The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) met June 20 – 22 in Choteau, Montana to discuss the current status of the species’ recovery and make plans for the future. The venue on the Rocky Mountain Front was chosen so IGBC Executive Committee members could see, first-hand, the challenges people are facing as grizzly bears move back out onto the plains and how agencies and residents are responding to those challenges. On the last day of the meeting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it is removing the Yellowstone grizzly bear population from the list of threatened species. With this announcement, the IGBC is setting its sights on the delisting process for the Northern Continental Divide population, and increased efforts to recover the remaining small populations in the Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, Bitterroot, and North Cascades

The Wildlife Management Institute recently announced the hiring of William “Bill” Moritz as the new Midwest Field Representative, replacing Pat Ruble who retired earlier this year. The Midwest Field Representative serves as WMI’s liaison with the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In addition, Bill will be working with federal, state, and non-governmental organizations to advance conservation efforts in the Midwest as well as serving on WMI teams that review and evaluate national, regional, and state conservation programs.

People in the conservation community often talk of partnerships and the relationships between the outdoor recreation industry and fish and wildlife management agencies. What is meant when this is said? Are the state fish and wildlife agencies in a business partnership with the outdoor recreation industries? Or, is this a relationship where the two entities are working together towards a common goal of increased outdoor recreation – more specifically increased participation in hunting, recreational shooting, fishing, and boating? The answer may not be as clear as one might think. Let’s take a moment to follow the money.

It has been estimated that the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley includes roughly 1,500 floodplain lakes that represent the largest concentration of oxbow lakes in North America. Water quality and environmental degradation are the primary concern in most of these lakes, stemming from disturbances associated with agriculture, regulation of discharges from major flood-control reservoirs, and stream channelization. To support restoration efforts, the Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is leading research on water quality and fish assemblages to inform various state and federal agencies with jurisdiction over the alluvial valley.