Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Forest managers are increasingly expected to incorporate conservation of biodiversity in forest management plans, but a paucity of information exists regarding herpetofauna responses to mid-rotation release practices of dormant-season prescribed fire and herbicide in intensively-managed pine (Pinus spp.) stands. However, these management tools have demonstrated capabilities of improving conservation value in southeastern pine forests. Therefore, we investigated herpetofauna responses to factorial combinations of dormant-season prescribed fire and imazapyr using a randomized complete block design of six mid-rotation pine stands with four experimental units to which we applied at random one of four treatments (e.g., burn only, herbicide only, burn + herbicide, control). We captured 814 reptiles and 3,699 amphibians of 17 and 16 species, respectively, using drift fence arrays during May and June 1999-2007.

American black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in the Interior Highlands, Arkansas, have expanded since reintroduction in the late 1950s and early 1960s requiring management of harvests and nuisance complaints. Success of bear conservation efforts and the effects of nuisance harvests cannot be evaluated without reliable information on population abundance, trends, and distribution. Moreover, concern and interest in bears from the general public, combined with a growing need to integrate land management efforts to conserve biodiversity, have intensified the need for efficient, well-coordinated management efforts for black bear in the Interior Highlands. In this study we used noninvasive genetic sampling (five sevenday trapping sessions in June and July) to estimate the population size of black bear populations at two locations in the Interior Highlands: the Ouachita Mountains (2006-2008) and the Ozark Mountains (2009-2011).

Standing dead trees (snags) are an important component of forest ecosystems, providing foraging and roosting substrate for a variety of wildlife species. We examined the effects of four timber harvest treatments on residual snag density and compared these to densities found in unmanaged natural forests (controls) during the second, fourth, and sixth year after timber harvest in mixed pine-hardwood forests of Arkansas. Timber harvest methods were: clearcut with residual tree retention and snag creation, shelterwood, single-tree selection, and group selection. Density of large snags (>24.9 cm dbh) was least in shelterwood cuts and density of small snags (10.0-24.9 cm dbh) mirrored residual basal area, with controls and group selection harvests having the greatest number of snags. Density of smaller snags in clearcuts was generally greater than other treatments due to snag creation via injecting herbicides into standing trees.

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have been utilized as a biosentinel of aquatic ecosystem health in the Great Lakes Region since the early 1960s. Bald eagle populations have been monitored at Voyageurs National Park (VNP), Minnesota, since 1973. For the past 20 years, researchers have collected feathers from nestling bald eagles to assess their dietary exposure to mercury (Hg) on Rainy, Kabetogama, and Namakan lakes in VNP. Current geometric mean concentrations have declined by 77.4% since 1989 at VNP. While all samples from 1985 to 1989 had detectable concentrations of Hg, 10% of current samples had concentrations below the reportable detection limit (0.001 mg/kg DW, n = 180). The major lakes at VNP are impounded, and Hg concentrations also declined greatly after the lake level stabilization order by the International Joint Commission was implemented in 1999.

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are a sentinel species used to monitor concentrations of environmental contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in North America. Bald eagles were very slow to recover after the ban of PCBs and OCs because of their environmental persistence. The bald eagle population at Voyageurs National Park (VNP) provides an opportunity to assess temporal and spatial trends of persistent environmental contaminants. Nestling bald eagle plasma samples were analyzed for PCBs and OCs for the past 14 years. Total PCBs, total DDTs, 4,4'-DDE, and dieldrin are reported here since >50% of nestling plasma samples had detectable concentrations. Total PCBs, total DDTs, and 4,4'-DDE concentrations all decreased (26.09%, 24.09%, and 40.92% respectively). Concentrations of dieldren increased which lead to the need for a NOAEC for plasma to be calculated for this study (NOAEC=0.4 μg/kg).

Prescribed fires are frequently used to restore and maintain pine savanna in the southeastern United States. Although several declining bird species occur within these pine savannas, few studies have directly compared the effects of growing versus dormant season prescribed fires on breeding birds. Therefore, we compared the effects of growing- versus dormant-season prescribed fires on breeding bird communities in mature pine (Pinus spp.) stands within the Fort Benning Military Reservation in west-central Georgia. We used 50 m fixed-radius point counts to sample breeding bird communities in growing and dormant season burned stands for two years post-treatment. We detected 50 bird species between 1-2 years post-burn, with 43 species detected on growing-season burned sites and 48 species detected on dormant season burned sites. We detected few effects of season of burn on vegetation, individual bird species, bird habitat associations, or migratory strategy.

Space use and habitat selection of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) has been well studied in various upland landscapes, but information within bottomland hardwood systems is lacking. Turkeys in bottomland systems face unique situations (e.g., flooding) and turkey behavior observed in upland systems may not directly apply to bottomland systems. Therefore, we evaluated seasonal (pre-incubation, incubation, brood rearing, and fall-winter) space use and multi-scale habitat selection of adult female wild turkeys in a bottomland hardwood forest in south-central Louisiana during 2002-2004 and 2007-2010. Space use varied with the largest home ranges during pre-incubation and the smallest during brood-rearing. Female turkeys selected dry, upland forests relative to available habitat types at all spatial scales. Because upland forests are free of flooding and have adequate understory vegetation, they likely provide consistent foraging opportunities and suitable nesting habitat.

Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) is a useful index of population density that is often applied to harvested populations. Because CPUE is an economical index and data collection is simple, we wanted to enhance the user-friendliness and accessibility of a tool for tracking deer population abundance by recoding an existing FORTRAN estimator to JMP scripting language (JSL). Using the revised CPUE-JMP method, we estimated an antlered white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population on Chesapeake Farms, Maryland, from 1981-2006 to compare the performance of CPUE techniques in a short (one-week) non-selective hunting season versus a longer (two-week) hunting season with selective harvest criteria. For reference, we compared CPUE estimates to a population reconstruction generated from harvest and natural mortality records.

Wildlife-related fee access can provide supplemental income to private landowners, potentially protecting wildlife habitat by keeping land undeveloped. We surveyed 1,368 private landowners in North Carolina to determine the factors influencing whether they leased land to hunters or were interested in offering leases for other types of wildlife related recreation. Five percent of landowners allowed access for fee hunting. Twenty-eight percent of landowners provided access to their property for wildlife related activities, but <1% of these landowners earned income from it. Ten and 16% of landowners not currently leasing their property were interested in leasing land to hunters and for non-hunting access at a cost, respectively. Absentee landowners whose land was used to earn income (e.g., through farming or forestry) were more likely to offer fee hunting, while resident landowners who hunted were more apt to offer free access for other wildlife related activities.

In North Carolina, black bear (Ursus americanas) and human populations have steadily increased between 1971 and 2001. To test the hypotheses that acceptability of bear management actions varied in different management contexts and was dependent on respondents' sex, participation in hunting, and knowledge of black bears, we surveyed North Carolina residents in 2005. We asked questionnaire recipients about the acceptability of educating the public on dealing with bear problems, frightening a bear with tools such as rubber bullets or fireworks, or destroying a bear in the following situations: a bear is sighted in a residential area, a bear chases a pet in a residential area, a bear attempts to enter a person's home, or a bear, unprovoked, injures a human. The mean acceptability of educating the public decreased with situations that were more threatening to humans, while destroying the bear became more acceptable with the higher the threat to people.

Reductions in habitat quantity and quality have contributed to precipitous declines in the Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) population over the last 30 years. Additional information on microhabitat and nest site selection is needed to increase quality of the remaining habitat and increase the population. In 2005-2006, we evaluated microhabitat selection by comparing structure and composition of vegetation at known woodrat locations to random locations in available areas. We evaluated nest site selection by comparing nest substrate availability and habitat characteristics around nests with random locations. We detected little support for selection of foraging areas based on structure and composition of vegetation. Key Largo woodrats selected nest sites in areas with higher abundance of artificial nest substrate and higher percentage of younger hammock.

Commercial pine (Pinus spp.) forests in the southeastern United States are critical to providing fiber for global wood supply needs. Intensive forest management techniques including row spacing and woody debris distribution can impact plant communities. Therefore, we quantified response of plant communities in replanted P. taeda stands to mechanical site preparation at two levels of row spacing (narrow and wide) and two methods of distributing woody debris (piling and scattering) following harvest in Louisiana. Sites were prepared with a combination of row spacing between planting beds (n = 2; 4.3 m and 6.1 m) and distribution of logging debris (n = 2; piled and scattered). We examined structural, compositional and speciesspecific characteristics of plant communities in each of four replicate stands for four years post-treatment. We documented 124 genera or species of plants and species richness and Shannon-diversity estimates were similar between site preparation methods.

Sustainable management of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) requires information on distribution and abundance across the range. Techniques for surveying wild turkey populations in Texas are constrained by land access issues, requiring integration of landowners and managers into monitoring activities. We evaluated the use of 1) aerial surveys for estimating the distribution of Rio Grande wild turkeys (M. g. intermedia) relative to roosting habitat, and 2) multiple-observer roost counts for estimating local turkey abundance and roost-site fidelity within the Texas coastal sand plain. Double observer surveys indicated that detection probabilities varied little between observers, with detection rates typically exceeding 0.80. Estimated roost-site fidelity was 0.84 with roost-level detection ranging between 0.69 and 0.79.

Georgia's growing resident (non-migratory) Canada goose (Branta canadensis) population often causes nuisance problems in urban areas. One method of reducing nuisance goose problems is capture and relocation, especially if geese are relocated to rural areas where hunting may occur. To determine if relocated geese have different survival or band recovery rates than normal wild geese, I estimated probabilities of survival and recovery for adult, resident Canada geese between 2000 and 2009 using banding and dead recovery data from normal wild geese and from relocated geese in Georgia. Survival and recovery varied by group and time. Average annual adult survival rates were higher for normal wild geese (xˉ = 0.759, SE = 0.028, n = 10) than for relocated geese (xˉ = 0.624, SE = 0.032, n = 10). Recovery rates for normal wild geese (xˉ = 0.084 SE = 0.004, n = 10) were very similar to relocated geese (xˉ = 0.082, SE = 0.004, n = 10).

Aquatic invertebrates provide protein-rich foods for dabbling ducks (Anatini) and other waterfowl throughout their annual cycle. During winter, some species (e.g., mallard [Anas platyrhynchos]) undergo molt and acquire body reserves for migration and egg formation, which increase protein demands met primarily through consumption of invertebrates. Habitat managers often flood unharvested agricultural crops to increase energetic carrying capacity for waterfowl. However, few studies have estimated abundance of invertebrates in flooded croplands. In Mississippi in January 2009, we used a sweep net to sample invertebrates in three flooded corn fields containing a dense understory of moist-soil grasses and sedges (i.e., grassy corn), three adjacent moist-soil wetlands, two wetlands with robust (≥1 m) moist-soil vegetation, and two stands of flooded bottomland hardwood forest.

Wetlands created by American beaver (Castor canandensis) provide habitat for a diversity of resident and migratory birds. To estimate bird community characteristics of beaver wetlands and adjacent riparian forests, we conducted point count surveys in five beaver wetlands and adjacent floodplain ridges of first- and second-order streams during winter 2001-2002 and spring 2002 in central Mississippi. Ninety bird species were recorded in beaver wetlands and 69 bird species were detected in adjacent upland forests. In beaver wetlands, we recorded 57 species during winter 2001-2002 and 69 species during spring 2002. In adjacent floodplain ridges, we recorded 37 species in winter months and 52 species during spring. Mean relative abundance of birds in beaver wetlands averaged 24.3 (± 6.8) in winter and 32.0 (± 8.3) in spring. Forests of adjacent ridges supported a mean abundance of 11.0 (± 2.5) birds in winter and 13.3 (± 2.9) in spring.

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) population of the Savannah River estuary declined in the 1980s, likely because of the operation of a tide gate that increased salinity on spawning grounds and accelerated seaward transport of eggs and larvae. Following discovery of this negative effect, periodic egg sampling monitored striped bass reproductive effort and documented a 96% decline in egg density (n/100m3) from pre-tide gate levels. The decline in egg density was concomitant with a similar decline in the adult striped bass population. An intensive stocking program eventually restored the adult population, but reproductive output remained low through the 1990s. Previous estimates of egg density allowed only relative comparisons between areas and/or years. Estimates of actual egg production for the system have not been attempted but would be helpful in understanding reproductive levels needed to set recovery goals (i.e., to pre-tide gate levels).

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are the primary sport fish in Puerto Rico reservoirs and the majority of management efforts directed at this species primarily employ electrofishing in sampling activities. However, little attention has been given to evaluating electrofishing sampling efficiency in these systems. To evaluate differences in diel and seasonal electrofishing efficacy, largemouth bass were sampled in two diel periods (day: 0900-1500 h; night: 2100-0300 h) every three months over a three-year period in Lucchetti Reservoir, Puerto Rico, using a boom-mounted electrofisher. No overall statistical difference was observed between day and night electrofishing catch rates for stock-size (≥200 mm TL) largemouth bass in Lucchetti Reservoir (F = 1.51, df = 3, P = 0.2222), yet night catch rates were greater in 9 out of 12 samples. Monthly mean catch rates were lowest in May and highest in February.

Forty-four hatchery-raised rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were implanted with ultrasonic tags and stocked into Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee, and tracked at least once per week for eight weeks to describe post-stocking dispersal rates, movements, and habitat use. Dispersal followed a three-stage pattern characterized by rapid movement away from each stocking site during the first week, relatively little dispersal during the next three weeks, and further dispersion during the final four weeks that fish were tracked. Rainbow trout exhibited a strong affinity for coves and were rarely encountered in the main channel. Tagged fish stocked in March exhibited lower mortality (Zweekly = 0.027) than those stocked in January (Zweekly = 0.062) during the first eight weeks post-stocking. Diets of potential predators in Dale Hollow Lake were examined. Walleye (Sander vitreus), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), largemouth bass (M.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has developed fishery management plans for sharks that require delineation of nursery areas, monitoring of relative abundance of juveniles in these areas, and identification of habitat relationships between juvenile sharks and the nursery environment. Netting surveys conducted during 2008 and 2009 in the Altamaha River Estuary suggested that the estuary served as both a primary and secondary nursery for bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in 2008 and limited use as a secondary nursery in 2009. Variation in spatial distribution also suggested that bull sharks in the Altamaha River Estuary partitioned habitat based on size. This study represents the first documentation of a bull shark nursery in Georgia waters, but further monitoring is needed to determine the importance of this nursery and to identify factors influencing its use through time.

This case study examines the development of an overcrowded largemouth bass population following initial stocking in a tropical reservoir and efforts to correct crowding with a protected slot length limit. Cerrillos Reservoir is a relatively new impoundment (filled 1996) in Puerto Rico and is one of only two reservoirs that have been stocked exclusively with pure Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus). Largemouth bass were first stocked in Cerrillos Reservoir in 1997 and the population quickly expanded. Within three years, relative weight declined from above 100 to about 80 and the population displayed characteristics of overcrowding, with much of the population composed of fish ≤ 350 mm. This condition was most likely the result of limited harvest, as angling was not allowed during the first three years of the fishery. In 2000, the reservoir was opened to angling, but access remained limited and unpredictable.

Fish-habitat associations in streams have been widely studied; however, temporal considerations have been neglected, particularly during the winter. We quantitatively sampled perennial headwater streams in the Missouri Ozarks during the summer (n = 13) and winter (n = 4) to evaluate possible habitat shifts by three benthic fishes at two spatial scales: channel unit and microhabitat. Density of all three headwater species in streams was generally lower in winter than summer, with some species being ubiquitous in channel units of streams during the summer and almost entirely absent from the same streams during winter. Presence of each of three species during the summer varied by stream and channel unit, but patterns of channelunit use did not change depending on stream sampled. Ozark sculpin (Cottus hypselurus) was more likely to be present (> 50% probability) in riffles and runs, but not pools.

Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) were first detected in the Altamaha River, Georgia, during an access creel survey in 2005 and subsequently in 2006 during annual ictalurid sampling. Introduction of this species in the Altamaha River is believed to have occurred via escape from normal upstream reservoir releases from Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee. Relative abundance, as indexed by electrofishing catch rate (fish per hour), has increased from 2.9 ± 1.0 SE in 2006 to 38.8 ± 8.2 SE in 2011. The size of blue catfish captured ranged from 56 to 820 mm total length and 0.001 to 7.7 kg. Using otoliths obtained in 2010 (n = 214), age of fish ranged from 0 to 6 yrs, which indicated a relatively young population. The catch-curve analysis resulted in an instantaneous mortality rate (Z) of 0.75.

While the downstream effects of dams on fish habitat have long been recognized, broad-scale assessments of tailwater fish habitat have rarely been conducted. In this paper, I report on the status of tailwater fisheries in Oklahoma as determined through a web-based survey of fisheries biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation conducted in July 2010. Respondents addressed 38 tailwaters, encompassing all major areas of the state. The majority of fish species comprising these fisheries included blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), followed by white bass (Morone chrysops), channel catfish (I. punctatus) and flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris). Most respondents indicated no or low concerns with fish habitat in tailwaters under their management supervision; only two tailwaters (Tenkiller Ferry and Fort Gibson) had the majority of concerns with fish habitat identified as high to moderately high.

No information existed on the recreational snag fishery for paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) in Cherokee Lake in eastern Tennessee, purportedly the largest such fishery in the state. Therefore, a roving creel survey was conducted during the 15-day season in March 2008, 2009, and 2010. The fishery could be characterized as a a destination fishery in that 448 anglers in 239 parties drove an average of 80 km one-way (± 2.43 SE; range: 2-352) to participate. Most (67%) anglers were Tennesseans, followed by residents of Virginia (26%) and three other states. Most (80%) anglers had fished previously for paddlefish; they averaged 6.8 (± 0.3 SE) years of paddlefish snagging experience. Annual fishing pressure ranged from 1,674 to 1,838 h each year. Pooled harvest rates were low in 2008 (0.088 fish/h) and declined further in 2009 and 2010 (0.020 and 0.021 fish/h, respectively). Thus, fewer paddlefish were harvested in 2009 (41-42) and 2010 (39-60) than in 2008 (169-237).

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) were first introduced as part of a put-and-take fishery in the Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam in the 1960s. Wild, young-of-year (YOY) brown trout were observed in the river in the 1990s and annually in subsequent years. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources implemented a stocking moratorium on brown trout between Buford Dam and Morgan Falls Dam beginning in 2005 and this study evaluated existing population monitoring data before and after implementation of the moratorium to better understand the potential of a completely wild brown trout fishery. Electrofishing catch per unit effort for adult brown trout did not decrease following the moratorium, YOY brown trout were observed in every year of the survey, and population size structure did not appear to shift. Brown trout were the most common trout species both before and after implementation of the moratorium.

Because of growing angler concern regarding excessive crappie (Pomoxis spp.) harvest in Poverty Point Reservoir, Louisiana, exploitation rate of white crappie (P. annularis) was estimated from 1 January to 31 May 2009, and data were collected on angler characteristics throughout the year at this relatively new reservoir. A reward-tag approach was utilized to assess exploitation, while angler characteristics were determined through a stratified, random, access-point creel survey. White crappie (n = 243) were tagged from January-March 2009 with Floy T-bar anchor tags labeled with REWARD and a sequential tag number. A total of 135 tagged crappie were harvested and reported by anglers by 31 May 2009. Exploitation was estimated at 59.3% based on the assumption of a 10% non-reporting rate and no tagging mortality, but could have exceeded 70% if mortality or non-reporting were higher than estimated.

More than 90,000 state-endangered lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) have been stocked into the French Broad River, Holston River, and Fort Loudoun Lake in the upper Tennessee River system. Although incidental reports of anglers catching these fish have increased, little is known about their fate after stocking. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate lake sturgeon dispersal throughout the system. Seven submersible ultrasonic receivers were deployed in the upper Tennessee River system and 37 juvenile fish (mean fork length = 660 mm) were surgically implanted with ultrasonic transmitters in the fall of 2007. These fish were stocked at two sites in the headwaters of Fort Loudoun Lake. The receivers logged 1,345 detections of tagged fish and manual tracking located 32 of the 37 tagged lake sturgeon over 21 months.

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) on the Arkansas River have been regulated by a 381-mm minimum-length limit (MLL) regulation since 1 January 1998; however, little evaluation of this regulation has been conducted. During 2004-2005 and 2010, largemouth bass populations were sampled from throughout all navigation pools in the Arkansas River. All bass were aged using sagittal otoliths, and population metrics were calculated to conduct simulation modeling using the Fisheries Analyses and Simulation Tools (FAST) software. Composite model parameters were developed using data from all 3 yrs of sampling. Model predictions of fishery yield, average size of harvested fish, and number of preferred-sized (≥381-mm TL) fish in the population were compared among the current MLL and three alternative limits: 430 mm (higher than the current MLL), 330 mm (lower than the current MLL), and 255 mm (representing no MLL).

In Georgia, where this study was conducted, the size of the fine a violator pays for a wildlife citation is dependent on the county and the specific court in which he or she is sentenced. A highly politicized court system and complex intergovernmental relationships have led to uneven enforcement of game and fish laws in the state. This lack of uniform enforcement reduces the deterrent effect of the work of conservation rangers. Data from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and interviews with stakeholders in the system confirm greatly enhanced power in local courts, where convictions and fines are often a matter of politics and personal opinion rather than law. Even the perpetrator's chances of getting caught are linked to the ability of the conservation ranger to effectively perform the work due to the politics that surround enforcement of hunting and fishing laws.

Wildlife management areas (WMAs) provide opportunity for both traditional hunting and fishing recreation as well as non-consumptive wildlife-related recreation. Although declining participation in traditional wildlife recreation is well documented, little information exists regarding non-traditional stakeholders who recreate on public hunting and fishing lands; non-consumptive use is perceived to be increasing. Our purpose was to characterize recreational users on WMAs owned by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and estimate how much use these areas receive. We conducted >4,000 visitor interviews at 10 selected WMAs from September 2009 through August 2010. We obtained information about stakeholders' use (e.g., type of activity, frequency of visits) of the WMA, satisfaction, and opinions regarding common management practices and imposition of a WMA user fee. We developed overall use estimates, by activity, at each of the 10 WMAs.

The use of detection dogs in ecological research and management continues to grow. Two years ago, a collaborative effort was formed at Auburn University with the goal of training detection dogs for use in ecological research. Here we provide details about the projects for which we have used dogs, measures of success for those projects, and lessons learned. We have successfully used dogs in the field to find scat from black bear (Ursus americanus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and coyote (Canis latrans). We have also used dogs to locate live pythons (Python sp.) as well as root fungi (Leptographium sp. and Ophiostoma sp.) responsible for pine decline. Typically, sampling for scat using detection dogs has provided us with larger sample sizes than more traditional methods.

Despite a long history of research on northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhites), there has not been a comprehensive assessment of how bobwhite productivity varies across a landscape in relation to environmental factors such as weather. Due to concerns of global climate change and range-wide decline of the bobwhite, further understanding the relationship between weather and bobwhite population dynamics is needed. The objectives of this study were to determine 1) how do among-year bobwhite masses, age ratios, and sex ratios change at the landscape scale, 2) can fall age ratios be predicted by breeding season (April-August) precipitation at the south Texas landscape scale, 3) what is the impact of summer mean maximum temperature on fall age ratios? We based our investigation on data collected from 31 private ranches located on south Texas plains.

Rice fields are important agricultural habitats for waterbirds (waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds) worldwide. In the Texas Mid-Coast (TMC) and Louisiana Chenier Plain (LCP), >167,458 ha of rice are cultivated annually. Precise estimates of abundance of waste grain and natural seeds in harvested and idle rice fields are needed to guide conservation of waterbird habitat in this region, which is part of the Gulf Coast Joint Venture (GCJV) of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Our objectives were to estimate and compare waste rice and moist-soil seed abundance among rice production systems, geographic regions, and time-periods relevant to waterfowl conservation planning, as well as to estimate waterbird density during autumn-winter on rice fields in the Gulf Coastal Prairies of Louisiana and Texas. We collected 2,000 soil cores from harvested and idle rice fields in the TMC and LCP during summer-fall 2010.

Habitat loss, habitat degradation, and agricultural intensification are primary factors contributing to the decline of many birds that use grasslands, including the endangered grasshopper sparrow and the northern bobwhite. Current grazing practices in the Mid-South focus on getting high yields from dense, monotypic stands of non-native forages, which provide no bare ground, little vertical structure, and poor plant species richness. Few studies have examined the vegetative response of native warm-season forages to various grazing systems with respect to bird habitat, and none have been conducted in the Mid-South. We measured vegetative, invertebrate, and animal performance response to two grazing strategies on three native warm-season grass forages at three Research and Education Centers across Tennessee, May-July 2010.

The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) was listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as Threatened in 1992. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cites loss of habitat as the primary cause of population decline, along with human-related mortality as a secondary cause. One of the delisting criteria in the Recovery Plan for the Louisiana black bear is that two of the three subpopulations must be viable, one in the Tensas River Basin and one of the two in the Atchafalaya River Basin. To determine population viability, accurate estimates of basic population parameters including abundance, growth rate, density, and apparent survival are necessary. My study will assess the status of the subpopulation located in the Upper Atchafalaya River Basin based on non-invasive DNA mark-recapture techniques. Hair samples were collected beginning in summer 2006, and I will continue to collect data annually through 2011 using barbed-wire sampling sites.

Common mid-rotation forest management practices in intensively-managed pine (Pinus spp.) stands include thinning, fertilization, herbicide use, and prescribed burning. However, greater herbicide use and less prescribed fire have generated questions regarding treatment effects on biological diversity within these systems. Therefore, we determined biodiversity response (songbirds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, carabid beetles, understory vegetation) to factorial combinations of dormant season prescribed fire and imazapyr herbicide in thinned and fertilized, mid-rotation intensively managed pine stands in Kemper County, Mississippi. We used a randomized complete block design with six pine stands (blocks) divided into four 10-ha experimental units to which we applied randomly one of four treatments (burn only, herbicide only, burn + herbicide, control).

Many studies have reported that imported fire ants can have negative impacts to property, wildlife, and ecosystem integrity. Depredation by fire ants can reduce native insect diversity and survival of hatchling birds and reptiles, including gopher tortoises. Because of the potential impacts of fire ants on gopher tortoise recruitment, we assessed infestation levels of red imported fire ants on public and private forest lands in south Mississippi. Our study design focused on surveys for estimation of densities of fire ant mounds on suitable and priority soils for gopher tortoises. We surveyed 16 land bases and five forest cover types during summer 2010. Forest cover types included in our study were planted longleaf and loblolly pine ≤5 years of age, planted longleaf pine >5 to ≤15 years of age, longleaf and loblolly pine forests >15 years of age, and mixed pine hardwood forests >15 years of age.

In some regions used by nonbreeding waterfowl, conservation planners assume that food may be a limiting factor for waterfowl populations, and carrying capacity estimates are based on food availability. Conservation planners require precise estimates of parameters used in carrying capacity models, including characterizations of waterfowl diets, temporal trends in food availability in response to management actions, and estimation of a food availability threshold (FAT; i.e., food density when foraging becomes unprofitable because energy expended during or risk of continued searching exceed potential benefits gained from obtaining foods). We experimentally estimated FAT and identified factors that likely affect foraging thresholds and food depletion in moist-soil wetlands.

Conservation easements provide an important tool for agencies and organizations to protect environmentally sensitive areas and improve environmental quality. The Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (i.e., Farm Bill) established the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) with goals to “protect, restore, and enhance the functions and values of wetland ecosystems.” Since 1990, WRP objectives have expanded to include 1) provision of habitat for migratory birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife, 2) protection and improvement of water quality, and 3) floodwater attenuation and groundwater recharge. Currently, WRP includes approximately 1.9 million acres of permanent easements and 0.4 million acres of longterm contracts that protect wetlands and associated upland habitats, making WRP the largest USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) easement program.

In recent decades, coyote have greatly expanded their range and numbers in the eastern United States. Increasing populations of coyotes can affect ecological communities directly by predation or through competition with other carnivores, making their impact a potentially significant one that must be understood for effective management. Identifying and quantifying items in coyote diets is an important part of understanding the role of coyotes in newly inhabited ecosystems, such as the Central Appalachian region. Our objective was to determine the diets of coyotes in West Virginia. We examined stomachs (n = 326) and scat (n = 693) from throughout West Virginia from November 2009 to May 2011. Preliminary findings indicated that deer, at 61%, was the most commonly occurring item in samples followed by plant material (39%), small mammals (19%), and fruit and seeds (16%).

Harvest vulnerability is an important consideration for the proper management of a black bear population. To assess harvest vulnerability, we must first understand black bear and bear hunter spatial characteristics. Global positioning system (GPS) technology allows us to record this information with more accuracy and efficiency than previous methods used by researchers. We used GPS and a geographic information system (GIS) to examine the spatial characteristics of bears and bear hunters in Garrett County, Maryland during the 2005-2007 bear hunting seasons. We fitted 94 hunters and 8 female bears with GPS transmitters during the three hunting seasons. We examined data from these transmitters using GIS to compare the following variables for bears and hunters: distance to roads, distance to streams, elevation, habitat type, and slope. We also calculated total distance traveled and maximum distance traveled from starting points for hunters.

Although fire is recognized as an important disturbance in longleaf pine uplands of the southeastern United States, less is known about the importance of fire or other disturbances in the wetlands embedded in this system. Reticulated flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi), a federally endangered species, breed in the grassy understory of ephemeral pine flatwoods wetlands. These areas contain water in the winter, but are dry by April or May in most years, making it possible for them to burn during the summer lightning season. Years of fire suppression allowed a dense mid-story of shrubs to develop in these wetlands, and the disappearance of a grassy understory not only removed a component of larval salamander habitat, but removed the fine fuels important for carrying a fire through the dry wetland in summer. Prescribed burns applied in winter rarely burn through ponds because of the presence of standing water at this time of year.

The American black duck (Anas rubripes) has been declining throughout its range since the 1950s, especially in the Mississippi Flyway. Loss of quality wintering habitat and competition and hybridization with mallards (A. platyrhynchos) have been suggested as factors contributing to black duck decline. Tennessee and Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are two primary wintering areas for midcontinent black ducks recording long-term population declines. To better understand habitat selection and habitat-related survival of black ducks at Tennessee NWR (TNWR), we radio marked 64 female black ducks with harness-type, VHF transmitters on the Duck River Unit (DRU) of TNWR in winter 2010-2011. From December-March 2010-2011, we located radio marked ducks 1345 times on the DRU: moist soil (44.7%), open water (33.5%), forested/scrub-shrub (14.0%), agriculture (6.5%), and other (1.2%) habitats.

Hatchery-tagged rainbow trout (Oncorynchus mykiss, n = 3,867) were stocked from March to November 2009 in the Toccoa River tailwater, Georgia. Data from electrofishing and angler recaptures were used to assess mortality, growth, condition, and dispersal of stocked rainbow trout. Total annual mortality (A) as calculated using catch-curve regression was high (A = 96.7%). Annual angler catch rate was moderate (34.1%), but release rate was high (62.8%). As a result, angler harvest was only 12.7%. Growth of stocked trout was slow in terms of both length (5.0 mm/mo) and weight (4.6 g/mo), and stocked trout remained close to their stocking site. Body condition declined significantly between stocking and recapture. Slow growth and poor condition of stocked trout suggest that the Toccoa tail water's trout community is at or above carrying capacity. The apparent high density of stocked trout likely contributes to low survival over the first year post-stocking.

Lewis Smith Lake is an 8,853-ha recreational fishery within the Black Warrior River basin near Jasper, Alabama. A recent study found that striped bass Morone saxatilis do not significantly impact largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and Alabama bass M. henshalli through competition and predation, though many anglers still believe this to be true. Costs incurred by the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries annual striped bass stocking efforts on Lewis Smith Lake are compared with the regional economic gain from the existence of this fishery. The objectives of this study were to: 1) estimate total fishing effort and trip expenditures by target species; 2) estimate distribution of striped bass expenditures and tax revenue into local communities; and 3) understand the socioeconomic characteristics of striped bass anglers. Effort was estimated at 233,756.31 hours for all species.

In 2001, a cooperative effort was begun to restore native fish populations to the Pigeon River, once so polluted that all mollusks and many fish species were extirpated. Volunteers from federal and state agencies, industry, and private organizations created the Pigeon River Recovery Project to begin re-introduction of fish and other aquatic species. Early successes in Tennessee led to the expansion of the project into western North Carolina. More than 29,000 individuals representing 20 species of fish and 220,000 snails (six species) collected from the French Broad basin and the upper reaches of the Pigeon River have been re-introduced into the Pigeon River at selected sites in the two states. The first three candidates were the gilt, bluebreast and blueside darters, followed by the stripetail darter in 2003. Reproduction was first documented in gilt darters in 2003.

Historically, many Kentucky rivers had native walleye populations with fish that grew to impressive sizes and supported popular sport fisheries. Due in part to reservoir constructions and a variety of other factors, these populations gradually declined. By the 1970s, the huge spring walleye runs in these rivers had disappeared, so the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) began stocking walleye from northern origins in some of these same rivers and the new reservoirs. In 1995, after learning of anglers still catching large walleye in the Rockcastle River, KDFWR biologists collected eight walleye from this Cumberland River drainage tributary. The fish were later confirmed as a different genetic strain than walleye that had been stocked by the KDFWR around the state. The fish from this population would thus serve as broodstock for a native walleye restoration program in the state.

The importance of floodplain habitats to biotic communities has long been acknowledged. Many large river systems, however, are heavily regulated by dams that alter natural flood pulses and restrict large volumes of water from entering floodplains. We were interested in determining how alterations in flow regime may affect communities of fishes and invertebrates in floodplains along the Savannah River. To do so, we monitored floodplain fish and invertebrate community responses across three flow regimes: 1.) unregulated pulses (in the adjacent and free-flowing Altamaha River); 2.) controlled, released pulses in the Savannah from 2005-2006, and; 3.) the lack of released flood pulses in the Savannah from 2007-2009. We hypothesized that fish and invertebrate communities of the non-pulsed Savannah floodplains would be distinct from communities within the Altamaha floodplains, and that the pulsed Savannah floodplains would host intermediate communities.

Adaptive management is a form of structured decision-making designed to guide management of natural resource systems when their behaviors are uncertain. The basic elements of adaptive management include a setting in which a recurring decision is to be made, a stated objective of management, a set of predictive models that represent competing hypotheses about system behavior, and a program of monitoring to repeatedly assess relative credibility of the models. Thus, management itself is used to inform future management and to consequently improve conservation delivery through time. Where decision-making can be replicated across units of a landscape, learning can be accelerated, and biological processes can be understood in a larger spatial context. Cooperative conservation endeavors, where multiple partners collaborate to develop the decision making design and execute the elements, can be ideal vehicles for implementing such strategies.