Family-Outdoors

On Saturday, May 10, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe and Midwest Partners in Chicago are working together  to develop the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. Photo by Louise Clemency/USFWS. Regional Director Tom Melius joined the Chicago Park District and volunteers from around the Chicago Area to plant trees to develop the Burnham Wildlife Corridor, a new natural area in Chicago’s Burnham Park. The corridor creates a 100-acre ribbon of urban wilderness running through one of the city’s premier lakefront properties. The corridor is located within the Millennium Reserve, one of two sites in Illinois to be included in President Obama's "America's Great Outdoors" initiative. The event was conducted in partnership with Chicago Wilderness, The Field Museum, Friends of the Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Openlands, Audubon - Chicago Region, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During the event, Service Director Dan Ashe thanked participants and partner...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Since 1975, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Cy Curtis Awards Program has recognized deer hunters who harvest a trophy buck in Oklahoma. Soon, hunters who bag a trophy elk, black bear or pronghorn antelope in Oklahoma also will be able to collect a Cy Curtis Award.    Jerry Shaw, regional supervisor for the Wildlife Department, outlined future changes to the Cy Curtis Awards Program during the May 5 meeting of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission in Oklahoma City.    "If you would've asked me when I started 20 years ago if we would ever be putting black bears in our Cy Curtis book, I would have said no. But here we are!" Shaw said, alluding to the many successes of the Department's wildlife management programs over the past several decades.     For decades, only those hunters who harvested a whitetail or mule deer buck that met the minimum score for antler size were eligible for a Cy Curtis...

Less than an hour’s drive through the scenic Mississippi River towns north of St. Louis Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge  (NWR), home to one of the largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles in the U.S., and thousands of birds as they rest and refuel during spring and fall migrations. Many refuge visitors come from the St. Louis metro area to hike, bird-watch and simply connect with their natural world. Like Two Rivers NWR, many national wildlife refuges are within just an hour’s drive of one or more major metropolitan areas. In the Midwest,  Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge  offers citizens of the Detroit area birding and wildlife-viewing opportunities, while  Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge offers outdoor education opportunities for inner city school groups from Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. Kids playing outdoors near St. Louis, Missouri. Photo by Ashley Spratt/USFWS. sits “More than three-quarters of people in the Midwestern ...

Just in time for warmer weather, the Department of Natural Resources is offering many opportunities throughout the state for families to get outdoors and experience all that Michigan state parks have to offer. Recreation 101 – known as Rec 101 – is one of the parks’ most popular programs. This series of free, hands-on lessons allows participants to learn new skills and explore nature-related topics in Michigan’s beautiful woods and waters. Activities range from archery to windsurfing, and all equipment and expert instruction is provided free of charge. Learn more about the program at www.michigan.gov/rec101 . For the health-conscious individual and anyone looking to get in shape, the DNR launched its Fresh Air Fit program last summer. These classes are taught by local fitness instructors and include yoga, tai chi, trail running and cardio, to name just a few. Studies have shown that outdoor exercise is even more beneficial than traditional classes, so Fresh Air Fit partici...

The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that applications for Michigan elk and bear hunting licenses are available now through  June 1 . There will be  100   elk licenses  and 7,831 bear hunting licenses available for the 2014 hunting seasons. Only Michigan residents are eligible to apply for an elk license. Bear licenses are available for both residents and nonresidents; however, no more than 2 percent of licenses in any bear management unit will be issued to nonresidents. Hunters can apply online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings ,  at any authorized license agent or at a  DNR Customer Service Center . A nonrefundable $5 fee is charged at the time of application. Hunters may purchase just one bear and one elk application. Applicants may call 517-284-WILD (9453) by  June 1  for assistance with their application and may check their drawing results online at  www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings   beginning  June 30 ...

 (Photo credit: Vicki's Nature ) Turkey Number One didn’t cooperate, but a second chance tom was just fine for Caelan Johnston. The 12 year old Cedar Rapids boy bagged a 20 pound gobbler during Iowa’s Youth Turkey Season. Set up before dawn in a Benton County blind with his dad, Dan Johnston, they heard one gobble right off the bat. With the nearest roosting trees about a quarter mile away, though, it was quiet for a couple hours. Eventually 15 or 20 deer moved toward them. A little later, two turkey hens showed up in the field behind the blind…with a tom following. “We tried an alarm ‘put’ to get the turkey to stop and hopefully raise his head for a look around. Instead, he ran off,” explains Dan. With such a tough target, Caelan’s shot missed. However, 30 minutes later, their luck changed. Dan told Caelan they’d try one more call before wrapping up for the morning. In the distance, a gobble returned. “I saw a black object, walked right into our clearing,” recalls...

Fruits of the hunt! (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Hunters have until  May 15, 2014 , to apply for the Wildlife Department's controlled hunting opportunities for 2014-15. All applications must be submitted at wildlifedepartment.com . The Controlled Hunts Program offers a variety of highly desirable hunts through random drawings. Controlled hunting opportunities offered through this program include hunts on Department- or government-owned or managed lands where unrestricted hunting would pose safety concerns or where overharvest might occur. "Sportsmen have over 120 different quality hunts to choose from including elk, antelope, deer and turkey hunts," said Melinda Sturgess-Streich, assistant director of administration for the Wildlife Department. "Thirty-two of these hunts are designed specifically for youths ages 14 and 15." All applicants, including lifetime license holders, must pay a $5 application fee to enter the drawing for controlled hunts. T...

Great Lakes Temperature Map Click on the links below to jump to the report section that interests you most: Southeast Lower Peninsula Southwest Lower Peninsula Northeast Lower Peninsula Northwest Lower Peninsula Upper Peninsula Another week of roller coaster temperatures and windy conditions has hampered fishing. Inland lake fishing is slow due to the cooler water temperatures.       SOUTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA Lake Erie:   Water temperatures were in the low 50's but strong winds have resulted in poor water clarity. Walleye are being caught in the early morning or at dusk near Turtle Island in 10 to 12 feet or Brest Bay and Stony Pointe in eight to 10 feet. Try using hair jigs in John Deer green or black and white patterns as well as trolling minnows or jerk baits. Good numbers of catfish and bass have been caught from the Hot Ponds. Some big largemouth bass were caught off Bolles Harbor. Huron River:   Is producing white bass a...

 (Photo credit: Tjflex2 ) It's as predictable as August heat.  From border to border, the Wildlife Baby Season has arrived in Iowa.  From May until at least mid-June, DNR field offices across the state will be inundated with hundreds of phone calls and scores of deliveries regarding "orphaned wildlife." Most calls begin with something like, "We were walking in the park when . . .," or "I looked out my window and saw. . ."  In nearly every instance, the scenario ends with something [or several somethings] being rescued from their mother. During a typical season, the species will range all the way from baby robins and squirrels to spindly-legged white-tailed fawns.  At this time of the year it is not at all uncommon for biologists to discover that complete litters of baby raccoons, foxes, or even skunks have mysteriously appeared on their doorsteps. Why this happens is no real mystery.  From fuzzy yellow ducklings to tiny baby bunnies, nothing...

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Results from North Dakota’s spring sage grouse survey indicate the number of strutting males observed remains well below management objectives. Therefore, the sage grouse hunting season will remain closed in 2014. Aaron Robinson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department upland game bird biologist, said biologists counted a record low 31 males on six active strutting grounds. Last year, 50 males were counted on 11 active leks in the southwest. “South Dakota and eastern Montana witnessed a similar decline this year,” Robinson said. “The last time we saw such a drastic decline in the region was because of West Nile virus in 2007-08. We may have had another outbreak in the region, but at this point it is only speculation.” Sage grouse are a long-lived species with low reproductive output, which makes population recovery slow. Currently, Robinson said, natural reproduction cannot keep up with natural mortality. “We may also have reached a geneti...

Spring bird migrations can be an extraordinary sight, and state game and management areas – especially those that encompass wetlands – are popular destinations for bird watchers who wish to observe the waterfowl and shore birds that wing their way north from wintering climes. There's another significant wildlife migration happening right now, one that can be just as spectacular but often flies below the radar. Michigan’s salamanders are on the move. “Salamanders are kind of a mystery,” said Tom Goniea, the fisheries biologist who oversees herptiles (reptiles and amphibians) for the Department of Natural Resources. “They’re mostly nocturnal or subterranean. Springtime is when people run into them the most because that’s when they’re moving over land to breeding pools.” Most Michigan salamanders are land-dwelling species that breed in the water, often in small, temporary wetlands. After their eggs hatch out, the creatures go through a larval stage until they mature and ...