Fish & Wildlife News
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Summer 2015 Fish & Wildlife News SPOTLIGHT Who Is the Fish and Wildlife Service? 12 Conserving Amphibians 24 High-Definition Conservation 28 what’s inside Departments Features From the Directorate / 1 SPOTLIGHT News / 2 Field Journal / 30 WHO IS THE FISH Curator’s Corner / 32 AND WILDLIFE Our People / 33 SERVICE? 12 Conserving the Nature of America | by MATT TROTT Gatherer of Duck A Lamprey Legacy / 16 Operation Warfighter Data / 14 As his dad did, Tim Intern / 18 Satellite technology Sullivan fights the sea Don Wilson lends a hand informs redhead lamprey invasion to protect the beauty conservation on the by JOANNA GILKESON around San Diego Texas Gulf Coast by LISA COX by CRAIG SPRINGER ALSO Conserving High-Definition IN THIS Amphibians / 24 Conservation / 28 ISSUE Why disappearing frogs, The Service and partners are salamanders and toads are working together to conserve important and what’s being imperiled species in the Upper Tennessee River Basin ON THE COVER: A SUB-ADULT KODIAK done about it BROWN BEAR LOOKS FOR SALMON. CREDIT: LISA HUPP/USFWS by VALERIE FELLOWS by GARY PEEPLES and DAVID EISENHAUER from the directorate Conservation4Youth Builds Connections veryone tends to think newer is better, but We’re starting to see these dreams become reality. Egrowing up in my day had one major advantage: We played outside a lot. And while we were playing, Several C4Y interns are now actively pursuing we connected with nature. Maybe we saw a bat or an college degrees. One C4Y graduate was selected unusual bird flying overhead. Maybe the tree that from hundreds of nominated students to become served as first base had a unique feel. Maybe we went the recipient of the Joyce and Thomas Moorehead fishing or hunting with an adult. Foundation’s College Scholarship Fund, which provides annual college funding, networking, For many good reasons, this generation has a harder mentoring and community service outreach. Another path to that connection. And for some — like those C4Y graduate was recently hired into a permanent with challenging life situations — a connection with position with the Service. nature can be even harder to make. Developing that sense of wonder takes a backseat to just surviving. You will read in this issue of Fish & Wildlife News profiles of several current Service members. For all That’s why, for the third summer in a row, our of us involved in conservation, though, the future is award-winning Conservation4Youth Program (C4Y) never far from our thoughts. welcomes a new group of interns to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, young people from the Fairfax C4Y is just one way we are actively and County and Washington, DC, foster care systems. enthusiastically developing the next generation of conservation professionals. This program shows the Service as the socially responsible organization it is. But what’s really This summer, we welcome the largest group of important is that we get a chance to help foster a students yet, including a number of returning alumni. connection between nature and young people who Headquarters staff members will again give of their might have never had the opportunity to see the time and talent as they mentor selected teens. wonders nature offers. We do take great pride in C4Y and the rare To date, C4Y has given 20 young people, ages opportunity to make a committed difference in the 15 to 22, the chance to learn about wildlife world around us. But, as I said before, that is nothing conservation — taking part in real on-the-ground compared to helping young people find their science and administrative support — while working connection with nature. in a professional setting. The interns can also gain confidence through on-the job-training, mentoring If we are really lucky, one of the profiles in the opportunities and shadowing assignments. News in 20 years will be about a former C4Y intern. Local organizations provide mentor training for our participating staff, along with workplace training, DENISE SHEEHAN is the Assistant Director of Budget, Planning transportation and salary funding for the students. and Human Capital. Many of the program’s participating young people have been victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment, and their aspirations have consisted of little more than the basics of food, shelter and clothing. C4Y has created an opportunity for these youth to learn to set goals beyond these basics, to strive hard to achieve their dreams and to dream big. Summer 2015 Fish & Wildlife News / 1 news Service Crushes More Ivory in Fight Against Wildlife Trafficking n an effort to crush what ISecretary of the Interior Sally Jewell called the “bloody ivory market,” the Service, with wildlife and conservation partners, destroyed more than one ton of confiscated elephant ivory in early June in New York’s Times Square. After brief greetings, dignitaries and thousands of onlookers witnessed an industrial rock crusher smash raw ivory as well as carved ivory tusks and statues. Service Director Dan Ashe said: “Today’s Crush…sends a message to the traffickers whose pernicious greed is at the heart of today’s poaching crisis. This administration, this agency, these partners here, are committed to The event was the latest in a Some may wonder at the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell loads tracking you down, ending your series of actions by the Obama effort, saying other countries are an item onto the crusher. activities, to putting you behind administration designed to crack the major importers of ivory. But bars, to ensuring that you are no down on both the demand and consumers or “middlemen” in the longer a threat to our planet’s supply that feeds international United States drive much of the wildlife.” poaching and wildlife trafficking world’s trade in wild animal and further regulates domestic trade rings. plant species—both legal and of both raw ivory and ivory In two Ivory Crushes, the United illegal. products. Many states, including States has pulverized more than In July 2013, President Barack New York, have also enacted seven tons of seized illegal ivory, Obama signed an executive order In fact, much of the ivory that strong legislation to ban the sale signaling its leadership in the to combat wildlife trafficking. The was crushed in June was of ivory. battle against traffickers and order established an interagency confiscated from the poachers. task force and charged it with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Event attendees included developing a National Strategy store of Victor Gordon, an art Congresswoman Grace Meng Since the first Crush in November for Combatting Wildlife and antiques dealer who, in (NY-6); Congressman Steve Israel 2013, 10 countries have destroyed Trafficking. With input from 2012, pleaded guilty to smuggling (NY-3); U.S. Customs and Border their seized ivory, and Ashe asked an advisory council of experts African elephant ivory into the Protection Commissioner R. for more support. on wildlife trafficking, the United States. All ivory that has Gil Kerlikowske; Executive task force set forth a robust been illegally traded can never Vice President of the Wildlife “We call on all nations to join us government approach that be sold in the U.S. market. Conservation Society John by destroying their confiscated focuses on three key objectives Calvelli; New York State Senator ivory stockpiles, enacting and to stop wildlife trafficking: Although some African elephant Brad Hoylman (Manhattan); enforcing strong regulations strengthening enforcement, ivory (including lawfully hunted Joseph Martens, commissioner, protecting wildlife from illegal reducing demand for illegally trophies and certain other New York State Department of trade, and reducing demand,” traded wildlife and expanding noncommercial items that meet Environmental Conservation; Ashe said in New York. international cooperation. specific requirements) can be and noted celebrities. imported, the United States prohibits commercial imports and 2 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer 2015 news Frog Slog: Volunteers Work to Protect surveys [with biological staff] since 2009, the number of were enjoyable and interesting egg masses counted hasn’t Oregon Spotted Frog field days, but this felt like gone down.” participating in an event. arch is usually the time Washington to lend a hand… The enthusiasm of all our The refuge has made Mwhen Oregon spotted frogs and an eye! The first egg mass fellow volunteers and the lead many changes to its water lay their eggs in the wetlands locations were documented biologists is infectious!” management, beginning in of south central Washington at in 1997, which led to a more 2013, and those changes Conboy Lake National Wildlife intensive survey effort in 1998. Ten-year-old Maddie Engler, the appear to be paying off. Refuge. It’s also the time daughter of a Service staffer, also volunteers and staff do the These surveys have occurred came to hunt for eggs. She says The counts, and seeing many “frog slog”—walking slooowly annually since that time through what keeps her going when she more juvenile and adult frogs through knee-to-thigh-deep the commitment of dozens of is finding few egg masses and during the egg surveys this year, water, in line with your neighbors volunteers and agency staff. working in cold wet weather raise hope that there will be to count any submerged egg The volunteer contribution is conditions is that she believes future increases in egg masses. masses you see. Depending on essential to providing the data she is helping animals survive. “Females that were eggs in 2013 the day, they can be hard to spot! the Service needs to effectively “I love animals and I often spend should be breeding for the first manage the Oregon spotted lots of time thinking about how time in 2016” Wilson says.