KDPA: Feeding Key Deer

The large population sizes of ungulates limit much of the genetic issues associated with selective harvest. However, due to the common hunting strategies individuals, often males, with high reproductive value are removed. Pairing this with the issue of the ‘tragity of the commons’ management of commonly harvested populations is imperative.

As hunters across the state venture out into Alaska's forests and tundra in hopes of filling their freezer with moose meat, hunters in the Lower kuskokwim have bit the bullet and hung up their rifles. They are entering the first year of a self-imposed five-year moose-hunting moratorium they hope will significantly improve their moose hunting in the future.“The main stem of the Lower Kuskokwim is one of the few places left in Alaska that has outstanding moose habitat and extremely low numbers of moose,” said Roger Seavoy, the Bethel area biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Both my spouses and my families have been practicing agriculture for years. This has introduced me to many of the programs that the Farm Services Agency has to offer. On my mother’s side, they have participated in the CRP Highly Erodible Lands Initiative program. By enrolling in the CRP program, ground they farm in the hills has benefited by increasing the water quality to intermittent streams below and provided habitat for deer, turkeys, and other local wildlife. Their farm located near the Missouri River has some farmers enrolled in the Flood Plain Wetlands initiative in order to combat loss of crops from flooding. It offers waterfowl habitat and minimizes risk in planting crops that flood from year to year. My father-in-law has been enrolled in the SAFE program and he is trying to re-habilitate habitats for prairie chickens. In western Kansas there are wildlife guzzlers on some of the land enrolled in

One of the most effective ways to avoid human-wildlife conflicts is by reducing attractants from these unwanted animals. There are many ways in which residents can reduce conflict with urban wildlife. For example: locking out all outdoor garbage cans, dispose fallen fruit from trees, keeping pets indoors overnight, keep cats indoor as much as possible, be aware of wildlife-borne diseases in their region that could potentially infect them and their pets,

Mason Neck Park and Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, officially known as Mason Neck State Park and Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck respectively, are home to a multitude of species, such as the bald eagle, the Virginia pine tree, and the white-tailed deer (“Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck,” 2016; “Mason Neck State Park,” 2016). Critical to the conservation of endangered species, Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, run by the National Wildlife Refuge System, a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides a safe habitat for the various organisms (“Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck,” 2016). On the other hand, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the governmental agency responsible for Mason Neck Park, keeps human’s recreational needs in mind and provides activities such as canoeing and fishing (“Mason Neck State Park,” 2016). The human interference present within the Mason Neck Park may impact the local ecosystem (“Mason Neck State Park,” 2016). Although there are activities available in Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, they are “wildlife-oriented recreational developments” meaning the well being of organisms living in the Refuge will be the first priority (“Elizabeth Hartwell Mason

Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A

To assist with conversation, the Everglades have been divided by the government into two regions with two purposes. The northern area is reserved for agriculture, primarily sugarcane, and the lower portion has been turned into a historical national park (“Why Should I..”, 2013). The parts that are not included in the preservation constantly face battles against development and even more destruction; thousands of miles of the Everglades are not included in or protected by it’s natural park status. Only 22 of the 56 endangered species are protected in the national parks (Sart, 2015).

The Everglades in South Florida, home of 36 such endangered species such as the American Crocodile and the Florida Panther, slowly continues to diminish. According to the website of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA), the Everglades played “a crucial role in the lives of Florida’s human residents” (“Everglades”). Since the 1980s, the government established efforts to protect wildlife and vegetation. Organization groups continue planning on restoring the most well-known wetland on Florida soil. In other words, the development of urban communities and agriculture causes a mass increase in pollution and flood watches. The ongoing conservation of the Everglades preserves limited water quality, protect wildlife, and prevent urban development.

If people don’t put a stop to people hitting panthers with their cars and killing them in the forests the panther will soon become extinct. Panthers are a protection to our forests and wildlife. The alert level for this issue is a high alert level because of how close they are to becoming extinct. I think they should protect panthers as much as they could because if they put up fences around busy highways they could save panthers from going extinct. The conservation of the fish and wildlife committee is doing all they can to protect these panthers from coming

The state legislature has favored the ranching industry above ecology and continues to do so. Public polls “conducted by Boise State indicate that the overwhelming majority of Idahoans (nearly 70 percent) support wolf restoration” (Laverty, par. 4) and the legislature is seeking to remedy this by re-educating the public with “a balanced view of the impact of wolves on big game species, those sectors of the economy dependent upon sport hunting, livestock, domestic animals, and humans” (State, 3). Furthermore, the “cost of wolf reintroduction will be presented as a part of any public education program including direct and indirect costs” (State, 3).

To make sure we are hitting these target groups, we will do several different types of surveys including mail-in, face-to-face, phone and web surveys. Though having so many platforms for these surveys can be costly, it will allow the Department to reach a broader audience across the state. The surveys will help to show deer hunters and the general public that Conservation is committed to helping slow the spread of CWD. The key message for the campaign will be spread through word-of-mouth, radio spots and news releases. To help disseminate this message a CWD media taskforce will be created, whose main goal is to spread the

Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the crowned jewel of the nation’s 544 refuges is in danger of destruction (Lamar and Markey 12). ANWR has been in existence since 1960 and has slowly become one of the most controversial topics to hit Congress. ANWR is composed of 19 million acres on the northeast coast of Alaska. Although the government has been provided with this immense land they are fighting to gain more land. Why? ANWR is the second biggest oil field that is owned by the U.S. Now the government wants more land to construct oil reserves. The refuge is home to many endangered species such as migratory birds, polar bears, and wolves (Lynne and Roberts 1). Most of ANWR’s designated oil area is owned by indigenous Alaskan

The Everglades National Park protects the largest wild life area east of the Mississippi River. The Everglades are the largest remaining sub-tropical wild life area in 48 states sitting on 1.5 million acres preserved at Florida’s tip off shore. The Everglades contain various ecosystems such as rivers, lakes ponds, marshes, etc. These wild life areas feature both fresh and saltwater areas, open prairies, pine rock lands, tropical hardwood forests, offshore coral reefs, and mangrove forests. This paper will summarize how humans contributed to the destruction of the Everglades and how man is working to save the Everglades. Since the Everglades is comprised of both fresh and saltwater areas the vast range of wildlife species in the Everglades include but not limited to reptiles, mammals, aquatic birds, etc. The vast spectrum of wildlife living in the Florida Everglades include but not limited to aquatic animals, mammals, reptiles, etc. Of this vast spectrum of wildlife living in the Florida Everglades there are 56+ species who are either endangered or are in jeopardy of being endangered. The Everglades are home to two National Parks, four National Wildlife Refuges, and one National Marine Sanctuary that bring almost 2 million visitors every year to experience this natural beauty located minutes from Miami Florida. The powerful environmental forces of sun, water, wind, and fire greatly affect the development and lifecycles of these

The United States is full of amazing habitats for numerous animal species. There are many examples of species that have been eliminated from the American landscape for economic benefit of a few individuals. There are many examples of species hunted and in some cases eradicated, but I believe there is no example that has had as many species affected in a single area as the Florida everglades. The number of available bird species in the everglades made it an ideal location for the mass slaughter of birds for their feathers. Now, and in the future, if people wish to preserve natural spaces, we need to understand how we interact with the environment and how our actions can impact these delicate ecosystems.

One of the only animals you can find North Carolina is the red wolf. According to Christopher Ketcham, only 47 red wolves are left in North Carolina wild (Ketcham, 2016). Protecting this species is going to take a lot of effort because it’s already at the edge of extinction. Some people might not want to due to the fact of money must be involved. The safety of the animal and its habitat is going to take tremendous money to keep up with the cost of providing what is needed. Although the cost is outstanding and unimaginable, the end result will be worth more than what was put into saving the species. Losing one species may change the food chain which can cause a disruption in the resources farmers and companies need to make the needs we, humans, want. These reasons won’t convince people to fund the protection of biodiversity loss, but organization has been made to protect and enforce laws to help protect species. One of these organization is called, The United Nations Environment Programm (UNEP). This organization tells the responsibilities of humans, management of forests and other preventions of biodiversity loss (Briefing PapersWorldConferences, n.d.). Another simple and most common reason to save the species and every other species is, simply put, “the fact we have a place that’s globally significant for biodiversity right here in North