Wildlife biologists and highway engineers from 14 western states convened January 29 – 31 in Salt Lake City, Utah to evaluate what is known about conflicts between ungulates and highways and how wildlife and transportation agencies can collaborate to improve highway safety and conservation. They were joined by experts from five federal agencies, three universities, and over a dozen NGOs. The workshop revealed the importance of a shared vision among top-level leaders in wildlife and transportation agencies as well as solid relationships between field-level staff, local stakeholders, and NGOs. Other outcomes included recognition of the need for earlier integration of data on ungulate movements in highway planning processes; additional research into the design, effectiveness, and cost:benefit ratios of crossing structures; and more creative approaches to financing and implementing permeability of transportation corridors. Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) chief scientist, Ed Arnett, helped organize the workshop and was pleased to see the level of commitment by both wildlife and transportation interests to work together to solve problems.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released the final report detailing the findings from the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) deer testing in Michigan. As part of the state’s effort to identify and address PFAS issues in Michigan, MDHHS and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) took samples from 128 deer across Michigan to test for PFAS. Only one of those deer came back with elevated levels of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) in muscle tissue. That deer, from the Clark’s Marsh area, resulted in a ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory issued in October, 2018 for deer harvested in a 5 mile radius around Clark’s Marsh.

White-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has been observed in North America since at least 2006 and has spread rapidly across the United States and Canada. The disease has killed millions of bats and continues to spread. In response to the continued threat of WNS to bat populations, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) committed $200,000 to fund the WNS Small Grants Program for the 2019 year. These funds will support priority research and communications needs outlined in the White-Nose Syndrome National Plan and will help advance conservation efforts to manage the spread of the disease and its effect on bat species throughout North America.

A new web-based application from the USGS Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will allow the state's wildlife managers to examine how virtually manipulating land cover in a region could affect pheasant populations — and how much such efforts might cost.