USGS Black Brant Study Unravels Mating Mysteries

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska - USGS

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska – USGS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Not all birds mate for life, but for those species that do, wildlife biologists have found a clear benefit to the birds from such long-term relationships: greater longevity and breeding success, according to a study recently published in Behavioral Ecology

The study’s authors found that when female black brant (a small arctic goose) lose their mate, their chances for survival are greatly diminished. The study is the first to characterize health effects of mate loss to female geese, and its conclusions have implications for wildlife population management.  Continue reading

Delaware DNR – Conservation Order Reminder

Waiting on the spring flights of snow geese.

Waiting on the spring flights of snow geese.

DOVER (Jan. 23, 2013) – Since 2009, the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife has  implemented an annual Snow Goose Conservation Order as part of an Atlantic Flyway-wide effort to reduce the population of greater snow geese. Snow goose numbers have reached levels that are now causing extensive damage to their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic as well as the wetlands and agricultural areas where they overwinter in the Mid-Atlantic, including Delaware. The 2013 Conservation Order will open on Monday, Jan. 28 and run through Saturday, April 13.

The Conservation Order is a separate season open only for snow geese which occurs after the regular waterfowl hunting seasons close. It was created with the intent of using hunting as a tool to reduce and stabilize the greater snow goose population. Last year, an estimated 6,400 snow geese were harvested by more than 500 hunters in Delaware that participated in the Conservation Order. Continue reading

Robert Steiner Wins 2012 Federal Duck Stamp Contest

2013-2014 Duck Stamp by  Robert Steiner, CA

Winning entry will appear on the 2013-2014 Duck Stamp

Robert Steiner, an artist from San Francisco, Calif., is the winner of the 2012 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest.  The announcement was made today by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deputy Director Rowan Gould at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, during the annual art contest – the only juried art competition sponsored by the federal government.

This is Steiner’s second Federal Duck Stamp Contest win.  His art previously appeared on the 1998-1999 Federal Duck Stamp.

Steiner’s acrylic painting of a common goldeneye will be made into the 2013-2014 Federal Duck Stamp, which will go on sale in late June 2013. The Service produces the Federal Duck Stamp, which sells for $15 and raises about $25 million each year to provide critical funds to conserve and protect wetland habitats in the National Wildlife Refuge system for the benefit of wildlife and the enjoyment of people.  Continue reading

Hunter Safety Course expands to Mobile Phones and Tablets

Youth Pheasant Hunt - (c) 2012 Darin Sakas

Youth Pheasant Hunt – (c) 2012 Darin Sakas

Students who need to complete a hunter safety course to get their hunting license can now take the first step of that training on their smartphone, tablet or laptop at www.hunter-ed.com.

“Students expect to tackle a variety of tasks on their smartphones and tablets so it makes sense for hunter-ed.com to be mobile ready,” said Edward Cossette, user experience manager for Kalkomey, parent company of hunter-ed.com. “The pages at hunter-ed.com automatically resize according to the device used, from a smartphone to Internet TV. There’s no app to download and each page is easy to view and read.”

Another benefit of hunter-ed.com being available on any device is students can access the course on the Web even if the only way they have to connect to the Internet is via their smartphone. The training at hunter-ed.com is state-approved and covers the same material that’s taught in the classroom. The new mobile-ready site features realistic illustrations and interactive animations. An optional narration feature is available in many states, allowing students to hear the course in English and Spanish. Continue reading

Participation in the Outdoors up 3%

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2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Final Report Released

Wildlife-related outdoor recreation increased dramatically from 2006 to 2011.   The national details are shown in the final report (Final Report) of the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The Final Report, which follows the August 2012 Preliminary Review and the September 2012 State Overview, provides more information on the types of activities and money spent for fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching.

Highlights of the Final Report include:

  • More than 90 million U.S. residents 16 years old and older participated in some form of wildlife-related recreation in 2011; that is up 3 percent from five years earlier. The increase was primarily among those who fished and hunted.
  • Wildlife recreationists spent $144.7 billion in 2011 on their activities, which equated to 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.  Of the total amount spent, $49.5 billion was trip-related, $70.4 billion was spent on equipment, and $24.8 billion was spent on other items such as licenses and land leasing and ownership. Continue reading

Wildlife Sound Library now Online

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Snow goose in the Mississippi Flyway

ITHACA, N.Y. – “In terms of speed and the breadth of material now accessible to anyone in the world, this is really revolutionary,” says audio curator Greg Budney, describing a major milestone just achieved by the Macaulay Library archive at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

All archived analog recordings in the collection, going back to 1929, have now been digitized and can be heard atwww.MacaulayLibrary.org.

“This is one of the greatest research and conservation resources at the Cornell Lab,” said Budney. “And through its digitization we’ve swung the doors open on it in a way that wasn’t possible 10 or 20 years ago.” Continue reading

New Minnesota Public Hunting Area Named After Federal Premium®

Federal Premium - Public Hunting Land, Minnesota

Federal Premium – Public Hunting Land, Minnesota

ANOKA, Minn. – August 31, 2012 – The Federal Premium® Wildlife Conservation Area at Kings Island was recently dedicated and is now open for hunting just in time for the fall season. This piece of land sits on the banks of the storied Mississippi River and is located minutes from Federal Premium’s Anoka, Minn. factory.

Honored for Being Business Leader
At the City Council’s July 23 meeting designating the area, Anoka Mayor Phil Rice said, “Federal Premium Ammunition has been an anchor in the business community of the city of Anoka, Minnesota for many years and Federal Premium Ammunition has been one of the City’s top employers for several generations and the top employer for many of those years. The City of Anoka is proud to have Federal Premium Ammunition as an integral part and valued member of our community.” Continue reading