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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Winter 2021 SPOTLIGHT Office of Law Enforcement / 10 Back on Native Soil / 12 Turtles’ Best Friend / 16 what’s inside SPOTLIGHT: Office of features Law Enforcement / 10 Back on Native Soil / 12 10 Splash-backed poison frogs are anything but ‘blue’ as they fly home to Brazil. By BRYAN LANDRY, ALBERTO J. GONZALEZ and AMY JONACH Turtles’ Best Friends / 16 Wildlife Inspection Canines save U.S. native turtles and uncover an international smuggling operation. By AMANDA DICKSON The Sound of Silence / 18 A scheme to smuggle monitor lizards from the Philippines shows the importance of collaboration to stop wildlife trafficking. By BRIDGET MACDONALD Truth in Advertising / 22 16 Wildlife special agents protect Native American culture. By AL BARRUS and AMY JONACH 18 On the cover: Entrance road to Bowdoin MORE FEATURES National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Showcase / 26 TODD BOONSTRA/USFWS Collaborative conservation shines in CCAST library. By BEN IKENSON News / 1 Field Journal / 29 departments Curator’s Corner / 28 Our People / 31 22 26 news Hunting During the Pandemic: Respite for Families is Boon for Conservation hile the toll on countless Wfamilies has been catastrophic during the pandemic, the people of this nation are doing their part to slow the spread by social distancing. It’s been a time of adjustment, to say the least, as many typical family activities are under restric- tions in the interest of minimizing the spread. More and more families are enjoying traditional outdoor activ- ities that come with built-in social distancing measures. Nationwide COURTESY OF JOHN HENDRIX spikes in hunting and fishing and its top priority has been, and of the hunting opportunities (Left) Easton Hendrix with a turkey he license sales for 2020 are unprec- continues to be, the safety of staff during this unprecedented age harvested from Deep Fork National edented, and those sales benefit and visitors. This has meant that of lockdowns. Easton Hendrix, Wildlife Refuge. (Above) Mackenzie statewide conservation. The refuge visitor centers were or 12, was one of 10 youth selected Hendrix, 16, with a flathead catfish she Oklahoma Department of Wildlife are closed to the public. However, to participate in the Deep Fork caught while camping with family. Conservation reports an increase many refuge lands have remained Refuge spring turkey hunt. of around 50 percent in resident open for responsible recreation fishing license purchases. The throughout the pandemic. “The best part of hunting for us is The Hendrix family has middle- use of parks has more than getting the family away from the school- and high-school-age doubled in many cities, driving An important part of the Service’s routine and electronic devices children who are both active in urban residents to seek out less National Wildlife Refuge System’s that take up so much of our competitive athletics. But even crowded places to recreate, and mission is attracting visitors to time. We enjoy the camping and sports with traditionally less this means a win for wildland refuges. When visitors enjoy preparing meals outside,” says contact, such as cross-country conservation. wild spaces like national wildlife Easton’s father, John Hendrix. runs, have been scaled back or refuges, they tend to want to “We see a lot of wildlife every canceled. So for the Hendrixes, “We’re seeing more people keep that place around for future year and we don’t necessarily activities that are intrinsically coming from the Tulsa area. recreation and the enjoyment of have to harvest anything to feel social distanced (hiking, camping, People are going outside the future generations. This also goes like it’s an enjoyable time. When hunting, fishing) have surged in city to recreate and reduce their for refuges that allow hunting we are able to harvest something, popularity recently. Luckily, the risk of catching COVID-19,” says and fishing opportunities. And that’s an added bonus: a source Hendrixes have a family history Supervisory Refuge Specialist in a state such as Oklahoma of pride and potentially some of outdoor recreation. Catherine Bell of the Service, where there are a lot of potential meat for those family meals.” who works at Deep Fork National hunters and anglers with few “My wife and I were married Wildlife Refuge, 50 miles south public lands available, national John Hendrix is a supervisory for 11 years before we had kids, of Tulsa. wildlife refuges are often an oasis wildlife biologist for the Service’s and we spent a lot of that time for outdoorsmen and -women Tulsa Ecological Services Office. hunting,” says John. He says that The Service closely follows amid private ranches and farms. Easton entered the refuge draw his values as a wildlife biologist Center for Disease Control and hunt and was randomly selected go hand-in-hand with his values Prevention, state and local The Hendrix family of Bartlesville, by an Oklahoma Department of as a sportsman. ›› health department guidelines, Oklahoma, benefited from one Wildlife Conservation. Winter 2021 Fish & Wildlife News / 1 news “I have wonderful memories of Brazoria National now Public Waterfowl Hunting Area, hunting and fishing as a boy, and which is a first come, first served I decided from a young age that I Wildlife Refuge hunting area open from 4 a.m. to wanted to work outdoors. When Opens Waterfowl everyone has noon Saturdays, Sundays and I started deer hunting here in the opportunity to experience Wednesdays during the regular Oklahoma in the 1970s, we had Blind for Hunters with waterfowl hunting on the Texas waterfowl season. The site very few deer, and it took me Disabilities coast regardless of their physical features a parking pad with a several years to harvest a buck,” abilities or limitations. We paved walkway, ADA-compliant says Hendrix. “Thanks to habitat he Service and Ducks are proud to work with Ducks wheelchair access and a hunting improvements, Oklahoma is now TUnlimited have announced the Unlimited to offer this opportunity blind large enough to accom- known for its deer. I’m fortunate opening of the first Americans to Texas hunters and look forward modate up to four hunters. to be working in a field where I with Disabilities Act (ADA) to expanding the project to other can help to improve these very compliant waterfowl hunting blind coastal refuges in the future.” “Building an accessible habitats to recover threatened on Texas public coastal lands at waterfowl hunting blind is and endangered species.” Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1966 to provide something we’ve been wanting Completed in September, the new wintering habitat for migratory to do since the Alligator Marsh The national wildlife refuge blind aims to expand opportu- waterfowl and other bird species, Public Waterfowl Hunting Area side of the Service has made nities for hunters with a variety Brazoria Refuge is a popular first opened in 2016,” says Cody extensive expansions to hunting of disabilities. hunting area that offers several Dingee, refuge manager at and fishing opportunities in great opportunities throughout Brazoria Refuge. “The area has recent years. “Our public lands belong to the waterfowl hunting season. gotten pretty popular over the last everyone, but hunters with From the early teal season few years, and every year we’ve “Families like mine appreciate disabilities face a variety of and throughout the rest of the seen an increase in visitation the refuge system opening up challenges accessing and waterfowl season, 15,000 to and heard from hunters that and providing more hunting and navigating these outdoor 20,000 ducks and 10,000 to 15,000 it’s been pretty productive. The fishing opportunities on those spaces,” says Scott Williams, snow geese can be found on the hunting is going to continually get lands that have sustainable project manager for the Service’s refuge. better where the blind is located wildlife populations,” says Coastal Program. “With the because at that specific spot Hendrix. “I think it’s vitally completion of the new ADA The ADA-certified accessible we’re able to go in and manip- important because it keeps compliant hunting blind at waterfowl hunting blind is ulate water levels and do field youth interested in this field, it Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Alligator Marsh work to improve it.” keeps them interested in outdoor activities as family traditions, and keeping conservation efforts going.” n The hunting blind can accommodate up to AL BARRUS, External Affairs, four hunters. Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas Gulf and Lower Colorado Basin Regions USFWS 2 / Fish & Wildlife News Winter 2021 news Texas has the second largest “As lifelong Texans, Debbie and number of individuals with I are committed to improving the disabilities in the United States, quality of life for all citizens,” with 11.7 percent of the general says Matt Doyle. “Opening up population and 23 percent of the areas and making them acces- veteran population reporting sible to all hunters is an important a disability. Ducks Unlimited part of that commitment.” Regional Biologist Kevin Hartke says due to limited accessible The team also contracted the facilities, Texans with disabilities construction of the blind through face even more challenges than a disabled veteran business the general public in accessing owner, Christopher “Tipper” COURTESY OF CDFW public hunting lands in the state. Esponge. ‘Harvest Huddle Brian Young, CDFW’s Fishing in the “There are not a whole lot of “Having a place to hunt that is City program, shares tips and tricks for public lands out there available easily accessible is important to Hours’ Aim to Inspire a beginner anglers. for hunting, and when you think people of all abilities,” Esponge New Flock of Hunters, about people with disabilities, the says.

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