WASHINGTON – A consortium of sportsmen’s groups including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership last week released a new report, “Beyond Season’s End,” that addresses how the negative effects of climate change on America’s fish and wildlife populations can be mitigated through practical adaptive management strategies. The report stresses that funding for state fish and wildlife agencies via passage of national legislation is key to implementation of such on-the-ground approaches.



“American sportsmen have been among the first to experience the destructive impacts of climate change on our fish and game populations – and are soldiers on the front lines combating these impacts,” said William Geer, director of the TRCP Center for Western Lands. “The common-sense recommendations outlined in ‘Beyond Season’s End’ are science-based, field-tested strategies that can enable us to adapt to the effects of a shifting climate. But adequate funding must be made available through strong national legislation so that state agencies can take action in accomplishing what needs to be done.”



Climate change can alter the geographic ranges of numerous species and their habitats. Big-game populations must adapt to changes in their forage base and shift migration patterns to accommodate the changing weather. Variations in water quality and quantity are transforming both saltwater and freshwater ecosystems and fisheries. Wetland loss in the prairie pothole region will severely reduce waterfowl productivity in North America’s duck-breeding “factory.” Invasive species, parasites and disease-causing organisms may flourish in warmer temperatures, profoundly affecting habitat and challenging the survival of upland gamebirds.

For the full story, go to http://www.trcp.org/issues/climatechange.html -- Jay Cassell

Saint Paul, Minnesota - On Monday morning, 150,000 acres were opened to landowner enrollment through the Conservation Reserve Program's (CRP) State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice. By Tuesday morning, states were already reporting their allotted acreages were fully enrolled. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the reallocation of these SAFE acres just over two weeks ago on February 27th at Pheasants Foerver's National Pheasant Fest in Des Moines, Iowa.

Iowa, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, and both Dakotas have reported extremely high demand for the newly reallocated acres. Iowa filled their 9,000 acre reallocation by the end of Monday. Idaho expects to fully enroll their new 16,000 acre reallocation by the end of this week. Minnesota has also experienced high demand and expects their 10,800 acres to be gone soon. Nebraska landowners have offered well over their available 4,500 reallocated acres to once again cap out their two SAFE programs. North Dakota's 18,000 acres were committed by the end of Tuesday. And, South Dakota's 18,000 reallocated acres are also expected to be fully enrolled by week's end with 11,000 under contract by Wednesday morning.

"There is obviously pent up demand for available SAFE acres from farmers and ranchers. That's great news for wildlife," reported Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever &Quail Forever's Vice President of Government Affairs. "The wildlife success stories that SAFE has delivered, coupled with the landowner demand we are currently experiencing are certainly our two strongest allies as we go back to Secretary Vilsack and request additional SAFE acres."

SAFE acres focus on environmentally sensitive land, as well as species that have suffered significant population declines and/or are considered to be socially or economically valuable. This is the newest CRP practice (CP 38). States and target species include North Dakota pheasants, South Dakota grassland birds, Idaho Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, Minnesota pheasants, Mississippi bobwhite quail, Nebraska upland habitats, Iowa pheasants and upland birds, Illinois pheasants and upland habitat, and Georgia bobwhite quail.

"Local Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency employees, along with Pheasants Forever Farm Bill biologists, deserve a tremendous amount of credit for turning these newly allocated SAFE acres into landowner contracts in such a short window of time," added Nomsen.

Also during his National Pheasant Fest visit last month, Secretary Vilsack announced the reallocation of 100,000 acres for CRP's "Bobwhite Buffers" practice (CP 33), 50,000 acres for CRP's "Duck Nesting Habitat Initiative" practice (CP 37), and plans for the first general CRP signup in four years. -- Jay Cassell

(JUNEAU, Alaska, March 15, 2010) -- Trout Unlimited’s Alaska Program yesterday urged the Board of Fisheries to phase out the use of felt soled wading products in Alaska as a way to guard against the spread of aquatic invasive species. The Board will take up the proposal at its March 16-21 meeting in Anchorage.

The Board of Fisheries passed a similar proposal for the Southeast Region at its 2009 meeting in Sitka. Trout Unlimited (TU) supported that proposal, which takes effect in Southeast in January 2011, and would like the felt sole phase out to cover all regions of Alaska.

Aquatic invasive species have devastated fisheries in many parts of the world and enormous amounts of money and time have been spent working to eradicate them from the waterways. However, eradication is not always possible. The State of Oregon spends $25 million annually simply to control Zebra mussels which have fouled equipment at 13 hydropower sites there.

“Fisheries in Alaska are simply too valuable to too many people not to take every reasonable action possible to stop the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species in the future,” said Mark Kaelke, TU Southeast Alaska Project Director.

Studies on the sediment transported by anglers conducted in Montana indicate the average angler wearing felt wading products transports some 16 grams of sediment in these products.

“We recognize that sediment transferred on felt products is only one of many vectors for the transmission of invasive species but it is a significant vector, and one that can and should be addressed,” said Dave Kumlien, executive director of the Montana-based Whirling Disease Foundation.

Retail manufacturers have embraced a transition away from the production of felt soled wading products. At present, most major manufacturers offer non-absorbent soled wading boots and several have committed to producing only non felt products in the future. TU encourages the Board to recognize the merits of the felt sole regulation and implement it on a statewide basis. TU and its partners have also launched an angler education campaign this year encouraging anglers to use clean angling techniques as another way to combat the spread of invasive species in Alaska’s waters.

For more information, go to http://www.tu.org/science/aquatic-invasive-species-ais

-- Jay Cassell

In a decision long anticipated by sportsmen and conservationists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that the greater sage grouse will be designated a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The “warranted, but precluded” assessment for the popular upland gamebird, which occupies barely half of its traditional habitat, was startling but not unexpected news for the North American Grouse Partnership, an organization dedicated to the conservation of native grouse and their habitats, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

Willard Heck, NAGP chairman of the board, said, “Our organization was formed in 1999 because of long-term downward trends in sage grouse populations. For decades, sportsmen, ranchers, developers and the scientific community saw this day approaching, yet we didn’t work together well enough to avoid it. This population assessment is both a failure and a clear opportunity to rededicate ourselves to healthy Western landscapes.”

Sage grouse populations historically encompassed enormous expanses of the Rocky Mountain West, but in recent years the species’ abundance and distribution have declined precipitously. Energy projects – both traditional and renewable – and attendant development can have wide-ranging impacts on habitat use and survival of numerous game species, including sage grouse. Current scientific research on sage grouse has identified population declines with energy development activities. In particular, activity too close to sage grouse leks, or breeding sites, can result in permanent displacement. Curtailed energy development in areas of core habitat, such as the Ryegrass Rim region of western Wyoming, can help address these declines.

In its status review finding for the sage grouse, the USFWS formally concluded that, with few exceptions, existing stipulations governing energy development are ineffective and that current science dictates the need for increased safeguards. The sportsmen stressed that this assessment underscores the necessity for on-the-ground changes in the management of energy projects underway in areas of critical habitat and for better planning of renewable energy projects.

“Sportsmen-conservationists have demonstrated a longstanding investment in maintaining productive populations of sage grouse and in working with the federal government to avoid an endangered listing for this species,” said TRCP Energy Policy Manager Steve Belinda. “Yet the government’s decision regarding the bird’s fate essentially admits that inadequate regulatory mechanisms are in place to sustain existing numbers – and that the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies have a poor track record of following through on promises for other candidate species. Major changes are needed in current approaches to land and resource management to balance the needs of grouse in order to reduce the threats to sage grouse habitat and populations.

“We can’t keep on applying inadequate approaches to sage grouse management and expecting good results,” continued Belinda, a former BLM biologist. “The government’s findings are relevant only to the extent that they are used to produce concrete changes in the places that matter most to sage grouse; consequently, energy developments such as the Atlantic Rim and Pinedale Anticline projects should be revisited via the adaptive management process. This decision means nothing if the approaches presently in use, such as insufficient buffer zones around sage grouse leks, are not revised to conform to current, peer-reviewed science.”

In 2008, the TRCP and NAGP formally requested that the Department of the Interior undertake a transparent, public process to address landscape conservation measures for sage grouse habitats on lands administered by the BLM, particularly during energy development activities occurring on these lands. The groups’ “petition for rulemaking” requested that the secretary of the Interior commit the BLM to utilize the best available information on the impacts of energy development on sage grouse and alter agency management of activities currently being developed or planned for development in key sage grouse habitats.

NAGP Executive Director Ralph Rogers said, “Lewis and Clark first described the sage grouse in central Montana. From that point to the west and south, sage grouse would have been a dominant species on the landscape. At the turn of the last century, pioneers traveled from Colorado to Washington on a sea of grassland and shrub steppe with sage grouse flushing everywhere they went. Today they are a keystone species; in shrub steppe where they exist, the landscape is healthy. Where they have disappeared, the land is not functioning properly.”

“Where the landscape is intact and free from exotic plants and diseases, sage grouse exist in traditional numbers,” said Dr. Rollin Sparrowe, a former federal biologist who serves on both the NAGP and TRCP boards. “More than half the remaining sage grouse are on public lands where our federal management agencies can help arrest downward population trends. The USFWS has promised increased resources for private lands, increased coordination with state management agencies, and making sage grouse a higher priority on federal lands. These are all steps in the right direction, but much work remains to be done, particularly concerning the impacts of increased renewable energy development, about which relatively little research has been conducted.”

On March 12, the Natural Resources Conservation Service will deliver details on initiatives to benefit sage grouse on private lands. Randy Gray, NAGP board member from the NRCS (retired) said, “The overall management plans to help this species are in place, and soon additional resources will be available for significant conservation work on private lands. Landowners should contact the NRCS and arrange for technical and cost-share assistance to further the conservation of this charismatic species. Only through the collaborative efforts of government and private landowners can we return sage grouse to previous and sustainable population levels.”

“We know more about what sage grouse need to survive than we ever have before,” concluded Rogers. “This announcement does not herald the end of mineral exploration, grazing or hunting. It also doesn’t mean that we can continue with ‘business as usual.’ That isn’t working. It simply means that we must consider the well-defined needs of sage grouse and other uniquely American species as we go about our business. The continued downward trend of America’s old friend, the sage grouse, is unacceptable. Vast areas of altered landscapes devoid of America’s natural heritage are not a legacy we want to leave our children and grandchildren.”

--Jay Cassell

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Ducks Unlimited recently achieved another milestone by conserving its 250,000th acre in the South Atlantic Flyway. Public and private lands projects in North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are providing crucial habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl in the region.

Ducks Unlimited is conserving habitats like this across the South Atlantic.

DU has completed 185 wetland restoration and enhancement projects across the four states totaling over 151,000 acres, with the majority of these projects occurring on public lands. DU has also protected an additional 128,000 acres of private lands through our conservation easement program. Through both public lands restoration projects and private lands protection, DU is leading the way for wetlands conservation in the South Atlantic.

"Our on-the-ground conservation delivery programs have protected, restored and/or enhanced over 250,000 acres to date in the South Atlantic for waterfowl and other wetland dependant species," said Craig LeSchack, Ducks Unlimited director of conservation programs for the South Atlantic Flyway. "Our state, federal, and private partnerships contributed tremendously to our successes in the region, and we look forward to continuing these valued partnerships well into the future. At a total cost of over $66 million for all projects, we were able to match every DU dollar with over $7 in partner contributions."

For more, please go to ducks.org. -- Jay Cassell

Tarrytown, NY – Riverkeeper, New York’s leading clean water advocate, today commended the New York City Council for passing Int. 54-A, a bill substantially increasing penalties for illegal dumping in New York City Waters. The bill, passed unanimously by the City Council, creates a new civil penalty for dumping into the waterways where none currently exists, setting fines at not less than $1,500 or more than $10,000 for the first violation, and not less than $5,000 or more than $20,000 for each subsequent violation.

“The waters of New York City are a public resource that all New Yorkers have the right to enjoy,” said Riverkeeper Attorney & Chief Investigator Josh Verleun. “The passage of this bill sends a strong message to would-be-polluters that they will be held accountable if they dump in City waters.”

Riverkeeper has established a strong citizen enforcement presence on the waterways surrounding New York City through regular boat patrols and partnerships with a number of City Agencies, including the Small Business Services Dockmaster Unit, Kings County District Attorney, Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Police Department, Department of Sanitation, and others.

Riverkeeper testified before the New York City Council Waterfronts Committee on February 22, 2010 and wrote a letter to Speaker Christine C. Quinn supporting the bill; citing the need for greater penalties to act as an effective deterrent to combat illegal dumping.

“With over 570 miles of waterfront, it is imperative that we keep this precious resource clean for all New Yorkers,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “This legislation will help us do just that by substantially increasing the penalty for illegal dumping into our waterways as well as giving several other city agencies a key role in ensuring our waterways are kept clean.”

For information about Riverkeeper, go to www.riverkeeper.org - Jay Cassell

With an annual mid-winter survey near completion, preliminary results indicate that the bald eagle population in New York State may be at an all-time high since the state began its repopulation efforts more than 30 years ago, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today.

New York has conducted annual surveys since 1979 and the highest official winter count occurred in 2008 with 573 bald eagles spotted. DEC’s preliminary results for 2010 indicate that sightings may exceed this number as regions of the state continue to provide favorable wintering habitat for both New York resident eagles and for Canadian visitors. As of Jan. 31, 459 eagles had been sighted, a pace well ahead of the 2008 record. New York’s survey efforts are part of a national initiative that monitors the locations and numbers of bald eagles wintering in the lower 48 states.

The number of wintering and breeding eagles in New York reached its nadir in 1975 when the state could document only one, unproductive pair of eagles due to the ravages of habitat loss, indiscriminant killing and DDT contamination. That year, DEC launched its effort to restore bald eagles to New York. The aggressive program led by DEC biologist Peter Nye included years of collecting bald eagles from Alaska and transporting and releasing the young birds to carefully selected habitats around the state. Nye and other DEC staff continue to monitor New York’s growing population and their work has since been emulated by many other states. The state’s Endangered Species Act has also played an essential role in the recovery of bald eagles, as well as other vulnerable species by enabling DEC to protect critical breeding, foraging and migratory habitat.

“The resurgence of the bald eagle has been one of New York’s most amazing environmental success stories,” Commissioner Grannis said. “This has been due to the tremendous commitment of many DEC staff over the past three decades and the ongoing cooperation of individuals and communities that recognize the importance of protecting essential habitat bald eagles need to thrive.”


More information about bald eagles in New York State can be found at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7068.html -- Jay Cassell.

On Saturday, at Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced plans for a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup. Secretary Vilsack also announced increased acreage allotments for three CRP practices significant to wildlife, and then signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pheasants Forever.

The new general CRP signup slated for later this year will be the first general signup since 2006. It arrives in time to address the 4.4 million acres of CRP expiring on September 30, 2010. An additional 14.2 million acres of CRP are slated to expire between 2011 and 2013.

“Last week at a Pheasants Forever event is southern Minnesota, Secretary Vilsack indicated his intent to keep CRP at, or nearly fully enrolled at, the program’s authorized level of 32 million acres. Today the Secretary outlined just how he intends to accomplish that by utilizing both a general signup and increased allocations for continuous CRP practices targeted at benefitting pheasants, quail, and waterfowl,” reported Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “Considering the severity of this winter and sizeable number of acres set to expire from CRP this year, the Secretary’s announcement is very welcome news for wildlife and hunters. USDA’s actions today will benefit birds tomorrow with newly allocated CP-33’s, 37’s, and 38’s (SAFE) being available on March 15, 2010.”

During his keynote address in front of 800 attendees, Secretary Vilsack outlined the new acreage caps for three critical CRP practices at or approaching current limits.

· Conservation Practice 33: Known as the “Upland Bird Habitat Buffers” or “Bobwhite Buffers” practice, more than 219,000 of the 250,000 acres allocated in the program have been enrolled nationwide. The newly announced 100,000 acres will be distributed among Midwest and Southern states

· Conservation Practice 37: This “Duck Nesting Habitat Initiative” practice has 87,000 acres currently enrolled in the Prairie Pothole Region states of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. Today’s newly announced 50,000 acres includes 25,000 acres for North Dakota, and an additional 15,000 acres for South Dakota.

· Conservation Practice 38: Also known as the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement program (SAFE), this conservation practice focuses on environmentally sensitive land, as well as species that have suffered significant population declines and/or are considered to be socially or economically valuable. This is the newest CRP practice, but states like Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota were already maxed out or were quickly approaching their acreage caps. An additional 150,000 SAFE acres have been allocated benefitting a wide array of species. States and target species include North Dakota pheasants, South Dakota grassland birds, Idaho Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, Minnesota pheasants, Mississippi bobwhite quail, Nebraska upland habitats, Iowa pheasants and upland birds, Illinois pheasants and upland habitat, and Georgia bobwhite quail. Currently, more than 253,000 acres are enrolled in 34 states.

“When President Obama took office, we asked his Administration for a new general CRP signup, new SAFE acres, and new CP 33 acres for quail,” explained Nomsen. “Today, Secretary Vilsack and President Obama delivered us these critical tools needed to put habitat back on the ground, birds in the air, and hunters in the field.”

Secretary Vilsack also signed a first ever MOU between the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Pheasants Forever. The MOU establishes the framework for the three groups to work together in partnership toward common goals; specifically the implementation of Farm Bill conservation programs. The MOU facilitates the free flow of information among the groups and provides a foundation for Pheasants Forever to deliver conservation technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, and landowners.

The MOU will allow Pheasants Forever to facilitate expansion of its current Farm Bill Biologist program, which has proven an effective method for assisting landowners in implementing conservation practices on their property. Pheasants Forever, along with other state wildlife partners, currently employ 50 Farm Bill and Partner Biologists in eight states. To date, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted 30,000 landowners, resulting in the improvement of 1.3 million acres of land for wildlife. -- Jay Cassell