December 2011

Talk to any wildlife biologist in the southern United States about wild pigs, and you're likely to hear something akin to at least one of the following, "They're the four-legged equivalent of fire ants;" "If the average litter is six, typically eight survive;" "Only a fence that will hold water will hold feral hogs." Even the most rigorous scientists are reduced to using these tongue-in-cheek aphorisms to describe the harsh reality and seemingly apocalyptic future of North America's second-most harvested mammalian game species, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

No other...

State wildlife agencies in Idaho and Montana are closely monitoring their respective wolf harvests and making adjustments midway through their second season managing wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. At a recent meeting, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) Commission extended the wolf-hunting season and made other adjustments to regulations to increase the effectiveness of hunting as a management tool. In Idaho, the Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is planning to use government trappers and aerial gunning to remove wolves in a...

With Congress looking to reduce the federal budget deficit and the "Super Committee's" failure to reach a compromise on future funding levels triggering more than $1 trillion in cuts to domestic spending, several keystone conservation programs are facing significant funding reductions, according to the Wildlife Management Institute. As a result, conservation organizations are seeking ways to build support and justify these programs focusing on how conservation and recreation impact local economies.

A recent report quantifies the importance of providing outdoor recreational...

Throughout the world, natural resource agencies are increasingly recognizing and contending with links between human and animal health. This realization has prompted numerous agencies and organizations to develop and adopt comprehensive wildlife/human health initiatives, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

The unfortunate reality facing management agencies is that emerging and persistent zoonotic pathogens (those that can be shared by animals and humans) directly and indirectly threaten the health of wildlife, domestic animals and humans while also posing serious economic...

Conservation programs and funding for them that was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill will expire at the end of the current federal fiscal year, September 30, 2012, unless Congress extends or reauthorizes the legislation, according to the Wildlife Management Institute.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) delivers conservation through more than 20 different, voluntary programs covered by the Farm Bill. Technical assistance, cost-sharing and performance-based incentives are among primary tools USDA uses to put conservation on the ground.

Many of the programs are...

Wildlife Management Institute Vice President Dick McCabe informed the WMI Board of Directors of his retirement, effective January 15, 2012.

Dick served the Institute for 35 years, initially as its Director of Publications. In 1988, he was appointed Secretary and then, in 1999, Vice President. He served from 2004 to 2008 as Executive Vice President. Following WMI's departure from a Washington, DC, headquarters, his title reverted to Vice President.

McCabe coordinated the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference from 1986 to 2007 and was the event's...