June 2009

My dog is a German wirehaired pointer. He's considered a "versatile" dog. His registered name is Half-fast Bandit, but goes by Bandit, and he looks a lot like Prussian King Wilhelm I. Now that he is too old to be a first-rate upland bird dog, he has exhibited his versatility by collecting eastern box turtles from the woods around my house. I find that weird and suspect the turtles do, too.

It turns out, according to Bryan Christy, collection of turtles for fun or profit isn't an unusual pastime. For that matter, Christy insinuates that collecting herptiles for fun isn't...

The May Outdoor News Bulletin incorrectly reported that the Obama Administration had stripped funding for the Open Fields private lands access program. In fact, the Administration has requested $50 million for Open Fields in its 2010 Budget request. The program it chose not to fund in the request was an additional $3 per-acre incentive for landowners enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program who allow the public to access their property for hunting, fishing or other wildlife-related recreation. This program was announced last October during the White House Conference on North American...

Research released in this month's Journal of Mammalogy suggests that, if polar bears adapt their summer diets, they may be able to survive through longer periods without sea ice. The study evaluated whether alternative foods that polar bears have been documented eating opportunistically during summer months could provide the energy the bears need to survive and reproduce. Researchers Markus Dyck and Ermias Kebreab suggest that these foods could sustain polar bears if the bears would change behavior and adapt to eating those foods as primary sources, reports the Wildlife Management...

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture (Subcommittee) rejected cuts in funding proposed by the Administration for several important conservation programs authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

Among the changes to the Administration's suggested FY 2010 budget, the Subcommittee would restore $184 million for the Wetlands Reserve Program and $43 million for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. In addition, funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program would be increased by more than $100 million over the current...

Papers presented during the workshop "Predators and Prey: Integrating Management to Achieve Conservation Objectives," held during the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, have been posted to the Websites of the cosponsoring organizations, the Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). In addition, the papers were published in the Transactions of the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference.

The full-day workshop was attended by more than 200 people from all regions of North...

From its origin as a project of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA), the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) is wrapping up efforts to become an inclusive rangewide initiative, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI). This strategic expansion is intended to broaden and deepen professional resource-management commitment for bobwhite and grassland bird conservation, as well as support from the hunting and general publics.

The NBCI recovery plan is undergoing a complete overhaul, under the direction of its...

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed its version of a comprehensive energy and climate change bill on May 21, by a vote of 33-25, largely along party lines. The American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) is intended to move the country towards a clean energy economy through a comprehensive approach to energy policy built largely around an emissions "cap and trade" program. Components of the bill include a 20-percent national renewable energy and efficiency standard by 2020 along with numerous programs to encourage energy efficiency and conservation. Another component of...

On June 9, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar nominated Sam Hamilton to be the next Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Hamilton is a 30-year veteran of the FWS and has served as the agency's Southeast Regional Director since 1997. The nomination, which requires Senate confirmation, has been praised by a broad array of conservation and environmental groups, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI).

Hamilton has extensive experience within the FWS overseeing a programs ranging from endangered species to refuges. As Southeast Regional Director, he has provided...

The Program Steering Committee for the 75th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference has announced the event's four Special Sessions. The Conference will be held March 22-27, 2010, at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Special Sessions will be held concurrently on Wednesday, March 24. They will follow the Conference's Opening Session that morning.

Steering Committee Chairman and Wildlife Management Institute Vice President Dick McCabe noted:? "The line up for Special Sessions at the next North American is impressive. The topics will...