Family-Outdoors

Youths in the southern and eastern parts of Oklahoma will be able to get an early jump on duck season this weekend. Youth waterfowl hunting days will be Oct. 18-19 in Waterfowl Zone 2, providing two additional days outside of the regular waterfowl seasons for hunters 15 and younger.    The regular season for ducks, mergansers and coots is already open in the three Panhandle counties. The season will open Oct. 25 in Zone 1, and Nov. 1 in Zone 2. Goose hunting season will open Nov. 1 statewide.    Any youth hunting during the special early waterfowl weekend must be accompanied by an adult 18 or older who is hunter education certified (unless exempt). The adult hunter may not hunt ducks, mergansers or coots, but may participate in other open seasons. All daily bag limits for waterfowl are the same as those for the regular seasons.    Duck population numbers were strong this past breeding season, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 's 2014 Wat...

In partnership with state, federal, and tribal agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a report entitled “Taking Action” which describes 50 projects that collectively address the natural resource impacts of climate change. The report was created in response to the *National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy* which was published in March, 2013. “Across the nation, a broad coalition of natural resource agencies is working with partners and stakeholders to collectively address the current impacts and future threats of climate change,” said Rowan Gould, Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The concrete actions documented in this report represent real progress, but helping native species  cope with the effects of climate disruption requires us to build on these successes and redouble our commitment to the National Strategy for the benefit of our natural ecosystems and the millions of Americans that rely on them.” ...

We celebrated the life and work of conservation workhorse and former Midwest Regional Director Jim Gritman this weekend, out among the lands and waters that he fought to protect. Saturday September 20, 2014 was a day of remembrance, as family and friends came from across the country to honor a head-strong conservationist. Current Regional Director Tom Melius joined Fergus Falls Wetland Management District Project Leader Larry Martin and staff as we unveiled the Jim Gritman Waterfowl Production Area near Wendell, Minnesota. As the sun burned off morning clouds and the dew glistened, we had the prefect backdrop of prairie and blue sky to mark the occasion.  “Thinking outside of the box and coloring outside of the lines is what fueled Jim’s strategy for bringing back habitat for our trust resources here in the Midwest,” said Melius. Gritman said it best, “If we could start restoring wetlands rather than draining them, then I could say we were making headway." Making headway...

Calling all young artists! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now accepting entries for the 2014 Michigan Junior Duck Stamp Contest, administered by the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw. The contest is held to raise education and awareness of North America’s waterfowl and wetland resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has hosted a Junior Duck Stamp contest in Michigan since 1995. Hannah Hu from Ann Arbor won the Michigan contest in 2013 with a drawing of an American wigeon. Students may submit artwork featuring one of the following species: whistling ducks, swans, geese, brant, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, sea ducks, mergansers, stiff tails or Hawaiian ducks. A  full list of permitted species  is available online. Judging will be open to the general public at Green Point Environmental Learning Center in Saginaw in the spring. Artwork entries will be judged on the basis of original design, anatomical accuracy, artistic composition and suitability...

Please note, due to the predicted cold temperatures we have rescheduled Kids Ice Fishing Day at Genoa National Fish Hatchery to  February 15 . Media are invited to enjoy a morning on the ice with excited youth as they gain ice fishing tips from the experts, and then put them into practice on a frozen stocked hatchery pond. You can expect to see roughly 200 area youth, ages 5 to 12, and their parents as they enjoy testing their new found ice fishing knowledge on a hatchery pond stocked with 2,000 10 to 14 inch rainbow trout. Interested media should contact Doug Aloisi, Genoa National Fish Hatchery Manager at 608-689-2605 to arrange a site visit. The event will be held at Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wisconsin from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.    The annual event is sponsored by the Friends of the Upper Mississippi River Fisheries Services and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s fishery program offices that they support. Local offices include the La Crosse Fis...

Lahonton National Fish Hatchery (Photo credit: USFWS Pacific Southwest Region ) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today announced that it does not intend to close any of the nation’s national fish hatcheries in the current fiscal year, but warned that closures may be necessary in FY 2015 given fiscal uncertainty and growing operations costs.  The Service released a report today examining the challenges facing the Service’s National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS), which will serve as the basis of discussions with stakeholders on how best to operate the system in a more sustainable manner while supporting the agency’s highest fish and aquatic conservation priorities. “This report sounds the alarm on a hatchery system unable to meet its mission responsibilities in the current budget climate,” said Service Director Dan Ashe.  “In the coming months through the 2015 budget process, I have directed the Service to work with all of our partners to determine whether the opti...

Washington, D.C. – With the President’s signature of a continuing resolution that funds the government and ends the shutdown, employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) returned to work today and began the process of re-opening agency facilities following a sixteen day government shutdown. “I am happy to welcome back the more than 7,500 furloughed Service professionals,” said Dan Ashe, the Service’s Director.  “I know my hard-working, dedicated colleagues are eager to address their public service mission of conserving and protecting the nation’s fish and wildlife resources for all Americans.” The Service anticipates operations will adapt in the coming weeks as the workforce promptly addresses adjustments required due time lost on critical projects during the shutdown.   The public is encouraged to visit http:// www.fws.gov or contact their local refuge or other Service office to find out specific information about permitted, staff-managed, ...

A recent annual survey of the federally endangered Kirtland’s warbler – uniquely Michigan because 98 percent of the entire population breeds within the state – shows its population still remains near an all-time high. Biologists, researchers and volunteers observed 2,004 singing males during the official 2013 survey period – 2,063 males were observed in 2012. In 1974 and 1987, when the lowest survey numbers were recorded, only 167 singing males were found. “Although we do have a slight decrease of singing males this year,” said Dan Kennedy, DNR endangered species coordinator, “we are really excited to see these high numbers because many conservation groups have worked together for over 40 years to make this possible.” The Kirtland's warbler survey is conducted each year in a joint effort between the DNR, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Michigan Audubon Society and numerous citizen volunteers. ...

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission toured the Durant State Fish Hatchery recently and held its September meeting there. The two-day event was part of an effort to give Commissioners a first-hand look at various field operations of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.       The facility at Durant is the largest and one of four state fish hatcheries owned and operated by the Wildlife Department that produce millions of fish each year for stocking Oklahoma waters to enhance angling.       Before the official meeting Sept. 9, Commissioners toured the hatchery and were briefed on a number of upcoming maintenance and renovation needs required to keep the facility operating at a productive level. The Department is currently nearing the beginning of a $1.5 million project that will replace the hatchery's pump station that is used to supply water to the entire hatchery. The station currently in place is located on the Blue ...

Logo of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) More than 200 blockages in the nation’s major natural resource “arteries” were removed last year thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program. Working with numerous partners, the program improves fish passage, local economies and public safety by ridding the nation’s rivers of derelict dams that no longer serve a purpose. “Free-flowing, healthy rivers and streams are vital to our nation. Many species of fish, wildlife and plants depend on the natural ebb and flow of rivers at critical stages of their lives,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “I’m pleased to report last year the Service and its partners reconnected more than 2,500 miles of streams and 36,000 associated wetland acres, providing opportunities for aquatic populations to increase and become more resilient in the face of greater environmental pressures.” Estimates show there are approximately 74,000 derelict dams...

Working together with the United States Attorney and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement continues their education effort in support of wildlife as they fight the devastating effects of euthanasia drugs. John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced the successful Seven eagles were found at the Wisconsin landfill and it was determined they had all fed on euthanized house cats,  vomited and were near death upon rescue by the Raptor Education Group, Inc. Photo courtesy of the Raptor Education Group, Inc. completion of the April 2012 agreement reached between the United States and Jennifer M. Primich, 37, of Phelps, Wisconsin, in connection with the accidental poisoning of bald eagles on April 9, 2011, at a landfill near Eagle River, Wis. Pursuant to the pretrial diversion agreement, Primich agreed to complete 12 hours of community outreach at County Humane Societi...

Proposed Rule would not affect recreation, timber harvest or other activities if species is listed as threatened DENVER--The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced today, in response to a court-ordered deadline, that it is seeking information from the scientific community and the public on a proposal to protect the North American wolverine as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also seeking comment on two proposed special rules designed to facilitate management and recovery of the species should it receive protection. An estimated 250 to 300 wolverines now occur in the lower 48 states, where the species has rebounded after broad-scale predator trapping and poisoning programs led to its near extinction in the early 1900s. This was in part due to the states protecting the species from unregulated trapping. Extensive climate modeling indicates that the wolverine’s snowpack habitat will be greatly reduced and fragmented in the coming ...