Outdoor News Bulletin

Outdoor News Bulletin

July 2022 Edition | Volume 76, Issue 7 | Published since 1946

Bear-Resistant Container and Toxicant Delivery Device Testing Finishes Trial Phase

In 2020, at the request of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) established a program to test trash containers, coolers, food vaults, and other products for their ability to resist entry by black bears. This program is similar to the ongoing program for grizzly bears coordinated by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) that tests similar products on grizzlies. One addition to the black bear program that is not a part of the IGBC program is the field testing of Toxicant Delivery Devices (TDDs) that are designed to selectively feed toxicant baits to feral swine with minimal impact to non-target species such as bears, raccoons, raptors, etc. To carry out this program, WMI will coordinate the testing in alignment with the SEAFWA-developed protocol in captive zoos across the Southeast (for products other than TDDs) and in the wild (for TDDs) in coastal North Carolina. Earlier this summer, WMI completed trial tests at both captive and wild locations to ensure that the protocol is sound and to ensure that the program is ready to become operational.

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USFWS Provides Funding in Support of Monitoring and Communication

White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading disease causing high mortality rates in North American bats, with the disease confirmed in 39 states and eight Canadian provinces as of February 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service), in partnership with WMI, recently funded a small grant program in support of projects that focused on monitoring bat diversity and abundance and/or education and engagement of the public in conservation of bats.

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Winter Counts of Monarch Butterfly Population Show Increase in Mexico Forests and Dramatic Increases in California Wintering Numbers

On May 24, 2022, the World Wildlife Fund-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance (WWF) and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in Mexico (CONANP), released data from the winter 2021–22 monarch butterfly population counts. Monarchs occupied 2.84 hectares in December 2021, compared to 2.10 hectares at the same time in 2020. This represents a 35% increase. The average for the past decade, from the winter beginning in 2012 to the winter beginning in 2021, has been 2.62 hectares, and the population has been declining since formal measurements were initiated.

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