Ducks Unlimited: bill will improve wetlands restoration projects across North America
 
WASHINGTON – March 10, 2010 – The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a bill to enhance the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and improve continental conservation efforts. Ducks Unlimited supports the measure, which would allow more Canadian investment into the program. The program conserves habitat in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
 “The North American Wetlands Conservation Act continues to be one of the great success stories of conservation,” said Ducks Unlimited Senior Group Manager for Conservation Dr. Alan Wentz. “In the 20 years of the program more than 25 million acres of habitat have been conserved. Enacting this bill will help foster future success.”
 The House of Representatives passed the bill in October. The measure will now go to the President to be signed into law.
 The program has a unique nature, which requires a dollar for match from state and local governments, non-profit groups like Ducks Unlimited, or community groups for each dollar awarded in federal grants. Because projects are so popular, the federal dollars often leverage 2-3 times the grant in matching funds. More than $1 billion in grants has leveraged more than $3 billion in matching and non-matching funds.
 The bill will allow for funds raised in Canada to be used to fulfill the matching requirement for projects that take place in Canada. Previously, Canadian contributions did not count towards the required match for projects. The change is also supported by the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, which is the panel that administers the North American Wetlands Conservation Act program. Dr. Wentz also serves on the Council.
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest, most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization and has conserved more than 12 million acres. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres important to waterfowl each year.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that Dirk Peterson has been named chief of Fisheries.

Peterson has served as the agency’s central region fisheries manager for the past nine years. A biologist, Peterson has worked in area, region, central office and Commissioner’s Office positions during a 30-plus year DNR career.

Dirk Peterson
“We searched nationally and selected locally,” said Dave Schad, DNR Fish and Wildlife division director. “Citizen and agency interview panel members were impressed by Dirk’s depth of knowledge, breadth of experience and vision for serving the anglers and citizens of Minnesota.”

Since 2001, Peterson has managed fisheries operations in the DNR’s central region, a geographic area that now includes 24 counties and a large portion of the Mississippi River. Peterson has played key roles in restoring the Vermillion River as a metro area trout stream, creating an urban angling opportunity program called Fishing In the Neighborhood, and maintaining the Twin Cities’ reputation as one of the nation’s premier urban fisheries. As a veteran fisheries manager, he has been long-involved in statewide fish and natural resource policy development, legislative relations, and working with commercial operations.

Peterson began his DNR career in 1978 working on minnow, leech and live bait projects. In the years to come he would serve as Waterville area fisheries supervisor, a federal aid coordinator and planning director.

“Minnesota is blessed with some of the finest fishing waters in the nation,” said Peterson. “I look forward to the opportunities and challenges in making them the best they can be.”

Peterson, an avid angler and resident of Northfield, replaces Ron Payer, who retired late last year.

Citizens who want to view video and presentations from this year’s Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) annual gathering of conservation leaders can do so by visiting the agency’s Web site.

The DNR Roundtable Web page includes information from conservation and DNR experts, including a brief video in which DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten speaks to opportunities and challenges facing Minnesota.

The presentations and video content were compiled from the DNR’s 2010 Roundtable that was held earlier this winter. The annual gathering provides hunting, angling and conservation organization representatives the opportunity to share insights with DNR staff and receive updates on the latest trends, research and natural resource issues.

Roundtable discussions help shape DNR decision making on natural resource management, legislative initiates and policy changes.

It’s too early to tell exactly what impact this winter’s weather will have on all Minnesota game animals, but Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildlife biologists suspect that pheasants and grouse likely will be the species most affected.

At least 18 inches of snow cover the ground throughout Minnesota’s pheasant range. A number of birds have and will fall victim to the deep snow that covers fields and fills ditches throughout much of southern Minnesota.

Pheasants
“Grasslands and many cattail marshes, the preferred pheasant habitat, are filled with snow and uninhabitable,” said Kurt Harloldson, DNR wildlife researcher. “Pheasants have had to find other woody cover such as shrub swamps and farm groves.”

While those areas provide some protection, they expose pheasants to cold winds and put them more at risk to predators as the birds forage for food in more open spaces for a longer time.

Despite the expected winter kill, the population can and does recover. The key is pheasants’ ability to find relatively dry grassland nesting areas that allow the birds to hatch and nurture a healthy and viable breeding population.

“There’s nothing we can do about the weather but adequate grassland for nesting habitat is a concern,” Haroldson said. “Many Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres that once provided that habitat have been or are being returned to production. That may have more of an impact on the population than this winter’s weather.”

Grouse
In northeastern Minnesota, an icy crust has formed over snow, creating conditions that may be forcing grouse to roost in and under short, close-clumped conifer trees rather than burrowing into their preferred roosts in six to 10 inches of fluffy snow.

Grouse are uniquely adapted to survive Minnesota winters. Roosting in deep, fluffy snow for up to 20 hours at a time insulates the birds from cold, protects them from the wind and reduces their exposure to predators.

“When grouse can’t burrow into the snow to roost, they often select roost sites on the lower branches of short, close-clumped stands of spruce and balsam fir,” said Jeff Lightfoot, DNR northeast region wildlife manager. “These roosts make it more difficult for grouse to retain radiant heat, and can increase exposure to predators.”

Wildlife biologists believe that those ruffed grouse able to snow roost near deciduous trees
- such as aspen - that provide high-quality winter food, have a greater chance of surviving. Birds that are unable to snow roost use more energy maintaining body heat and out of necessity are out in the open feeding more often.

Lightfoot said it is tough to tell what effect crusted snow and other environmental conditions have on our ruffed grouse because so many different factors influence their population throughout the year. Annual counts of drumming males throughout the state’s forested regions suggest they are at or near their approximate 10-year peak in population cycle.

“Our drumming counts this spring will provide us with a good idea of the status of the population after this winter’s icy snows,” Lightfoot said.

Turkeys
Minnesota’s wild turkeys will fare better than pheasants this winter because they are larger birds and their primary habitat is wooded areas, which provide better shelter.

Like pheasants, turkeys are ground feeders. But their larger size helps them cope better in deep snow. Turkeys also will follow deer trails and will scratch the ground to uncover food sources.

Deer
This winter’s weather is expected to have a negligible impact on northern deer populations. The Winter Severity Index (WSI), which is used to measure winter’s impact on deer, is well below moderate levels. WSI values vary greatly across northern Minnesota but winters have generally been considered mild to moderate since the severe winters of 1995-96, 1996-97 and the 2008 winter, which was severe in places.

“This will be a mild winter for deer in most of Minnesota, just so we don’t get deep snow or long cold snaps through mid- to late March,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.

Deer have become stressed in parts of southwest Minnesota due to significant snowfall. “We have lost fawns and weaker deer in the Southwest where snow depths are causing some issues,” said DNR Regional Wildlife Manager Ken Varland. “We are seeing significant crop depredation concerns, especially in the Marshall, Slayton, Windom and Lac qui Parle areas.”

Varland said area wildlife staffs in southern Minnesota are spending at least a portion of each day working with landowners who are experiencing problems, especially around farmsteads. Deer will seek any available food source that is accessible.”

Moose and elk
In the far north, moose and elk are hardy and fare well even in harsh winters. A cool and snowy October may actually benefit Minnesota’s moose population in the long run. Moose are stressed in the winter when daytime temperatures exceed 23 degrees. Temperatures did rise above that during some days in January.

“With the fall we had in the moose range, we may see fewer incidences of moose infected with winter ticks,” said Mark Lenarz, DNR wildlife biologist. “Ticks thrive on warm falls and springs.”

Backyard birders and wildlife enthusiasts have a new resource available that helps make building and placing nest boxes easier and more enjoyable than ever.

“Woodworking for Wildlife,” the best-selling book produced by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has been revised and is now on sale.

“The new version has been dramatically improved and expanded from the 1992 edition,” explained author Carrol Henderson, a DNR wildlife biologist. “It is the culmination of three years of work researching the best techniques for building, placing and managing nest boxes for Minnesota wildlife.”

The DNR is issuing this book to provide state-of-the-art guidance on projects that better connect people to the great outdoors, and to enhance appreciation for Minnesota’s wildlife.

The book features new information on how to eliminate predation by raccoons and cats on nest boxes and to reduce competition by exotic species like house sparrows and starlings. It also includes ways to attract everything from bluebird, chickadees, purple martins, wood ducks to bumblebees, toads, owls, and woodpeckers.

There are 30 designs for nest boxes and nesting platforms and easy to follow diagrams to help with final decisions on how to cut out, assemble and where to place the boxes. The designs can accommodate 46 species of wildlife including flickers, great crested flycatchers, toads, bumblebees, buffleheads, and purple martins.

The book also is a good example of in-state product sourcing. The paper was produced in Cloquet and the book was printed in Minneapolis.

“Woodworking for Wildlife” is available at Minnesota’s Bookstore in St. Paul online for $16.95 plus postage and handling or the DNR gift shop, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul. It will soon be available at major book sellers.