COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is requesting the state’s waterfowl hunters provide input on the timing of the 2013-2014 fall waterfowl hunting seasons and the locations where they prefer to hunt. ODNR Division of Wildlife biologists are seeking input from Ohio waterfowl hunters through an online survey so season dates and opportunities can be matched to the preferences of as many hunters as possible within federal guidelines. The ODNR Division of Wildlife survey will be available Jan. 22-Feb. 15 at wildohio.com. Hunters need to provide their customer identification number to participate in the survey. The customer identification number is found on all Ohio hunting and fishing licenses or at wildohio.com in the Wild Ohio Customer Center by clicking on the Manage Your Customer Account link. Continue reading

Missouri artist Rebekah Nastav has been named the winner of the 2013 Nevada Duck Stamp Art Contest.  Her winning entry featuring a snow goose standing on the shore will now grace Nevada’s 2013-2014 State Duck Stamp. The contest, sponsored by the Nevada Waterfowl Association and sanctioned by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), drew a total of 17 entries from 15 states. All of the winning entries can be viewed on the NDOW website at www.ndow.org/wild/stamp/. The winning entry in the annual art contest was selected by a panel of seven judges including two Nevada Wildlife Commissioners. “It was great to find out that my artwork will grace the 2013 Nevada duck stamp and be seen by many duck stamp collectors,” said Nastav, who finished fourth in last year’s contest. Continue reading

February 1, 2013 – A wetland restoration project completed by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Kentucky has attracted the fancy of a pair of endangered whooping cranes. In early November, a pair of whooping cranes was discovered on a property in western Kentucky that was recently restored, with NRCS’ help, to bottomland hardwood wetlands. The restoration included tree planting and the creation of shallow water areas for migratory wildlife on nearly 900 acres of former cropland that was put into a conservation easement. The cranes have been residing on the conservation easement since December 2012, roosting and feeding in the shallow water areas. This is a significant sighting because by the 20th century, the majestic bird was nearly wiped out. Continue reading

(Washington, D.C., January 29, 2013) A new peer-reviewed study published today and authored by scientists from two of the world’s leading science and wildlife organizations – the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – has found that bird and mammal mortality caused by outdoor cats is much higher than has been widely reported, with annual bird mortality now estimated to be 1.4 to 3.7 billion and mammal mortality likely 6.9 – 20.7 billion individuals. The study, which offers the most comprehensive analysis of information on the issue of outdoor cat predation, was published in the online research journal Nature Communications and is based on a review of 90 previous studies. The study was authored by Dr. Peter Marra and Scott Loss, research scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and by Tom Will from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Migratory Birds. Continue reading

In concert with the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved $2.4 Million in funding to Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois through the National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant Program (NCWC).  The announcement supports the AGO’s initiative, which takes a grass roots approach to conservation, in that it encourages local innovation to push forward its mission. Among the 24 projects funded nationwide, three were identified as priorities in the AGO’s 50 State Report.  The Illinois Wolf-Lake Powderhorn Lake Connection, one of the three highlighted, will be implemented in the state of Illinois, as a result of a $1 Million grant from NCWC.  Continue reading

Delta Waterfowl is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Frank Rohwer as president and Nick Pinizzotto as chief executive officer. The changes are effective immediately. Rohwer took on the role of interim president last October. His confirmation as president is the latest step in a long association with Delta. Rohwer started working at Delta as a student assistant in 1976, and continued as a funded Delta graduate student for both his master’s degree and doctorate work. After a short hiatus in the late 1980s, Rohwer returned to Delta as the scientific director in 1991. He has held that position for most of the years since then, while simultaneously serving on the faculty at Louisiana State University. Continue reading

Upstate Snow Goose Hunting Seasons Re-Opened – Rulemaking Filed to Allow Hunting from October 1 through April 15 Annually State regulations to expand the special snow goose harvest program in New York have been amended to allow hunters to take snow geese during a special harvest program from now through April 15 in upstate New York, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. This special harvest is in addition to the regular hunting season which runs from October 1 through January 15. Previously, the special season would not have opened until March 11. DEC filed a Notice of Emergency Adoption and Proposed Rule Making with the Department of State on January 23, 2013, and the changes took effect immediately. Continue reading

Today, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe announced $20 million in grants to 24 critical coastal wetland projects in 13 states and territories to conserve and restore coastal wetlands and their fish and wildlife habitat.  An additional $21.3 million in matching funds will be provided by partner contributions from state and local governments, private landowners and conservation groups through the 2013 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants Program. “When President Obama unveiled his America’s Great Outdoors initiative three years ago, our goal was to work with communities across the country to create a 21st century conservation ethic,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “Our coastal grants program is a model of this kind of partnership, conserving vital wetlands hand-in-hand with partners from Maine to the Pacific Northwest to as far away as American Samoa in the South Pacific.” Continue reading