November 2006

Research at the University of Georgia, published in the November 2006 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases (Vol. 12, No. 11), has identified two North American wild bird species that are susceptible to infection from two highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus strains, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

Laughing gulls and five duck species were inoculated with two different strains of HPAI H5N1 virus. The species were selected to represent a diversity of habitats and behaviors of "critical" North American waterfowl, including traditional avian influenza...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced in October a major new practice to restore longleaf pine forests across nine southeastern states. Up to 250,000 acres are authorized for the new Longleaf Pine Initiative, known as CP36, in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP). This acreage will be in addition to the more than 200,000 total acres of longleaf pine forest already planted the last few years through general CRP signups under the national Longleaf Pine Conservation Priority Area. The Continuous CRP CP36 practice accelerates implementation of...

Recently off the University of Delaware Press is A Writer's Voice: Collected Work of Twentieth Century Biologist and Conservationist, Joseph P. Linduska, compiled and neatly edited by Louise E. Dove. The book is a wonderful and engrossing anthology of the wit and wisdom of an extraordinarily gifted biologist, conservationist and outdoor writer. Joe Linduska, who died in 1993, was a gentle man, maybe even a gentleman, but he certainly was genuine and, with a permanent starburst twinkle in his eye, a certifiable character. I'm pretty sure that he was the world's only Czech-American...

A full-day workshop on integrating predator/prey management to achieve conservation objectives will be held at the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. The Conference will be held in March, at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, Oregon.

Jointly sponsored by the Safari Club International Foundation and the Wildlife Management Institute, the workshop, which will take place on Tuesday, March 20, will examine societal, biological and policy issues surrounding predator/prey relationships and management. The event's objective is to improve...

"Have we ever needed this!" exclaimed one reviewer.

Although not quite so vehement, praise from other reviewers for Thinking Like A Manager: Reflections on Wildlife Management continues to reflect strong endorsement from a broad spectrum of the professional conservation community.

Released in June, Thinking Like A Manager has stimulated thought and enthusiasm. Crafted over the course of four years by wildlifers John Organ, Dan Decker, Len Carpenter, Bill Siemer and Shawn Riley, the novella delves into current wildlife management issues and the evolving...

A referendum to authorize the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) authority to establish a hunting season for mourning doves in the state failed by a substantial margin during this month's election, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI).

Despite the fact that hunting mourning doves is a legal, popular and biologically sustainable recreation in 40 other states, despite the fact that the Michigan DNR determined that hunting was not detrimental to the state's autumn dove population and a consequent, potential economic windfall, despite the fact that harvests...

In October, a continuing disagreement over the value of mineral rights under the Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to file a federal condemnation lawsuit to obtain the remaining mineral rights from the former owners of the Baca Ranch, which became the Preserve, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

The Baca Ranch owners had leased their mineral rights to an energy company that had planned to build a geothermal energy plant on the property. However, plans for the energy plant were seriously hindered when,...

As the number of approved State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) grows, the states and their conservation partners are increasingly turning towards strategies to implement priority actions identified in the Plans. The Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA) has taken SWAP implementation to a new level by focusing agency resources on landscape-level, regional conservation needs, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

NEAFWA directors and technical staff understand that some SWAP priorities transcend state boundaries. Examples include barriers to diadromous...

In cooperation with the Southeast Quail Study Group (SEQSG), Quail Unlimited (QU) is seeking nominations for the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) Group Achievement and Individual Awards for 2007. These awards recognize outstanding action and involvement by an agency, organization or group and a federal agency employee in helping implement and promote NBCI.

In 2006, the West Central Missouri Chapter of Quail Unlimited was recognized as the second winner of the NBCI Group Achievement Award. Also in 2006, NBCI Individual Awards honored Natural Resources Conservation...