Members of the U.S. House of Representatives began their holiday recess this week, but Rep. Frank Lucas, Chair of the House Agriculture Committee and Rep. Collin Peterson, ranking Democrat on the same Committee announced that they would be in Washington to negotiate the final terms of a new Farm Bill. They will be meeting with their counterparts in the Senate, which is still in session, to work on what they hope will be the final terms of a deal that could clear the way to pass a new Farm Bill early next year.

The Wildlife Management Institute (WMI), in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is providing support to the Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) network. This new section of the Outdoor News Bulletin will provide readers with regular updates on LCC efforts involving WMI. This month's article features an evaluation of habitat use by the Arkansas River Shiner for the Great Plains LCC that will help managers design conservation for this listed species.

Conservation Briefs is a compilation of short news stories of interest to Outdoor News Bulletin readers. The stories will cover a number of issues that have developed in the past month or provide updates on issues that were featured in previous ONB editions. Each story will include links to online resources for more details on each topic.

This month:

Waterfowl and wetlands are among North America's most valued natural resources and there is a great need to understand the motivations and values of those who enjoy healthy waterfowl populations and support their conservation. A Special Session at the 79th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference will examine the critical role of humans in the conservation of North America's waterfowl.

Agencies, organizations, businesses and individuals interested in gaining exposure for their conservation programs or products are invited to apply to exhibit at the 79th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. The Conference will be held March 10-14, 2014, at the Sheraton Downtown Denver in Denver, Colorado. Exhibitors will be able to display March 12-14 in high-traffic walkways in close proximity to primary meeting rooms.

From former Executive Director of the Izaak Walton League, Paul Hansen, comes a new book outlining how conservation action has been stymied in recent years and how any progress that has been made was due to bipartisan negotiations and collaboration by broad conservation constituencies.

Mid-continent populations of light geese (lesser snow geese [Chen caerulescens] and Ross's geese [C. rossi]) have increased considerably over the last thirty years, with greater annual survival and subsequent overpopulation of light geese resulting in long term damage to some arctic breeding areas. In an effort to reduce mid-continent populations of light geese, the Light Goose Conservation Order (LGCO) was initiated in 1999 with the goal of reducing mid-continent light goose populations by 50 percent from those observed in the late 1990s.