USDA creates NRCS Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced in June the creation of a new Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Madison, Mississippi, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). The AWCC will be an arm of Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It anticipates an initial budget of approximately $3 million, to develop and transfer wildlife habitat management technologies applicable to working lands. L. Pete Heard, a 44-year NRCS veteran, including stints as State Conservationist in Mississippi and Director of the former Wildlife Habitat... Read The Article
NRCS assists woodcock restoration in the Northeast The soon-to-be-released Woodcock Conservation Plan calls for active management on public and private forestlands to return woodcock populations to 1980 levels. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has stepped to the plate by joining the coalition that is advancing woodcock recovery in the Northeast, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). In June, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the awarding of a competitive Fish and Wildlife Conservation Grant to the WMI Woodcock Initiative to develop and evaluate technological tools for woodcock habitat... Read The Article
More on 72nd Conference Special Sessions Cochairs have been enlisted for three of the four Special Sessions at the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, which will be held next March in Portland, Oregon. Jim Gladen, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (jgladen@rmef.org), will cochair Conservation and the Fuels Game, with chair Tom Franklin (tfranklin@iwla.org). Evan Smith, The Conservation Fund (esmith@conservationfund.org), will cochair The Future of Wildlife of... Read The Article
ONB survey The Wildlife Management Institute appreciates sincerely the information provided by those who completed last month's survey about the "Outdoor News Bulletin" (ONB). The results have affirmed for us some aspects of the monthly newsletter coverage and provided some ideas and inspiration for refinement. Readers are welcome at any time to provide ideas, opinions or criticism about this newsletter generally, wholly or regarding specific coverage. It can be done by linking to ONB at the end of this and future issues. Read The Article
Global warming is culprit in western forest fires? According to a recent study published in the journal Sciencexpress, global warming and not mismanagement of forests is responsible for the accelerating incidence of catastrophic forest fires in the West, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. Authors of the study are scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Arizona. The study was funded by the U.S. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the California Energy Commission. A key finding of the study is that the major factor leading to the increased fire... Read The Article
