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As part of its 2023 investment in wild turkey research, the NWTF is helping fund a new project led by Kansas State University; the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; and the U.S. Geological Survey, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. To establish a poults-per-hen ratio of two or higher, the success of a hen raising a healthy brood and recruiting poults to juveniles is essential. The emerging research will examine the diets of poults and hens in their most critical stages for recruitment: the first two weeks for poults and nesting periods for hens. This project is one of 10 new research projects across nine states the NWTF is funding, with $582,374 invested among these vital projects. These projects are part of a nearly $9 million investment into wild turkey research in 2023, supported by the NWTF and its partners.
For today's episode, we were joined by L. David Mech, from the US Geological Survey's Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and the University of Minnesota in St. Paul and David E. Ausband, from the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, at the University of Idaho. They were here to talk about the successful recovery of gray wolves in North America, and in particular, the challenges associated with that success. Below is a brief article describing their BioScience article.____Over the past 30 years, efforts to recover gray wolf populations in the United States have been broadly successful, with many regions now sporting robust populations of the charismatic carnivore. Writing in BioScience, wolf experts David E. Ausband and L. David Mech describe the conservation landscape and also the obstacles that wolves face as their populations expand into their historical ranges."Remarkable wolf conservation success yields remarkable challenges," say the authors, as 6000 wolves now occupy habitat across 11 states. These growing populations now face significant threats as they attempt to colonize human-dominated areas, among them "fragmented habitats and barriers to dispersal, as well as increased encounters with humans, pets, and livestock."In response to those concerned about wolves' potential impacts to prey populations and domestic livestock production, many jurisdictions have ramped up wolf efforts. For instance, in Wisconsin, "the legislature requires a public hunting or trapping season whenever wolves are delisted from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) list of Endangered species." In contrast, wolves are seen as desirable in other areas, such as Colorado, where voters recently passed a ballot initiative to reintroduce them in the state. The authors caution that such pro-reintroduction initiatives, which may seem initially promising for wolves, could have the unintended consequence of setting precedent for laws barring reintroduction and thus complicate management. An uncertain regulatory regime, say Ausband and Mech, could cause major fluctuations in wolf populations, with dire consequences for conservation efforts.The answer to this quandary, the authors suggest, is thoughtful management that carefully considers the needs of diverse stakeholders: "Future wolf conservation in the United States will be affected by the ability of managers to predict colonization and dispersal dynamics, to reduce hybridization and disease transmission, to mitigate and deter wolf–livestock conflicts, to harvest wolves sustainably while satisfying diverse stakeholders, to avert a reduction in tolerance for wolves due to a disinterest in nature, and to engage diverse stakeholders in wolf conservation to avoid management by ballot initiative or legislative and judicial decrees." Only through such science-informed management, argue Ausband and Mech, can the present success of wolf conservation be built on in the future. Captions for this episode are available on YouTube.
The average deer hunter in Pennsylvania is a white man who is at least 51 years old. There were almost a million deer hunters in the state during the late 1980's. It's projected there could half a million by 2040. Deer hunting is not attracting younger or more people. The dwindling lack of interest in hunting is not the main issue, although it could be costly financially to some businesses where deer hunting has flourished in the past. Deer hunting is the only way to control the size of Pennsylvania's deer population. Fewer hunters could mean more deer. That may be good for the remaining hunters, but it could be a environmental and safety issue for everyone. More deer could lead to additional vehicle-deer collisions, crop and forest damage and Lyme Disease, since deer often carry the tick that causes Lyme. As a result, alternatives to hunting may have to be considered -- none of which are popular or would be totally effective. On Tuesday's Smart Talk, we hear from Duane Diefenbach, an Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Leader of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at Penn State University about why there are fewer hunters and what happens if the deer herd isn't managed. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Kadie chats with Dr. Michael Quist, an Assistant Unit Leader with the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences at the University of Idaho. Throughout this conversation, we talk about how Mike got interested in research, his path from Idaho to Kansas and back, tips on graduate school, mentoring and more! If you would like to get in touch with Mike, you can head to his lab website (https://webpages.uidaho.edu/quistlab/index.html) or find him on Instagram @mcquist. If you would like to get ahold of Kadie, you can find her on twitter @kbheinle. Get in touch with us! The Fisheries Podcast is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @FisheriesPod Become a Patron of the show: https://www.patreon.com/FisheriesPodcast Buy podcast shirts, hoodies, sticker, and more: https://teespring.com/stores/the-fisheries-podcast-fan-shop Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the fantastic intro/outro music. The Fisheries Podcast is a completely independent podcast, not affiliated with a larger organization or entity. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts are those of that individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of any entity with those individuals are affiliated in other capacities (such as employers).
This week Hannah catches up with Sasha Pereira, who is currently working as a Fisheries Technician with the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, about her interdisciplinary interests in aquatic community ecology, equity in science and environmental education, and environmental justice. Hannah and Sasha discuss her diverse research experiences and her Fisheries Blog article. Main Point: Accommodations are rights not privileges - they put people on equal footing. How to get in contact with Sasha: Email: spereir@ncsu.edu Twitter: @sasha_piranha Instagram: @sasha_piranha Get in touch with us! The Fisheries Podcast is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @FisheriesPod Become a Patron of the show: https://www.patreon.com/FisheriesPodcast Buy podcast shirts, hoodies, sticker, and more: https://teespring.com/stores/the-fisheries-podcast-fan-shop Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the fantastic intro/outro music. The Fisheries Podcast is a completely independent podcast, not affiliated with a larger organization or entity. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts are those of that individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of any entity with those individuals are affiliated in other capacities (such as employers).
Zoom. All you ever wanted to know about Lesser Prairie Chickens. In this episode we visit with THE expert in regards to Lesser Prairie Chickens, Dr. David Haukos of the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Dr. Haukous has been studying Lesser Prairie Chickens his entire career. Listen in as we talk about what makes Lesser Prairie Chickens go good or go bust. This is a great episode to get your head around why these fascinating birds are being considered for ESA protections.
This week Dave and Nephi sit down to talk about mule deer migration with Patrick Rodgers, a University of Wyoming grad research associate at the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. They discuss the science of migration; riding the green wave; impacts of development; and whether hunting triggers migration. They also discuss Pat's recent film, "92 Miles: A Migration Story" where he chronicles his experience running a mule deer migration route from the peaks of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness in CO to the sage hills of Southern WY. Related Links- Wyoming Migration Initiative This Podcast Produced by Ben Paige
For the first time, state and federal wildlife biologists have come together to begin mapping the migrations of mule deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and bison across America’s West. In this week's Nevada Wild, Aaron Keller and Ashley Sanchez virtually podcast with NDOW's Mule Deer Staff Specialist Cody Schroeder, and first time Nevada Wild guest, Dr. Matthew Kauffman with U.S. Geological Survey's Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. They talk about how these maps came about, the collaboration between agencies, and how the maps will help to sustain big game populations not only in Nevada, but across the west. For more details about big-game migrations in the Western United States, read the report, Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States: Volume 1, which includes maps of over 40 big-game migrations in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming here: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/ You can also download the data via www.ScienceBase.gov. To explore the Western Migrations web viewer, visit the online portal here: https://www.westernmigrations.net/
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Melanie Culver & Susan Malusa. Dr. Melanie Culver is a geneticist and an Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science at the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources. She is an Assistant Leader of the USGS Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and her genetic work studies a variety of species including jaguars, pumas, black bears, bighorn sheep, raptors, herps, and freshwater mussels, among others. Susan Malusa is a Research Specialist for the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. She is the co-coordinator (along with Melanie) of the UA (Citizen Science) Jaguar and Ocelot Monitoring Program. Her specialty is biogeography and data science. From 2011 to 2015, Melanie and Sue led an extensive Jaguar and Ocelot field monitoring campaign in the borderlands of Arizona. Since then, the monitoring project has transitioned into a citizen science Monitoring Program, which continues to actively collect field data across southern Arizona, recording not only Jaguar and Ocelot data, but other rare species seldom seen across the southwest. In this conversation, Melanie and Sue, share their insights and expertise on the Arizona Jaguars and other big Felids of the Southwest. wildcatresearch.arizona.edu Jaguar Photo Captures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_southwest/albums/72157632294203147
This week on Sporting Journal Radio, Bret Amundson discusses the new trumpeter swan research that is being done. David Andersen from the University of Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit explains how gps collars will be fitted to determine migration patterns. Trumpeter swans were relocated from two different places during their reintroduction period, one […]
In this episode Nick chats with Dr. Scott Bonar. Scott is a professor of natural resources at the University of Arizona, leader of the USGS Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and also the current President of the American Fisheries Society. We briefly cover the main points of Scott's plan of work as president which includes climate change, communication, standardization, and the AFS 150th meeting. Main Point: Don't forget the importance of ecology in education!
Episode 17 - Wyoming Migration Initiative Today, Steve and Jodi are in Laramie, Wyoming, talking with Matt Kauffman and Greg Nickerson with the Wyoming Migration Initiative about their research on ungulate migrations and their new Wild Migrations Atlas that was released earlier this month. Kauffman heads up the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming. He describes how co-op units are engaged in fish and wildlife conservation science around the country and how his unit helps to provide the science used by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to answer wildlife conservation questions that guide future management decision making. Kauffman and Nickerson outline the migration research that has advanced since the development of new technology GPS collars that provide more regular data points in order to track wildlife movements more consistently. This increased knowledge has allowed researchers to learn about traditional migratory pathways, some of which are well over 100 miles long. They discuss how deer and other ungulates “surf the green wave” as the more nutritious forage regenerates upslope over the course of several weeks in the spring. This strategy has helped to identify important stopover habitat along the migratory routes. One thing that has been unique about the Wyoming Migration Initiative is their ability to communicate this complex information in a way that has actively engaged with the public in ungulate migrations in the state. We talk about how the scientists have used videos and social media outreach to talk about their research and have introduced the public to Jet, Mo and now #255 – mule deer does that are making epic migrations in southwest Wyoming.
Welcome back to the Right To Roam Podcast. On this episode, Lee and Adam get into the reeds and stubble fields with Joshua Stafford and discuss waterfowl management on both public and private lands. Josh is a Research Ecologist with the South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as well as an avid bird […]
Dr. Anna Chalfoun is an Assistant Professor in the University of Wyoming's Zoology and Physiology Department and the Assistant Unit Leader for Wildlife at the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. We sat down to talk about her career path, sagebrush songbirds, and what makes for good applied ecology research. Pikas, a lone wolf, and a hapless cow also make appearances in our conversation. For more information on Dr. Chalfoun's research, visit wyocoopunit.org/labs/chalfoun-lab
This week Ben Cantrell From www.microfishing.com sits in the co-host seat. Ben tells stories about microfishing and nearly getting killed by a catfish. Clay follows up with Joseph Zyldweski a research biologist with the Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the United States Geological Survey. Finally and answer to the question, what happens to invasive species when a dam is removed? The FN West checks in with an interview with Fish Nerd Joe Tomelleri this past week (www.americanfishes.com) with part 1 of a two part nerd story. This first convo is about fish art. And in the news we learn about 2 headed sharks, trump lips and Hillary Gifilte fish. Joseph Zydlewski http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/science/penobscot-river-maine-dam-removal-fish.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0 2 headed sharks http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/sharks-two-headed-oceans-mutations/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20161102news-twoheadedsharks&utm_campaign=Content&sf40834881=1 Clinton Gifilte Fish https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/09/01/the-story-behind-the-funniest-e-mail-hilary-clinton-has-ever-sent/ Trump Puffer Fish https://onsizzle.com/i/new-hobby-putting-donald-trumps-mouth-on-puffer-fish-2271912
This week Ben Cantrell From www.microfishing.com sits in the co-host seat. Ben tells stories about microfishing and nearly getting killed by a catfish. Clay follows up with Joseph Zyldweski a research biologist with the Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the United States Geological Survey. Finally and answer to the question, what happens to invasive species when a dam is removed? The FN West checks in with an interview with Fish Nerd Joe Tomelleri this past week (www.americanfishes.com) with part 1 of a two part nerd story. This first convo is about fish art. And in the news we learn about 2 headed sharks, trump lips and Hillary Gifilte fish. Joseph Zydlewski http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/science/penobscot-river-maine-dam-removal-fish.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0 2 headed sharks http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/sharks-two-headed-oceans-mutations/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20161102news-twoheadedsharks&utm_campaign=Content&sf40834881=1 Clinton Gifilte Fish https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/09/01/the-story-behind-the-funniest-e-mail-hilary-clinton-has-ever-sent/ Trump Puffer Fish https://onsizzle.com/i/new-hobby-putting-donald-trumps-mouth-on-puffer-fish-2271912
Dr. Duane Diefenbach is an Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Pennsylvania State University and Leader of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. He received his Master's degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine and his PhD in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia. Afterwards, Duane worked as a Biometrician for the Pennsylvania Game Commission for about seven years before accepting positions with the Pennsylvania Unit and Penn State. Duane is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.