Beaver Dams Control Nitrogen Flow in Northeastern Rivers

And I thought beaver dams were just great wildlife and fish habitat! Eric

Beaver Dams Control Nitrogen Flow in Northeastern Rivers

By Joshua Rapp Learn

Posted on November 19, 2015

Image Credit: David Smith, licensed by cc 2.0

Beavers may be providing watersheds a service by removing some of the agricultural nitrogen runoff in northeast rivers.

“There’s a huge concern about the amount of nutrients of our lands that get into coastal waters,” said Arthur Gold, a professor and chair of the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island and coauthor of a study published recently in theJournal of Environmental Quality.

Read more at the TWS web site

Global Anti-Poaching Act Passed by House

By Zachary Sheldon

Posted on November 6, 2015

Poaching of black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in South Africa increased by 21% from 2013 to 2014.
Image Credit: Ray Morris, licensed by cc 2.0

On 2 November the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2494, the “Global Anti-Poaching Act”. The bill passed by voice vote after 23 minutes of speeches in favor of the act.

Describing the importance of the bill, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) said, “The very disturbing reality is that some of the world’s most majestic animals have become ‘blood currency’ for rebel groups and terrorist organizations in Africa,” adding, “Time isn’t on our side. Each day of inaction means more animals poached and more cash for terrorists.”

The legislation seeks action against wildlife trafficking through three main avenues: strengthening and expanding wildlife enforcement networks; punishing countries failing to make efforts to combat wildlife trafficking; and increasing the penalties of wildlife trafficking.

read more

This Week on "Randy Newberg Unfiltered"

From the Outdoor Wire

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

BOZEMAN, Mont. – On the latest episode of "Randy Newberg Unfiltered"radio show, host Randy Newberg chats with Jim Pozewitz, long time friend, conservationist and founder of Orion – the Hunter's Institute.

The show is available now on RandyNewberg.Com, iTunes and Stitcher,
"We referred to this podcast as the Poz-cast since Jim and I go way back and talk, unfiltered, on hunter responsibilities and how conservation is led by hunters and their success," said Newberg. "Jim is a leader in the conservation field as many of his books and papers on conservation are still used today by state wildlife agencies, schools and more."

Newberg talks with Pozewitz on the "Dirty Thirties," which is the start of the conservation movement with key leader, President Theodore Roosevelt. The duo dissects Roosevelt's legacy, beginning with his start in forming a relationship with government and society to better land and wildlife.

Learn more at RandyNewberg.Com, http://Facebook.com/RandyNewbergand http://Instagram.Com/RandyNewbergHunter

About Randy Newberg, Hunter: Randy Newberg is the voice of the public land hunter in America. Decades of hunting all species across public lands has provided both the experience and perspective that has allowed him to become the leading advocate for the self-guided hunter; hunters dependent upon public lands for hunting access. With his popular TV show, Leupold's Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg airing on Sportsman Channel, accompanied by the long-standing Hunt Talk web forum, Newberg is looked to for advocacy and leadership as hunting and access issues become politicized. Now added to those platforms is the Hunt Talk Podcast where Newberg discusses relevant issues to hunters - unfiltered. Visit RandyNewberg.Com to download the bi-weekly podcast, information to download the weekly TV show and log in to the Hunt Talk forum. Subscribe to Randy Newberg's YouTube channel to get tips, behind the scenes, and ideas for the western big game hunter. Learn more at RandyNewberg.Com,http://Facebook.com/RandyNewberg and http://Instagram.Com/RandyNewbergHunter

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Michelle Scheuermann, BulletProof Communications LLC, 651.964.0264; michelle@bulletproofcomm.com

A hunter's elevator speech

If you had less than a minute to tell a stranger what drives your love of hunting, fishing and wild places, what would you say?
Here is what a small group of us in the Eastern Chapter of the Backcountry Hunter's and Angler's came up with.

We unite avid outdoors people who enjoy getting off the trail, and who hunt and fish following strong conservation ethics.

Grounded in the views of Aldo Leopold and Theodore Roosevelt, we value the full range of wild flora and fauna, from apex predators to invertebrates. We believe that what we do as hunters and anglers must put  the good of the environment first. We are vocal about conservation policy, speaking up for wildlife and wild places. We look for common ground where hunters, anglers, and environmentalists can work together.

Whether we hunt and fish in the West, the East, or both, we value the “backcountry ideal”—the quiet and solitude of wild places near and far, large and small. We see ourselves as full participants in the natural world and enjoy being immersed in it.

Firmly embracing ethical hunting and fishing practices, we honor the animals and fish we pursue. We voluntarily limit our use of off-road vehicles and other gadgets, and also limit our take.

From wild places across the nation to Washington, DC, we are boots-on-the-ground people. We make a difference by caring and by being involved.

New ethics campaign

The new hunter ethics campaign being launched by one group of Montana volunteers is simply the latest step in what will likely be a long process to educate hunters and nonhunters alike.

Last week the Citizen Advisory Committee for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ region 3 announced the official plan for its Hunt Right campaign. The goal is to promote ethical hunting and educate nonhunters to the fact that the vast majority of sportsmen and women keep ethics at the forefront of their mind while out in the field.

Read full article

Note: Orion board member Thomas Baumeister is involved with this effort with other Orion member input.

 

To find out more information about the Hunt Right campaign, look at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/huntrightmt or go to a website set up for them by the Montana’s Outdoor Legacy Foundation at huntrightmt.org.

Final 'Waters of the U.S.' Rule Represents Victory for Sportsmen, Fish and Wildlife, Clean Water

WASHINGTON - A highly anticipated rule that would enhance critical fish and wildlife habitat, improve the nation's supply of drinking water and restore clarity to the federal Clean Water Act was finalized this morning, eliciting praise from business owners and sportsmen's groups, including Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.

Today's announcement by the administration concludes a multi-stakeholder process aimed at eliminating confusion surrounding the scope of the Clean Water Act. The resulting "Waters of the U.S." rule reflects a lengthy and comprehensive vetting process, including more than 1 million public comments. Widely supported by citizens, sportsmen and outdoor-focused businesses, it represents a practical approach that addresses the needs of both industry and the general populace.

"The release by the administration of the final Waters of the U.S. rule culminates an unprecedented effort to restore clarity to a bedrock natural resources law, the federal Clean Water Act," said BHA Executive Director Land Tawney. "The rule will conserve resources important to our fish, our wildlife, our citizens - and to the waters and wetlands that are central to our national identity.

"A chorus of ducks can be heard quacking from the wetlands where waterfowl are busy nesting and rearing their young, and fishtail slap high-fives are surfacing on the headwaters of our nation's most precious trout and salmon streams," continued Tawney, an avid waterfowler and angler. "These are some of the key habitats protected via the Waters of the U.S. rule. We thank the administration for persevering in the face of unrelenting opposition to sustain these places - and the outdoor opportunities they provide - for future generations to experience and enjoy."   

More                                                         

Stewardship and the Hunt

From the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers website

The following is a talk given by Dr. George N. Wallace at Colorado State University's (CSU) College of Natural Resources Fall Seminar Series on "The Culture of Stewardship", December 9^th, 2004. George is an active BHA member and retired CSU professor.
I know that the number of fishery and wildlife biology students that hunt has declined and are perhaps now a minority. I am going to propose that hunting can contribute to land stewardship and foster a commitment to land health as it has for many noted conservationists - though it does not always do so.
Read on - it is worth the time!

Sara the Bear Has 105 Descendants

From the Bangor Daily News:

Posted on April 14, 2015

Image Courtesy of Randy Cross/Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

 

Sara the bear and her prodigious family left an incredible impression on biologists in Maine who have been studying the animals for decades. While Sara died in 1987, seven years after first being studied by biologists, 15 of her black bear (Ursus americanus) descendants have been collared and are being tracked by biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries. Now, five generations of cubs trace their lineage back to Sara. The sheer amount of cubs that have come from Sara may be partly due to abnormal longevity in the family line, according to Randy Cross, a biologist with the Department and a member of The Wildlife Society.
Read more at the Bangor Daily News.

Birdwatchers, Hunters Train Their Scopes on Conservation

 

By Caren Cooper | March 9, 2015 |  

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

---

A group of men stand birdwatching. (Ryan Hagerty/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Wikimedia)

Sparked by Richard Louv’s book on Nature-Deficit Disorder, many organizations, agencies, teachers and the White House have made the push to get people outside for the benefit of their mental and physical health. Now there is another reason: to benefit environmental health. In a new study my colleagues and I show that outdoor recreationists—in this case, birdwatchers and hunters—are more likely than non-recreationists to carry out conservation activities.
We chose to publish the paper in the Journal of Wildlife Management because state wildlife agencies have a long history of designing programs for their hunting
more: