Family-Outdoors

On March 26, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $61.3 million in funding to protect, restore and enhance more than 205,000 acres of wetlands and associated uplands in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Of that, approximately $6.5 million will go toward projects in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Region. “Conservation of our nation’s wetlands is critical to protecting our wildlife, watersheds, coastal communities and important economic activities,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Chair of the Commission. “Wetlands not only are home to hundreds of species of migratory birds, but they also provide us with clean water, act as buffers against storms, support our vibrant coastal fishing industries, and provide unique opportunities for outdoor recreation.” The commission approved $54.7 million in grants through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to protect, restore and enhance 200,069 acres of habitat for migratory birds in the U...

Land-use in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains has been shifting at an extraordinary rate, including changes in agriculture practices, the recent boom in petroleum production, and rising tourism, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report. The report examines how economic variables and rural development are linked to land use in the region and suggests that while agriculture remains an important economic, social and cultural driver, the long-term economic health of the PPR is dependent on a strong off-farm economy as well. Click to view entire photo gallery. “This report shows that policymakers and land managers may want to think holistically about land-use change and understand the linkages between their decisions and aspects of community well-being,” said William Gascoigne, the USGS scientist who led the study. “We set out to produce the most comprehensive report regarding land conditions, economic influence, and rural community well-being in...

We just returned from just over a week on the northern portion of the LP of Michigan.  Here is some of what is going on around the Midwest - we will catch up on other news in coming days.  Remember if your passion is deer hunting to visit us at Midwest Deer Hunting , or if your interests are more specifically in Missouri, visit Missouri Outdoors . Our main site is Family-Outdoors . North Dakota News The ND Game and Fish Department has set the small game regulations for 2013 with few changes. Notably, prairies chickens and sage grouse seasons will be closed again due to low numbers. Residents only will be able to hunt waterfowl between Sept 21 and 27.  Beginning the 28th, nonresidents will be allowed to hunt waterfowl in ND.  Further waterfowl regs will be finalized about mid-August. Between Oct. 12 and 18, residents only will have access to ND Game and fish lands as well as PLOTS (Private Land Open to Sportsmen) land. For details visit gf.nd.gov . I...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) As I walked closer, four trumpeter swans paddled effortlessly to the far side of the open water. An aerator keeps an area of this pond from icing over. Displaying their nonchalance, one or two cut loose with their namesake ‘trumpet’ calls. More like a French horn, I guess. “They’re just beautiful to watch; kind of entertaining. We’ve actually had them walk up in the yard. That, we didn’t expect,” recalls Sandy Tull. She and husband Terry Tull look out on a real-life wildlife canvas from their home just outside Sheffield, in northern Iowa. The female swans are here for the long run; sustaining injuries which prevent their return to the wild. Since they can’t fly, they need to be kept near open water—a buffer zone against predators—and have feed. The Tulls provide those. The DNR keeps track of them; perhaps to match them with mates to bolster the agency’s restoration program. That involvement, though, is being scaled back from 10 or 15 years ago...