April 2013

The Everglades snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) is one of Florida's most iconic bird species. Everglades snail kites are crow sized raptors that inhabit the lakes and marshes of South-Central Florida. As their name implies, the snail kite is a dietary specialist, relying almost exclusively on freshwater apple snails (Pomacea spp.) for food. Although common throughout Central and South America, the snail kite population in Florida is the only population within the United States. The U.S. population is federally listed as endangered and has undergone precipitous...

The country has had an eventful year since we last met in Atlanta. We reelected the President, political parties maintained control of their respective Congressional houses, the federal budget deficit remains, federal debt continues to climb, and the partisan nature of DC politics is solidly in place. On a more positive note, the economy seems to be slowly recovering and unemployment rates have declined slightly. In spite of this gloomy backdrop, the conservation world had a few things to celebrate this past year.

We held a yearlong celebration of the 75th anniversary of the...

The Wildlife Management Institute's (WMI) highest individual honor for outstanding professionals in the field of natural resource conservation was awarded to Gary Taylor late last month during the annual Conservation Administrators Luncheon at the 78th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

The award, established in honor of the acknowledged "Father of American Conservation" - George Bird Grinnell ? was presented by WMI President, Steve Williams, who noted that "Gary's tenacious representation of the state's interests during his 21...

The hydrology of a watershed is a complex, interconnected series of above ground and underground inputs. Human influences within the watershed ? including dams, diversion structures, storm runoff and adjacent land uses ? are extensive and can cause major disruptions in streamflow. There has been increasing emphasis on the need for daily streamflow estimates to understand how alterations to streamflow affect flooding, erosion, water quality and aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The Connecticut River UnImpacted Streamflow Estimation (CRUISE) software tool, funded in part by a...

Late last month, Congress passed and the President signed a continuing resolution to keep federal agencies funded through September 30, the end of the current federal fiscal year. While there was some good news related to agricultural conservation program funding, there were also some disappointments, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.

The Continuing Resolution restored enough funding to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can enroll approximately 12 million more acres in the program during the remaining...

The 79th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference will be held March 10-15, 2014, in Denver, Colorado. The Conference Steering Committee is seeking ideas and participation from professional conservation interests to help develop the conference agenda. In particular, recommendations for topics, potential co-chairs and presenters for four Special Sessions are invited. Ideas for prospective plenary keynote speakers are also welcome.

Special Sessions topics address timely policy and program issues and opportunities related to the practical and philosophical...

The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are seeking proposals from state and provincial wildlife agencies, universities and non-governmental organizations and others to help conserve greater sage-grouse and encourage collaboration among Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and their partners. Proposals will be considered for traditional research projects (original data collection), for projects that provide management support products (priority habitat mapping, modeling, adaptive management constructs, decision support tools...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Park Service (NPS), have developed a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) and land protection plan for the proposed Niobrara Confluence and Ponca Bluffs Conservation Areas. These conservation areas would build on existing conservation efforts along the Missouri River in northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota. In creating these areas, the agencies would work with willing private landowners, local communities, and other conservation entities to conserve wildlife habitats, increase recreational opportunities, preserve...