Wildlife

August 13, 2007 -- CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Expressing concern that a decade-old federal court order is still in effect, and that the state would violate the order if it conducted a planned bison hunt on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal has asked Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne for help in resolving the issue as quickly as possible.    » read more »

Court Finds “Near Certainty” of Harm to Whales Near Channel Islands and Says Proposed Mitigation Measures Were Ineffectual

LOS ANGELES (August 6, 2007) – The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California today enjoined the U.S. Navy from using mid-frequency active sonar during 14 naval training exercises planned for the rich biological waters off Southern California through 2009. Mid-frequency active (or MFA) sonar is used by the Navy to detect submarines but has caused whale strandings and other harm to marine animals around the world.    » read more »

Striped bass caught at Pleasant shatters state record

Aug 8, 2007 -- PHOENIX – Noel Arnold of Wittmann was fishing at Lake Pleasant and decided to try a water dog in the wee hours of the morning on Aug. 8, and caught a new inland state record striped bass weighing 27.28 pounds and measuring 42.25 inches long.

In fact, Arnold was planning to catch just one more fish before catching some sleep so he meet his dad in the morning to fish for largemouth bass at first light. He ended up not getting any sleep. But he doesn’t mind.    » read more »

July 26, 2007 -- DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife deployed two steel-hulled vessels July 25 on Delaware’s Red Bird Reef, located 16 miles east of the Indian River Inlet. The deployment helps improve Delaware’s artificial reef by enhancing fisheries habitat, increasing marine biodiversity and productivity, and providing fishing and diving opportunities for decades to come.    » read more »

July 13, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today said that a new report by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) detailing the decline in America’s honeybee population reinforces the need to fund research into Colony Collapse Disorder.    » read more »

Funding includes $2,314,000 for land and wildlife projects, and $1,200,000 for clean energy projects

July 12, 2007 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced he will distribute a total of $3,514,000 to 17 projects throughout the state designed to promote land, wildlife and clean energy.    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- AUGUSTA – Biologists from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) are taking notice of the first confirmed reports in the eastern U.S. of an aggressive invasive crab species recently caught in crab pots located in Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay and the Hudson River (New York).    » read more »

Mother and daughter relocated to new shelter

(Queen Creek) – As the saying goes, if you build it they will come. Or at least that’s what Joan Perry, Chairman of the Friends of San Tan, was hoping when the Friends group constructed the 30 by 35 ft. Desert Tortoise Habitat at San Tan Mountain Regional Park. Armed with den designs and the knowledge that desert tortoises enjoy a diet of native grasses and leafy plants, the Friends built a habitat that included an abundance of natural vegetation found in the Sonoran Desert.    » read more »

“License to Kill” Would Reverse Wildlife Recovery in Northern Rockies, Says NRDC

LIVINGSTON, Mont. (July 6, 2007) – Twelve years after reintroducing wolves in the wild in the Northern Rockies, the federal government has today announced a plan to allow most of the animals to be exterminated. The government wants to remove the wolves from the endangered species list, a move that conservation groups oppose, but the new plan allows the slaughter to begin even before the wolves are formally delisted, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).    » read more »

July 6, 2007 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Richardson seeks to change key protocols for the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program following a recent wolf kill incident in southwestern New Mexico.

“I am deeply concerned about the recent escalation in wolf removals and incidents surrounding yesterday’s lethal removal of a female wolf,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “State Police are investigating the incident and are collecting the facts as this investigation takes its course.”    » read more »

03 July 2007 -- You may think you already know all there is to know about penguins. After all, according to Hollywood, they march, they dance, and they even surf, right? OK, maybe not. But there actually is a lot more we can learn about these popular birds, as some ancient Peruvian fossils have shown us.    » read more »

June 26, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Thune (R-SD) and Bob Casey (D-PA) today introduced legislation to help research, protect and maintain America’s bee and native pollinator population and ensure the viability of crops that rely on them for pollination.

In recent months, there has been an estimated loss of over 25 percent of the nation’s honeybee population—a decrease the USDA has termed ‘Colony Collapse Disorder.’    » read more »

June 25, 2007 -- A series of regulations designed to help slow the spread of fish diseases in Michigan, in particular Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), will begin to be implemented on Thursday, June 28, according to Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries officials. The regulations provide a set of best management practices for anglers, boaters and the bait industry, and will be phased in over time.    » read more »

Voluntary donations of nearly $200,000 from Illinois residents help protect and enhance wildlife habitat

June 22, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today awarded nearly $200,000 in grants to support 51 projects throughout Illinois that will enhance habitat for wildlife, including the restoration and protection of threatened and endangered species. Funding for the projects comes from Illinois citizens through donations to the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.    » read more »

(June 18, 12:08 p.m.) As a result of Arizona's Promontory Fire, many wild animals have lost their habitats. As a result, there has been an increase in human/wildlife encounters.

The Christopher Kohl’s Fire Department warns residents not to feed wildlife, including deer, elk and bear.

Bears can smell and locate food. People should keep food trash inside and in closed containers, and should not leave dog and/or cat food or water outside.

District residents are encouraged to read “Care of Wild Animals."    » read more »