Sandhill Cranes

Kevin Kannenberg

I have a riddle for you, “What sounds like a pterodactyl, and causes almost $300,000 in crop damage in Wisconsin every year?”  The answer: Sandhill Cranes.  Now, Sandhill cranes are one of the most successful recovery stories in recent years.  Hunting and habitat destruction pushed the birds to the brick of extinction in the early 1900’s, but through coordinated conservation efforts, they have made a major comeback. 

              

The problem with this comeback is that Sandhill cranes have quite an appetite, and are perfectly equipped to pluck seeds right out of a farmer’s field.   The cranes can walk right down a row in a freshly planted field, and using their beak, pluck the seeds right out of the ground, doing hundreds of thousands dollars in crop damage; none of which is reimbursed by the state. Seed can be treated to deter cranes, for an average of $8 damage per acre.  Now this might not seem like much, but if you figure the average farm is Wisconsin is around 200 acres, that’s $1600 a year per farm.  Farming is often not a very lucrative job, and a loss of $16,000 over 10 years is pretty significant.

 

Sandhill cranes are big birds, I’ve heard them referred to as “T-bones of the sky” and I’d believe it.  They are big, and in my experience, not afraid of people.  I have a road bike and have biked right past cranes, no more than ten feet away, with no reaction from the cranes.  I’ve heard stories of small planes being unable to land at smaller airports because Sandhill cranes had camped out on the runway.

 

For a couple years now, a proposed Sandhill Crane hunt has been tossed around by the state government, with public opinion divided.  One of the arguments I keep hearing against the hunt is that hunters might mistake the Whooping Crane, which is protected, for the Sandhill. A quick goggle search resulted in the images below.  On the left, a whooping crane, on the right, the Sandhill crane.  I’m not a hunter, but I am friends with a lot of hunters.  Most of the guys I know can identify ducks on the wing over what I frankly consider to be a ridiculously long distance.  I am pretty sure they could tell the difference between these two birds.

Like I said, I don’t hunt, and I’m not a farmer, I have no real reason to argue in either direction, but it seems to me that there are a lot worse things that could happen than allowing a limited number of Sandhill Cranes to be harvested.  I would hope that the cranes would learn to be more wary of people, and hopefully stop the large congregations of cranes in fields that cause so much crop damage.  If nothing else, it would placate a lot of farmers if they knew that something was being done. 

Old Growth Forests The Last of Their Kind

 

By Brenton Page

 

            Many people don’t understand how valuable old growth forests are, and by the time they do it will be too late. According to REO, “an Old Growth Forest stand are at least 180-220 years old with high canopy closure, with numerous large snags.” Many small and large mammals use these snags for cover.  Old Growth Forests offer many advantages such as natural reproduction with ability to fight disease and fire, as well as cover for many animals that are on the endangered species list. People have been harvesting old growth forests through logging because they offer a very good source of money because the trees are so big and rare, but that is the downside the trees are rare and we need to stop cutting them down because once we cut them down you can’t just bring back a Old Growth Forest. There are numerous types of animals such as the Northern Spotted Owl which is endangered, that only inhabits old growth forests and if we log them, you will put these owls into extinction. Something you might not think of is salmon. Certain salmon such as the Coho salmon which in habit numerous streams and river that run through the Old Growth Forests. This is low on peoples list on what gets affected because when they think of forests they don’t think of salmon. When companies want to log an old growth forest they have to make logging roads that run to and from the area they want to log, and by making these logging roads they destroy whatever is in their way such as streams and rivers. They don’t care if they destroy mother nature because there in it for the money and nothing else. According to Sequestration Controversy, “Old Growth Forests store very large amounts of carbon in their biomass and surrounding soil, as well as capture new carbon at the same time.” This is useful because many plants and flowers depend on carbon to live.

            We need to conserve our environmental future and by doing so we need to stop cutting down old growth forests because it harms numerous species. There are really no disadvantages to leaving old growth forests up. One of the largest Old Growth Forests left is located right here in the United States in Alaska. It’s called the Tongass National Forest, the reason this is still left is because it has not been logged, we need to do this more often to preserve our national Old Growth Forests. We can cherish our Old Growth Forests by not cutting them down, and to target younger forests for logging instead. Loggers don’t care about who suffers from their actions they do it only for the money, they need to realize that when they cut these forests down if effects not only people but animals and nature as well. Old growth forests have been here for many of years and if we destroy them future forest growth will decrease. We need to stop logging of the old growth forests so our future can benefit from them.

 

Environmental effects of Frac Sand Mining

 

Tyler Ziehme

Northwest Wisconsin is home to beautiful lakes, great outdoor recreation, and now open pit frac sand mines. Frac sand is used to help extract oil from the earth by pumping it deep into the ground by hydraulic pumps where it is squeezed into shale. Here it occupies fissures, where oil and natural gas can be extracted. (Save the Hills Alliance Inc, 2011)

I grew up in Barron, a small town and the county seat of Barron County which lies in Northwest Wisconsin. I have seen firsthand what frac sand mines look like on the landscape, and I have been doing some research on my own as to the effects that they are having on the environment. Along with this I have read a few blog posts and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not the only one who seems to feel that these frac mines are a serious problem.

First off I want to start by telling anyone who is not familiar with Barron County that tourism is one of highest means of income for the county's economy. Now that the frac mines are coming in it won't be for long. Once beautiful forests are now being clear cut and frac mines are taking their places. As an avid outdoorsmen myself it definitely draws concern. What concerns me more than that is the health effects associated with the frac mining.

The biggest health concern that I have found is particulate matter of small size, the main one being crystalline silicate. Wisconsin has very high levels of silica. However weathered silicates in agricultural fields are much less dangerous than the ones that come from freshly fractured soils. Some of the health effects that can come from this are: decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, development of chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, non fatal heart attacks; and premature death in people with preexisting heart or lung disease. (Pierce 2011)

            This is what many people don't understand right now. The frac sand companies are creating tons of jobs for our local economy which is great, but in hind sight it is only going to be here for 30 or 40 years. Once it is gone they will be without a job, and most likely shortly after they will either get very sick or die. Furthermore, our lands will be irreversibly damaged for decades, and our streams will have no fish in them due to extremely high pH levels from runoff from the open pit mines, and our drinking water will be undrinkable for the same reason. People will no longer want to come to Barron County. The worst part yet is now the frac sand companies are proposing to build a mine about a quarter mile from a school. If heavy regulations are not put on the amount of particulate matter going into the air, kid's lives could possibly be at stake. 

            Our economy is struggling and people are trying to put food on the table, but you have to ask yourself if the employment opportunities now are worth the possibility of bad health effects for your children down the road. I don't think any parent wants to know that it was their fault for their own child's death down the road.  Let's do everyone a favor and fight to keep frac sanding out of Wisconsin. Let your voice be heard and get involved by going to a board meeting. The more voices out there the better chance we have of stopping this.

Asian Carp in the Illinois River

Jeremy Thomas

 

 

Asian carp in the Illinois River has become a major economic and ecological issue.  Being from the Chicago land area, this has become an increasing problem locally as they continue to move upriver towards Lake Michigan.  As a fisheries major and angler, the advancement of the carp raises many issues that could be very devastating to recreational and commercial fishing in Illinois and Lake Michigan.  Locally, if the Asian carp make it to the rivers and streams surrounding Chicago they would destroy the native species by out competing with them for resources.  In some stretches of the Illinois River they occupy as much as 60% of the biomass in the river.  Asian carp are filter feeders so they feed on rotifers and zooplankton which mean many important species have to compete with them, such as the gizzard shad.  These native species have declined causing populations of game species like bass and walleye to decrease as well.  If the spread continues towards Lake Michigan it would cause the sought after streams and rivers to become filled with nothing but Asian carp and be undesirable to anglers. 

There have been some efforts to stop the spread by installing electric fences across the Illinois River in a few areas.  So far they have worked but not 100%.  Some of the carp still manage to make it through the fences.  A permanent solution must take place which would be closing all the locks and dams.  I think this is the only solution to the problem but many believe that keeping them open for the few barges that pass thought each year is more important.  As an individual who has a special interest in natural resources I am unable to grasp the fact that they are willing to put Lake Michigan at risk due to a handful of barges that pass through.  If the Asian carp were to invade Lake Michigan, the economic toll would be tremendous.  Although Lake Michigan does not produce as much as the other Great Lakes it still has a large number of jobs that rely on the fishing industry.  They have already taken a hit once from the invasion of zebra mussels which are also filter feeders.  Production of the lake has already declined a huge amount and the question is how much more can the native species handle.

Many states have taken this issue to court but have failed to get the locks and dams closed.  If nothing is done soon this will be an incredible irreversible mistake that could end Lake Michigan fishing as we know it.  As a fisheries major and angler it worries me greatly what our lake would turn into if taken over by Asian carp.  I think it will take all the anglers from around Lake Michigan to come together and fight to protect our waters from this invasive species.  If we do not put a stop to it now, who knows how far it will actually spread.

Quality Deer Management in Wisconsin

Brock Tetzlaff

 

 

Quality deer management has always been a hot topic with deer hunters in Wisconsin and across the nation. People all over have many different opinions on how Wisconsin’s deer population should be managed. I recently skimmed over the Quality Deer Management Association’s (QDMA) 2012 annual report. Within that report it detailed how many antlered and antlerless deer were harvested from 2008 through 2010. Using those numbers, the report also detailed percent changes in how many of each sex were harvested from 2009 to 2010 as well as calculated how many bucks and does were harvested per square mile for every state. In this blog, I will strictly use only the numbers for Wisconsin and maybe other Midwestern states to give you an idea to compare them to.

            Wisconsin was the number two state for the most bucks harvested from 2008 to 2010, second only to Michigan. The following are the years and amount of harvested bucks in Wisconsin: 2008 harvested 138,507; 2009 harvested 134,696; and 2010 harvested 148,378. Michigan harvested 248,350, 215,120, and 212,341 respectively. For Wisconsin, that was an increase of 10% from 2009 to 2010. Based on those numbers, the QDMA calculated that out to 4.4 bucks per square mile in 2010. That is the highest of any Midwestern state while the lowest was 0.4 bucks per square mile in North Dakota. On top of that, 53% of bucks shot in Wisconsin were 2 ½ years or older. Concluding the buck harvest totals, Wisconsin was in the top five (fourth) for 2010 antlered buck harvest as well as top five (third) for 2010 buck harvest per square mile for all U.S states.

In continuing with harvesting numbers, the total antlerless harvest in Wisconsin was 313,378 in 2008, 192,557 in 2009, and 185,211 in 2010. That calculates out to a percent change of negative 4% from 2009 to 2010. The 2010 number for does per square mile was 5.4. Those numbers put Wisconsin in second for total harvest for all three years and antlerless deer per square mile in the Midwest.

With that as background information, I will now explain my dilemma that I have with the way the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is currently managing the deer management units (DMU). This summer I went and bought my 2012 gun deer license for the nine day gun deer season in November. When they went on sale on August 18, 2012 at 10am, I bought a bonus antlerless permit for twelve dollars. The bonus permits were permits that could be bought on top of the antlerless permit that comes with your original license for herd control and CWD units. Before I went to by the bonus permit for the DMU I hunt in, I researched to find out how many permits were available for all units. I found that my unit only had 450 bonus permits for sale, while the unit to the east (across a two lane street) had over 3800 permits for sale and the unit to the west (across a two lane highway) had 3500 permits for sale. Now this is where I wonder how this is logical. What the DNR is saying is that deer (antlered or antlerless) do not cross over roads/highways to exit one unit and enter another unit. How is it you can sell a combined 7300+ permits for the two units on either side of one unit in the middle, and only sell 450 permits to that unit? This makes absolutely no sense to me. I suppose I would be much more upset if I did not get a bonus permit, but it is still irritating to me that I could have gone hunting without that bonus permit. Needless to say, the 450 permits were sold out in nine minutes. Luckily, my dad and I had a new dealer location that just had the licensing machine installed the day before so we were able to get our bonus permits.

I would like to find out, read, or be told by a DNR official how they determine and decide how many bonus permits are allotted for each DMU because we all know that deer can and do cross major streets and highways and move between deer management units. The past few deer seasons I have not seen many does where I hunt. This may be the reason for lack of bonus permits but it shouldn’t affect only one DMU. I would like to see some logical proof, whether it is from the Wisconsin DNR or the QDMA, that specifically explains which DMU get bonus tags and how many they get. I understand land cover can change deer habitat and the preference of the deer, but it should not influence deer populations astronomically from one unit to the next.

            In conclusion, the numbers for harvested antlered deer increased as of late, and the number of harvested antlerless deer has decreased for the past five years. With that in mind, the number of bonus permits all over the state should be decreasing down to 500-1000 for each deer management unit. It should not fluctuate so much between units that have the same border.

 

 

Works Cited:

QDMA’s Whitetail Report 2012. 18 September 2012.

Antlerless deer (bonus) carcass tags availability for 2012. http://dnr.wi.gov. 18 September 2012

 

Why we should Care about the Urban Forest

Gary Tellefson

 

            Growing up I’ve always had a passion for trees. They were fun to climb and I was always interested in the different varieties. What I didn’t know were the benefits that trees can come with. Trees in urban settings create benefits that many people don’t realize. Two of the major benefits are the economic and environmental impacts these forests have on our communities. Once I started learning more about urban forestry, I got even more interested in the benefits they have in our communities. So I’ll go over only some of the many benefits these forests have that I have learned.

            Having vegetation in urban settings is a large contributor to helping economies. Places with more trees and shrubs in urban settings see better business than somewhere without. People come more often, spend more money, stay longer, and are more likely to come back if there is green infrastructure around. Businesses that have trees outside their location, or that are along a tree lined street see more customers and lower crime rates. It makes scene that someone would be more attracted to a business that has trees and plants outside then a business with just sidewalk. The costumer feels more welcome and comfortable in that situation and is more likely to give you their business. Trees and shrubs on private properties increase property values and make them more aesthetically pleasing to view as well.  

            The largest benefits they bring are for the environment. They take in toxic carbon dioxide and release oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. They can reduce air pollution by filtering out greenhouse gases and other particles that contribute to smog and other types of air pollutants. Green infrastructure can reduce energy costs in more than one way. Trees shading parking lots can reduce gas emissions from parked vehicles, and create shade cooling effects on houses. Trees also play a very large role in water runoff and filtering. In urban settings impervious surfaces create many issues with drainage and pooling on streets and private property. Having vegetative surfaces create excellent drainage and filtering system for storm water. Trees intake large amounts of water through their roots and canopy, slowing the movement of water, and helping prevent sewage system overflows. On average, one tree can take up around 1000 gallons of water a year. With storm water treatment costs being between two to four cents a gallon, one tree can theoretically save around 20 dollars a year. Adding up all the trees in a community can create quite an impact on water treatment costs on a yearly basis. All vegetative plants in urban settings can prevent soil erosion problems. Their roots hold soil together and keep it in tact instead of getting swept away with the water.

           

 

I have only covered two of the major categories of benefits that urban forests provide. I didn’t get into the physiological and cultural benefits these forests have. I would argue that urban forests are more important now for us to understand than ever, and I encourage everyone to learn a little more about urban forests and see how they can benefit you. Once again if we can learn to use these forests, protect them, and keep them healthy, we can become more sustainable and absorb these benefits in our communities.

            References

"Benefits of Trees & the Urban Forest." Sustainable Cities Institute:. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012

Richard Hauer, Ph.D. Urban Forestry, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

Run Forest Run

Jason Swaney

               Growing up in the 21^st century we are used to many careers and jobs being centered around technology and large businesses. With life’s like this, some may never get to experience or even recognize some of the natural resources that our land has to offer. To the Natural Resource students of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point when you ask them what a forest is I’m sure you will get very similar answers, that sound like they read it straight from their NR250 text book. When the same question is asked to any other average person in the United States the answers might vary drastically. To some a forest might be what young Jenny Carron Yells to her young boy friend as he runs down the dirt road in the 1994 film Forest Gump. To a person that has grown up in down town Chicago their whole life a forest might be all the trees in Millennium Park and the surrounding area that they see day in and day out. I myself view a forest as a tool, a tool that we can manage to achieve a variety goals ranging from managing the forest for timber productions to make a profit all the way to creating the most scenic areas to take a walk with your family. No matter what your interests with the forests resource or even if you really know what a forest is, everyone is affected by forests. Whether it be the person who enjoys going horse bike riding through the public forested trails, the hunter that sets their climbing stand in a nice full grown oak, or someone that enjoys looking at the urban forestry scenery while walking on State Street in downtown Madison, they all have a some type of respect and appreciation to the resource.  With realizing that so many people have some type of everyday connection with forests and that forests have somewhat been integrated into the American culture, I believe that it is our responsibility to manage the land to keep all these forest centered hobbies and even just opportunity of utilizing the resource like we have for years around for others to enjoy.

               Wisconsin is a great place to experience all the different positive recreational and financial benefits of a forest. Wisconsin contains 2,362,847 acres of County Forests land and many different State Forests lands that are open to the public. With easy accessibility to millions of forested land it makes it very convenient to avid forest enthusiast or even a person that wants to give the outdoors a try to come and experience it firsthand. The reason that I have an interest in natural resources and forestry is that all my hobbies are done outside in those types of areas and I find it very interesting to build a career around that whether it’s protecting those resources or managing them to make a living. No matter what your interest with the forest or even natural resources I believe we all have a certain respect and attitude towards it that in the end contain the same goal. So I challenge you to keep you positive attitude and passion for the forest, because just like Jenny Carron in Forest Gump no matter what happens we will all love Forest.

The Asian Carp Invasion

Aaron Suehring

9/13/2012

 

 

 

            Picture a pristine underwater habitat, full of diversity. A beautiful habitat that holds 20 percent of the world’s freshwater, and is home to over 80 threatened or endangered species. For those of you with a more economic point of view, picture a habitat that accounts for a $7 billion a year sport fishing industry. Now picture that same habitat devastated, devoid of diversity, with a monoculture of invasive species and a crippling blow to the economy of its surrounding states. These are the Great Lakes, with invasive carp species waiting on its doorstep.

            Asian carp are threatening to destroy the Great Lakes ecosystem, and severely impact the economy of the many surrounding states. The Asian carp are currently found in the Illinois River just outside of Chicago, and are threatening to enter into the Great Lakes. Originally introduced into the United States by catfish farmers in Louisiana in the 1970’s as a method of algae control, floodwaters helped these invasive menaces escape into the waterways.  Considered generalist species, the three species of concern are Bighead carp, Black carp, and Silver carp. They are voracious eaters, able to consume 20 percent of their bodyweight daily, and thus quickly strip food sources from the native species. They eat primarily plant and algae material and because they grow upwards of 5 feet and 100 pounds, they easily outcompete native fish for food.

            The carp also increase the probability of the extinction of the rare Lake Sturgeon, as they are in direct competition for a limited food supply. Not only do the carp pose a risk to the Great Lakes ecosystem and surrounding economies, but they also pose a safety risk to boaters. The silver carp is known to leap out of the water at the sound of a passing boat, and due to their high numbers and large size, a boater being struck by one of them could cause serious injury. Currently, there are three electric barriers in place in the Des Plaines River just outside of Chicago to prevent the carp from crossing into the Great Lakes. While these are not proven to be 100 percent effective, the carp have not been found on the Great Lakes side of the barriers.

            While some people outside of Illinois may not be concerned with the spread of Asian carp, the blow to the economies of all of the surrounding states would be tremendous. Not only would it decimate the diversity of the Great Lakes ecosystem, but the monetary implications it would have on the surrounding states would be crippling. While there doesn’t appear to be any method that is 100 percent effective at eradicating the Asian carp without harming other organisms, there needs to be greater effort put forth to come up with a solution before it’s too late. Time and time again we have seen the damage invasive species can cause to a habitat, and this is no different. With the many stakeholders involved, this could affect us in ways we have not seen before.

 

References:

Rodriguez, N. D. 2011. The Asian Carp Threat to the Great Lakes: An Analysis of Alternatives

for Preventing Asian Carp Migration. The George Washington University Journal of Public Police and Public Administration 18:25-39.

           

Sterile Forests and Charred Subdivisions

Taylor Schenk

 

            As summers become hotter and drier, we hear more and more about the catastrophic wildfires that ravage across our nation every year.  We hear about how many homes and subdivisions are destroyed, how many hundreds of thousands of acres and burned to the ground, and how many firefighters are battling the blaze.  In recent summers this nation has had larger and more intense fires than it’s ever seen before.  Many people want somebody to blame for these fires occurring, one could say it’s because of global climate change warming everything up and although this is not to be ignored it is not main cause.  If you ever have visited some our beautiful national forests across the nation you may notice many of them are extremely densely wooded.  While this may be great scenery this is not what a natural forest should look like everywhere. 

            Some areas would most certainly look like this if left untouched, but most would be thinned out with less available fuel.  Since humans started suppressing fires in the 1920s and 30s the forests have been allowed to accumulate excessive amounts of fuel.  An even bigger damper on fuel control occurred/ is occurring because government agencies are being taken to court and sued when they want to log.  Logging would reduce the amount of readily available fuel to a fire, replace the disturbances that were once natural and vital to a forest, and increase profits for the agency.  Many courts would rule in favor of these logging operations, the problem is that our government agencies can no longer afford to go to court to fight the battle so in turn the agencies just scrap the whole issue. 

            Logging is not a bad thing; the days of clear cutting thousands of continuous acres are gone.  In the long term health of the forest, logging is a necessity, the forest needs disturbance to encourage species diversity, create wildlife habitat, and to continue providing long term environmental benefits.  If a fire starts in a stand that is overgrown the fire becomes so intense that it cannot be directly stopped, it will sterilize the soil for many years to come, and burn everything in its path.  However if a fire starts in a well managed stand it will most like burn with moderate intensity creating a more fertile ground, expose the seed bed instead of destroy it, be more easily managed by fire crews, cost less to manage, and make it easier to save people’s houses and assets.  This is not to say catastrophic fires won’t ever happen, but the chances of one can be greatly reduced and impact lessened.

Physical management of public lands must become a priority, we don’t need to log everything but we can’t let everything be ‘natural’.  Nothing is natural anymore we messed with the cycle so we need to intervene to continue the cycle because this country can’t live on a 100% fire suppression idea in an un-managed forests. We can still have our wilderness areas and natural areas but the public lands near people need to be managed, or our fires will continue to grow in intensity and size.  They will destroy homes and sterilize forests, costing billions to the public, because when lightning strikes you can’t send the bill to the cloud.  The frivolous lawsuits need to stop and agencies need to be allowed to be proactive about our situation in order to sustain what we have left.

 

Hell or wheels?

Claire Roggeveen

Our country’s National Parks boast some of the world’s most impressive landscapes and inspiring scenery preserved for our enjoyment, shouldn’t you want to explore them the best way for you? The pristine beauty of the natural formations and the opportunity to be immersed in wildlife draws millions of visitors each year. They come with the anticipation to experience a profound sense of grandeur through varying choices of activity and comfort. Standing as conservation and preservation symbols, these parks and their management should provide as many recreational opportunities as possible in order to appeal to visitors of all interests. If an individual has his or her ideal form of park exploration, the chances that they will enjoy and hopefully create a deeper connection with the environment, will be significantly higher. The scale of these paradises greatly enhances a visitor’s perception; a personalized and positive experience could ignite awareness for these treasured places and spread beyond their boundaries. I believe that the National Park Service should capitalize on this idea. How should they? Simple. Open the trails to a wider audience. Open the trails to biking!  

The most popular activities that trail bound visitors are allowed to currently participate in are hiking and equestrian trips. Limited to the paved roads, visitors who would prefer to experience the park on a bicycle are left incredibly restricted. Hiking groups claim that to allow mountain bikers on trails would greatly degrade trail composition and jeopardize safety. In contrast, organizations like the International Mountain Bicycling Association, believe strongly that bikers should be allowed access to the same routes. This dilemma is a forefront and controversial issue that the National Park Service faces.

Interestingly ironic, many of the first recorded cases of mountain biking occurred in our National Parks over 150 years ago with the 25^th Infantry Bicycle Corps under Major General Nelson A. Miles direction. Peddling through the back country paradises, these soldiers traveled the parks from Montana to Missouri to the Rocky Mountains. Personally, I cannot think of a better way to see our country than from the seat of a bicycle.

Even though the history of the National Parks includes biking, hiking and equestrian groups protest the sport’s return. In reality, their concerns can be neutralized by careful management. Park management can evaluate trails individually. Not all of the routes have to be shared, in fact, the majority would still be reserved for exclusive use, as designated by the Wilderness Act of 1964. This allows congress to protect and manage pristine wildlands under a titled classification. The trails that would most likely be opened to biking would be routes closer to the outside of park rather than the deep back country which most hikers tend to prefer. In regards to preserving the trails themselves, even the most aggressive bike riding could not possibly be as structurally damaging as current horseback riding does. Each form of activity has its impact upon the land, it is inevitable but the degree must be comparable to current standards.

Growing cooperation between bicycling organizations and park services has allowed the introduction of shared trails. In recent news, Mammoth Cave National Park designated trails for mountain bike usage beginning in October of this year. Excited visitors eager to bike proclaim that this ruling will allow enhanced recreation and promote the park to wider audience. This is the goal we should strive for in all aspect s of environmental education and studies. Biking is an incredibly popular sport that appeals to many individuals due to the low physical impact and great fitness benefits. The link between this activity and nature has undeniable influence over people’s attitudes for healthy outdoor recreation.

Instead of focusing on the different modes of transportation and park exploration, we should ground ourselves in the foundation that each individual is ultimately striving to gain the same central experience of these parks. A fundamental goal of our National Parks is to provide as many people as possible the chance to create intangible values from these tangible places.  Whether you ride or stride, appreciate the diversity of understanding and spreading of recreational enjoyment.

 

Reference:

Marquis, Amy L. "Wheels of Change." National Parks May 2012: n. pag. National Parks Conservation Association. May 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://www.npca.org/news/magazine/all-issues/2012/spring/wheels-of-change.html>.

           

The Flood that impacted Thousands

Joelle Poll

 

            When I applied to become a Horticulture volunteer at the Lake Superior zoo in Duluth, Minnesota, this past summer, I did not even begin to imagine the lasting effect of what was yet to come would have on me and the public. I had only been volunteering for a couple weeks when on the night of June 19, 2012, northern Minnesota was issued to be in a severe flood warning by the National Weather Service. I didn’t think anything of it because everybody who’s familiar with northern Minnesota wouldn’t ever think a damaging flood would ever occur, so my family and I thought the flood warnings would just bring the normal road closings by the creeks and rivers.

            On the day of June 20^th, I was down at my parents’ house in Belgrade, Minnesota and found out about the Duluth flood from Facebook. My friends from Two Harbors, Minnesota wrote on my wall asking me to keep them updated on the zoo animals and first reaction was, “What happened with the flood last night?” I frantically began to search for news articles and what I found made my heart stop. The Lake Superior zoo had all, but one of their barnyard animals drowned, as well as, the Turkey vulture, the Raven and the Snowy Owl. One of the seals, Feisty, was found on Grand Ave near the zoo and the other seal and the Polar bear were found out of their exhibits, but within the zoo grounds. The zoo was closed to the public until the zoo grounds were safe for visitors. I felt the tears begin to come and I called my mom at work and informed her of the devastation from last night’s flood had brought to north eastern Minnesota.

            A week had passed and I returned to the Duluth area and immediately signed up the Flood Relief clean-up weekend at the zoo. Not only was it expected of me to help clean up the zoo because I am a Horticulture volunteer, but I felt I wanted to. The clean-up weekend was successful and helped the zoo out tremendously. On both Saturday and Sunday there were five hundred people there to help with the clean-up. The zoo also received donations from the public and from businesses. There were even businesses that donated from all over the state which really surprised me. Truly is great to be a part of and to witness how the community comes together in times of need.

            As a representative of the Lake Superior zoo, it was my duty to make sure to put a stop to any miss accusations being spread about the community and to also answer questions or concerns the public had. My supervisor kept us volunteers updated on the status of the zoo. The zoo did eventually open to the public and the support has continued to grow. The fundraising events for the flood relief have been successful and the zoo is starting to slowly come around with repairs and finances. The future of the Lake Superior zoo is starting to look brighter and will once again be a beautiful destination.

            Now I still can’t believe this disastrous event happened and I still think I’m going to wake up from a very bad dream. After everything that has happened, I feel privileged to have been a part of the whole experience and it helped me grow as a person. The Lake Superior zoo will always hold a special place in my heart. 

 

Coming Soon to a Boat Landing Near You : Life Vest Loaner Stations

Samantha Koscher

 

 

If you headed out to your local lake to catch a break from the heat this summer, you may have run into a new addition at your local boat landing. This past summer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources began providing life vest loaner stations at public boat landings.

 

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has always encouraged the wearing of life jackets by all boaters, and law requires that all vessels have at least one wearable United States Coat Guard approved life jacket, of proper size and fit, for each person on board.  Statistics show that wearing a life vest can increase your chance of survival in the event of a boating accident or capsizing. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, from 2007 to 2011, 67 people in Wisconsin drowned in boating incidents, and 91% of the victims were not wearing life vests. Also,  In 2011 alone there were 23 boating fatalities in Wisconsin, 13 were drowning related, and none of the victims were properly wearing a life jacket.

 

Wisconsin has modeled its life vest loaner station program to a similar, very successful program that started in Alaska in 1996. Alaska’s program has been a huge success, beginning with 8 stations in 1996, and growing to 500 by 2011. The program aims to provide an opportunity to ensure that all boaters and passengers have access to a life vest before they head out on the water.

 

 The program is run and primarily funded by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides the plans and materials for the stations, but relies on local organizations such as lake associations, youth groups, and rod and gun clubs to build the stations. Once constructed, the stations are comprised of 32 life vests, and 4 floatation cushions. Each set includes adult, youth and infant sized life vests. These life vests can be used, free of charge by the public, and returned on an honor system for the next person to use. The stations cost approximately $1,300 each after materials and construction, but could prove to be well worth the investment in keeping boaters safe.

 

At present time, there are 3 operational stations at boat landings in Kenosha, Lake Arbutus in Clark County, and the Cassville boat landing on the Mississippi river in Grant County. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hopes to add several more of these stations to boat launches across the state of Wisconsin in the near future. Currently, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has budgeted $20,000 dollars for 2012 to continue to expand the program.

 

This program will provide a great resource to help ensure all boaters have a safe and enjoyable experience. I encourage readers to get involved in getting a life vest loaner station established in your community.  I would also encourage all readers to make it a habit to wear your life vest at all times while on the water and to inspect your boat before heading out on the water to ensure that all passengers on board have a life vest that properly fits them. Take this opportunity to stay safe, and don’t become another statistic.

 

References:

Smith, Paul A. "DNR Launches Flotation Device Program." DNR Launches Flotation Device Program. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/dnr-launches-flotation-device-program-se5i8h4-154574975.html>.

 

"Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources." Weekly News Article. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://dnr.wi.gov/news/weekly/article_lookup.asp?id=2065>.

 

 

 

 

Minnesota’s Moose Mystery

Ashley Jones

 

Where’s Bullwinkle? Recently the iconic mammal has all but vanished from Minnesota’s Northwood’s. More concerning, wildlife professionals don’t know why.

 

Historically, northern Minnesota has been home to Alces alces, or moose. Moose are a species of ungulate, (hooved mammal) that are known for their incredible size and charisma. During the past twenty years, the state’s two moose populations have experienced precipitous declines, and it’s not for lack of attention.

 

First to go was the state’s northwestern population, with a decline from 4,000 animals in 1985 to fewer than 100 in 2009 (MAC 2009). Following this crash, the Minnesota State Legislature directed the DNR to establish a Moose Advisory Committee (MAC). The MAC’s goal was to form a Moose Management and Research Plan for the state’s northeastern population. The plan was released in 2011.

 

Direct causes of moose mortality have been identified by the MN DNR as vehicle/train collisions, predation, and poaching. Almost 80% of mortalities are unknown, with half of them thought to be health related (poor nutritional condition, disease, and parasites) (MAC 2011).

 

Hunting mortality by humans is not a powerful driver of moose numbers at this time. Annual harvest currently represents less than 3% of the total estimated population (MAC 2011).

 

Public opinion may not be uniform, but one yell can be heard louder than the rest: WOLVES. While it may be hard for well-informed bloggers to hear, the data do not uphold marauding wolves as the main problem Minnesota’s moose face today. The most concise answer to this claim can be found in the MAC’s Recovery Plan: radio telemetry data in northeast Minnesota indicate that only 10% of adult moose mortality resulted directly from wolf predation between the years 2002-2010 (MAC 2011).

 

So that leaves us with only 13% of the population being killed by people and wolves combined, there must be more to this story…

 

While there is no easy answer for what is causing moose numbers to decline, a likely factor is warming temperatures (MAC 2011).  Heat stress may be the thread linking mortality causes identified as “unknown” by the DNR, with increasing temperatures. Members of the MAC agree: “All the known causes of moose mortality (ticks, brainworm, predation, liver flukes, predation, vehicle/train collisions) can be exacerbated by heat stress.”

 

In a recent study, “Moose responded to exposure to temperatures above critical thresholds by seeking thermal shelter in mature coniferous forest and avoiding open habitat types (Van Beest et al. 2012).”

In northwestern Minnesota, where declines were severe, the landscape is dominated by agricultural land. In contrast, the northeastern portion of the state holds wetland-rich forested habitat which may provide a cool buffer to the animals in a warming environment. These differences in habitat structure could explain why the western population was so ill-equipped to deal with warming temperatures, while eastern moose have been able to persist thus far.

 

Habitat may be a very good place to focus conservation efforts because of the potential it has to lessen the negative effects of warming. That being said, habitat is not created overnight and in the privately owned-Midwest requires consenting landowners to act as stewards.

 

So the next time you or someone you know in the Northwoods pulls up on a wolf in the crosshairs, consider planting a Tamarack instead.

 

 

 

References:

 

USA. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Division of Fish and Wildlife. Minnesota Moose Research and Management Plan. By MAC. N.p.: n.p., 2011. Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/wildlife/moose/management/mooseplan-final.pdf>.

 

USA. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Division of Fish and Wildlife. Moose Management and Research Plan. By MAC. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/reports/legislative/moose_mgmt_research.pdf. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.

 

Van Beest, Floris M., Bram Van Moorter, and Jos M. Milner. "Temperature-mediated Habitat Use and Selection by a Heat-sensitive Northern Ungulate." Animal Behaviour 3.49 (2012): n. pag. Print.

 

 

 

 

Status of the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) in Montana

Nick Jensen

               The Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) is arguably one of the most controversial large carnivores in the United States. This species of bear has been the target of nearly every stereotype an animal can be attributed to whether it be: vicious man-eater, a mysterious and powerful symbol of the western United States, cute and loveable, etc, the result remains the same: most people vastly misunderstand this species, including wildlife biologists. In order to better help manage and understand Ursus arctos, a study is underway in Montana under the USGS and University of Montana. This study is the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Project. I was fortunate enough to work with the USGS this summer in Glacier National Park and received much insight into their studies. As with all wildlife projects, it has been met with some opposition, however; I believe this project to be immensely important to the proper management of Ursus arctos.

               The main goal of this project was to get a measure Ursus arctos’ growth rate. Growth rate, or “lambda” in statistics, is perhaps the most important factor to take into consideration when examining results of a project to determine the status of a population. It shows the growth over time of the species, which in turn, can help managers see how the species is doing and possibly how they will do in the future. They obtain the growth rate through non-invasive hair sampling over multiple consecutive years. The hair samples are obtained from bear rubs, and sent to a lab for DNA analysis.

               This project is so crucial for the Grizzly bear for multiple reasons. They have been subject to massive habitat loss through forest fragmentation, wildfires, and human development. Poaching and human interactions leading to the putting down of bears have also played a major role in their massive loss in population numbers. However, since they have been put on the Endangered Species List in 1975, they have been doing relatively well in the NCDE in Montana. One of the major concerns about this population is that the NCDE population of Grizzlies is the only remaining population that contiguous with the Canadian population and is a vital link for the species in North America as a whole. This studies goal of finding a solid population growth rate is also important because of how sensitive this species is to reproduction. The females give birth once about every 3 years. The litter is small ranging anywhere from 1-4 cubs. As stated by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: “Grizzly Bears have one of the lowest reproductive rates among terrestrial mammals, resulting primarily from the late age of first reproduction , small average litter size, and the long interval between litters.” (1)

               Ursus arctos is an iconic symbol of the western United States, as well as North America as a whole. The insurance of its persistence for future generations is of the utmost importance and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Project reflects that. Their method of non-invasive genetic sampling is a great way to get vital information such as population growth rate, population estimate, survival, distribution, etc in order to insure this sensitive species continues to thrive in this country. 

Sources

 

1.      "Summary of Grizzly Bear Biology." Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, n.d. Web.

 

2.      "Noninvasive Methods to Monitor Bear Population Trends." USGS, 19 Apr. 2010. Web.

 

3.      Stetz, Jeffery B., Katherine C. Kendall, and Christopher Servheen. "Evaluation of Bear Rub Surveys to Monitor Grizzly Bear Population Trends." Wildlife Management (n.d.): 860-70. Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK). Web. 14 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/NCDEbeardna_detail.htm>.

 

4.      Kendall, Katherine C., Jeffery B. Stetz, John Boulanger, Amy C. Macleod, David Paetkau, and Gary C. White. "Demography and Genetic Structure of a Recovering Grizzly Bear Population." Wildlife Management (n.d.): 3-17. Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK). Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/products/Kendalletal2009_JWMv73n1.pdf>.