Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) is located in Hancock County in southwestern Mississippi, east of the Pearl River and just north of interstate highway I-10. SSC is a space shuttle booster rocket testing and research base comprised of 6,462 ha acres with about 3,823 ha designated as controlled access areas for test facilities, laboratories, offices, and other operational facilities. The remaining 2,639 ha are primarily forested land within the large acoustical easement area that surrounds the rocket booster testing facility. No hunting is allowed on the base, so there has been concern about the health of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population and associated habitat damage from deer herbivory. The deer population was monitored by spotlight counts for four fall-winter periods from 2001-2004 before Hurricane Katrina and one fall-winter period from 2006-2007 post-hurricane. During most survey periods, counts were conducted two nights/month from November to March.

A. Willis Robertson was a pioneer in the politics and administration of fish and wildlife resources in the United States. In 1926, Robertson, a lawyer and sportsman from Lexington, Virginia, took over the reins of the then 10-year-old Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Robertson quickly moved to the national stage working with other wildlife professionals including Aldo Leopold. In 1933, Robertson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and eventually co-sponsored landmark legislation that changed the face of fish and wildlife management in the United States. In celebration of his accomplishments, several Virginia agencies and groups are embarking on a comprehensive project to chronicle and archive the estimated 18,000 pieces of correspondence written to and from Robertson while he was commissioner of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries from 1926-1932.

We used GPS technology to examine spatial relations of black bear hunters and black bears (Ursus americanus) in Garrett County, Maryland. During the 2005 hunting season, we equipped 35 hunters and 4 adult female black bears with GPS transmitters to track their movements. We compared the following spatial variables relative to both bear and hunter movements: road corridors, riparian corridors, slope, and habitat type. Hunters used a variety of habitats, with mixed forests and wetlands used in greater proportions than expected. Hunters generally remained within 260 m from road and 400 m from riparian corridors while hunting. Because of logistical challenges, spatial data was only available from one of four bears during the 2005 hunting season; her fall home range encompassed approximately 30 km2. One GPS hunter was found to have hunted within close proximity of a GPS bear, although interaction between the two could not be confirmed.

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) has undergone widespread loss of bottomland hardwood forests due to agricultural conversion. Hardwood establishment on marginal croplands has been proposed to mitigate effects of deforestation and related loss of carbon-capture potential. These reforestation areas can provide important wildlife habitat in agriculture-dominated landscapes; however, concern with reforestation is low seedling survival due to herbivory and vegetation competition. We surveyed reforested fields in the MAV of northwest Mississippi to assess survival of 10 species of hardwood seedlings (n = 782) planted for carbon sequestration. We sampled seedlings for stem and leaf herbivory and recorded percent cover and species diversity of herbaceous and woody vegetation surrounding seedlings during the first year following planting.

The Black Belt Region of Mississippi and Alabama is the largest blackland prairie in the southeastern United States. Large, contiguous tallgrass prairies are now extremely scarce over their historic range, with <1% of the original prairie area remaining in Mississippi. Currently, restoration of warm season grasslands is a primary conservation focus on private and public lands in Mississippi. However, limited information exists on comparisons between restored warm season grasslands and remnant, intact prairies. This information is part of an ongoing study that evaluates variations in plants species richness occurring in remnant, unperturbed prairies and restored grasslands of <10 years of age. Preliminary floristic surveys conducted in late summer 2006 assessed plant species richness in prairies along edges, transition zones near forest, fallow field, or pasture habitat, and within prairie interiors (>30 m from prairie edge).

To determine habitat selection of selected carnivores, we set up 15 remotely-triggered infrared camera stations across a 30-km2 section of the Mountain Lake Biological Station in Southwest Virginia. To maintain independence, a distance of 1 km was kept between each station. We monitored the camera stations for 942 trap nights. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) had the greatest trap success (3.03%) followed by black bear (Ursus americanus; 2.23%), coyote (Canis latrans; 1.09%), bobcat (Lynx rufus; 0.67%), and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus; 0.00%). We determined percentage cover of habitat features (% coniferous, % deciduous, % mixed) from a geographic information system (GIS) using circular buffers (100 m, 250 m, 500 m, 750 m) around each trap site and compared carnivore-present sites to carnivore-absent sites. We found no relationships. We used linear regression of trap success of animals to determine relationships between visitation rates and species.

In response to dwindling populations of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative and the Missouri Department of Conservation's Strategic Guidance for Northern Bobwhite Restoration are guiding habitat restoration efforts in Missouri. Success of these programs is dependent on restoration of habitat on large tracts of private land. Efficacious selection of restoration areas requires a foundation of ecological and sociological information. Although we know much about bobwhite ecology, our success at engaging landowners in habitat restoration has been limited. Our objective was to develop a systematic approach for using ecological and sociological data to identify potential private land restoration areas. We used a questionnaire to assess landowner willingness, motivations, and ability to carry out habitat restoration in a cooperative setting.

In 2005, the North Carolina General Assembly and the governor requested that the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) study issues related to hunting on Sunday in North Carolina. Of particular interest were the views held by stakeholders on the issue and the potential impact Sunday hunting might have on hunter recruitment and retention. A questionnaire was developed and sent to 2,400 randomly-selected licensed resident hunters to assess their views and opinions and to estimate potential impacts on hunting participation. The response rate was 41.6%. The issue decidedly was polarized; 38% of respondents strongly supported hunting on Sunday, whereas 39% strongly opposed it. Older hunters and those who frequently attended church or another place of worship were most opposed to hunting on Sunday. Although many respondents originally voiced support, many of these same individuals opposed hunting on Sunday if limitations were imposed.

The eastern United States contains the greatest diversity and the most imperiled species of freshwater mussels in the world. Conservation efforts are underway, yet little information is available on current and historical distributions for most species. Current knowledge of freshwater mussel species distributions is limited to data available from museum collections, small-scale studies, and Natural Heritage surveys. The accuracy and precision of these data vary considerably. We obtained the best available information on the range of freshwater mussel species to model the distribution of selected species within the Appalachians. We included in model development anthropogenic and environmental variables, such as slope, elevation, acid deposition, soil buffering capacity, flow accumulation, density of dams, density of roads, and density of zebra mussel occurrences, believed to influence freshwater ecosystems.

Nursery habitats such as seagrass beds are important for the health and sustainability of many fisheries. In fact, seagrass beds are considered to be essential nursery habitats and as a part of the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) of 1996 it was mandated that these areas be protected. To designate an area as an essential fish habitat two main criteria must be met, 1) greater numbers of fish produced per area and 2) greater survival of juvenile fish to adulthood. In the Chesapeake Bay, seagrass beds are considered to be nursery habitat, but the mortality of juvenile fish on individual beds is unknown. To estimate mortality we are using fish otoliths, or ear bones, as a natural tag from spotted seatrout (Cynocion nebulosus) from different beds in the Bay. The seatrout is a model species for this work as individuals maintain a tight relationship with their natal beds.

The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) was formed to implement range-wide strategies that sustain healthy, fishable brook trout populations across the entire range of the eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). In order to accomplish the goals of the EBTJV in West Virginia we set out to accomplish the following objectives: to assess brook trout populations where current data is lacking and to set restoration priorities for stream reaches within this area based on both reach and subwatershed scale connectivity. Our study area was Region 1 of West Virginia, the Upper Potomac River watershed. We used West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (WVDNR) brook trout data to create a model to predict presence/absence throughout the study area; this model was validated using independent field data collected in 2006. Using the output from this model we were able to assess core brook trout populations.

Otolith chemistry has demonstrated potential for identifying natal origins and tracing dispersal in fisheries across a variety of habitats. Our objective was to assess inter-annual and intra-annual (specifically, within the spawning season) variation of trace element signatures distinguishing different rivers. Our study site was the Upper James River and its tributary the Maury River in western Virginia. We collected smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) fry from various locations along the length of the Maury River and also from the James within 10 km of their confluence. In 2005 fry were collected once from each location, while in 2006 we collected fry at approximately weekly intervals where available. Water samples were taken simultaneously with each collection. We analyzed trace element concentrations in otoliths and water samples using solution-based inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)are an estuarine/marine member of the porgy family that have long supported large recreational fisheries along the southeastern coast of the United States with a recently expanding recreational fishery in Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Due to this expansion into Bay waters, fisheries managers need to develop a management plan for this species. However, before any management plan can be developed, a comprehensive understanding of the age structure and growth rates of fish in the population is needed. To characterize the age and growth of sheepshead in the Chesapeake Bay, 178 fish were collected via recreational (n = 124) and commercial (n = 54) fisheries from 9 May through 1 November 2006 and their lengths, weights, and ages determined. Sheepshead ranged in age from 0 to 33 years old, with the oldest fish being seven years older than the oldest sheepshead reported in the literature to date.

During the past five years, we synthesized and compiled data on historic and recent fish collections in West Virginia into a georeferenced database. The West Virginia fish database will be used to produce a spatial and temporal atlas of fish distributions and currently includes over 9,000 site records from fish collections during 1853 to 2005. Species distribution data will be depicted by time periods, reflecting the substantial contributions and efforts of Ebenezer Andrews, Spencer Baird, Charles Bollman, William Hay, E.L. Goldsborough, Carl Hubbs, and Laura Hubbs, Milton Trautman, A.H. Wright, John Addair, Ed Raney, L.W. Wilson, E.A. Seaman, P.E. Swasey, H. Van Meter, Anthony Bodola, Frank Schwartz, Ron Preston, Bob Denoncourt, Charles Hocutt, Jay Stauffer, Rich Raesly, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources personnel, as well as collections from the present authors.

Threats to native fish populations from practices such as fish stocking and from invasive and non-native species and their associated disease concerns are important natural resource management issues in National Parks. Prohibitive or restrictive fish stocking policies in National Parks were developed as early as 1936 in order to preserve native fish assemblages and genetic diversity. Despite recent efforts to understand the effects of non-native or exotic fish introductions, park managers have limited information regarding the effects of these introductions on native fish communities. Shenandoah National Park (SHEN) was established in 1936 and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) restoration within selected streams in the park began in 1937 in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). The only known stocking records associated with park streams during the 1930s were in the survey reports completed by the U.S.

The area of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests have declined whereas intensive pine (Pinus spp.) silviculture has increased on the southeastern landscape. Because effects of differing pine management scenarios on bat community structure and activity are largely unknown, we used mist nets and acoustic surveys to examine these factors on mature longleaf pine and intensively managed loblolly pine (P. taeda) landscapes in southwestern Georgia. We placed mist nets over ponds, small streams, and roadside ditches and placed bat detectors in replicates of four vegetation types (open, closed pine, hardwood, mature pine) on each study site. We captured 649 bats of six species during 83 nights of trapping at both sites. Seminole bats (Lasiurus seminolus), red bats (L. borealis), and evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) accounted for 95% of captures. For both areas combined, 28% of captures were juveniles and 97% of adult females showed signs of reproduction.

We conducted a 13-year study to determine bird species richness and abundance in field edges maintained in conservation buffers and mowed field edges on two agricultural experiment stations in Mississippi. Both experiment stations were intensively managed for agricultural row crop and dairy production with field edges managed with frequent mowing and herbicide application. Habitat reclamation and management on 41 ha of field edges was initiated on each farm in 1988 and included selective spraying herbicides to control agronomic grasses, cessation of annual mowing, protection from livestock access, and planting legumes and shrubs. We surveyed birds from 1 May through 15 June on permanently established, fixed-width transects in three conservation buffer and three mowed field edges adjacent to row crops on each experimental farm from 1989 through 2001. We detected 25 bird species on mowed field edges and 51 species on edges maintained in conservation buffers on both farms.

Anuran breeding call surveys are widely used to document species richness and relative abundance. Call survey protocols used by the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program are five minutes in duration. However, recent studies have suggested that 5-minute call surveys may not be long enough to accurately estimate species richness or relative abundance. Therefore, we tested whether anuran species richness and relative abundance differed between 5- and 10-minute breeding call surveys. We conducted 344 call surveys from March-August 2005 and 2006 at eight wetlands on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. On average, 95% of species recorded in 10 minutes were heard within the first five minutes. Mean species richness did not differ (P = 0.17) between 5- and 10-minute surveys. For species we detected, mean relative abundance was not different (P > 0.07) between 5- and 10-minute surveys.

A cluster of small populations of the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) was discovered 1989 along the scenic Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina, in northern hardwood and mixed hardwood-hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) habitats not previously known to support this subspecies. I examined home range of this subspecies from September 1994-March 1996. Based on the Minimum Convex Polygon method, mean annual home range size was 13.9 ha (N = 7), mean summer home range size was 8.3 ha (N = 6), and mean winter home range was 12.5 ha (N = 4). I found no evidence to indicate northern flying squirrels crossed or attempted to cross the right-of-way associated with the Cherohala Skyway. Managers should consider large areas of north-facing high-elevation northern hardwood and mixed northern hardwood forest as potential suitable habitat for G. s. coloratus.

Although thousands of river otters (Lontra canadensis) are harvested every year in Louisiana, no formal management plan exists for the species. As a first step toward development of such a plan, we described general trends and associations between number of otters harvested and pelt price and number of licensed trappers during 1957-2004. We also applied time series analysis to develop forecasting models for river otters harvested. Although number of otters harvested was stationary, trends were detected in number of licensed trappers and pelt price. The early 1980s appear as a point of inflection in number of licensed trappers and pelt price, with a declining trend after that time in both. Lagged cross-correlation between number of otters harvested and licensed trappers was significant, as was the case between number of licensed trappers and pelt price.

Some indices indicate nationwide declines in mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) populations, making harvest data important for management. Our goal was assessment of attraction of mourning doves to spinning-wing decoys (SWDs). We simulated dove hunting scenarios in Putnam County, Tennessee, during October 2005 using battery-operated SWDs with traditional decoy setups. We measured and compared number of doves approaching within 40 and 200 m with SWD active and inactive. A greater number of doves approached within 40 m and 200 m with SWD active than with SWD inactive. Mourning doves clearly were attracted to SWD, which may increase dove harvest opportunity. Further research is needed to validate this result under a broader set of conditions and examine extent to which this attraction may translate into increased dove harvest.

Previous studies on wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) home ranges have concentrated on the eastern subspecies (M. g. silvestris). Our objectives were to estimate spring-summer period (1 April-31 August) and annual home ranges of Rio Grande wild turkeys (M. g. intermedia) and compare them across study sites, age (adult, juvenile) and sex. From 2000−2004, we recorded 44,526 telemetry locations from 1,253 radiotagged Rio Grande wild turkeys on four study sites in the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Kansas. We used the 95% fixed kernel and 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) methods to calculate home ranges. Mean 95% fixed kernel annual home ranges were 1,908 ± 112 ha for females and 1,578 ± 127 ha for males. Mean 95% fixed kernel spring-summer home ranges were 1,054 ± 76.1 ha for females and 1,097 ± 103 ha for males. Juvenile female annual home ranges were larger than other age and sex classes on Texas study sites.

As hunting participation decreases in the United States, wildlife agencies may consider increasing license fees or creating additional ones to sustain their programs. We assessed Willingness to Pay (WTP) for fall and spring eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) hunting permits in Mississippi using the Contingent Valuation Method. Hunters were willing to pay more for a spring hunting permit than for a fall hunting permit and demand for spring hunting permits was also higher. Median WTP for fall and spring turkey hunting permits was US$11.00 and $36.25, respectively. Revenue can be maximized at $277,506 and $739,821 for the state by placing the permit fees at $20.62 and $39.75 for fall and spring hunting permits, respectively. These methods can be used to set fees and assess demand for a variety of recreational activities while maximizing participation.

We conducted a survey to evaluate sales values of private rural lands (N = 100; 13,559 ha) that were purchased for recreational uses in Mississippi from 2002-2005. Most (70%) land parcels were located near or in the Mississippi River Delta region with dominant cover types of forest (52%) or agricultural crops (43%). Important recreational uses included hunting, off road vehicles access, horseback riding, wildlife watching, ecotourism, and fishing. Featured species were white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; 93%), rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.; 65%), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo; 56%), waterfowl (48%), squirrels (Sciurus spp.; 38%), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura; 15%), northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; 12%), and other (< 10%). Recreational uses contributed an average increase of 36% (US$808.73/ha) in property value.