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Introduction to Wildlife & Habitat Management

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Introduction to Wildlife & Habitat Management PART I: Introduction INTRODUCTION TO WILDLIFE & HABITAT MANAGEMENT ildlife are the animals that The chapters throughout this bark of young trees and shrubs in live freely in the natural guide will help you to understand fall, winter, and spring when cold Wenvironment. Wild- the relationship between wildlife weather has eliminated green ife includes all and their varied habitats. The leafy food. Food sources available species--game and non- brochures will explain the one year may not be available the game. Songbirds are options available for next. Certain varieties of acorns wildlife. So are snakes, toads, managing your may feed deer, squirrels, and wood butterflies, and fish. These land for ducks but only in those years when wildlife species and numerous garter snake wildlife, and they there is a crop. Planting trees, others provide us with beauty, will offer detailed and specific prac- shrubs, grasses, and flowers and recreation, economic opportunities, tices to help you do it successfully. installing bird feeders are ways that and maintain our quality of life by landowners can help provide food regulating and modifying how our The Components of for wildlife. More than 50 species ecosystems function. Habitat of birds, for example, will eat sun- Habitat can be broken into four flowers. Almost as many kinds of What Is Habitat? parts: food, water, shelter, and birds eat the berries of silky dog- Wildlife needs a place to live. space. When all parts blend togeth- wood. For people, such a place is called er, wildlife not only survives, they "home." For wildlife, the place is thrive. Remove any one of the four Water is needed by every living called "habitat." But wildlife habi- and wildlife must travel to find the thing on earth. Wildlife's water tat is not just trees, shrubs, grass, missing component. As human needs are met by rivers, creeks, or crops. It is a complex mixture of populations increase, so does our ponds, springs, seeps, and other plant communities, water, weather, impact upon the natural environ- wetlands. Some birds, like bob- animals, and other environmental ment. When habitats are isolated white quail and pheasants, can sur- features that provide the cover and or destroyed, wildlife are crowded vive on moisture content from food that wildlife need. into smaller areas, or they are insects, seeds, berries, and dew. forced to find a new area. These Maintaining existing water Landowners who want to conditions put wildlife at risk, improve habitat for wildlife must including vulnerability to realize there is a great deal to predators, parasites, acci- learn. Fortunately much is known, dents, and starvation. Some thanks to more than 100 years of types of wildlife are not very research by natural resources mobile and local populations schools within our colleges and uni- may be easily extinguished versities and by state and federal when habitat is destroyed or agencies charged with natural significantly altered. resources management. Landowners should also know there is a push Food needs occur year for every pull. Changes that pro- around, and yet habitat may duce more ducks, for example, may produce food only on a sea- not produce more deer. Changes sonal basis. For example, cot- which help squirrels may not help tontail rabbits eat the inner- certain songbirds. forested wetland resources on your property may be several square miles of mixed-aged enough to help wildlife. Restoring woodlots, brush, and openings. wetlands and increasing the The home territory of a gray wolf amount of water available, such as pack is 50 to 150 square miles of building ponds, are bigger chal- mostly forest and other undevel- lenges to consider. oped land. Most kinds of wildlife need What Is Wildlife shelter to protect themselves from Management? predators and, especially during Wildlife management is the Kirtland’s Warbler winter, from severe weather. Other "manipulation" of populations and types of wildlife, such as ground- habitat to achieve a goal. The goal What Is Biodiversity? nesting birds, require a safe place is usually to increase populations Usually, the more varied the to lay eggs and to raise their but can also be to decrease or sus- habitat conditions are over a large young. Shelter can be as basic as tain them. Wildlife managers may area, the greater the variety of a hollow tree used by a screech owl try to change habitat in a way that wildlife will be. "Biodiversity" is the to rear its young or as complex as benefits not only wildlife but also term used by scientists to describe a large stand of switchgrass where helps people, as well as the habitat the variety of living organisms a pheasant can survive a severe itself. Although the definition of (plants, animals, and even micro- snowstorm. wildlife management includes the organisms) upon the earth and the word "manipulation," wildlife man- interactions and environments they All creatures need room to agers realize that this includes nat- form. Biodiversity can be viewed in roam, and many establish territo- ural changes or manipulations that numerous ways and in varying lev- ries to defend from others of their may occur over a lifetime. els. For example, locally, there is kind, especially during the breeding the diversity of genetic stocks of a season. This type of habitat Improving habitat for a particu- rare animal; regionally, the mainte- requirement is called living space lar kind of wildlife means under- nance of a viable population within or simply, space. The exact needs standing what the animal needs to a certain species; and globally, the and the arrangement of space dif- live. It also means knowing how concerns focusing on the loss of a fer according to species. Red squir- changing habitat to increase one unique plant and animal communi- rels, for example, can usually find kind of wildlife will affect other ty. enough seeds and den sites to sur- forms of wildlife. vive in an acre or less of pine, One way to conserve biodiver- spruce or balsam fir trees. Wild Most of the land in Michigan is sity is to develop "structural diver- turkeys require 500 to 2,000 acres privately owned. In the southern sity" in habitat projects. Structural of mature woods mixed with open half of the Lower Peninsula, where diversity can be either vertical (lay- fields. White-tailed deer need a most of the people live, over 95 ers of vegetation such as woods percent of the land is privately with an understory of shrubs) or owned. Most property owners-- horizontal (patchiness: scattered large and small--want to do good openings within a forest or, con- things for wildlife, and they have versely, large tracts of trees). several options for managing their land. When two types of wildlife Creating structural diversity is with different habitat needs are possible within most types of habi- desired and it is not possible to tat. For example, a landowner who manage for both within the bound- wants to thin a mature woodlot aries of your land, long-term plans might leave a poor-quality black may then be necessary. Often, ini- cherry tree for the fruit it offers to tial work favors one species while birds and animals. A hollow, dead the overall objectives favor others. portion of the same tree becomes a eastern wild turkey home for a chickadee and provides INTRODUCTION TO WILDLIFE & HABITAT MANAGEMENT floods, windstorms, and the natur- What Are the al birth-to-death process of trees Benefits? and other plant communities. In Americans' fascination with less than 200 years humans have wildlife can be traced to the explor- dramatically altered habitat-- ers and settlers, the pioneers and destroying some and creating oth- market hunters. The days when ers--in ways that may have never bison blanketed the plains and pas- occurred naturally. The axe and senger pigeons darkened the skies the plow are tools often mentioned are no more, of course, but anoth- as the most destructive. But prop- er kind of "good old days" is occur- erly applied, the axe and the plow, ring. Today, people better under- along with the chainsaw and con- stand their relationship to the envi- trolled fire, can also lead to health- ronment, and many accept the insects for insect-foraging birds ier habitat. responsibility that modern conser- such as nuthatches and woodpeck- vation practices require. They care ers. A heavy limb that fell years What You Can Do about wildlife and the habitats that earlier is now a drumming log for a Wildlife is a product of land and support them, and they want to ruffed grouse. Finding habitat water, and anyone who owns land help. But why? under the limb is a salamander; or is charged with its responsibility later, a garter snake may move in. is a manager, or manipulator, of The answer is "benefits," which When a tree eventually dies and a habitat. The decision to do nothing are as varied as wildlife them- trunk cavity forms, a raccoon will with your land can have as big an selves. Tangible rewards--those claim it as its own although a impact on wildlife--because of the that we can see--include: swarm of honeybees may have a changes that occur naturally--as a different idea. detailed management plan. •More animals to watch, photo Farmers who plant crops or choose graph, hunt, or enjoy. Habitats, large and small, are not to plant crops affect wildlife. governed by both natural Homeowners who plant shrubs and •Improved soil conservation occurences and disturbances and maintain lawns manage wildlife, resulting from less wind and cultural changes. Hydrology, geol- just as those who feed backyard water erosion ogy, and soil types all influence animals and erect bird houses do.
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