IDNR Releases Biological Stream Ratings for Diversity, Integrity, and Significance
October 20, 2008
Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity
SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announces the release of biological stream ratings that combine, update, and enhance the two previous approaches for rating Illinois streams. Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity. These ratings are regularly used by the IDNR and watershed and environmental groups that focus on stream protection and enhancement.
The new ratings for diversity, integrity, and significance replace the Biological Stream Characterization (BSC) and Biologically Significant Streams (BSS) that were developed in 1984 and 1992 respectively.
“Both BSC and BSS processes generated products that are used extensively by diverse stakeholders,” said IDNR Acting Director Sam Flood. “The new stream ratings will provide the Illinois Department of Natural Resources with a mechanism for identifying high-quality examples of all stream communities and will guide management and restoration activities throughout the state.”
The new ratings use fish, macroinvertebrates, crayfish, mussels, and threatened and endangered species information to generate an overall score of biological diversity and integrity in streams. The purpose behind the new ratings was not only to update outdated information, but to establish baseline conditions against which change promoted by the Wildlife Action Plan could be measured and understood. Since the Wildlife Action Plan broadly addresses all types of wildlife including fish, mussels, amphibians, and reptiles, these new ratings will help resource managers to determine if aquatic organisms are responding to management activities promoted by the plan.
The information contributing to integrity and diversity ratings is then used to identify a sub-set of stream reaches as “biologically significant”. The revised ratings are limited mostly to wadeable streams and incorporate biological information from 1997 - 2007.
“We believe that including additional groups of organisms into both integrity and diversity measures in ratings provides a more robust assessment of stream biological condition, thereby improving our confidence in stream ratings,” said Mike Conlin Director of IDNR – Office of Resource Conservation.
More information about how the ratings were developed and what biological information was used can be found at: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/orc/BioStrmRatings/
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Rare Antelope Shot; Its Calf Dies Later
September 24, 2008
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Wildlife Alert program and the owner of a rare desert antelope are offering a combined reward of $750 for information leading to the arrest of whoever shot and killed the addax antelope at Pheenix Farm in Putnam County.
The farm owners found the antelope’s body inside a fenced pasture the morning of Sept. 14. It had been shot to death. Its young calf was found that afternoon in a nearby building, but it died shortly afterwards.
The addax antelope is one of the world’s rarest mammals. It is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and some scientists estimate there are fewer than 500 left in the wild. It is well-adapted to its native African desert habitat and rarely needs water, because it can get most of its water needs from the vegetation it eats.
Pheenix Farm is a game farm located on County Road 315 and Hewitt Lake Road near Orange Springs.
Anyone with information about this incident should call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Callers may remain anonymous.
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Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest Deadline October 31
September 15, 2008
Youth Encouraged to Enter
If you think you have an eye for photography and love the outdoors, then try entering the Outdoor Alabama Magazine 2009 Photo Contest. The deadline for entries is October 31, 2008. In addition to the regular categories of Birds, Scenic/Pictorial, Mammals, Nature-based Recreation, Other Wildlife, Reptiles/Amphibians, and Flora, new categories added this year are for youth and photos taken at state parks. The youth category has two age groups: 6-12 and 13-18.
Adding the youth category is a way the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is encouraging youth to enjoy the outdoors. “Photography is something anyone can enjoy,” says Outdoor Alabama Editor Kim G. Nix. “We’d really like to encourage young people to spend some time outdoors taking notice and photographing the beauty that our state offers. All youth may not be able to compete on an adult level, so we created a special category for them,” she said.
Winning entries in this annual competition will be published in the February 2009 issue of Outdoor Alabama magazine. The contest is open to any amateur photographer except employees of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and members of their immediate families. An amateur is defined as someone who does not earn most of his or her living from photography.
All photos must be digital and submitted on a CD along with an official entry form and data sheet. The forms may be downloaded here. You can also email a request to magazine [at] outdooralabama [dot] com or call 800-262-3151.
In addition to having their winning entries printed in Outdoor Alabama, prizes will be awarded to the first place winners in each category. Certificates will be awarded to first, second and third place and one honorable mention from each category.
Outdoor Alabama magazine is published by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
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Open House to Discuss Proposed Management Strategy for New Wildlife Area in the Cibola Valley
August 19, 2008
Project to restore 1300-acre site back to native riparian habitat
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Bureau of Reclamation will host a public open house from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to discuss the draft cooperative management plan for restoring native riparian habitat in the newly acquired wildlife area in the Cibola Valley.
The open house will be held at the main office of the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Cibola, Ariz., which is about 90 miles north of Yuma and 25 miles south of Blythe, Calif.
The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. with a brief PowerPoint of the plan, project history and management objectives. Following the presentation, representatives from both agencies will be on site to answer questions to close out the meeting.
“This wildlife area will play a significant role in the even-larger Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program,” says Troy Smith, habitat specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “The first week in September is a great time to share this with the public, as we typically have a lot of visitors in our region at that time.”
The Bureau of Reclamation is the implementing agency for the multi-stakeholder Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP), a 50-year effort to conserve threatened, endangered, and sensitive wildlife and habitats native to the lower Colorado River.
Smith adds, “Key proposed enhancements for the wildlife area are to replace existing agricultural fields with native riparian cottonwood, willow, and mesquite land cover types which would be managed as habitat for LCR MSCP-covered species and other wildlife.”
Native riparian habitats along the lower Colorado River will provide critical feeding, cover, and nesting resources for many avian species, including federally- and state-listed and sensitive species, neotropical migrants, raptors and game birds, as well as important habitat components for mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
To learn more about the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, visit www.lcrmscp.gov.
Directions:
From Blythe, go approximately three miles west on I-10 to Neighbours Boulevard, exit 78. Go south on Neighbours for 12 miles to the Cibola Bridge. After crossing the bridge, continue south for 3.5 miles to the refuge headquarters. For more information call the refuge at (928) 857-3253 or visit www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/CibolaNWR.
From Yuma, go approximately 10 miles west on I-8 to Ogilby Road, exit 159. Go north on Ogilby for approximately 30 miles to route 78 and go north (right) for approximately 31 miles to 35th Ave., go east (right) follow to Neighbours Boulevard, go south to Cibola Bridge. After crossing the bridge, head south for 3.5 miles to the refuge headquarters. For more information call the refuge at (928) 857-3253 or visit www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/CibolaNWR.
If you have questions, please contact Troy Smith trsmith [at] azgfd [dot] gov.
A PDF map of the wildlife area can be downloaded by clicking here.
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Kids Wildlife Art Exhibit Comes to N.C. Museum of Art
August 18, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. – An exhibition that is truly wild is coming to the N.C. Museum of Art.
The one-time exhibit “Kids Wildlife Art Competition” will open on Tuesday, Aug. 19 and close on Nov. 23. It features artwork by winners and selected honorable mention recipients from a juried contest for youth, held earlier this year by Wildlife in North Carolina magazine and the Museum of Art.
Children, kindergarten through eighth grade, were eligible to enter an image of a wild animal native to the state. A total of 3,365 did just that, with a variety of reptiles, birds, insects and mammals depicted in drawings, paintings and mosaics.
Winning art will be featured in a 2009 calendar, which will be available for sale in September in the Museum of Art store and online at www.ncwildstore.com.
Admission to the N.C. Museum of Art is free. Visit www.ncartmuseum.org for more information and directions.
Wildlife in North Carolina is the award-winning monthly magazine published by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. To view a sample issue online and for more information, click here.
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Third Annual South Dakota Bat Festival
August 6, 2008
CUSTER, S.D.–Come learn about South Dakota’s mammals of the night on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Third Annual South Dakota Bat Festival. The Festival will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Tatanka Theater in the Game Lodge Campground of Custer State Park.
Wildlife experts and enthusiasts will be on hand to give presentations, answer questions and distribute information at this fun, family-orientated event. Bat research equipment and survey methods will be showcased from 8:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. As part of a continuing survey of the area, researchers will be actively capturing bats which visitors will be able to safely view up close.
Custer State Park (Tatanka Theatre) is located approximately 14 miles east of Custer on U.S. Highway 16A in Custer State Park. Although there is no charge for the activities, the park does charge an entrance fee.
This year’s festival is sponsored by South Dakota Bat Working Group, Custer State Park, S.D. Game, Fish & Parks Wildlife Division, South Dakota State University, Batworks, and the U.S. Forest Service.
For more information on the South Dakota Bat Festival, contact Bradley Phillips at (605) 673-4853 or Joel Tigner of Batworks at (605) 390-2061.
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Bats the Focus of Events, Activities at Devil’s Den Park
June 4, 2008
WEST FORK – Do bats bother you, or do you know little about these mysterious but numerous little creatures?
The upcoming Bat-O-Rama XIX on June 13-15 at Devil’s Den State Park near West Fork can greatly improve your knowledge of the flying mammals that are much into our lore as well as our misunderstanding.
The event is one of the most popular special events in the Arkansas State Parks system, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. All programs on those three days will be about one of nature’s least understood mammals, the bat. The schedule includes audio/visual programs, a bat house building demonstration and crevice hike. For more information, phone (479) 761-3325.
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Bear SafetyTtips for Memorial Day Weekend
May 22, 2008
As Memorial Day weekend nears, DWR provides tips to keep you safe
Doing five simple things will lessen the chance that a black bear visits your campsite this year:
- Don’t leave food out.
- Don’t scatter food scraps and other litter around your campsite or cabin area.
- Don’t keep food in the area where you’re sleeping.
- Don’t bring items with you that have a strong odor.
- Never feed a bear.
With last summer’s fatal bear attack in American Fork Canyon fresh on their minds, Kevin Bunnell believes Utahns will be more willing than ever to follow that advice.
“And by following these rules, you’ll be helping other people too,” says Bunnell, mammals program coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “A bear may not visit the area while you’re there, but the food you leave out and the litter you leave behind could bring a bear to that same area after you leave. And that could create a serious problem for people who camp in the area after you.”
Rules for a clean camp
Bunnell says strong smells are what attracts bears to people. By following a few simple rules, you can greatly reduce the chance that a bear visits your camp or cabin:
- Don’t leave food out. Instead, lock your food and coolers inside your vehicle or suspend them at least 12 feet high between two trees, so bears can’t reach them.
- You can also store food in a bear-proof container. But remember that most containers, including plastic coolers, are NOT bear proof. Bear-proof containers are available at various sporting goods and outdoor stores.
- Don’t scatter garbage, food scraps and fat drippings around your campsite. And don’t leave them in your fire pit, either. Instead, place them in an airtight container, lock them securely in the trunk of your car or inside your trailer, and take them home with you. If bear-proof garbage cans are available in your campground, you can also leave them in the cans.
- After you’re through cooking and eating, immediately clean your cooking grills and anything used to prepare, eat or clean up food.
- Don’t keep any food in the area where you’re sleeping.
- Cook away from your tent or sleeping area. And don’t sleep in the clothes you wore while cooking or the clothes you wore while cleaning fish. Leave those clothes, along with utensils, rags and anything used to prepare, cook, eat and clean up food, at your cooking area or sealed inside a vehicle.
- Don’t bring items with you that have a strong odor. Bears have extremely sensitive noses. Anything that has a strong smell, including deodorant, perfume and certain soaps, could draw a bear to your campsite.
- Never feed a bear.
Bear safety tips
More tips on how to stay safe in bear country, including what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking, are available at wildlife.utah.gov/bearsafety.
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