A study released this month by The Wildlife Society and the American Bird Conservancy suggests that nearly one-third of free-roaming house cats are capturing and killing wildlife, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. Conducted by the University of Georgia, in partnership with the National Geographic Society's Crittercam program, the study attached "KittyCams" to 60 outdoor house cats near Athen

A new website, www.youngforest.org, and book, Under Cover: Wildlife of Shrublands and Young Forest, recently released by the Wildlife Management Institute describe young forest ecosystems and why they are critically important to wildlife. The 92-page book, authored by Meghan Gilbart, explains what constitutes shrubland and young-forest habitats and why they are so important to an array of wildlife whose populations have declined in recent decades.

State wildlife agencies are being urged to engage in the ongoing development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.  Speaking at the recent Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies meeting in Hawaii, USDA Forest Service Director for Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants, Anne Zimmerman, told western state directors that the Cohesive Strategy will have a major impact on how wildland fire is managed.

After substantial advancement in recent weeks, progress on the 2012 Farm Bill has ground to a halt, according to the Wildlife Management Institute. In late June, the Senate passed its version of the bill by a vote of 64 to 35. The House Agriculture Committee quickly followed suit and passed their version of the bill on July 12th. The next step is consideration by the full House of Representatives and, if passed there, on to a conference committee to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

On September 2, one of the most important programs for wildlife conservation in America will celebrate its 75th anniversary, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program, long known just by the names of its congressional authors as the Pittman-Robertson Act, has dedicated more than $6 billion from excise taxes collected on sporting arms and ammunition to state fish and wildlife agencies for the management of wildlife species.

In last month's ONB, we incorrectly reported that the version of the Farm Bill that was passed by the House Agriculture Committee linked crop insurance subsidies with conservation compliance. That is not correct and we adjusted the article on our website as soon as we discovered the error. Our apologies for any confusion that the initial article might have generated and thank you to those who made us aware of the error.