorant spatial ecology and influences on movements. The cormorant symposium highlighted a shift in research focus relative to earlier symposia, from evaluating potential impacts on commercial and natural resources to evaluating management actions in attaining desired goals. In …

Reducing Impacts Of Double-Crested Cormorants To Natural Resources In Central New York: A Review Of A Collaborative Research, Management, And Monitoring Program, Travis L. Devault, Richard B. Chipman, Scott C. Barras, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii, Carl P. Cranker Iii, Elizabeth M. Cranker, James F. Farquhar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) have used central New York waters for breeding and stopover habitats during migration since 1984. In response to public concern over Oneida Lake, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation initiated an integrated research, management and monitoring program aimed at mitigating cormorant impacts to fisheries and other natural resources in 1998. The history of this program was reviewed and efforts to reduce negative impacts of the Double-crested Cormorant population in central New York described. Management was successful, as demonstrated by a substantial decrease in …

Preliminary Assessment Of The Hoghopper™ For Excluding Non-Target Wildlife, Tyler A. Campbell, Michael J. Bodenchuk, John D. Eisemann, Steven J. Lapidge, Linton Staples, Phil Morrow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine populations are expanding throughout the U.S., where they are causing increasing amounts of damage to agriculture, natural resources, and property and threaten human health and safety. Methods to control feral swine damage in the U.S. consist of integrated fencing, trapping, snaring, and shooting (including hunting with dogs) efforts. New methods that are being developed to control feral swine damage include toxicants and fertility control agents. For these emerging technologies to be effective at the population level, they must function through oral routes of delivery. Concurrent to the development of orallydelivered actives, a cost-effective system that delivers biologics to …

Effectiveness Of Theobromine And Caffeine Mixtures In Coyote Lure Operative Devices As A Predacide: A Simulated Field Study, Eric M. Gese, Patrick A. Darrow, John A. Shivik, Bruce A. Kimball, John D. Eisemann, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Predators are capable of causing damage to domestic livestock throughout North America. Lethal responses for managing livestock depredations may include the use of sodium cyanide in M- 44 devices. Currently, several states have banned the use of M-44s and several other states are forecast to ban these devices. Therefore, additional tools are being sought to expand the repertoire of options available for managing coyote depredations on domestic livestock. We evaluated the use of a theobromine:caffeine mixture delivered within a Coyote Lure Operative Device (CLOD) as an additional predacide for coyotes (Canis latrans). Results from six trials involving 38 …

Mitigation Of Double-Crested Cormorant Impacts On Lake Ontario: From Planning And Practice To Product Delivery, James F. Farquhar, Irene M. Mazzocchi, Russell D. Mccullough, Richard B. Chipman, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation initiated a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) control program in the eastern basin of Lake Ontario to mitigate cormorant impacts in 1999. Key objectives included improving the quality of Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and other fisheries, restoring the structure and function of the warmwater fish community and reducing cormorant impacts to nesting habitats of other colonial waterbird species. In eight years of intensive control, cormorant numbers declined, with a corresponding reduction in estimated fish consumption. Diversity and numbers of co-occurring waterbirds either increased or have not been shown to …

Rats! Foiled Again: A History Of Rodent Control Methods Development At The National Wildlife Research Center, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Michael W. Fall, Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) and its predecessor laboratories have a long history of developing materials and methods for managing rodents and the damage they cause. The NWRC has been influential in exploring, developing, and maintaining legal uses of many traditional field rodenticides such as strychnine and zinc phosphide. Products have been developed for managing rodents in a variety of locales, and for managing a variety of species, from commensal rodents in urban areas, to pocket gophers and mountain beaver in forests, prairie dogs and ground squirrels on rangelands, and nutria and beaver in wetlands. Considerable research has also …

Migration Patterns Of Double-Crested Cormorants Wintering In The Southeastern United States, D. Tommy King, Bronson K. Strickland, Andrew Radomski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Migration patterns of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) wintering in the southeastern U.S. are poorly understood. Movement data were analyzed from 28 cormorants captured in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and equipped with satellite transmitters. Four (three immature, one adult) cormorants did not migrate and stayed in the southeastern U.S. throughout the year. During spring, cormorants captured in Alabama migrated east of the Mississippi River and primarily west of the Appalachian Mountains. Cormorants from Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi migrated north along the Mississippi River Valley, the Missouri River Valley and/or the Ohio River Valley. The earliest departure for spring …

Deer-Activated Bio-Acoustic Frightening Device Deters White-Tailed Deer, Aaron M. Hildreth, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

White-tailed deer damage urban and suburban plantings as well as crops and stored feed. A high public demand exists for non-lethal control methods. Several frightening devices are available for deer and all can be categorized as auditory, visual, tactile, and biological. Several problems exist with frightening devices, including: effectiveness, acclimation, cost, and acceptance. We tested the efficacy of a frightening device that played pre-recorded distress calls of adult female white-tailed deer when activated by an infrared motion sensor. Potential benefits of the device are that deer are less likely to acclimate to animalactivated and infrequently projected calls and that distress …

Long-Term Effects Of Immunocontraception On Wild Boar Fertility, Physiology And Behaviour, Giovanna Massei, Dave P. Cowan, Julia Coats, Fiona Bellamy, Roger Quy, Stephane Pietravalle, Matthew Brash, Lowell A. Miller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Fertility control appears as a publicly acceptable alternative to lethal methods for limiting population growth in wildlife. Recently developed single-dose immunocontraceptive vaccines have induced infertility in several mammals. However, the potential side-effects and the long-term effectiveness of these contraceptives have been poorly investigated.

Aims. We tested the long-term effectiveness and potential side-effects of the single-dose gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine GonaCon^TM on captive female wild boar.

Methods.Wecarried out two sequential trials: Trial 1 (n = 6 GonaConTM -treated and 6 control wild boar) and Trial 2 which started two years later and replicated Trial 1. We assessed the effectiveness …