Paths to Recovery Connecting Habitats to Conserve Wildlife

Vol. 14 No. 2 March/April 2020

PATHS TO RECOVERY CONNECTING HABITATS TO CONSERVE WILDLIFE

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The Wildlife Professional is the flagship publication of The Wildlife Society and a benefit of membership. The magazine — published six times annually — presents timely research, March/April 2020 Vol. 14 No. 2 news and analysis of trends in the wildlife profession.

ABOUT TWS STAFF EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD The Wildlife Society, founded in 1937, is an international Ed Thompson Chief Executive Officer Chair Samara Trusso, Pennsylvania Game Commission nonprofit scientific and educational association Jennifer Lynch Murphy Operations Coordinator dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through Section Representatives science and education. Our mission is to inspire, Wildlife Policy & Communications Western Matthew P. Bettelheim, AECOM empower and enable wildlife professionals to sustain Keith Norris Director Central Mountains & Plains Elmer Finck, Fort Hays State University wildlife populations and their habitat through science- David Frey Managing Editor Canadian Mike Gillingham, University of Northern based management and conservation. We encourage British Columbia Dana Kobilinsky Associate Editor professional growth through certification, peer-reviewed Northwest Barb Hill, Bureau of Land Management, publications, conferences and working groups. For more Caroline Murphy Government Relations Manager retired information, visit us at www.wildlife.org. Joshua Learn Science Writer Southeastern Matt Chopp, Florida Fish & Wildlife Lindsay Martinez Wildlife Policy Intern Conservation Commission BECOME A MEMBER Southwest Misty Sumner, MLS Consulting Operations North Central Lowell Suring, Northern Ecologic, LLC Membership is open to wildlife professionals, students and anyone who is interested in wildlife Cameron Kovach Director Northeast Scott Williams, The Conn. Agricultural Experiment Station science, management and conservation. To learn Aniket Gajare Software Developer about the benefits of TWS membership or to join, Nick Wesdock Business Relations and Working Group Representatives go to www.wildlife.org/join. Conferences Manager Mariah Simmons Unit Services Manager Ethnic & Gender Diversity Claire Crow, Federal agency CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES Jamila Blake Professional Development College and University Shannon Farrell, SUNY-ESF Wildlife Education All members are encouraged to submit ideas for Manager Urban Wildlife Maureen Murray, Lincoln Park Zoo articles to The Wildlife Professional. For more Wildlife Damage Mark Smith, Auburn University information, go to www.wildlife.org/publications. TWS GOVERNING COUNCIL Wildlife Diseases Michelle Verant, National Park Service Gary White President Wildlife and Habitat Brian Zinke, Pilchuck Audubon Society ADVERTISING Carol Chambers President-Elect Restoration For information about advertising and our media kit, Gordon Batcheller Vice President contact Chuck Shively, TWS Business Relations Manager, Darren A. Miller Past President At-Large Representatives at 301.897.9770 ext. 305 or [email protected]. Evelyn Merrill Canadian Section Robert Brown, N.C. State University, retired James Ramakka Southwest Section Zachary Lowe, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS Grant Hilderbrand Northwest Section Martin Lowney, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of Pat Lederle North Central Section Brian MacGowan, Purdue University any article published by The Wildlife Society for limited Paul R. Johansen Northeast Section Erin McCance, University of Manitoba and EcoLogic Environmental Inc. personal or educational use within one’s home institution Mike Conner Southeastern Section Colleen Olfenbuttel, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is hereby granted without fee, provided that the first page Natalie Sexton, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service or initial screen of a display includes the notice “Copyright Bob Lanka Central Mountains and Plains Section Adam Ahlers, Kansas State University © 2020 by The Wildlife Society,” along with the full citation, including the name(s) of the author(s). Copyright for compo- Kelley Stewart Western Section nents of this work owned by persons or organizations Laken Ganoe Student Liaison other than TWS must be honored. Instructors may use articles for educational purposes only. Copying, republishing in part or whole, posting on an Internet website or using Graphic design by Lynn Riley Design. The Wildlife Society it for commercial or promotional purposes is prohibited Headquarters under copyright laws and requires permission of the pub- 425 Barlow Place, Suite 200 lisher. For permission, please contact [email protected]. Bethesda, MD 20814-2144 301.897.9770 phone The views expressed in this publication are not 301.530.2471 fax necessarily those of The Wildlife Society. [email protected] / www.wildlife.org Connecting Periodical postage for The Wildlife Professional (ISSN landscapes is Mailing Address 1933-2866) is paid at Bethesda, MD, and at an additional mailing office. important for the 25 Century Blvd., Suite 505 conservation of Nashville, TN 37214 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Wildlife Society, 25 Century Blvd. Suite 505, Nashville, TN 37214 wolverines and other species. Credit: ©Steven Gnam facebook.com/thewildlifesociety @wildlifesociety

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Call: 800-272-8727 • Online: www.livetrap.com Contents March/April 2020 Vol. 14 No. 2

FEATURES 28 The View from My Bucket Reflecting on the importance of observation skills, mentors COVER STORY >> Credit: Steven Gnam and land managers By Leigh H. Fredrickson Paths to recovery 34 Out in the Field A New LGBTQ+ initiative takes shape within The Wildlife Society Connecting habitats to conserve wildlife By Colleen Olfenbuttel, Travis Booms, Claire Crow, By Joshua Rapp Learn Katherine O’Donnell 18 38 Lessons Among Lemurs Can ecotourism aid conservation in ways research can’t? By Jake Krauss 41 The Next Threat How do we stop fungal disease from devastating North 34 American salamanders? By Kenzie E. Pereira, Matthew J. Gray, Jacob L. Kerby, Evan H. Campbell Grant and Jamie Voyles Credit: Colleen Olfenbuttel 47 A Future for Fishers Timber companies in Oregon craft a plan to conserve Pacific fishers By Dana Kobilinsky 51 A New Approach to Combating CWD Michigan is seeking scientific solutions using collaboration By Sonja Christensen, Kelly Straka and J.R. Mason 55 Looking Forward to Louisville TWS’ 27th annual conference promises to advance the profession

Departments 6 Editor’s Note 59 Policy Perspectives 7 Leadership Letter 60 Field Notes 62 In Memory 41 8 Science in Short Credit: Bruce Lucas 12 State of Wildlife 64 Gotcha! 16 Today’s Wildlife Professional Erratum

In Volume 14.1, we reported that the Donald H. Rusch Memorial >> Log On for More Game Bird Research Scholarship was being continued through the This publication is available online to TWS members generosity of Dr. Charles Meslow and was renamed to recognize on wildlife.org. References printed in blue indicate his contribution. However, the name of the award won't be links in the online version of the magazine. Credit: Steve Uffman changed to include Dr. Meslow's name until after his death. We apologize for the error.

Connecting through Science and Policy The Wildlife Society wishes

Today’s wildlife populations face a number of challenges, not the to thank the following least of which is the active fragmentation of their habitats and the organizations for their placement of physical barriers among and between their habitats. financial support of We highlight the importance of habitat connectivity in this issue, The Wildlife Professional. focusing on the need for wildlife to move across the landscape, whether for dispersal or migration. The challenge becomes increasingly pervasive as human development of landscapes continues and climate change accentuates the need for mobility.

Fortunately, this is a challenge that wildlife professionals can help address. Policymakers are interested in helping conserve wildlife by building corridors. Legislation and other policy efforts have been brought forward at federal and local levels, and these policies can be informed and implemented by wildlife professionals. Technological advances in wildlife research enhance our ability to collect more precise data showing where wildlife go, how they move across the landscape, what corridors are most critical and what barriers are in their way.

Providing corridors across the landscape seems to be a huge problem. How can we begin to address this challenge? Fortunately, we have numerous examples of how interventions by wildlife professionals and policymakers — informed by science — are successfully reconnecting landscapes across North America. Progress is being made through the identification of key corridors and actions to protect, enhance or rebuild pathways for wildlife. Success takes science, policy and dedicated teamwork — but success is possible, and our wildlife is worth it.

Several other articles in this issue touch on this need for teamwork linking science and policy to ensure successful conservation outcomes. Whether it is trying to stop the spread of chronic wasting disease across North America, preventing the arrival of Bsal on the continent, managing the impacts of ecotourism on vulnerable places across the globe or working with private landowners and industry to enhance habitat for at-risk species, science-informed policies are needed to advance conservation.

The Wildlife Society, along with our chapters and sections, regularly engages in policy efforts to support the profession and advance science-based policy decisions that enhance conservation and management. The Leadership Letter on the opposing page provides a proud history of our involvement. I’m excited that we have recently reinitiated our wildlife policy intern program based in Washington, D.C., to assist our work in ensuring that policies empower, enable and assist wildlife professionals in their work. I encourage you to seek opportunities with TWS and organization units to apply your expertise in a way that informs policy and management decisions and helps move the profession and wildlife conservation forward.

As always, your feedback and input on The Wildlife Professional is welcome and encouraged.

Keith Norris, AWB® Director of Wildlife Policy & Communications [email protected]

6 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Leadership Letter By Gary C. White and Thomas M. Franklin

TWS’ history includes strong policy action

TWS’ new policy director testified before Congress The Wildlife Society has a strong history about funding needs for natural resources agencies of engaging policies to support wildlife and other wildlife conservation issues and arranged professionals and their work of science-based for expert TWS members to provide input to Con- conservation. Indeed, several aspects of gress. Those efforts led to many conservation policy successful wildlife conservation could not be successes that conserve wildlife habitat and support accomplished without supportive policies, and I’m proud of TWS’ record of engaging in policy the work of the wildlife profession. work to achieve our profession’s goals. TWS and the Alaska Chapter testimony influenced Gary C. White, PhD, ® the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990 that perma- CWB®, is a professor Thomas Franklin, CWB , served as the emeritus at Colorado nently conserved a million acres of high-value fish Society’s first wildlife policy director and was State University, an instrumental in leading TWS’ policy successes, and wildlife habitats by preventing “high grading” Aldo Leopold Memorial both as staff and later as TWS president and timber valuable for wildlife diversity. TWS’ further Award recipient and the member of the Executive Committee. I’ve asked engagement on old-growth policies led to a biparti- current president of The Tom to provide insights on TWS’ historical san group of U.S. congressmen in 1992 asking TWS Wildlife Society. policy achievements for this issue. Later issues to lead a review and report on the condition of old- will explore how TWS can further increase the growth ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests effectiveness of our policy actions. My sincere in 10 national forests in the Pacific Northwest. TWS thanks to Tom for his dedication to TWS and spearheaded the Eastside Forests Scientific Society providing this history. – Gary White Panel with members from five scientific natural resource societies. The panel’s report was presented he Wildlife Society has been engaged in to Congress and resulted in U.S. Forest Service policy wildlife policy issues from the early days of its changes that conserved much of the remaining old- existence and increasingly so after the creation growth forests in eastern Oregon and Washington. T Thomas M. Franklin, of the field director position in the 1970s. This new role provided capacity for the Society to engage its Wildlife professionals working through TWS also CWB®, is a former policy director and past members more directly in wildlife policy advocacy. played a key role in restoring wolves (Canis lupus) in president of The Wildlife That robust engagement began in 1975 when Mike the western U.S. TWS’ technical review and con- Society and a TWS Zagata represented TWS before the House Agricul- gressional testimony by member James Peek about Fellow. ture Committee regarding clearcutting practices on wolf recovery efforts and how to proceed with a wolf national forests. Zagata worked with TWS President recovery program helped navigate this controversial Jack Ward Thomas and others to incorporate lan- conservation effort to a successful outcome. guage in legislation that allowed 10% of the monies allocated to build roads associated with timber sales TWS has engaged a number of other efforts im- to be used for wildlife management. Ultimately, this portant to wildlife conservation — like providing language was incorporated into the National Forest technical information and advocating for wildlife Management Act of 1976, quadrupling the U.S. Forest conservation in every Farm Bill since 1985 when Service’s wildlife budget. critical conservation programs including the Con- servation Reserve Program were incorporated in the TWS leadership further recognized the need for Food Security Act. Congress provides billions an- wildlife professionals to engage in conservation nually to help landowners create or protect wildlife policy, particularly since they possessed scien- habitats on croplands, grasslands, wetlands and tific expertise that could forecast likely effects of forests through this legislation. policy proposals on wildlife. At the annual business meeting in March 1980, President Ted Bookhout “As the Society’s sense of professionalism grew, so emphasized that wildlife biologists should influence did its resolve to act — using science to influence decision-makers and the public on wildlife policies. wildlife policy,” wrote Chris Eder in the Wildlife A few years later, TWS Presidents James Teer and Society Bulletin issue commemorating the Society’s W. Alan Wentz led members in a vote to fund the fiftieth anniversary. “TWS has evolved … from a Society’s wildlife policy program and create a wild- professional group to an advisory group reflecting life policy director position through a dues increase. that professionalism.”

Recent papers from wildlife conservation and management journals

Gaps remain in gopher tortoise Setting habitat and forestry research guidelines for Utah sage-grouse The long lifespan of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) and a lack of long- term studies leave managers unclear how To recover greater forest management activities affect the sage-grouse species. Tortoises often inhabit private (Centrocercus southeastern pine forests managed for urophasianus), forestry, and biologists wanted to see what managers follow research gaps needed to be addressed. habitat guidelines to ensure these “Tortoises seem to be able to persist in these birds of high landscapes, but whether it’s at a level that conservation can maintain viable populations into the concern have future is unclear,” said TWS member James conditions that will Martin, associate professor of forestry at the support them. But sage- University of Georgia and a co-author of the grouse occur over a vast study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin. area — from northeastern In their literature review, biologists found Montana to central Credit: Bob Wick/ Bureau of Land Management most research was conducted in areas California — and the habitat conditions in which Sage-grouse occupy diverse specifically managed for wildlife rather landscapes across a broad region. than those where forestry was the primary the birds live can vary greatly. goal. Other studies offered only short- term snapshots. Researchers found more To help managers in Utah, researchers set out to create specific quantitative analyses are needed in forestry guidelines tailored to the sagebrush communities the birds management areas to better understand occupy in the state. what conditions are preferred by tortoises. “Our managers were dealing with sage-grouse habitat that the range-wide habitat guidelines just didn’t seem to fit, but Gopher tortoises often inhabit southeastern the birds were doing OK,” said TWS member Dave Dahlgren, pine forests managed for forestry. assistant professor and wildlife and rangeland habitat extension specialist at Utah State University. Dahlgren was the lead author on the paper published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin that laid out guidelines for Utah.

Researchers from Utah State and Brigham Young universities combined their habitat data from radio-marked sage-grouse at thousands of brood and nest locations across the state to determine habitat conditions in areas occupied by the bird.

“I think it was as practical as we could get for our managers while covering the variation in habitat conditions that we needed to cover,” said Dahlgren.

The guidelines have already been adopted within recent state and federal conservation plan amendments in Utah, Dahlgren said. They also could serve as a case study for other states that want to set their own standards, and to manage other species that occupy diverse habitats across broad regions.

Credit: Craig Marshall

8 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Delving into endangered kangaroo rats’ habitat preferences

When efforts to translocate the federally endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) failed, San Diego Zoo Global biologists set out to determine specific features the rodent preferred, at both landscape and microhabitat scales, to inform restoration efforts.

In a study published in Global Ecology and Conservation, lead author Rachel Chock, a postdoctoral associate for San Diego Zoo Global, and her colleagues used recent trapping data to create species distribution models and made note of which features were associated Credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife with San Bernardino kangaroo rat occupancy. A bobcat carries prey at a wildlife underpass.

From a landscape perspective, they found the Predators affect how animals use underpasses kangaroo rat is associated with fluvent soils — soils associated with periodic floods that are As California prepares to upgrade a series of wildlife underpasses deposited near stream channels or on alluvial built to keep mule deer from crossing a busy highway, wildlife fans. They also found the species is likely to managers wanted to get a sense of how well the current be found in sage scrub, particularly near rivers structures were working. While a variety of species were using the and streams. underpasses, they found, the presence of predators and humans was affecting how they used them.

TWS member Molly Caldwell, a scientific aide with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and lead author on the study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, and her colleague TWS member Mario Klip, a CDFW environmental scientist, used remote cameras on three 40-year-old underpasses in the Hallelujah Junction Wildlife Area in Sierra County to see how animals were using them. Their cameras picked up 3,589

Credit: Art Davenport detections — mostly mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), but also mountain lions (Puma concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), The San Bernardino kangaroo rat is federally endangered and is a candidate for listing under the bobcats (Lynx rufus), California quail (Callipepla californica), California Endangered Species Act. rodents, hares and rabbits.

In terms of microhabitat, Chock and her “Mule deer, in particular, seemed to avoid using underpasses colleagues found that moderate shrub and highly used by their predators — mountain lions,” Caldwell said. grass cover as well as plenty of open, sandy The cats followed mule deer daily activity patterns, but they ground are most important for kangaroo rats. The avoided underpasses when humans were around. Coyotes sought species is now being considered for state listing out underpasses where rodents and other small prey were more under the California Endangered Species Act. common. “We’re excited to share these findings with The findings offer a rare glimpse into how decades-old the state,” she said. “It really shows the best underpasses are used, Klip said, and they show that managers available data for what habitat they are need “to make sure that prey, like mule deer, aren’t discouraged restricted to, and it is critical to minimize future development in some of these areas.” from using underpasses.”

Orphaned bears succeed after release in Tennessee

Orphaned black bears (Ursus americanus) have high survival rates after being returned to the wild, researchers found.

The study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management looked at rehabilitated bears in Tennessee after a year with a low production of acorns — a staple food source for bears — resulted in a high number of abandoned cubs.

Credit: UBC Faculty of Forestry “We had all these bear cubs and yearlings wandering around basically emaciated, starving,” said lead author Restored seismic lines may not be enough to conserve Coy Blair, who studied the bears as part of his master’s woodland caribou. work at the University of Tennessee.

Restored seismic lines don’t help Wildlife officials transported the orphaned bears to caribou in the short-term Appalachian Bear Rescue, which rehabilitates black bears for release back into the wild. Monitoring bears outfitted Restoring seismic lines created for oil and gas with GPS tracking collars, Blair and his colleagues found operations doesn’t help caribou recover in the short 93% survived in the wild at least a year. They succeeded term, researchers found. in finding good places to den, researchers found, and few had conflicts with humans. Using camera traps, researchers wanted to see if revegetation would help caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) and discourage predators and competitors that take advantage of the corridors. But most species, including caribou, showed little difference in their use of restored and unrestored seismic lines.

“The caribou conundrum is a big issue in Canada, particularly in western Canada, where we’re seeing these big declines in woodland caribou populations driven by habitat loss and degradation due to industrial resource extraction activities,” said TWS member Cole Burton, an author on the study published in Biological Conservation and Canada research chair of terrestrial mammal conservation.

“We know restoration is long term,” Burton said. “A low productivity environment takes a while for vegetation Credit: Eileen Hornbaker, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to grow back. On the other hand, caribou don’t have Most orphaned bears survived in the wild after rehabilitation. the luxury of time.”

Recent Most-Read Articles on wildlife.org. Contributed by David Frey, Dana Kobilinsky and Joshua • JWM: Choppers firing painkiller bait control treesnakes Rapp Learn • Researchers say Mexican ranch likely source of Ariz. ocelots • Researchers call for protections for California spotted owl

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AllMedia_2020.indd 23 1/7/20 2:08 PM State of Wildlife Regional news around The Wildlife Society’s Sections

CENTRAL MOUNTAINS & PLAINS that align with the value Wyoming people have for wildlife,” Wyoming Game and Wolf pack appears in Colorado Fish Director Brian Nesvik said. Sources: Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials Gov. Gordon’s office, NPS believe a gray wolf pack is occupying the state for the first time in about 70 years. In January, wildlife officers visited NORTHEAST a site in northwest Colorado where an animal carcass was surrounded by what Massachusetts votes to ban predator killing contests appeared to be wolf tracks. As they attempted to locate the wolves (Canis Contests for killing furbearing animals are lupus), they reported hearing distinct now banned in Massachusetts after a vote howls. “Right after our two officers heard by state wildlife officials. The changes the howls from the wolves, they used will primarily affect coyote (Canis latrans) binoculars to observe approximately six Credit: kbtrafficman hunting contests, although the ban wolves about 2 miles from the location Nonnative mountain goats compete with also applies to any contest for bobcats of the carcass,” said CPW Northwest bighorns at Grand Teton National Park. (Lynx rufus), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Region Manager JT Romatzke, in a press gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), release. “After watching them for about NPS cancels aerial mountain goat weasels, minks (Neovison vison), skunks, 20 minutes, the officers rode in to get a removal plans for Grand Teton river otters (Lontra canadensis), muskrats closer look. The wolves were gone, but they found plenty of large tracks in the The National Park Service backed off area.” Lone wolves have made periodic plans to use aerial shooting to remove appearances in the state over the years, invasive mountain goats from Grand but this is believed to be the first pack in Teton National Park after Wyoming Gov. Colorado since the 1930s. The discovery Mark Gordon wrote a sharply worded comes as voters consider a ballot measure letter opposing it. “I look forward to a that would require the state to develop more fruitful conversation about better a restoration plan to reintroduce wolves. ways to address this issue in a more Source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife cooperative manner,” Gordon said a press release. The park has a small, isolated population of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), which use the same resources as mountain goats (Oreamnos

americanus). The mountain goats, Credit: tjflex2 which invaded the park after being Massachusetts has banned contests for killing introduced nearby for hunting, can also coyotes and other furbearers. transmit disease to the sheep. As goat numbers increased, sheep populations (Ondatra zibethicus), beavers (Castor declined. “The park’s plan is to protect canadensis), fishers (Martes pennanti), the vulnerable native bighorn sheep raccoons (Procyon lotor) and opossums herd so they have the opportunity to (Didelphis virginiana). “MassWildlife’s thrive in [the park],” said Grand Teton proposed regulations address public spokesperson Denise Germann. The concerns that certain hunting contests park planned to use aerial operations to are unethical, contribute to the waste of remove the goats, a technique officials animals and incentivize indiscriminant considered most effective on the killing of wildlife, which is inconsistent challenging, steep terrain. State wildlife with the North American Model of Wildlife officials have advocated for a skilled Conservation,” the state’s Division volunteer program to remove goats of Fisheries and Wildlife wrote in a Credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife from the ground. “We remain prepared summary of proposed draft regulations. This set of wolf tracks was discovered in to work with Grand Teton to meet their The summary said that current harvests northwest Colorado. management objectives using methods do not reduce coyote populations and

12 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society that coyote predation does not have an said. Researchers have found an average “appreciable impact” on deer populations, of 599 million birds are killed by striking which are thriving in the state. The new windows in the U.S. every year, and on rules also ban the “wanton waste” of game average, about 24 birds per high rise animals harvested during hunting and building are killed in a year. Source: New York trapping seasons — animals intentionally City Council left in the field without a reasonable effort to retrieve and use them. Members of the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife SOUTHWEST Board voted in December after staff from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries New Mexico sets new trapping regulations and Wildlife conducted a review and held public hearings on the issue. Source: The New Mexico State Game Commission Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has approved a suite of new trapping regulations, including a ban on cougar Credit: Justin Shoemaker (Puma concolor) trapping and mandatory New York City enforces bird-friendly New regulations in New Mexico ban cougar training for anyone who purchases a trapping. glass use trapping license. The commission also The New York City Council voted to approved a ban on traps on certain public on trap and snare design. The new improve bird protection by requiring new lands, including around Albuquerque, regulations, which must be reviewed every buildings to include features like patterned Santa Fe, Taos and Las Cruces, and within four years, followed a failed bill introduced glass to reduce avian collisions. The city a half-mile of official trailheads, in an effort in the state legislature that largely would council voted 41-3 to update the building to reduce potential conflict with hikers and have banned traps, snares and animal code to include bird-friendly features dogs. “The evolution of traps and their poison on public land. The decision to on the bottom 75 feet of new buildings continued use in wildlife management ban cougar trapping came after animal starting in December 2020. Acceptable have been crucial to the reintroduction and welfare groups filed a lawsuit arguing that materials used for constructing these restoration of threatened and endangered traps threatened protected species like parts will be gauged based on bird threat species in New Mexico, and the protection Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) and standards set by the American Bird of both wildlife and human populations,” that quotas for cougars were unsustainably Conservancy. “The [NYC Department New Mexico Game & Fish staff members high. Source: New Mexico Game & Fish of Buildings] shall issue, and update as wrote in a briefing on the regulations. necessary, bird friendly building design Other regulations, based on best and construction requirements,” the bill management practices, set parameters WEST Sierra Nevada red fox proposed for listing The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing a population of the Sierra Nevada red fox as endangered. A subspecies of the red fox, the Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) is one of the rarest mammals in North America, with fewer than 100 individuals believed to remain. Two population segments are believed to exist — one near Yosemite National Park and another in the southern Cascade Range of Oregon and California. By the early 2000s, some biologists believed the Sierra Nevada population, located near Yosemite, to be extinct before a small remnant population Credit: Ajay Suresh was confirmed in 2010. That group, New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center uses patterned glass to reduce bird collisions. considered a distinct population segment,

list. When first listed as endangered in 1967, prior to the Endangered Species Act, only a few hundred individuals were believed to occupy areas with undisturbed native vegetation. Today, about 3,000 individuals are believed to occupy a range of landscapes, including native and nonnative forests and agricultural lands, and a number of habitat restoration efforts are believed to be benefiting the species. “Our review of the status of this species shows that the rangewide Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region population estimates have been stable Credit: Jim Hudgins/USFWS Fewer than 100 Sierra Nevada red foxes are for at least 30 years, and that the species A Michigan bill to allow deer and elk baiting and believed to remain. is not currently, nor is likely to become feeding has been vetoed. again, an endangered species within the likely has no more than 50 adults and may foreseeable future in all or a significant throughout the Lower Peninsula and in have as few as 10, prompting the USFWS portion of its range,” the USFWS wrote Upper Peninsula core CWD surveillance to consider it — but not the Cascade in the Federal Register announcing its areas. Source: State of Michigan population — for listing. It is at risk of decision in January. The hawk has long extinction, the Service concluded, “due to been at the center of controversy, with a variety of factors, including the effects some calling for its removal from the SOUTHWEST of small population size and continued endangered species list since 1997. Source: Florida approves conservation plans for hybridization with nonnative red foxes.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rats, snakes and other species Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

NORTH CENTRAL Hawaiian hawk removed from endangered list Michigan governor keeps deer and elk baiting illegal The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed the ’io, or Hawaiian hawk (Buteo Deer and elk baiting and feeding will still solitarius), from the endangered species be considered illegal in Michigan after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a state bill that would have allowed the practices. “This legislation would’ve increased the chance of spreading wildlife disease Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife within wildlife populations and the beef Florida has created a conservation plan to protect and dairy industries, which are vital to the Pine Barrens tree frog and six other species. Michigan’s economy,” Whitmer said in a release. “That’s not a risk we can afford The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation to take.” The bill would have stopped the Commission approved conservation plans Natural Resources Commission’s authority for seven species of special conservation to regulate baiting and feeding, which concern, including three state-threatened are used to lure the animals during hunts. species. The Sanibel Island rice rat The commission has banned the activity (Oryzomys palustris sanibeli), the in an effort to control wildlife diseases, bluenose shiner (Pteronotropis welaka) which can spread more easily when deer and the short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis and elk congregate around bait. Whitmer extenuata) are all state-listed as said the ban particularly helps curb the threatened in Florida. Officials outlined spread of chronic wasting disease, which plans for them, including management has affected deer and elk populations to improve local conditions, monitoring Credit: Thomas Tunsch throughout much of the United States programs, water quality improvement, About 3,000 ’ios are believed to exist. and Canada. The order bans feeding public outreach and narrowing data gaps,

14 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society according to the state’s Imperiled Species Management Plan. While the Pine Barrens tree frog (Dryophytes andersonii), Lake Eustis pupfish (Cyprinodon variegatus variegatus), white ibis (Eudocimus albus) and snowy egret (Egretta thula) were removed from the state Endangered and Threatened Species List in 2017, the FWC outlined continued plans to protect and conserve the species to keep populations healthy enough to avoid a relisting. “Species guidelines are designed to be a tool for landowners, consultants, agency Chronic partners and other interested parties on wasting disease has been how to conserve these species,” the FWC confirmed in a said in a statement. “The guidelines for Montana elk. state-designated threatened species offer Credit: Venture West options for avoidance, minimization and mitigation of take.” Source: Florida Fish and around 5,000 to 7,000 animals likely due NORTHWEST Wildlife Conservation Commission to overhunting, environmental changes and rebounding predator populations. CWD confirmed more widely in Montana In the 1990s, efforts to recover the herd, Chronic wasting disease has been CANADA including curbing the harvest, altering confirmed for the first time among elk military training around calving grounds, and moose in Montana after free testing Yukon opens Fortymile caribou predator control and habitat management, provided to hunters revealed the disease herd hunt helped the herd rebound. By 2017, the is much more widespread across the state As the Fortymile caribou herd population population increased to around 84,000. than managers previously thought. The bounces back from historical lows in the The new harvest, opened Jan. 1, will also deadly prion disease was first confirmed 1950s to 1970s, Canada is opening a hunt include a summer/fall hunting season. in 2017 in south central Montana and for the first time in 25 years. “I think it’s Managers encouraged First Nations was found again the next year along the great news,” said Mike Suitor, the North people to hunt and adjusted harvesting state’s northern border. Emily Almberg, Slope and migratory caribou biologist for time so hunters don’t impact the migratory a disease ecologist with Montana Fish, Fish and Wildlife Environment Yukon. “The period. “A lot of the design of the hunt we Wildlife and Parks, said that state officials caribou herd was in horrific shape, similar came up with reflects direct community increased surveillance efforts and tested a to what other caribou are going through issues as well as meeting the management greater number of samples from hunters, today.” The herd, which migrates between needs of the herd,” Suitor said. Source: Fish which revealed the disease was present in Canada and Alaska, reached lows of and Wildlife Environment Yukon northwestern, eastern and southwestern parts of Montana. The disease has been found in all cervid species in the state, including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus canadensis). “All this is to say it’s much more widespread than we had previously believed,” Almberg said. “Now just comes the task of trying to manage it, of keeping it at a low level so we don’t see population-level impacts.” Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks The Fortymile caribou herd has rebounded from a low of around Contributed by David Frey, Dana Kobilinsky 5,000 individuals. and Joshua Rapp Learn Credit: Alfred Cook

Influencing Wildlife Policy Behind the Scenes ALAN WENTZ WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PASSING KEY CONSERVATION LAWS

By Dana Kobilinsky

rare neuromuscular disease forced Alan A school essay about moving to Canada to be a fur Wentz to retire early, but it hasn’t stopped trapper when he grew up so startled his fifth grade A him from keeping up with the latest in the teacher that she called a conference with his mother. wildlife profession. From his wheelchair, he continues His dream might make for a good Jack London to read, write and edit papers, all while dealing with story, but it was an uncommon career choice for the symptoms of primary lateral an Ohio boy. sclerosis, which causes progressive muscle weakness. His mother wasn’t worried. The only problem, she told the teacher, was that “he was born 100 years too Throughout his career, and continu- late!” (Eventually the schools became more under- ing through retirement, Wentz has standing. In 2018, he was named the first inductee made a lasting impact on wildlife into the Kenton City Schools Hall of Fame.) management and conservation, particularly in the policy arena. Wentz never became a 20th century voyageur. His A TWS member since 1967 and a love of wildlife and reading led him to the Ohio State Certified Wildlife Biologist®, he University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science earned the Society’s highest honor degree in agriculture and biological conservation. last year when he was awarded the When his professor was injured in an automobile Aldo Leopold Memorial Award for accident during Wentz’s senior year, the botany outstanding contributions to the department turned to Wentz to finish teaching the field. From incorporating key con- local flora course. servation provisions into the 1985

Credit: John Hoffman/Ducks Unlimited Farm Bill to working to eliminate After graduating in 1969, Wentz continued his lead shot from waterfowl hunting to schooling at Oregon State University, where he Alan Wentz many appearances before congressional committees, earned his master’s degree studying the impacts received the 2019 Wentz has used his wildlife expertise to influence of invasive nutria (Myocastor coypus) on national Aldo Leopold Memorial Award. policy at the state and national levels. wildlife refuges in the state. He went on to earn his PhD in wildlife management at the University of “He is an individual who works behind the scenes Michigan, focusing on wetlands ecology and man- and gets results,” said TWS President Gary White. agement — an arena that would define much of the “He has innovative ideas and doesn’t require credit rest of his career. for these ideas to get them implemented.” Turning toward policy Bookshelves and fencerows Wentz began his wildlife career at South Dakota Since before he can even remember, Wentz was pas- State University, but even as a professor, his interest sionate about the outdoors. “When I was 5 years old turned toward policy. Worried by plans to channelize or younger, I’d just take off and go exploring,” Wentz the Big Sioux River, he and fellow faculty member said. “I would wander off to fencerows and woodlots Chuck Scalet went fishing, landing five tiny river on the farm.” fishes. They registered them as state and national records — an action meant to demonstrate the river’s Growing up in Ohio farm country, he enjoyed hunt- biodiversity at risk. ing and fishing. But he also holed up in the library, where he fostered a love for reading and writing. “I After about seven years, Wentz left university life remember the local librarian always kicking me out for the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, at night,” he said. where he became director of the fisheries and wildlife

16 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society division, leading a team of staff biologists, attorneys ing behind the scenes or in public and lobbyists focused on advocating for fish, wildlife view, Alan was always there advocat- and their habitats nationwide and beyond. ing conservation.”

“As a conservation advocate, Alan has always shown A TWS leader tact and creativity,” said retired NWF senior scien- Wentz’s commitment to wildlife tist Doug Inkley. included work with TWS, and he encouraged his staff to become At the time, Wentz felt, conservation was “under at- involved, too. He served as TWS tack,” but he racked up a series of accomplishments. president and editor of the Wildlife His efforts contributed to the establishment of the Society Bulletin, was one of three North American Waterfowl Management Plan, compilers of TWS’ Waterfowl Ecol- the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, a ogy and Management: Selected nationwide ban on lead shot for waterfowl hunting Readings, co-authored a chapter Courtesy Alan Wentz and key provisions in the 1985 Farm Bill that incen- in The Wildlife Management Tech- tivized farmers to set aside tens of millions of acres niques Manual, and was a leader Alan Wentz of land for conservation. Working with legislators in translating the fourth edition of the Techniques conducts field work from both sides of the aisle — Rep. Tom Daschle, a Manual into Spanish. Wentz also was instrumental as a student. He graduated from Oregon Democrat from South Dakota, and Sen. Bob Kasten, in gaining support and obtaining membership to State University in a Republican from Wisconsin — Wentz and fellow help support the Society’s wildlife policy program. 1969 with his master’s NWF staffer Bob Davison drafted the bill’s so-called degree after studying “swampbuster” provisions to protect agricultural He continues to work on projects after his retire- invasive nutria. He later wetlands — provisions that still stand today. ment. He collaborated with colleagues on Boone earned a PhD in wildlife management at the and Crockett’s North American Wildlife Policy & University of Michigan. Ahead of his time Law textbook published last year. “Alan didn’t see roadblocks. He saw opportunities,” Inkley said. “Alan could always see through the “As an editor for the book, I recruited Alan to au- haze, identifying and even creating pathways lead- thor the chapter on migratory wildlife,” said Wini ing to conservation successes.” Kessler, who, like Wentz, is a past TWS president and Aldo Leopold Memorial Award recipient. “He Wentz left the NWF to serve as assistant secretary of graciously accepted the assignment and completed the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks under a beautiful draft in record time.” Gov. Mike Hayden where they focused on protect- ing, restoring and expanding the Cheyenne Bottoms Leaving a legacy wetland ecosystem. Their work led the site to be On top of his own work, Wentz is also proud of the designated a Wetland of International Importance work of graduate and undergraduate students he’s under the Ramsar Convention, an international worked with. treaty for conserving wetlands — the first time a state-owned wildlife area joined national wildlife “The expression ‘his door was always open’ applied refuges on the list. to Alan, and there are many who benefited from this personal and professional guidance, counsel and In 1991, Wentz began a 20-year career with Ducks wisdom,” Inkley said. Unlimited, where he fought to protect millions of acres of wetlands, helped oversee Mexican opera- Last fall, when the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award was tions, worked closely with Canadian operations and presented at the annual conference in Reno, Wentz’s continued work on NAWCA until retiring in 2010. physical condition prevented him from participating. He appeared instead in a pre-recorded video. “Early on, Alan recognized the threat of climate Dana change to all wetlands, especially isolated wetlands,” “I’ve known a lot of people who received that same Kobilinsky is associate editor Inkley said. “Despite the slow recognition of this recognition, and I’m honored to be thought of in the for The Wildlife threat by many, we collaborated to bring this issue same context,” Wentz said. “It’s a lot to live up to, Society. to the forefront through education. Whether work- and I’ll try my best to continue to do what I can.”

CONNECTING HABITATS TO CONSERVE WILDLIFE

By Joshua Rapp Learn

By the end of its far-ranging life, the wolverine known as M56 had overcome untold obstacles as it traversed thousands of miles of wild country. After capturing and collaring it in northwestern Wyoming in 2008, biologists were able to track it for four years before the transmitter died. By the time it was found in 2016, it had traversed the Wind River Range and reached the Granite Mountains and the Snowy Range. It crossed roads and highways throughout at least four states, including Colorado, where it spent Rarely seen on the landscape, wolverines three years or more, and North Dakota, where it became the only are particularly sensitive to habitat confirmed wolverine in recent state history before a rancher killed connectivity issues. Credit: ©Steven Gnam it for distressing livestock.

18 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Credit: Michael A. Sawaya

While M56’s travels were substantial, its journey Wolverines aren’t alone. Habitat connectivity is Roads, logged areas represents an outlier when it comes to wolverine required to sustain populations of a vast array of and a mine contribute to (Gulo gulo) dispersal. “It highlights what wolverines species around the world. Even coral anchored to a fragmented landscape are capable of, but it’s probably not the norm,” said the seafloor needs ways to disperse larvae. Obsta- in the Canadian Rockies that affects the dispersal TWS member Nichole Bjornlie, the nongame mam- cles can also impact wildlife ordinarily tolerant of of wolverines. mal biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish the human footprint. Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos Department. A growing body of research aided by horribilis) in southwestern Canada show aversion technology developed in the past two decades has al- to roads and other development. Mountain lions lowed biologists and wildlife managers to gain a better (Puma concolor) can adapt to living alongside understanding of the types of obstacles that prove too cities and subdivisions, but massive highways in much for most wolverines. Roads, railways, warming the mountains around Los Angeles have walled in climates and human activity are just some barriers to their populations and constricted their gene flow. dispersal for the cryptic animals, which are already Bison (Bison bison) populations were decimated averse to human presence on the landscape. centuries ago due to indiscriminate, unregulated

take. Now that conservation efforts are allowing populations to grow, fences and private ranches are blocking their ability to roam widely across the Great Plains once more. Even native birds and pollinators, which can fly over many obstacles, still rely on landscapes unbroken by residential development.

Increasingly, biologists and wildlife managers are looking at habitat connectivity as a key to conserv- Aerin Jacob ing and recovering a range of species. “We have to participates in a 2018 be thinking across state and provincial boundar- Bioblitz in northern British Columbia’s ies,” said TWS member Aerin Jacob, a conservation Hart mountain range. scientist with Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Jacob works with the Initiative, a joint Canada-U.S. not-for-profit organi- Yellowstone to Yukon zation working to connect wild areas. Conservation Initiative, which strives to connect wild areas between the Big barriers for small numbers U.S. national park and Wolverines spend much of their lives crossing the Canadian territory. large landscapes. Territorial males have ranges as large as 385 square miles, which overlap very little A wolverine appears with the territories of other males. Individuals — at a camera trap as M56 showed — may disperse over vast areas site in the Absaroka Mountains in Wyoming. during their lifetimes. The animals’ ecosystem is severely fragmented Female wolverines aren’t quite as wayfaring. in the southern part of Research in southwestern Canada shows that busy their range. Credit: Tristan Brand highways may stop them from dispersing toward states in the U.S. that form the southern edge of their current range.

TWS member Mike Sawaya, a research ecologist at the independent wildlife research consultancy Sinopah Wildlife Research Associates, conducted a recent study with TWS member Tony Clevenger from the Western Transportation Institute that tracked wolverines on both sides of parts of the major Trans-Canada Highway before wildlife crossings and fences were built. The highway slices through both Banff and Yoho national parks. Their team collected scat samples and hair from snags to determine population size, sex and the family relationships of wolverines in the area. They exam- ined mitochondrial and nuclear DNA in an effort to determine how the animals had been dispersing for several generations back.

Among males, they found “a free flow of genes going across the highway,” but the data on females showed just the opposite. This is partly a reflection of wolverine behavior. Young females typically don’t Credit: Mark Gocke/Wyoming Game and Fish Department disperse as far as males, setting up comparatively

20 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society smaller home ranges near the ones in which they “The cumulative effect of having all those linear bar- were raised. But human barriers like a highway can riers to movement is going to be greater than just stifle their already lower tendency to move. having the road alone,” Sawaya said.

“Home ranges tend to pile up along the highway Fragmented in the south itself,” Sawaya said, pointing to published studies Even if females do make it across the Bow Valley, with other species and ongoing, not-yet-published which in Sawaya’s study area sits 150 miles from radio telemetry research that seems to show the the U.S. border, things get a lot more complicated same phenomenon with wolverines. Female wol- in the south. verines come up against highways and don’t cross. Historically, wolverines ranged from northern It’s unclear whether it was the highway alone in Canada as far as the Sierra Nevada in California and Wolverines, like the Canadian national parks that blocked females were found throughout most western states. But this one dwarfed from dispersing across the Bow Valley, Sawaya the fur trade, predator control and habitat loss and by the Montana said, or if a parallel set of train tracks or even the fragmentation led to the extirpation of the mus- landscape, often Bow River played a role. These obstacles likely telids from nearly all of the United States except select high altitudes combine with the various human structures and Alaska. Since harvest has slowed, some animals are in the south of their range where they can towns in this relatively busy part of otherwise wild moving back into parts of their former range — as find deep snow for areas, he said. long as they can make it there. their dens.

Credit: ©Steven Gnam

Scientists are still learning about what wolverines need to thrive, but they know that having suitable denning areas is critical. In the heart of their range in relatively uninhabited parts of northern Canada, trapper-assisted research shows that females will den in holes from uprooted trees (Webb et al 2019). To the south, they tend to prefer rugged, mountainous areas with snow suitably deep for den digging.

In places like southwestern Montana, higher altitude areas function like islands surrounded by flatter sagebrush environments, Sawaya said. “The habitat, even without any human influence, is going to be naturally more broken up,” he said. Travels like those of M56 show that some individuals can overcome these issues, but roads, fences or other human structures stack the odds against the animals — especially females.

Getting over the problem The Trans-Canada has been a challenge for wildlife for decades. In the 1980s, the highway was known as “The Meatmaker” since so many animals were being struck by vehicles, causing problems for human safety as well as wildlife populations. The Canadian government addressed the issue by building fences and dozens of crossing structures in Banff National Park starting in the late 1980s. Several years ago, Sawaya and Clevenger conducted research on how bears were using these structures.

They found that not all crossing structures are equally effective. Like wolverines, male grizzly bears were much more flexible in their dispersal than Credit: Mirjam Barrueto females. Males were not as picky, even making use of small metal culverts under the road. Females Researcher Mike Conservation efforts for wolverines and their “seem to really prefer the big open overpasses, the Sawaya stands at a habitats have led to a recovery in parts of Washing- least constricted and most expensive structures,” hair trap site in the Canadian Rockies. ton, Idaho, Oregon and Montana, but occurrences Sawaya said. outside these core areas are sparse. Wolverines still face significant challenges in recolonizing other This is likely because male grizzlies will sometimes parts of their historic range. kill cubs to motivate a female to breed with them. “Females are going to be extra cautious going “They have this fierce reputation, but I think it’s through areas that other bears are using,” he said. also important for people to think about the fact that they’re vulnerable,” Jacob said. But genetic analysis showed that both grizzly and black bears (Ursus americanus) were using the While much of the region is wild, “parts are structures enough to ensure gene flow across the busy, busy landscapes with a lot going on,” she highway. “The results of all of that were very en- said. “If the wolverines can’t get down there, couraging,” Sawaya said. “The individuals that were they aren’t dispersing successfully, and they using the crossings were definitely breeding and aren’t going to breed.” mixing genes across the highway.”

22 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Credit: Adam Ford The research had practical applications and can But there are also some secondary effects on hopefully be used to plan better connectivity in the the population trapped in the area. Another A wildlife overpass crosses the Trans- future. “In some ways, the data are useful in justify- recent study Benson published with colleagues Canada Highway in ing the building of the more expensive structures,” showed that cougar-on-cougar violence appears Banff National Park. Sawaya said. to be higher in this area (Benson et al 2019). In optimal conditions, young mountain lions will dis- City cats in a bottleneck perse from their mother’s home range once they While wolverines face fragmentation in otherwise are old enough to make it on their own. But since A grizzly bear wide-open areas, mountain lions in Southern most of the home ranges in the Santa Monica uses a metal California are being held in effective captivity by Mountains are already occupied, young males culvert underpass. development. A small population in the Santa have nowhere else to go. Researchers found Monica Mountains northwest of sprawling Los An- that male grizzlies are geles is surrounded by freeways and urbanization, GPS collar data shows cougars attempting to leave less leery than females about using structures making it difficult for individuals to disperse into or their home ranges. They hang around the edges of like these to cross out of the area. freeways or developments for a time, then appear roads.

“[Mountain lions] are pretty good at getting through relatively inhospitable landscapes, but there’s a limit to that,” said TWS member John Benson, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska. Benson studies mountain lions in Southern Cali- fornia in collaboration with biologists from the National Park Service who have conducted research on the population in the Santa Monica Mountains for 18 years.

Research he and colleagues published last year suggests the low genetic diversity of the stranded Santa Monica mountain lions could lead to the population’s demise unless new individuals make it inside the area and successfully mate and reproduce with the resident cats (Benson et al 2019). Credit: www.highwaywilding.org

to eventually give up and come back into areas al- P22 was discovered in 2012 in Griffith Park — a ready dominated by a larger adult male, where they park within the city of Los Angeles surrounded by often get killed, Benson said. densely populated neighborhoods and freeways. Genetic samples taken from the animal showed A cougar odyssey that it was born in the Santa Monica Mountains One cougar in the Santa Monica Mountains has population and somehow managed to disperse its own epic dispersal story. A lone male called through a series of barriers that wildlife managers would have considered unsurmountable.

“We’re not sure how he pulled that off,” Benson said. “He must have passed through that highly urban environment and crossed some of the busiest freeways in Southern California.”

But while it demonstrates an incredible journey, P22’s home range in Griffith Park is one of the smallest ranges among male mountains lions ever recorded. The cat, about 10 or 11 years old, will likely never get a chance to breed due to the lack of nearby females, which, similar to wolverines and grizzlies, tend to disperse less than males.

Credit: National Park Service “P22 is an amazing case in terms of dispersal movement, but we cannot consider it success- A mountain lion appears in the Verdugo ful dispersal because he has not reproduced,” Mountains above Los Benson said. Angeles. Mountain lion populations near the Corridors to success city are impacted by Building wildlife bridges and underpasses can roads and development on the landscape. improve connectivity in some areas, but in other cases, the challenges are much greater. Jacob and National Park her organization, Yellowstone to Yukon, have Service biologists fit been working to connect wild lands in the roughly a tracking collar on a 2,000 miles between these two areas in an effort mountain lion in a park to provide wide-dispersing species like wolverines near Los Angeles. and grizzlies corridors across the landscapes they use. The work involves collaboration among over 450 partners, including private landowners; land trusts; and state, federal and tribal governments over the last 25 years.

Fort Peck’s Assiniboine and Sioux tribes in Montana recently received 55 bison bulls from Yellowstone, adding to a herd consisting of about 350 animals roaming on 17,000 acres, said Robbie Magnan, director of the Fort Peck Tribes Fish and Game Department.

The Fort Peck reservation plans to continue sharing bison with other tribes to expand their range and reestablish a wide-ranging herd. Credit: National Park Service

24 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society “It’s very important for the tribes to connect the land,” Magnan said, adding that efforts to ac- quire more grasslands will also improve habitat Missing migration connections connectivity for species like greater sage-grouse Habitat connectivity not only affects the ability of species to disperse. (Centrocercus urophasianus). For migratory species like these below, it can be critical in allowing them to move seasonally between different parts of their range. Y2Y is also working with the Blackfoot Confedera- cy’s bison program and other projects like mountain Boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) embark on vast caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) conservation seasonal migrations. At the southern edge of their range, herds can be with Treaty 8 First Nations in British Columbia. obstructed by roads, development and seismic surveying lines. In the north, climate change is affecting connectivity as shorter ice seasons Y2Y strives to consider the future when thinking reduce some herds’ ability to cross between northern Canadian islands. about connectivity. As the climate changes, the Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) travel from a summer range in the suitability of some of these areas for animals like wol- high country to low-elevation winter range. Biologists in Wyoming verines may diminish due to decreasing snowpack. discovered one herd makes a 150-mile migration from above the town of Hoback to the Red Desert, but oil and gas infrastructure in between “[Climate change] is a threat multiplier,” said Jacob. raises concerns about impacts on the herd. Take the message home Rufa red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) migrate between northern Improving connectivity of habitats doesn’t always in- Canada to as far as South America, but overharvesting of Atlantic volve vast, international efforts. Increasingly, research horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) at a key Delaware Bay stopover on urban and suburban areas shows that the choices is making the site less suitable. Climate change also may play a role, human residents make regarding lawn management shifting the seasonal timing of this food source. can improve connectivity on a yard-sized scale. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) take generations to migrate between Canada, the United States and northern Mexico, and they need Susannah Lerman, a research ecologist with the a steady supply of milkweed and other native plants along their routes. U.S. Forest Service, said that yards make up 15% After urbanization and land use changes eliminated these native plants to 18% of land in the U.S. and about 50% of urban from much of their range, efforts are underway to restore them. space. All of this land provides potential habitats for birds, reptiles and important pollinator species like Migratory bats, including hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), silver-haired bees and monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus which can’t execute their multi-generational migra- borealis) rely on specific routes that are increasingly used for wind tions without a good connection of milkweed along farms, which can be deadly for the bats. their routes. Other research shows that even larger Spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) migrate from species like foxes, coyotes (Canis latrans) and bears underground every spring to ponds where they breed. In New England, occasionally make use of urban areas. the U.S. Department of Transportation has built tunnels under roads in an effort to prevent them from being killed by traffic. One study Lerman led found that being a “lazy lawn mower” can improve bee diversity and population numbers by ensuring the growth of small flowers like dandelions and clovers (Lerman et al 2011). Other research she worked on in 2019 found that yards in Phoenix, Arizona, with more desert- like native plants and features had the highest diversity of native desert bird species like roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) and verdins (Auriparus flaviceps).

Credit: Fyn Kynd Photography “These yards are also supporting species of conservation concern. It’s not just these generalist urban Spotted salamanders' annual migration to breeding ponds is threatened by roads and other barriers. birds that are in these yards,” Lerman said. She’s now working on a larger project focusing on yards

Wolverine crossing Bjornlie sees the connection of wolverine habitat in similar terms. M56’s odyssey, as well as others — like a lone male wolverine in California thought to have dispersed from Idaho — shows that some wolverines can deal with constricted environments when moving between more suitable environments. Giving these animals the best chance to successfully disperse might mean “managing for wolverines within core habitat patches as well as better understanding movement and use in areas that aren’t necessarily core to their habitat,” she said.

Efforts in the north to provide more of these rare animals ways to cross the Trans-Canada Highway and eventually disperse into the U.S. may be pan- Credit: Sandy Harris ning out. Genetic work by Sawaya and Clevenger showed that an adult female crossed the Trans- Yards in Phoenix, in six U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Phoenix, Boston, Canada in Banff National Park, and camera trap Arizona, that had more desert-like plants had Baltimore, Minneapolis and Miami — and compar- footage suggests the animal may have even used a higher diversity of ing their management types. She and her colleagues an underpass in the area. If the crossing was a native desert birds like are also determining whether local rules may be fluke, Sawaya said, females may need to be trans- roadrunners. restricting homeowners from improving the habitat located in the future to improve the viability of suitability of their yards. She hopes that increasing southern populations. But construction of cross- the perception of yards as potential habitats will ing structures is ongoing in Yoho as Parks Canada help improve connectivity for native wildlife. expands on existing overpasses and underpasses, and this one female still provides a grain of hope A wolverine appears “One of the things to consider is to think beyond that broken connections may be on the mend in near a carrion site in the individual yard, looking at the yards as part of a these areas. Montana. neighborhood,” Lerman said. “It gives hope for reestablishing connectivity, especially because the crossing occurred at a relatively affordable crossing structure in what’s considered to be low-quality wolverine habitat,” Sawaya said.

Since then, he said, better, larger overpasses have been built in areas more suitable for wolverines. “These crossing structures may not be a silver bullet for wolverine connectivity,” Sawaya said, but “they would increase the genetic diversity and viability of smaller, and more fragmented populations to the south.”

Joshua Rapp Learn is a science writer for The Wildlife Society.

Credit: ©Steven Gnam

26 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Vol. 13 No. 6 November/December 2019

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The View from My Bucket REFLECTING ON THE IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVATION SKILLS, MENTORS AND LAND MANAGERS

By Leigh H. Fredrickson

Credit: Tom Koerner/USFWS

Aldo Leopold keynote address at the annual TWS confer- Fortunately, there were other outdoor opportuni- Memorial Award winner ence is a special opportunity to share my life ties that awaited. My first introduction to wetlands Leigh Fredrickson began experiences with wetlands. My presentation began in 1943 when my Dad, a cooper, took me to his career studying A wetlands by focusing at the 2019 conference in Reno, Nevada, in honor of an oxbow lake on the Missouri River to collect cat- on American coots. receiving the 2018 Aldo Leopold Memorial Award, tail leaves, which served as a sealant between staves was based on a lifetime of observations from experi- of oak barrels. Living within walking distance of this ences, mentors and land managers that shaped my unruly river exposed me to the power, productivity life and professional philosophy. and constant variability within a large floodplain. Before 1955, regularly occurring floods filled the My formative years were filled with interactions floodplain from the Nebraska hills to the loess bluffs with family and friends who shared a deep love and in Iowa and drastically changed the landscape. Here appreciation for the outdoors. I fondly recall my I watched a brood of wood ducks exit a natural grandmother sharing stories of harvesting prairie cavity high in a large cottonwood tree, which stimu- chickens to feed the family and an uncle describing lated my deep ecological interest. ducks darkening the sky in Minnesota. These tales made me aware of ecological changes that took place Exposure to these changing natural conditions and across generations and of conditions that no longer their consistent variability helped me develop keen exist for me to experience personally — except skills of observation at an early age. This provided through stories. a foundation for learning about and understanding

28 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society complex systems. A neighbor enrolled me in the local bird club and took me to Audubon films. This expanded my appreciation for the diversity of birds and the wonders of wetlands and wetland species, and they stimulated a strong interest in outdoor professions. In the words of Aldo Leopold, these experiences were building in me the basics of a “land ethic.”

Mentors help me get into the marsh My knowledge grew exponentially in 1957 when I enrolled at Iowa State College. My focus for a life profession working with wetland animals was initially compromised by the lack of apparent programs in college catalogs. After vacillating between forestry and general science, I joined the freshman class as an engineering student. Once on campus,

I learned of the Zoology Club, where two members Credit: Iowa State University Archives Special Collections and University Archives were enrolled in a fish and wildlife management curriculum. Wow! What a revelation! A program promised my ability to enroll in a graduate program Paul Errington, an with a focus on wild animals and their habitats! at other universities, so I accepted a helminthology Iowa State professor project at Iowa State. Eventually Milt offered me a and pioneer of wildlife ecology, was one This reshaped my thinking. The defining stimu- graduate opportunity late in my final quarter as an of many mentors lus came the day an engineering orientation class undergrad. Following his advice, I finished the para- who shaped Leigh featured civil engineering. We watched a film from sitology program while assisting Milt’s first graduate Fredrickson’s career. Shell Oil Co., which showed bulldozers downing cy- student — with a project on blasted potholes! That press trees, a species I recognized from one of those hooked me forever with mud and hydrogen sulfide Audubon films I watched as a kid about West Ten- and the need to get into the marsh. Leigh Fredrickson nessee’s Reelfoot Lake. After class, I switched my delivers the Aldo major to fish and wildlife management, and I never A niche in wetlands Leopold Memorial Award speech at the 2019 looked back. Instead, I was determined to fight the As I was completing my master’s degree, I started joint conference of The ideology promoted in that film by pursuing a career thinking about a PhD in marsh ecology. Discus- Wildlife Society and that embraced the environment. sions with Milt led to a PhD focusing on Fulica the American Fisheries americana, those fast flying, highly maneuverable, Society in Reno, Nevada. My wonderful undergraduate adviser made sure I had access to many opportunities. He introduced me to Paul Errington, an Iowa State professor who was a pioneer of wildlife ecology, and he explained that I should get a PhD — whatever that was. Because of my love for marshes, one of Errington’s graduate students introduced me to professor Milton Weller, who was dedicating his career to studying them. Milt had marsh pictures on the wall, duck decoys on his desk and a bookcase full of ornithological and wildlife titles.

Unfortunately, Milt was not yet teaching ecologically-based courses, nor could he have graduate students at the time. However, I weaseled employment with Milt and gained a broader exposure to environmental ethics, wetland and avian expertise and many scientific skills. My poor grades, which suffered due to my working a 40-hour week, com- Credit: The Wildlife Society

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 29 multicolored beauties of semipermanent marshes Teaching assistantships and employment with the known as American coots. Rather than species biol- Iowa Conservation Commission broadened my ogy, my research interest was tied to the ideas of perspective on marsh ecology, ornithology, working David Lack, the British evolutionary biologist. with land management professionals of the day and the joy of teaching. Providing wise insights at the early stages of project development, Paul Errington indicated to me that I would need 10 years to develop an understanding of my questions.

The PhD program identified my niche in the wetland and wildlife world, and it showed me the value of all intellects for land management success. Milt exposed me to the best professionals in the wildlife business, many of whom became important mentors. He allowed me to attend meetings with the Iowa Conservation Commis- sion, which provided guidance on how to deal with ignorance, politics and random agendas — in a gentlemanly manner.

Other important learning opportunities included watching the manager of the state-owned marshes in the Ruthven area of northwest Iowa struggle with handling 5,000 acres of prairie wetlands with nothing more than a 40-horsepower tractor and 5-foot implements. His background was strong in ornithology and science, but he was poorly

Courtesy Leigh Fredrickson prepared to manage land. His daily barrage of questions arising from his curiosity led to my understanding that interpretation of scientific studies for those with lesser experience in land management was needed.

A unique fellowship allowed me to spend more than a year in my study area, where I gained hands-on experience with wetlands and learned how to be functional in the face of an agricultural economy with very different goals for the land.

To be educated during this era was special. At the time, biologists Eugene and Howard Odom were promoting ecological thinking. My development was greatly influenced while teaching ornithology and watching over Milt’s graduate students during his sabbatical. This opportunity enhanced my interest in teaching college level courses, and it solidified my niche in the wetland arena — interfacing between land managers and researchers.

Leigh Fredrickson continues to conduct workshops to stimulate wetland management thinking and keep current on conservation challenges. Courtesy Leigh Fredrickson

30 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Mentors encourage me to share knowledge With PhD in hand and the support of my wife, Judy, who has a shared passion for the environment and land ethics, I accepted a tenured faculty position and the directorship of the Gaylord Memorial Laboratory. It was a cooperative venture between the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri, Columbia, and I held the position for nearly 40 years.

The lab was located on public land in southeast Missouri’s 28,000-acre Mingo Swamp, and I had 24/7 access to it. Ted Shanks, the chief of Mis- souri’s Wildlife Division, and Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Leader Tom Baskett were key to my hiring and the development of my conservation vision. Neither believed in borders, and they encouraged me to do research wherever I wished. But it was my responsibility to share what I Leigh Fredrickson suggests biologists learned with professionals. need to invest 10,000 hours on a bucket in These mentors encouraged me to attend a coastal the wild to understand marsh symposium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wetland ecology and management. where I met many lifelong friends who introduced Courtesy Leigh Fredrickson me to coastal marshes and the dynamics of the Atchafalaya River system. Here managers advised my philosophy based on my wetland and bioener- me of the need to better understand moist soil sys- getic understanding. tems and green tree reservoirs. I could now pass on my experiences across the na- Interactions with management professionals tion, combined with what I call the Weller tradition like these shaped my involvement with nation- and the Missouri Model for Conservation. I contin- wide conservation concerns. Having the unique ued to use Milt’s principles of education by example opportunity to be invited to inspect wetlands — attention to quality and detail, embracing a wide in different ecosystems across the nation was spectrum of intellects and talents, a healthy skep- transformative. Interacting with land managers at ticism about professional societies, tolerance for these diverse locations identified the differences different perspectives, patience for the naïve, a great among complex systems. sense of humor and many more.

During this time, bioenergetic studies identified the To this I added my understanding of bioenergetics, connections with morphology, behavior, physiology surface and subsurface hydrology, geomorphology and habitats. These new insights, along with the dif- and system functions. My 79 graduate students ferences in wetlands, guided what information was further educated me about wetlands and wildlife, required for land management decision making and and many have also followed in the Weller tradi- served as examples to share with undergrad and tion of carrying these ideals forward in agencies, graduate students. universities, nonprofits and consulting groups. Land managers have been key to my understanding of Importance of a diversity of intellects wetlands because of their constant questions to help With many projects completed and a growing ex- explain responses to their management actions. I posure to more wetland systems, I was positioned learned the repercussions of being bluntly honest to refine my ecological thinking — especially by about management. I was barred from an entire including abiotic factors in studies. I reshaped U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service region for a decade

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 31 and often was barred from individual refuges for embarrassed by weaknesses in my articulation of being blunt when my patience ran out with misdi- results in publications, which I fear could lead to rected management. misinterpretations of the key findings and direct readers toward failures. I finally learned that Over time, I accumulated broad wetland experience research tells a story concerning a certain period in all 50 states and several foreign countries, espe- in a wetland cycle, on a geomorphic surface with cially Canada, Mexico and Latvia. I was fortunate specific soils and hydrologic conditions where one enough to spend a career visiting various locations has selected a very small set of variables. In my in Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, California’s Central workshops, I caution participants to be skeptical Valley, the Middle Rio Grande in New Mexico, the about published information and to try to glean San Luis Valley of southern Colorado and over 300 important points that are applicable to their areas national wildlife refuges. based on conditions that might be comparable described in publications. These experiences solidified my handle as a “bucket man,” someone who spends hours observ- I was fortunate to be mentored by the best of the ing nature to uncover her secrets. I suggest one best, including five recipients of the Aldo Leopold must invest 10,000 hours on a bucket to achieve a Memorial Award – Milton Weller, Paul Errington, reasonable understanding of wetland ecology and Lucille Stickel, Frank Bellrose and Thomas management. Among my most satisfying successes Baskett, which led to much professional satisfac- are understanding avian energetics to identify tion and success. In addition to five Aldo Leopold the connection with birds and habitats across a Memorial Award recipients, other mentors are large spatial and temporal scale, understanding John Rogers, Ralph Palmer, Leroy Korschgen, cross-seasonal effects in migratory birds and many Clarence Cottam, Larry Jahn, Glen Sanderson, other successes in understanding tropical, arid and Tony Peterle, Al Hochbaum, Joe Linduska, Jim temperate regions. Nichols and Rollin Sparrowe.

Land managers are heroes of Reid Goforth, Harold Benson and Kenneth wildlife conservation Carlander were of immense value in identifying I continue to stimulate wetland management compassion, competence and leadership, as were thinking through the many workshops I still land managers who run the machinery, manipu- conduct. With an academic career completed, I late water control structures and monitor habitat desired to share my experiences with those who conditions that put habitat and wildlife on the haven’t had the same opportunities. Workshops land so that quantitative professionals have some- keep me current with contemporary conservation thing to argue over. These unrecognized workers challenges and support the development of land are my heroes. management expertise in agencies that is beyond university capabilities. Receiving the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award is a wonderful capstone to lifelong efforts to recognize Building a land ethic was a key aspect throughout my and promote the importance of all intellects in this entire life experience as a professional, a landowner, field and to support land management actions from a father and a family member. The need for patience the maintenance level on up the chain to head- and a willingness to attempt many different direc- quarter offices in state agencies and U.S. Fish and tions was demonstrated in all these efforts, and they Wildlife Service regions. must continue if we are to have sustainable natural systems in our future.

A key point I would like to make is this: We all need some assistance to be successful. Encoun- tering many personalities and talents of mentors Leigh H. Fredrickson is the 2018 resulted in great opportunities for success. I was Aldo Leopold Memorial Award fortunate to get a few things published, but my recipient. best thinking was in my letters to editors. I am

32 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Colleen Olfenbuttel, CWB®

Credit: Melissa McGaw/NC Wildlife Resources Commission

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Out in the Field A NEW LGBTQ+ INITIATIVE TAKES SHAPE WITHIN THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY

By Colleen Olfenbuttel, Travis Booms, Claire Crow, Katherine O’Donnell

he future is hard to predict, ing re-examining their organizations’ but we scientists love to try values to ensure a diverse and T anyway. We use probability supportive work environment. and models to make sense of data The Association of Fish and and project the future, and we use Wildlife Agencies asserts these those predictions to calculate core values for their staff and our actions. Sometimes, though, organization, which represents the best action is to ignore the all state and provincial wildlife calculations and allow your agencies in North America: “We instinct to decide. value people and treat them with respect and dignity” and “We value Credit: Katie O'Donnell Travis Booms did just that when he decided different opinions, backgrounds, to come out in his article “I Am One of Supporters of the and perspectives. We are not afraid to have You,” which appeared in The Wildlife Pro- Out in the Field initiative difficult conversations and maintain our wore rainbow lapel pins fessional March/April 2019 issue. He never at the 2019 AFS-TWS professionalism throughout.” expected his article to spark an initiative in Joint Conference in The Wildlife Society that would bring to- Reno, Nevada. As Travis pointed out in his article, many gether five strangers to hatch a plan, cause LGBTQ+ students and professionals still a room to overflow with wildlifers and lead TWS CEO feel they can’t be fully open with their colleagues, Ed Thompson, TWS President Gary White and other while others still face repercussions for being out or TWS leaders to stand up and eloquently voice their being outed by a colleague. But being out and open support for the LGBTQ+ wildlifer community. is an important component in building relationships with your colleagues, as strong relationships result Travis’ article sparked what has come to be known in collaboration, trust and teambuilding — all which as the “Out in the Field” initiative, a new effort that feed into one’s career success. began when four TWS members contacted Travis after his article was published to find out how they We wildlifers spend a lot of time with each other could answer his call to build a community for due to the nature of our work — long drives to field LGBTQ+ wildlifers in TWS. sites, remote camping for weeks, early mornings sitting in duck blinds, hours in planes for telemetry Out in the Field has three simple goals: (1) to flights, late nights mist-netting for bats. Naturally, increase visibility of LGBTQ+ wildlifers in TWS; we bond during these times, and not just over dis- (2) to build a community of LGBTQ+ wildlifers; cussions about the wildlife we study. and (3) to identify ways to support LGBTQ+ wildlifers, including students, in the wildlife profession. Our non-LGBTQ+ colleagues openly talk about their personal lives — their kids, spouses, families Being out and open and friends. They readily thank their spouses at Why is there a need? North American wildlife agen- award banquets and retirement parties. They bring cies, which are entrusted with the management and their significant others over for dinner with their conservation of the wildlife resource on behalf of the graduate advisor. public, are increasingly faced with a public that is far more diverse than the wildlife profession itself. Some Our LGBTQ+ colleagues, however, often hesitate agencies and organizations have recognized the need to do the same. In writing “I Am One of You”, to better represent their diverse stakeholders, includ- Travis wanted his fellow wildlifers to know that

34 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society we LGBTQ+ wildlifers want to participate in these important, interpersonal discussions around the What does LGBTQ+ mean? Just as many organizations and water cooler and not worry that doing so may lead agencies use initials to readily and easily identify themselves, LGBTQ+ to ostracism or harassment, slower career advance- is a shorthand way to represent a diversity of sexual and gender ment or losing our jobs. Though such consequences identities. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, are happily on the decline in many places, they queer and related identities. These letters, and the language used to continue to persist elsewhere. Our worries are very discuss these identities, have expanded over time to be inclusive and real and grounded in our lived experiences. representative of a variety of identities. Becoming visible The 2019 AFS-TWS Joint Conference in Reno, Nevada, served as the kickoff for this new initiative, the Southwest Section of TWS, the Student Develop- which is housed under TWS’ Ethnic and Gender Di- ment Working Group, the Early Career Professionals versity Working Group. The organizers were Travis Working Group and the International Wildlife Man- Booms, Claire Crow, Katie O’Donnell and Colleen agement Working Group) and individuals responded Olfenbuttel — all LGBTQ+ wildlifers — along with generously to our requests for help. Tad Theimer, an outspoken and key ally. We realized there was a need to let LGBTQ+ wildlife students To help fulfill the first goal of Out in the Field, we and professionals know that they too are welcome in created rainbow TWS pins, so that both LGBTQ+ TWS’ family and that they are not alone — that, just wildlifers and allies alike could visibly show their like their straight colleagues and friends, they can be support. We also decided to create “LGBTQ+ Am- open and truthful about who they are without fear of bassador” name badge ribbons that we and other repercussions or being marginalized. out LGBTQ+ TWS members could wear to identify ourselves. These ribbons increased our visibility to Over dinner, As Travis wrote, while being LGBTQ+ doesn’t affect each other and to conference attendees. organizers Travis Booms, our ability to do our jobs, being open and out can put Claire Crow, Katie our careers, families, financial wellbeing and possibly Wearers of the ribbons handed out the TWS rainbow O’Donnell (left to right) and Colleen Olfenbuttel our physical wellbeing at risk. And, unlike most other pins, ally pledge cards and LGBTQ+ informational (not pictured) meet for underrepresented groups, LGBTQ+ wildlifers are not cards. Because ambassadors self-identified as the first time to prepare easily identifiable, so we often don’t even know who LGBTQ+, other LGBTQ+ wildlifers could confide in Out in the Field pledge else identifies as LGBTQ+ when we’re in the work- them to share their personal stories and experiences. cards with attached place, the field or at conferences. Further, TWS has Meanwhile, TWS Council initiated its own effort to TWS rainbow pins to distribute during the lacked visible LGBTQ+ leaders who can provide im- visibly support diversity at the conference, creating conference. portant examples and role models.

The Out in the Field initiative is our attempt to change this. We want to make ourselves more visible so that we can support and mentor each other and work with our allies to foster a more inclusive, welcoming culture where diversity of all kinds is clearly embraced.

Our kickoff event in Reno was months in the making. Through hundreds of emails among us five strangers, we hatched plans for the upcoming conference. We quickly realized we needed both financial and logistical support. Several organizations (EGDWG, Credit: Colleen Olfenbuttel

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 35 However, the morning of the luncheon, we found ourselves unnervingly anxious. We wondered if we had made a huge mistake — ordering food and setting places for 40 people. What if only a half-dozen people showed up? What would we do? Sit uncom- fortably, looking at each other’s name tags trying to think of things to say?

Thankfully, what others had been saying all along happened. People showed up. They started ap- pearing 30 minutes early. So many people showed up, our allies started bringing in more chairs to the luncheon. And still, people were overflowing into the hallway. During the luncheon, Thompson returned a second time to the podium to announce Credit: Katie O’Donnell that he had tripled our food order on the spot, asked for tables and chairs to be set up outside Postcards provided information on the Out in the Field initiative and events, the significance in the hallway and warmly embraced what we all of wearing the TWS rainbow pin, the ally pledge and additional resources. were witnessing – the start of a new, energetic, An overflow crowd attends the inaugural Out in the Field luncheon, a gathering for GBTQ+L positive movement in TWS that quite literally over- wildlifers and their allies, at the 2019 AFS-TWS Joint Conference in Reno, Nevada. flowed a room.

Straight and queer; men, women, and nonbinary; young and old; student and professional; cisgender and transgender; tattooed and not; tall and short; council members and regular members; and people of all colors showed up. The diversity in the room was beautiful. Standing in front of the room while Colleen spoke about this new initiative, looking out at allies and LGBTQ+ members alike, we felt moved. And honored. And incredibly grateful.

Throughout the conference, we were approached by LGBTQ+ students and professionals, many with personal stories about their experiences in the wildlife profession. And while both LGBTQ+ and al- lied students expressed gratitude that the initiative

Credit: Katie O’Donnell demonstrated that TWS is a welcoming place for all, many fellow LGBTQ+ professionals expressed and encouraging conference attendees to wear an astonishment at how far we have come — that TWS “All Are Welcome” pin. The synergy of these efforts would make such a point of welcoming them at all, demonstrated to LGBTQ+ wildlifers that they are let alone support the initiative. welcome and supported in the TWS family. Where do we go from here? An overflow crowd Those perspectives from our fellow wildlifers stem The big event was the inaugural Out in the Field from a not-too-distant past when they felt ostracized luncheon for both LGBTQ+ members and allies. and unwelcome in our profession, and they show that We planned the luncheon for the first full day of the many still perceive the wildlife field as close-minded conference so that attendees knew early on about the regarding gender and sexual minorities. Out in the initiative and what the pins and ribbons meant. We Field hopes to remove that perception — or in some also hoped to jumpstart discussions on how to accom- cases, reality — permanently. plish the three goals of the initiative, help LGBTQ+ attendees start to get to know each other and demon- Out in the Field is a long-term initiative, and plans strate that there are allies within many levels at TWS. are already underway for the 2020 TWS Conference

36 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society in Louisville, Kentucky. And yes, a luncheon on the TWS’ mission is “to inspire, empower, and enable wild- first day with free food is part of that plan! If you life professionals to sustain wildlife populations and attended the luncheon in Reno and signed up for our habitats through science-based management and con- email list, we hopefully have already been in touch servation.” We hope that Out in the Field will inspire, with you, so you can help us start planning. If you empower and enable our fellow wildlifers, allies and are interested in helping to plan for 2020 and be- LGBTQ+ alike, to contribute to our profession for the yond, or financially supporting these efforts, please benefit of the wildlife resources we seek to conserve. feel free to reach out to any of the authors. As past-president Gary Potts stated during his ten- Ultimately, we feel that Out in the Field will make ure “We are The Wildlife Society!” TWS, and the wildlife profession, stronger by recruiting and retaining the best of the best, which includes LGBTQ+ wildlifers. Diversity strengthens Colleen Olfenbuttel, MS, CWB®, is the and enriches a system, be it the wildlife that we black bear and furbearer biologist for the manage or the organization to which we belong. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, past-president of the North Carolina Chapter of TWS, at-large board member of The Wildlife With the myriad challenges facing our natural Professional Editorial Advisory Board and former resources — climate change, rapid development, chair of the SEAFWA Furbearer Working Group. declines in hunters, habitat loss and limited fund- Travis Booms, PhD, is a regional wildlife biologist for the ing to adequately address any of them — the wildlife Alaska Department of Fish and Game. profession cannot afford to have the next generation Claire Crow, MS, works for a federal agency, represents the of wildlife professionals, with new perspectives and Ethnic and Gender Diversity Working Group on the Editorial different ideas, leave this field because it is perceived Advisory Board of The Wildlife Professional and is newsletter editor for as — or actually is — unwelcoming or discrimina- the International Wildlife Management Working Group. tory. This initiative was designed to show our fellow Katherine (Katie) O’Donnell, PhD, is a wildlife biologist at the wildlifers that “We are some of you” and we are here U.S. Geological Survey’s Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. to support our LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Lessons Among Lemurs CAN ECOTOURISM AID CONSERVATION IN WAYS RESEARCH CAN’T?

By Jake Krauss

s I walk along a well- worn forest trail, a A lemur leaps down from the trees above me and hovers above my shoulder. It is clearly comfortable with people, chit- tering and swaying its tail back and forth like the pendulum of a clock. Its amber eyes peer into mine.

My research team and I were The largest of here in Madagascar — an island all the primates on nation in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar, the indri the coast of southeast Africa lemur howls an eerie moaning sound to start — conducting behavioral obser- the day in the rainforests vations as part of research on an of Andasibe. endangered lemur species in one of the last protected forest frag- Credit: Jake Krauss ments on the island. At this moment, though, I’ve put I also engaged in some of the ecotourism expedi- aside my research to play tourist. But even to a tour- tions that have made this island such a hot spot for ist’s eyes, this particular lemur is making its behavior nature-minded travelers. hard to ignore, and it has me a little concerned. Ecotourism looks different depending on where in Throughout 2016, I devoted most of my time to the world you go. It can mean canopy tours through observing the behavior and diet of sifaka lemurs the rainforest in Costa Rica, island hopping across (Propithecus edwardsi) in Ranomafana National the Galapagos Archipelago to see tortoises and Park. I fell in love watching these lemurs launch birds in Ecuador or scuba diving along Australia’s through the trees in 2014. Related to the famous Great Barrier Reef. Here in Madagascar, it means a lemur from kid’s nature program, “Zaboomafoo,” chance to see lemurs swinging overhead. they are one of the more endangered lemur species in the park and are only found in this part of As tourists arrive in remote corners of the world Madagascar. (Strangely enough, they also smell seeking out unique flora and fauna, they can pro- like maple syrup.) In my free hours, I did what vide a boon to local economies. But arriving with most visitors to Madagascar do – I explored. I went little knowledge of the region, they can cause harm, birding, focusing my binoculars on the Madagas- too, often accidentally. Their handouts of food can car paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata), a disturb wildlife. They can introduce nonnative spe- male with a long white tail. A large blue coua (Coua cies that harm native ecosystems and alter wildlife caerulea), a cuckoo the size of a pigeon, makes for behavior — ultimately harming survival, repro- a common companion in the forest, and I’m excited ductive success and the ecological structure of to see a velvet asity (Philipetta castanea). I saw communities (Shannon et al. 2017). For the future this bird regurgitate seeds of fruit it eats, dispers- of ecotourism, and of the species and landscapes ing them across the forest. They also morph during that attract it, we have to find ways for its benefits mating season to a vibrant green and black coat. to outweigh its harms.

38 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Loving lemurs local forests. Researchers have found that is the case In Madagascar, tourism is almost always focused on in Peru. The country has a wealth of national parks the inimitable wildlife and its distinctive UNESCO and archeological treasures like Machu Picchu that world heritage cultural sites. Yet if you have ever draw visitors from around the world, yet much of explored a natural place that receives high tour- the profits that come from ecotourism fail to benefit ist traffic, you may have noticed that some of the the communities or the forests (Wearing & Wear- animals are a bit bolder than they otherwise would ing 2016). It comes down to a simple question. Do be. Lots of tourists can translate to changes in the foreigners or locals have the power and control? behavior of local animals and the environment, as I noticed with some of the all-too-friendly red-bellied The people of Madagascar, known as Malagasy, lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer) around me, like the tend to have strict rules of taboo, or fady, that gov- one that decided to pay me a visit. I have no doubt it ern their way of life. For example, it is fady to point came out in search of a bite of energy bar or a bag of a finger at a grave, as these sites are sacred, so many chips — unhealthy food items that tourists provide Malagasy point with a knuckle instead. In many that a wild lemur wouldn’t normally eat. This altera- communities, fady also includes actions of envi- tion of natural behavior lets me get closer to this ronmental stewardship. Some of the beneficiaries lemur than I ever could in my fieldwork, but it is not include the indri lemurs (Indri indri), large, black- a great adaptation for the species. and-white lemurs that occupy the forests along the island’s northeastern coast. The indri are revered I can’t help but notice, though, that while red- in Malagasy folklore and, while habitat destruction bellied lemurs get closer, sifaka lemurs like the ones and hunting continue to threaten them, cultural I study move higher in the canopy as tourists walk customs encourage their protection and discourage around below. In my research, I have found that many Malagasy from hunting them. lemurs in disturbed forests, where tourists are most prevalent, exhibit higher levels of self-grooming A different contribution than in areas without tourists. Among primates, When I set out in search of the indri, I do so as a self-grooming is a sign of stress. Whether this can tourist, although I can’t pack away my researcher’s be attributed to the increase in tourists or to the instincts. A wailing moan echoes through the other- degraded environmental conditions in these forests wise silent path. It is an eerie, mourning sound that remains to be seen (Krauss 2018). doesn’t quite belong. As a vazaha — the Malagasy A red-bellied lemur gets familiar in the forest word for white foreigner — I feel like I don’t quite of Ranomafana National Ranomafana National Park, where I conducted my belong here, either. Park, Madagascar. research, mitigates the downsides of ecotourism with knowledgeable field guides and local community members employed by the research station, Centre ValBio. The park involves the community to support its conservation mission while respect- ing cultural identity. While ecotourism alone is not enough to provide jobs for the whole village, it can provide some much-needed revenue. Tourists act as patrons for vendors. Locals can be trained as guides. Proceeds can be used to develop economic opportunities, such as the women’s weaving cooperative, Azafady. As a result, the tourists who visit directly provide financial incentives to protect forests. That helps the community, which in turn helps the wildlife, which benefits from their conservation efforts.

However, foreigners coming in and running for- profit ecotourism initiatives can hijack these funds and prevent the money from going back to protect Credit: Jake Krauss

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 39 Models to follow These are hallmarks of good ecotourism. Sustainable ecotourism allows tourists to protect forests by providing economic opportunities for locals, which in turn helps the wildlife. It employs community members, whose work to protect the forest also provides them a steady source of income (International Institute for Peace through Tourism Conference 2003). In hiring women, it can provide households with a secondary source of income, give women greater economic security and boost their status and equity in society. Including women in ecotourism, as Andasibe does, may increase societal support for conservation, given women’s tendency to spread knowledge within communities (Razafindratsima & Dunham 2015).

Having local workers also encourages traditional knowledge and cultural norms that dictate a Credit: Jake Krauss respect for nature. Environmental degradation in Madagascar comes more often from the Milne Edward’s When the indri appear, I watch them carefully. The necessity for farming than out of malice towards sifaka (Propithecus way they launch themselves from tree to tree reminds the environment. Recognition of cultural identity edwardsi) lemurs warm me of the way sifaka lemurs maneuver through the can be a critical component to enable the success up in the sun. canopy. Their long, clamp-like hands grasp branches of long-term, community-based ecotourism as if they were handlebars. The indri is much larger, initiatives. however — the largest of the more than 100 lemur species found throughout Madagascar. It is possible for tourism and wildlife to have a mutually beneficial relationship. For the sake of My guide takes me to watch the indri in a clearing at the communities that surround the preserves that the top of the canopy. No longer wailing, the lemurs host vulnerable species, sustainable ecotourism groom each other, eat leaves and launch themselves needs to empower local communities. Any positive across huge gaps through the trees. One flies in a change has to come from within. My role as a path right past my head, as I stumble over brush foreigner is as a benefactor or a facilitator as scrambling to take a photo. They have a social be- opposed to a “change maker,” an attitude touted by havior not too hard to notice, a “follow-the-leader” so many ecotourism companies. feeding pattern in which they glide together through the branches, one after the other. Ecotourism can be harmful, but if we approach these species, landscapes and communities with It’s different being with the lemurs as an ecotourist, respect, a new generation of ecotourists can play a I realize. As a biologist, I hope my research can con- key role in conserving threatened species and the tribute to their conservation. Yet as a tourist, I find precious landscapes in which they reside. I am contributing in other ways to the reserves that protect them, like this one — Andasibe-Mantadia National Park — located midway up Madagascar’s eastern edge. The money I pay helps protect the parks and the lemurs that occupy them. Andasibe is considered an ecotourism success (Newsome Jake Krauss is a wildlife biologist and & Hassell 2014), and I can see why. Many of the science communicator currently working as a conservation communications intern guides are women. Poaching and exploitation of the for the Kino Bay Research Center in park’s resources have declined. Half of the park fees Sonora, Mexico. go to benefit surrounding communities.

40 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society HEALTH AND DISEASE HEALTH AND DISEASE

The Next Threat HOW DO WE STOP FUNGAL DISEASE FROM DEVASTATING NORTH AMERICAN SALAMANDERS?

By Kenzie E. Pereira, Matthew J. Gray, Jacob L. Kerby, Evan H. Campbell Grant and Jamie Voyles

This article is based on discussions at the first Chytridiomycosis is caused by at least two types North American Symposium on Batrachochytrium of chytrid fungi, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis salamandrivorans, which took place Sept. 30, 2019, (Bd) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans at the joint conference of The Wildlife Society and (Bsal). Since its discovery in the late 1990s, Bd has the American Fisheries Society in Reno, Nevada. been found all over the world, with frogs taking the greatest hit. It was not until 2010, that a sudden he rise of fungal diseases has taken a huge population crash of European fire salamanders led toll on wildlife populations across the globe, scientists to discover a second chytridiomycosis- T and it continues to challenge conservation causing fungus, Bsal. In contrast to Bd, Bsal is efforts to protect endangered wildlife taxa, such as deadliest to salamanders. Given the notoriety of Bd amphibians. and the large-scale impact it’s had on the world’s amphibians, scientists quickly acknowledged In the last 20 years, amphibians have experienced that Bsal could be the next great threat to North never-before-seen declines with nearly half of all America’s biodiversity. species threatened by extinction. Although many factors are to blame, the fungal skin disease chytrid- The arrival of Bsal in Europe is presumed to have iomycosis has helped drive the decline of over 500 resulted from the globalized trade of infected amphibian species worldwide. amphibians. Though captive and wild salamander

If Bsal appears in North America, biologists fear the eastern newt may play a role in spreading it. Credit: Bruce Lucas

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 41 populations in Europe have suffered from disease Preparing for battle outbreaks caused by Bsal, no such outbreaks have yet The presumed absence of Bsal in North America been reported in North America. In 2016, in an ef- gives wildlife professionals a unique opportunity fort to slow Bsal’s spread into the U.S., the U.S. Fish to prepare for Bsal’s arrival before it has a chance and Wildlife Service listed 201 salamander species to cause population declines and disrupt native as injurious wildlife due to their potential to become ecosystems. In 2015, scientists, wildlife manag- infected with Bsal, which resulted in banning their ers and veterinarians joined forces during the first importation and trade. Nevertheless, given that ap- international working group at the U.S. Geological proximately 99% of amphibians still imported into Survey Powell Center to form the North American the U.S. originate from Bsal endemic regions, such Bsal Task Force with the goal of developing and as Asia, and there are currently no regulations man- organizing strategies to combat a North American Bsal invasion.

Currently, the Bsal Task Force has more than 100 members, divided among seven working groups. Each group is focused on a key element to understand, prevent and respond to the introduction and spread of Bsal in the U.S. The pet industry also has representation on the Bsal Task Force and is currently working with members to devise strategies for clean trade. In addition, groups like the Decision Science Working Group strive to bridge the gaps between scientists and wildlife agencies to improve the ability to respond to the Bsal threat.

While the North American Bsal Task Force website (salamanderfungus.org) provides several resources (including a Bsal Rapid Response Template) to help wildlife professionals quickly respond to suspected cases of Bsal in the wild, the development and implementation of specific strategies that can be used across a variety of outbreak scenarios requires the joint efforts of government agencies, conservation and wildlife health organizations, academia and professionals in the pet industry.

Credit: Patrice Clemenza To promote such collaborations, the North Ameri- Duquesne University dating the clean trade of pathogen-free amphibians can Bsal Task Force, in conjunction with TWS and researcher Kenzie imported into the U.S., the risk of Bsal to the North the Wildlife Disease Association, organized a sym- Pereira, a member of the American continent is a serious concern. posium on Bsal which took place during the 2019 North American Bsal Task Joint Conference of TWS and AFS. The symposium Force, uses skin swabs to test for Bsal and Bd The entry and establishment of Bsal in North included 13 presentations on the current research of in wild populations of America could have substantial impacts on amphib- North American scientists, a panel discussion and eastern newt. ian biodiversity — especially salamanders. North a workshop hosted by USGS. Key outcomes from America is home to approximately 350 different the symposium are summarized below, highlight- salamander species, making the continent a global ing what is currently known about Bsal, the current hotspot for salamander biodiversity. Though Bsal gaps in knowledge and possible strategies for man- can infect both salamanders and frogs, salamanders aging Bsal disease outbreaks. suffer the greatest rates of disease and death when exposed to the fungus. Newts (salamanders belong- What is Bsal? ing to the family Salamandridae) are widespread Bsal is a fungus within the phylum Chytridio- throughout the U.S. and are especially at risk of mycota that invades and feeds off of the skin of dying from Bsal. amphibians. Currently, there is only one known

42 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Bsal strain — AMFP — that is highly deadly in salamander hosts. Frogs can also become infected by the AMFP strain but typically do not develop the disease, chytridiomycosis.

The life cycle of Bsal is divided into infective (free-living zoospores) and reproductive (station- ary vase-like structures known as ‘zoosporangia’) stages, similar to Bd. However, Bsal is unique in that it produces two zoospore types: swimming zoospores (which lack a cell wall) and environmental zoospores (which have a thick cell wall). Where swimming zoospores can actively move through the environment over a limited distance, environmental zoospores float freely if they become dislodged from the host.

While Bsal seems to grow best at cooler tempera- Credit: Todd Amacker tures (below 25°C), the discovery of Bsal infections in Vietnamese salamanders at 26 degrees Celsius requires a combination of qPCR and microscopic Focal lesions appear on the snout of a rough- suggests that additional studies are needed to fully examination of the skin. skinned newt (Taricha understand the fungus’s thermal thresholds. granulosa) infected Just recently, scientists developed a microscopic with Bsal. Where did Bsal come from method — in-situ hybridization — that allows and where is it now? researchers to distinguish Bsal from Bd in the skin Bsal is believed to have originated in Asia, where of co-infected amphibians. While these methods are it exists among native amphibians without caus- reliable and appropriate for small-scale diagnostic ing apparent harm. The fungus is also abundant testing, more time- and cost-effective methods are among commonly traded Asian amphibians, in- needed to screen the millions of amphibians enter- cluding the fire-bellied toad (Bombina spp.), which ing the U.S. each year. The Blue Ridge makes up a large proportion of imported amphib- two-lined salamander (Eurycea wilderae) ians in the U.S. Jesse Brunner, of Washington State University, is one of several described an alternative method of using envi- plethodontid To date, Bsal has been detected in six European ronmental DNA to detect fungal DNA from the salamander species countries including the Netherlands (where it was water used to hold amphibians and demonstrated susceptible to Bsal. first discovered), Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Spain. Die-offs of wild salamanders are known in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain.

Though monitoring efforts have been limited, Bsal has not yet been detected in captive or wild salamanders in the U.S. Research presented by Delia Basanta, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, also suggests that Bsal is currently absent from numerous sites in Mexico.

How is Bsal detected and diagnosed? Scientists routinely swab amphibians and use a technique known as qualitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to simultaneously screen amphibians for Bsal and Bd and estimate the severity of infections. A definitive diagnosis, however, typically Credit: Todd Pierson

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 43 that this method can be efficient and effective in Miller’s findings imply that Bsal might kill hosts detecting Bsal. Though the details of this method through a combination of impaired skin function are in development, eDNA testing could facili- and systemic processes, which may make infected tate the rapid screening of entire shipments of amphibians fair game for opportunistic pathogens imported amphibians with minimal samples, such as secondary bacterial infections. thus making the implementation of clean trade programs more feasible. Are all amphibians at risk? Experimental studies show that not all amphibian What are the signs of chytridiomycosis? species become infected or develop chytridio- Bsal chytridiomycosis has been called “death by a mycosis when exposed to the Bsal fungus. Such thousand holes.” Heavy infection loads can result differences in susceptibility have been broadly in focal necrotic skin lesions across the entire categorized as: resistant (do not become infected), body. These lesions are often accompanied by carrier (develop subclinical infection), vulnerable abnormal behaviors that can include anorexia, (develop clinical infection with little to no mortal- convulsions, lethargy and loss of the righting ity) and highly vulnerable (clinical infection and reflex. Debra Miller, of the University of high mortality). Tennessee, explained that clinical and anatomic responses of rough-skinned newts (Taricha Jonah Piovia-Scott, at Washington State Univer- granulosa) to chytridiomycosis include altered sity, and colleagues at the University of Tennessee white blood cell ratios, protein levels and some and University of Massachusetts Boston tested the electrolyte concentrations. susceptibilities of 31 North American salamander species. While over half of the species tested became infected by Bsal, only those in the families Plethod- ontidae (lungless salamanders) and Salamandridae (newts) were deemed ‘highly vulnerable.’

It is believed that the eastern newt (Notophthal- mus viridescens) and several species of the genus Taricha (Pacific newts) may play a major role in the spread of Bsal if it arrives in North America. The ability of Bsal to infect many amphibian species will most certainly make it difficult to control the fungus in North America, as has been the case in Europe. What do we know about Bsal susceptibility? Amphibian susceptibility to Bsal chytridiomycosis is not fully understood but is likely influenced by numerous host, environmental and pathogen-specific factors. Previous studies show that amphibians with low susceptibility to Bd infection tend to produce skin secretions that are better at killing the fungus in-vitro — when tested in a test tube — compared to more susceptible species.

University of Following this principle, Molly Bletz, of the Uni- Massachusetts Boston versity of Massachusetts Boston, showed that the researcher Molly Bletz antifungal properties of skin secretions collected collects salamander skin from wild salamanders (genera Notophthalmus secretions to investigate proactive strategies for and Eurycea) varied between and within species combating Bsal. and could potentially be used as a tool for identify- Credit: Kathi Bletz

44 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society ing high-risk species and populations. Although amphibian skin secretions contain mixtures of small peptides and large proteins, bacteria and numerous other compounds, scientists have predicted amphibian susceptibility to Bd based on the antifungal properties of the peptide component alone.

Using a similar methodology, Kenzie Pereira, of Duquesne University, found little evidence that the ability of peptides to kill Bsal in-vitro was related to Bsal susceptibility in four salamander species (genera Ambystoma, Cryptobranchus, Desmogna- thus, and Plethodon). Pereira also showed that the peptides often had different effects on the growth of Bd compared to Bsal. Collectively, these studies suggest that while there may be some overlap between the immune response of hosts to Bd and Bsal, it should not be assumed that results from Bd studies are translatable to the Bsal system. Further, Credit: Riley Bernard Ana Longo, of the University of Florida, showed that despite mounting an immune response to Bsal Bd epidemiology within a mathematical framework Scientists evaluate infection, the eastern newt (N. viridescens) does not showing the importance of various pathways and and discuss potential management actions typically survive Bsal encounters, further suggesting host densities on the transmission of Bsal. for Bsal during a U.S. the high risk of this common species to Bsal. Geological Survey Specifically, Peace found that while host-to-host workshop. On a related topic, other presenters, including contact may be the main transmission pathway in Davis Carter, of the University of Tennessee; Doug small populations (low host density), environmental Woodhams, of the University of Massachusetts; transmission routes might dominate in larger popu- and Louise Rollins-Smith, of Vanderbilt Univer- lations (greater host density). sity, showed that environmental temperature can influence the development of Bsal chytridiomycosis Matt Gray, of the University of Tennessee, also in eastern newts (N. viridescens), the production presented evidence that transmission of Bsal is den- and antifungal properties of peptides and proteins sity dependent. Gray found that increasing habitat (within skin secretions) and microbial communi- complexity may reduce the number of times that ties on the skin. These results suggest that Bsal hosts come into contact with one another and ulti- epidemics in North America might follow seasonal, mately, Bsal transmission. Together, these studies latitudinal and elevational trends. suggest that disease intervention strategies aimed at disrupting Bsal transmission might be effective but Lastly, Ana Longo, of the University of Florida, require further evaluation. reported that co-infection of Bsal with Bd could increase mortality more than exposure to either Difficult decisions fungus alone. Because the presence of Bd is wide- Decisions on selecting and putting disease manage- spread in North American amphibians, including ment actions into use are complicated and often populations of eastern newt (N. viridescens), the in- made in the face of uncertainty. This is partly troduction of Bsal in Bd endemic areas may worsen because such decisions require the cooperation of adverse impacts and declines. multiple management authorities and jurisdictions and compliance with laws and mandates. These de- How is Bsal transmitted? cisions also involve the consideration of the overall Bsal transmission can occur via direct (host-to-host) objectives of wildlife management agencies, which and indirect (environment-to-host) routes and is can include minimizing financial costs as well as the influenced by host density. Angela Peace, of Texas ecological consequences if management actions are Tech University, combined knowledge on Bsal and not correctly executed.

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 45 While research helps to reduce some of the agement actions. Further, the identification and uncertainties inherent to emerging diseases, the implementation of effective management actions complexity of ecological systems makes it impos- for preventing biodiversity loss while minimizing sible to get rid of uncertainty entirely. To further nontarget ecological impacts will require the con- complicate the decision process, potential non- tinued collaborations among scientists, wildlife target impacts of disease management actions professionals and other stakeholders. must also be carefully considered. The decision to simply delay management actions until additional Never say die information is received may, in itself, increase the The threat of Bsal is upon us. Under current regu- risk for biodiversity loss. To minimize these risks, lations, Bsal’s entry in the U.S. is inevitable — if it decisions should be made using a science-based is not already here and has not been detected. To management framework. prepare for Bsal disease outbreaks, scientists need to continue working to understand the possible Despite the challenges and uncertainties associ- impacts of Bsal on North American ecosystems, ated with the emergence of Bsal, Evan Grant, a identify high-risk regions and amphibian popula- USGS researcher and principal investigator of tions and develop disease management strategies the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitor- that quickly contain and permanently remove Bsal ing Initiative, and Riley Bernard, a postdoctoral from the environment or help salamander popula- research associate with Pennsylvania State Uni- tions coexist with the fungus. versity, have been working with several state and federal natural resource managers to help make From Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, wildlife professionals will decisions for reducing the risk of Bsal, should it be gathering in Cuenca, Spain, at the International be introduced, to the populations they manage. Conference of the WDA for the First Global Sym- posium and Workshops on Bsal. This meeting will What do we do now? continue the progress made during the symposium To help bridge the gap between resource managers in Reno and will include the insightful experience of and scientists, Grant and Bernard organized Europeans currently in the thick of the Bsal battle. a workshop on behalf of the USGS to evaluate (For information, go to www.cuenca2020.com.) some of the proposed management actions in the following potential Bsal outbreak scenarios: Through collaborations across countries and disci- 1) Newts in a vernal pond in the Northeast (genus plines, we hope to limit the effects of Bsal on global Notophthalmus); 2) Pacific Northwest (genus biodiversity and ensure the survival and persistence Taricha); and 3) Stream salamanders (family of salamanders for many generations to come. Plethodontidae) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

During the workshop, participating scientists were asked to give their opinions on expected impacts of proposed management actions on outcomes such as pathogen and host survival, Kenzie E. Pereira is a PhD candidate in nontarget ecological impacts and public ac- the Duquesne University Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Science. ceptance of the method by stating the direction — increasing or decreasing — and magnitude of Matthew J. Gray, PhD, CWB®, is a professor of wildlife disease each action. Their responses were summarized ecology at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and associate director of the Institute’s Center for Wildlife Health. and presented by Grant, highlighting a subset of possible preferred management actions to Bsal Jacob L. Kerby, PhD, is an associate professor of biology at the invasion. University of South Dakota. Evan H. Campbell Grant, PhD, is a research biologist for the U.S. Though we are far from overcoming the challenges Geological Survey and principal investigator for the USGS’ northeast and uncertainties associated with selecting pos- region of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative. sible actions to manage a Bsal disease outbreak, at Jamie Voyles, PhD, is an associate professor of biology at the the close of the workshop, it was clear that diverse University of Nevada. outbreak scenarios will require different man-

A Future for Fishers TIMBER COMPANIES IN OREGON CRAFT A PLAN TO CONSERVE PACIFIC FISHERS

By Dana Kobilinsky

Credit: Bethany Weeks/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

hen the Green Diamond Resource Com- Bureau of Land Management started surveying on Due to historical pany purchased over 600,000 acres of Green Diamond’s land. As they searched, they came logging, trapping and development in West W Oregon timberland in 2014, there was across a female fisher denning in a network of large Coast forests, the Pacific no evidence that the working forest was occupied slash piles — heaps of trees and treetops left over fisher has declined and by Pacific fishers. Although much of the property is from logging that were too small to go to the mill. is a candidate for listing located within their historical range, the landscape under the Endangered had been intensely harvested, and most of the forest “She had her kits there,” said Green Diamond Vice Species Act. Recent agreements with timber consisted of young and smaller trees. President Galen Shuler. companies in Oregon have been put in place to The Pacific fisher is the West Coast distinct popu- It was a significant discovery. Instead of having try to prevent the need lation segment of the fisher (Pekania pennanti), to wait for decades or centuries for tree cavities for a listing. a member of the Mustelidae family. Since fishers or other features to form, the biologists realized, typically require mature trees for denning and rest- fishers were making use of a byproduct of logging ing structures, it seemed obvious they would not be already on the ground. there. But then came a surprise. A new agreement On the lookout for fishers on the Klamath Plateau Faced with the possibility that Pacific fishers could between two known populations — one in Oregon’s end up on the federal endangered species list — a southern Cascades and another in northern Califor- move that could impact timber operations — and nia — biologists from Oregon State University and the seeing that some timber activities were benefiting

These agreements, called Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances — or CCAAs — allow timber companies to continue operations while adapting their practices to benefit species that are candidates for Endangered Species Act listing.

A ‘safe harbor’ Meant to prevent the need for listings by imple- menting beneficial conservation activities, these agreements allow participating companies to avoid penalties for incidental take of a species — harass- ing, killing, capturing or otherwise harming it — even if the species ends up being listed.

Credit: C. Rowland/USFWS “They’re kind of like a safe harbor agreement for a Timber companies fishers, Green Diamond and four other Oregon tim- candidate species,” said Paul Henson, the Oregon including Green berland owners penned letters of intent to the U.S. state supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Diamond, Weyerhaeuser, Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016. They offered to en- Roseburg, Lone Rock and Hancock ter into long-term conservation agreements with the Companies that don’t enter into the CCAAs won’t be signed conservation Service, and they initiated field research to understand protected for incidental take if the fisher is listed. agreements with the fisher occupancy and use on private timberlands. USFWS. “It’s not all sort of ‘Kumbaya,’” Henson said. “They In September, Weyerhaeuser, Roseburg, Lone have an incentive to minimize regulation of their Rock Resources and Hancock Timber Resource land under the ESA.” Group signed agreements with the USFWS to help protect the species on about 2 million acres of The hope, he said, is that timber companies can see Ten Pacific fishers Oregon forestland. the appearance of imperiled species on their land not were released into Mount as a liability — as is often the case under ESA protec- Rainier National Park in December 2016, about “Working forests also contribute to species conser- tions — but an amenity. “We use these agreements to 75 years since fishers vation,” Schuler said. “So with that in mind, this make it so that the landowner is happy and encour- were last seen there. is one of the leading projects on the West Coast aging and proud to have these endangered species on their property and helping recover them, rather than managing lands to avoid having them on their property, which has happened in the past,” he said.

Conservation across three states Although its population has declined, the Pacific fisher can still be found in isolated pockets of its former range from British Columbia to Califor- nia. Facing myriad conservation challenges, from habitat loss to genetic isolation to human-caused mortality, the population is up for a listing decision to determine if it should be considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The Oregon CCAAs aren’t the first agreement meant to protect the species. A similar agreement is in effect in neighboring Washington. Officials borrowed language from it for the Oregon agreements, said Sue Livingston, a fish and wildlife biologist at the Credit: National Park Service

48 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Oregon office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including provisions that timber companies provide a quarter-mile buffer around fisher den sites to protect them from logging activities and trapping.

The Oregon CCAAs also incorporate research priorities, including radio telemetry projects.

In California, a conservation plan involv- ing Green Diamond and Sierra Pacific Industries benefits fishers on nearly 2 million acres of private working forests. Credit: OR Dept. of Forestry The plan grew from a 140,000-acre fisher CCAA approved in 2008, which allowed “Fishers can’t read boundary signs,” she said. Almost 2 million California Department of Fish and Wildlife manag- “They’re going to move where they’re going to move, acres of state and ers to translocate a fisher population to managed regardless of land ownership.” private land are now forests, where they survived and reproduced. enrolled in Pacific fisher With 44% of Oregon land in private hands, main- CCAAs in Oregon. Important landscapes taining these private timberlands for fishers is While biologists observed fishers denning on Green critical for their conservation, Livingston said. Diamond’s forest, private timberlands may be particularly important to Pacific fishers as they move Research has also found these private lands, with across the landscape. While the species prefers open shrubby areas growing among Douglas fir older trees for denning and resting, Livingston said, (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings, are “conducive they will use younger, logged forests for foraging to fisher prey,” Henson said, helping fishers forage and to get from one stand of older trees to another. as they travel.

U.S. Forest Service biologist Dave Clayton (left) holds a radio- collared fisher in southern Oregon. The Oregon CCAAs incorporate radio telemetry projects and other research priorities.

The Pacific fisher prefers old-growth, mature forest habitat (right). Courtesy Dave Clayton Credit: Bureau of Land Management

CCAAs also seek to maintain forest edges for fisher prey, such as birds, mice and woodrats. In California, Livingston said, biologists found that conditions that benefit spotted owls (Strix occiden- talis) — patchworks of harvested areas, riparian zones, mature forests and trees left for wildlife — also benefit fishers.

Credit: National Alliance of Forest Owners “If an area doesn’t have heterogeneity, it could hurt the fishers,” said TWS member Chad Hanson, a Historically, Biologists hope the agreements can also help offset research ecologist with the John Muir Project, an tree harvesting landscape losses elsewhere due to catastrophic organization dedicated to ecologically managing has led to habitat loss for the Pacific wildfires. “To the extent you can provide fishers with federal forests. Logging, however, can’t match the fisher. Conservation more and better refugia … it helps them deal with the natural complexity created by wildfires, he said. agreements with timber undeniable threats and increase in wildfire,” he said. companies require them Other regulations in the CCAAs include mitigat- to follow guidelines to Balancing logging with conservation ing structures that present the risk of entrapment. protect remaining fisher populations. As part of the CCAAs, some companies agreed Fishers can fall into water tanks used for fire sup- to leave more trees per acre for wildlife than the pression and get stuck, said Mike Rochelle, a TWS minimum required in the Oregon Forest Practices member and environmental operations support Act, helping create more structures for denning and manager for Weyerhaeuser. “We’re taking specific Biologists realized other activities. Once female fishers and their young measures to place logs into structures that reach the Pacific fishers were are detected via radio telemetry or other sightings, top so the animals can climb back out.” occupying private forest timber companies are prevented from destroying land in Oregon after observing them denning those sites, whether it’s a tree, snag, log or other The National Council for Air and Stream Improve- in slash piles. structure. Even decayed snags are important. ment, an industry-related research group, has agreed to conduct and facilitate studies on fisher movements, reintroduction radio-tracking and camera traps.

“Hopefully, the conservation measures, if they work as intended, will serve to maintain the population of fisher that we have and also possibly enhance the number of animals out there to expand across the historic range where they were once found,” Rochelle said. “From the company perspective, the benefit is, it gives us that regulatory guidance, certainty and confidence for running our business.”

Dana Kobilinsky is associate editor for The Wildlife Society.

Credit: R. Green

A New Approach to Combating CWD MICHIGAN IS SEEKING SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS USING COLLABORATION

By Sonja Christensen, Kelly Straka and J.R. Mason

s chronic wasting disease continues to spread across North America, many fear it A represents an existential challenge to deer hunting and, as a result, to natural resource agency economics. Because state wildlife agencies depend on hunting licenses for much of their funding, the impacts of CWD extend beyond deer and deer management to affect wildlife and habitat management in general. Finding effective ways to combat the disease have been elusive, though.

State and federal natural resource agencies, academic institutions and other organizations have become intensely interested in understanding and controlling CWD. The management efforts they’ve attempted, however, are often met with public distrust (MDNR report 2019; Needham et al., 2004). Further, it’s difficult to know how effective these techniques have been since data collection to empirically validate them have been sparse. And Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources few attempts have been made to collectively use harvest data across jurisdictions to inform more A growing problem A Michigan landscape-level adaptive management. CWD has been detected in captive or free-ranging Department of Natural cervids in 26 states, four Canadian provinces Resources staff member The development of best management practices and Finland, Norway, South Korea and Sweden checks a deer carcass as part of an effort to gauge by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Osterholm et al. 2019; cwd-info.org). While there the spread of chronic in 2018 has been one of the most comprehensive have been several valuable studies into the epide- wasting disease in the and focused efforts to recommend CWD actions for miology of CWD, the importance of many variables state. state fish and wildlife agencies (Gillin and Mawd- remains unclear. sley 2018). However, it is too soon to assess what impacts they have had on disease prevention and Uncertainties related to methods of transmission control within or across jurisdictions. and spread, differences in risk of infection among sex and age classes, the impact of different regula- So how do we find out what works? Last tory and harvest regimes, effective dose for infection September, Michigan State University and the and potential differences in transmissibility among University of Wisconsin-Madison initiated a CWD strains complicate management of this dis- new approach to coordinate research across ease. Human dimensions research to characterize jurisdictions that was informed by resource public awareness and willingness to accept disease management needs. This effort was built upon an mitigation strategies is often lacking at various ambitious wildlife disease initiative developed by scales of disease management as well. the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and MSU to provide resources to innovative Concerns about CWD’s threat to the future of research and outreach to address CWD in hunting stem from a variety of reasons, including Michigan and elsewhere. the disease’s effects on deer populations (DeVivo

© The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 51 A new approach To address what measures are having success in disease prevention and control, we developed the Michigan approach. Using funds provided by the Michigan state legislature, MSU, MDNR and UW-Madison held a facilitated meeting in East Lansing among 46 invited participants representing 14 universities, seven state agencies, three federal agencies, one Canadian province and one nongov- ernmental organization.

This first meeting of the CWD Research Consortium also served as the first business meeting of an active multistate project led by the University of Wisconsin- Madison and the Boone and Crockett Quantitative Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Center at Michigan State University. Michigan developed et al. 2017, Edmunds et al. 2016); low hunter ac- an approach to ceptance of management actions (e.g., Holsman et The consortium was intended to represent both combating CWD al. 2010, MDNR report 2019); evidence that CWD research and management communities from juris- by inviting wildlife professionals to come prions may be infective when present in soil, water dictions currently affected by CWD in free-ranging together to prioritize and possibly plant tissue (Johnson et al. 2006; cervids and to collectively organize research efforts research needs and Marin-Mareno et al. 2016; Ortega 2016); costly and to address critical disease management needs. implementation prolonged surveillance regimes (Miller and Fischer strategies. 2016; Walsh and Miller 2010; Samuel et al. 2003) We asked participants to identify common re- and transmission between captive and wild cervids search themes for coordinated action across (The Wildlife Society Fact Sheet 2014). interdisciplinary teams, avenues for improved communication between research and manage- Managers have sought a variety of efforts to try to ment within and among states, sources and control the disease. Sharpshooting, bans on baiting means of obtaining adequate funding for more and feeding, regulations for and against antler-point diverse and measurably effective research and restrictions, liberalized hunting seasons and bag limits management efforts and to develop a coordinated Managers have sought a variety of and movement restrictions on carcasses and animal outreach approach for disseminating research efforts to try to control parts have been implemented together with messag- results across states and agencies and ultimately CWD, but the disease ing designed to encourage hunters to test deer. Yet it’s to the public. continues to spread. uncertain how effective any of these efforts have been. The diversity of perspectives, small group size and facilitated process led the participants to identify critical needs in five thematic areas:

• The establishment of a national CWD tissue database and repository with improved access for transmission and pathogenesis research and validation of CWD prion detection assays. • The development of large-scale research facili- ties for controlled CWD research where CWD has been detected. • The advancement of diagnostic testing for CWD with a focus on facilitating adoption of the RT-QuIC assay and improved sourcing for the recombinant prion protein substrate. • The development of a multistate adaptive management approach for CWD to evaluate surveillance and management strategies and Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

52 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society how deer harvest regulatory options impact deer disease dynamics. • The evaluation of social values, motivations, attitudes and effective communication to inform disease management decision-making and improve engagement and acceptance of management actions at local, state, and regional levels.

A durable partnership Over the next year and into the future, consortium members will work cooperatively to address these priorities, develop new ones and make their work available to the management community. A check station Our goal is to develop a durable partnership among allows for information diverse organizations and research institutions sharing and disease and form a collaborative platform to address CWD sampling regarding CWD in Michigan. challenges. This multistate consortium will improve Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources the coordination of research efforts and exchange of information among managers and researchers 10. Mechanistic understanding of environmental with common goals but different backgrounds and behavior, bioavailability, and persistence of knowledge bases. chronic disease wasting prions.

Besides providing the funds to host the initial meet- A second request for proposals with the aim of ing of the consortium, the Michigan state legislature funding additional work of benefit to Michigan as provided additional funding to support other priori- well as the national wildlife management com- ty CWD research across the Midwest and nationally. munity is already in discussion. This effort at These funds were advocated by state, university and community building to address CWD may serve as nonprofit partners across Michigan. Titles for these a basis for a more substantial network of research other funded efforts include: and management entities to address emerging wildlife diseases that increasingly threaten North 1. Influence of deer harvest regulations on ant- American conservation. lerless harvest, abundance and sex and age composition: implications for managing deer in the face of chronic wasting disease; 2. CWD extension education; Sonja Christensen, PhD, is a research 3. Composting deactivation of CWD prions; associate in the Boone and Crockett 4. A standardized, high-throughput genetic re- Quantitative Wildlife Center, based in the source to inform white-tailed deer population Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. and disease management; 5. Chemical inactivation of CWD prions on solid surfaces by peroxymonosulfate and hypochlo- rite acid; Kelly Straka, DVM, MPH, is the wildlife 6. Employing collaboration and innovation to health section supervisor in the Wildlife develop CWD education and outreach; Division of the Michigan Department of Natural 7. The next frontier of CWD models in Michigan: Resources. an agent-based approach for surveillance and management assessment; 8. Optimizing CWD surveillance: regional synthesis J.R. Mason, PhD, is the executive in residence of demographic, spatial, and transmission-risk with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and adjunct professor with College factors; of Agriculture and Natural Resources at 9. Chronic wasting disease: field animal-side testing Michigan State University. and improving laboratory diagnostic sensitivity.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Looking Forward to Louisville TWS’ 27TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROMISES TO ADVANCE THE PROFESSION

ouisville, Kentucky, will be discussing cutting edge issues in conser- the site of the next great vation, to panel discussions of experts L TWS Annual Conference. from across the profession, to presen- Wildlifers from all over North tations and posters on the latest America and beyond will come research on wildlife populations to Louisville for the 27th annual and their habitats, to workshops meeting of The Wildlife Society. providing specific training on We’re expecting more than 1,800 everything from communications attendees from across the student to statistical analyses, there is surely and professional spectrum — all of something that will enhance your them are eager to learn from each knowledge and skills and make you an other and build connections! even better wildlife professional.

Propel your career – and The conference will feature dozens of networking conservation – forward events, enabling you to build collaborations and Coming off a year of record attendance at our reconnect with colleagues from across the globe. first-ever joint annual conference with the Working group meetings, alumni receptions, the American Fisheries Society in 2019, there are student-professional mixer and the opening and several reasons you should plan to attend this closing night receptions all provide opportunities year’s conference, which will return to the norm for wildlifers to meet and greet fellow dedicated of our single-society focus. conservation professionals.

Hundreds of educational and training opportunities All of these opportunities will enable attendees to await conference attendees. From targeted symposia learn, connect and engage — helping propel their

The Louisville waterfront along the Ohio River is ready to welcome The Wildlife Society for its 27th annual conference.

Credit: @sampsontheghost

Get excited! We asked some other folks why they are excited for The Wildlife Society to come to Louisville later this year. Here’s what they had to say:

Darren Miller, PhD, CWB®, Immediate Past President of The Wildlife Society “I have attended every TWS conference, except Credit: The Wildlife Society for the first one. And, my reasons for attending Teams of university career, their abilities and wildlife science and are always the same — connecting with friends students compete in the conservation forward. A TWS conference can be an and colleagues, personal and professional growth, annual Quiz Bowl at The Wildlife Society’s annual inspiring place. We invite you to come, be inspired being invigorated by the passion and dedication of conference. and perhaps do some inspiring of your own, all wildlife professionals and being an active part of while renewing your passions and getting fired up the TWS organization. However, the 2020 confer- about conservation. ence is especially meaningful to me as it will not only be my last conference as a member of Council, Key information but it will be held in my hometown of Louisville, The conference venue — both the lodging facility and Kentucky. My passion for wildlife was ignited from the meeting room space — will be at The Galt House hunting, fishing and spending time outdoors in Hotel in downtown Louisville. With its newly renovated the countryside around Louisville. I am so excited rooms, this waterfront hotel along the Ohio River will to welcome conference attendees to this vibrant, be a spectacular place to learn, connect and engage. diverse River City and perhaps offer them advice on what to see and do while in town.” The conference will take place Sept. 27 to Oct. 1. Here are some other important dates to remember: Raymond Iglay, PhD, CWB®, President of the • Feb. 19: Paper and poster abstract submission opens Southeast Section of The Wildlife Society • March 13: Educational and training program “Each conference inspires me in one way or Hundreds of people proposals deadline another. From creative research discussions and gather to attend the networking and poster • April 17: Paper and poster abstract submission new professional relationships to reconnecting session at the 2019 deadline with past friends, the annual conference is often annual conference. • May 15: Registration opens ground zero for a very productive year. I’m looking forward to the 2020 annual conference in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Nestled in my back- yard and home to beautiful countryside, the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of the Bluegrass State are sure to complement each plenary, symposium, workshop and social.”

Brendan Calhoun, President of Murray State University Student Chapter “As a Louisville (pronounced: “Luhvul”) native, nothing makes me more excited than sharing Kentucky’s Unbridled Spirit with wildlife professionals from across the nation in an inspiring, lively hub such as Louisville. The local opportunities for outdoor recreation and leisure (otherwise known as bourbon and horses) coupled with a powerful conference full of seemingly endless opportunities Credit: The Wildlife Society

56 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society for networking and professional growth are sure to about their current adviser. The most rewarding make for an unforgettable experience.” aspect of the conference is seeing the excitement it generates and the intense discussions of current Carol Chambers, PhD, President-elect research. These are the objectives of the annual con- of The Wildlife Society ference, and TWS is exceeding these objectives.” “Opportunities for networking make the annual TWS conference both fun and important to me. Whether Gordon Batcheller, CWB®, Vice President walking between sessions or checking in to working of The Wildlife Society group meetings, there always seem to be people I’ve “As a semi-retired professional, meeting today’s known and worked with over the years to talk with. students — our new professionals — is very encour- This isn’t the way my conference attendance started, aging and intellectually fulfilling. From learning when I didn’t know many people, but that builds with about the latest in wildlife science to talking about years both as a professional biologist and as a confer- opportunities in our diverse profession, networking ence attendee. But the great thing we do now with our with students is an invaluable outcome of attending conferences is provide a lot of networking events for the TWS conference.” students and new professionals. Of course, one of my favorites is the Women of Wildlife event, where we Rosanne Mastin, Louisville Tourism showcase women working in the wildlife profession “Louisville has steadily become one of the hottest trav- and thank all those who support us.” el destinations in the U.S. From its booming bourbon renaissance, to its culinary jewels, to its iconic attrac- Gary White, PhD, CWB®, President tions like the Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville of The Wildlife Society Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center — the “I most enjoy meeting former students and old city offers a menu of things to see and do all wrapped friends and finding out what they’re doing now. Even within its hallmark Southern charm.” more fun is meeting students of my former students (i.e., my “grand students”), and telling them stories We hope to see you in Louisville!

Share a Connection. Advance the Profession. In less than a minute, you can create a win-win-win outcome that advances the profession. The Wildlife Society has a new member-driven fundraising rewards program that provides members an opportunity to advance the profession with a single email or phone call. At no cost to them, a TWS member can create a win-win-win outcome that:

CREATES a valuable connection to TWS for other businesses and organizations PROVIDES TWS with revenue to support member benefits, programs and services GENERATES revenue for the members’ favorite TWS organization unit – Section, Chapter, Working Group, or Student Chapter

How it Works Process Important Points TWS members are encouraged to provide 1 The TWS member introduces a personal/ 1 At the end of each calendar year, the TWS introductions to individuals they know at professional contact who may benefit member will have the option to change the businesses and organizations that could potentially from a business relationship with TWS to organization unit that receives the rewards benefit from a relationship with The Wildlife TWS’ Business Relations Manager via email, for the upcoming calendar year. Society as an advertiser, contributor, exhibitor, phone call, or personal introduction. 2 Organization units that receive rewards revenue sponsor, or partner. More than 100 businesses 2 The Business Relations Manager will can opt to share funds they receive with other and organizations already have a relationship follow up with the introduction and units, but TWS will only pay the organization with TWS, and each generates $250 to $50,000 strive to establish a business unit designated by the TWS member. annually for the Society. relationship and secure payment. 3 If an organization discontinues support of If the introduction results in a business 3 Once payment is received, the TWS TWS for more than one year, no further rewards relationship that generates revenue for TWS, the member will be contacted by email and will be payable, even if the organization member who provided the lead gets to designate will have 30 days to designate one TWS returns to support TWS at a later date. any Section, Chapter, Student Chapter or Working organization unit* to receive 10% of the Group to receive 10% of the revenue received by revenue TWS receives quarterly for as Get started today TWS. The member will also be publicly thanked long as this program is continued by TWS. by introducing in the eWildlifer for advancing the profession * The designated unit must be listed on the your contacts to: through the Fundraising Rewards Program. TWS group tax exemption letter with the IRS. Nick Wesdock, TWS With one shared connection, any TWS All calculations based on USD received by Business Relations member can advance the profession by TWS and all payments will be made in USD. and Conference creating a win-win-win outcome. Program Manager, [email protected] Policy Perspectives

Notes from The Wildlife Society’s Government Relations program Work Advances on Key Conservation Items BEHIND THE SCENES, FEDERAL ACTION MOVES FORWARD ON APPROPRIATIONS AND FARM BILL RULES

By Caroline E. Murphy and Lindsay Martinez

While issues unrelated to conservation have been consuming off in mid-February with the delivery of the the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government president’s budget request to Congress, a recently, behind the scenes work continues, particularly on two step that is now largely ignored by both par- items of major importance to conservation and wildlife profes- ties in Congress, which instead opt to focus sionals: the annual appropriations process and the creation and on their own drafting processes. implementation of rules for the 2018 Farm Bill. Due to the two-year budget deal reached These two items make up a large portion of federal conservation last year, the spending caps for FY 2021 are Caroline E. funding, and working to ensure their relevance and impact on already set, and we may not see the signifi- Murphy, AWB®, wildlife professionals is of continued importance to the Society. cant increases to these important programs is the government relations manager for this year that we did in the FY 2020 ap- The Wildlife Society. Annual funding propriations package. However, TWS and Each year, Congress is tasked with passing a set of 12 funding the rest of the conservation community are bills in order to maintain operations of federal agencies. At the still advocating for the needs of wildlife and conclusion of fiscal year 2019 in September, much of the same wildlife professionals. processes seen in years past came into play. Congressional leaders panicked. They passed packages to continue funding in the short Farm Bill implementation term. Later, they hastily came together on a series of full-year After the 2018 Farm Bill became law late measures when short-term ones were no longer tenable. that year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began the rulemaking process to implement Lindsay Thankfully, congressional leaders were able to reach a last-minute the changes that were passed. Almost all of Martinez is a consensus in December without causing a shutdown of government the major Title II conservation programs wildlife policy intern for The Wildlife Society. operations like the one that occurred the previous year. Agreement that provide critical tools for the profession on a two-year budget deal, which slightly increased overall gov- now have interim rules published, including ernment-wide spending caps, allowed many federal conservation the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Conservation Reserve programs to see a marked increase in FY 2020 funding. Program, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. These interim rules This across-the-board increase included the U.S. Geological came into effect shortly after or on the date of publication, and Survey’s Cooperative Research Unit program, which saw a $5.6 finalized versions are expected out later this year. million programmatic increase. A chronically underfunded program with staffing vacancies upwards of 30%, this program was Several of these interim rules reflect the program’s expansion and a funding priority for TWS and partners due to its cooperative modification as passed in the 2018 Farm Bill. This included the approach with state and NGO partners and its role in educating Conservation Reserve Program, which among other modifications the next generation of wildlifers. Several other programs also saw saw an increase in the cap for enrolled acres from 24 million to sizeable increases (see table). 27 million. Working lands programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, saw an increase in mandatory funding Never much for down time, Congress now has to begin contend- that will allow for gradual expansion and increases in landowner ing with the FY 2021 appropriations package. This process kicked engagement in the coming years.

Select Federal Program Funding (in millions of dollars) As 2020 progresses, TWS will watch for the USDA to respond to public comments and final- Agency – Program FY 2020 FY 2019 ize interim rules. The department must also USGS – Cooperative Research Units $24 $18.4 publish rules on the newly reworked Regional USFWS – State & Tribal Wildlife Grants $67.6 $64.6 Conservation Partnership Program, which will USFWS – National Wildlife Refuge System, Operations and Maintenance $502.3 $488.4 detail a new standalone funding and application structure for a program that provides federal USFWS – North American Wetlands Conservation Act $46 $42 dollars for private conservation projects in sup- USFS – Forest and Rangeland Research $305 $300 port of Title II programming.

Tools and techniques for today’s wildlife professional

Remotely collaring mule deer University undergraduate students to help them design the device as their senior mechanical engineering project. A new device can collar mule deer without any people han- Eventually, they reached out to a professional engineering dling them on the ground — or targeting them from the sky group, Dynamic Group Circuit Design, which had better — which may offer a less stressful and less costly alternative knowledge of the complex electrical engineering that went to traditional methods. into creating the device.

In Colorado, researchers with Colorado Parks and Wildlife The team had a few specifications. They wanted it to re- were relying on helicopter net-gunning to capture and collar motely place the collar on the deer without people having to fawns every year to monitor the populations annually. “There be there, but they also wanted to target sex and age classes. are a lot of deer in Colorado, but their numbers have declined “We thought the best way to distinguish fawns from adults is over time, prompting research and expanded efforts to moni- by weight,” he said, so they added a scale to the device con- tor populations,” said TWS member Chad Bishop, a director nected to a computer that knows it should only collar deer and associate professor in the wildlife biology program at the that are a certain weight. University of Montana. “Mule deer are also one of the key species that fund state wildlife agencies, so having that good They also wanted to avoid double-collaring the animals. annual population data to better manage deer and deer har- They placed a reader around the entrance of the device, vest and hunting opportunities is important.” and each collar has a transponder that the reader recognizes. If the device recognizes a collar, it won’t collar the But the methods they were using — including net-gunning same deer again. from helicopters and drop-netting on the ground using bait — were expensive, required more wildlife technicians and Finally, they mounted several cameras on the device in order caused stress on the animals. “The challenge is that biolo- to take pictures of the animals so the computer could deter- gists often lack the time and resources they need to mobilize mine if the deer is a male or female. field crews for ground-based capture efforts,” he said. He and his team went searching for an alternative. Bishop led To get the animals into the compartment, the researchers use a study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin describ- baits like dried fruit and honey. When a deer sticks its head ing and testing new technology that places a radio collar on through an opening to get to the bait, it breaks an infrared mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawns when they simply beam. If the deer meets the sex and weight requirements and stick their heads through a clear Plexiglas cage. isn’t already collared, a collar expanded by springs and metal plates is released onto the deer’s neck. If a nontarget animal The project began with Bishop’s team at Colorado Parks enters the device, it triggers an arm that moves a Plexiglas and Wildlife reaching out to a group of Colorado State plate up and prevents it from reaching the bait.

Credit: Chad Bishop Credit: Chad Bishop

Mule deer enter a Plexiglas cage, and if they meet the specified requirements, a A mule deer fawn receives a collar from the automated device. radio collar is placed on them.

60 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Play a Part in Your Membership Magazine Bishop and his colleagues tested the device and found that while it worked in collaring mule deer, it took the deer Here’s your opportunity to share your knowledge fawns about a week before they decided to go after the bait. and expertise with more than 11,000 of your When they finally did go after the bait, the device worked fellow members of The Wildlife Society. flawlessly. We invite all members to submit articles for publication in The Wildlife Professional. Bishop said one next step may be making the collar opening within the device larger and more natural so the deer Our diverse membership includes wildlife are quicker to stick their heads through. Another challenge, biologists — both researchers and field Bishop said, is that researchers can’t assume random sam- practitioners — policymakers, wildlife law pling of the animals with this method. “Some individuals are enforcement officers, veterinary scientists, more likely to do it than others,” he said. educators, wildlife technicians, students and a broad range of other specialists whose Bishop said the device could eventually be adjusted to collar daily work is related to science-based wildlife other species with other characteristics. He hopes it can of- management and conservation. fer an alternative that would be less costly for agencies and Submission categories are: less stressful for wildlife. • Commentary • Conservation “When we capture deer, even if they don’t get hurt, they get • Education elevated stress levels and can build up lactic acid,” he said. • Health and Disease “We wouldn’t have any of that with this. From a humane • Human-Wildlife Connections standpoint, there’s no way we could imagine how a deer • Law and Policy could possibly get hurt with this.” • Research and Practice • Professional Development —Contributed by Dana Kobilinsky • Tools and Technology Send an email with a brief description or summary of the article you want to write to [email protected] to learn more about how you can publish in The Wildlife Professional.

Credit: TK

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reached out to a group of Colorado State University undergraduate students to design a device to collar mule deer.

The Wildlife Society pays tribute

Jack Arthur Rensel As a migratory game bird specialist, his professional focus was on the management of mourning doves, as well as raptors and Jack Rensel, a life member of The neotropical migratory bird species. Wildlife Society, died Jan. 5, 2020. He was 90. An avid practitioner of falconry, he worked with falconers worldwide to restore imperiled populations of birds of prey. A member of TWS since 1952, Rensel was born in 1929 in Ridgway, Survivors include his wife, Mary, three children and seven Pennsylvania, and raised in DuBois, grandchildren. Pennsylvania. Stanley Harris Courtesy the family of Jack Rensel After serving in the Army in the Korean War, Rensel earned a mas- Stanley Harris, a life member of The ter’s degree in biology from Penn State University. He served Wildlife Society, died Dec. 27, 2019, as a game biologist for the state of Kentucky until accepting in Arcata, California, at the age of 91. a position with the Utah Department of Fish and Game in 1956. Rensel was involved in the effort to divide the state into Harris retired from Humboldt State regions, becoming the first northern regional supervisor, a University in 1992 after a career of position he held until his retirement in 1994. 33 years. A member of The Wildlife Society since 1949, he specialized in Throughout his career, Rensel worked to reestablish elk, management of waterfowl populations pronghorn, native trout, mountain goats and other species Courtesy the family of Stanley Harris and the ecology of wetland habitats. to Utah. A native of Dodson, Montana, Harris earned his bachelor’s His love of birds led him to travel North America to add to his and master’s degrees at Washington State College. In 1957, he life list. He was a charter member of the Wasatch Audubon earned a doctorate in wildlife management at the University of Society and a board member of the Ogden Nature Center. Minnesota. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, three children and eight After serving as the director of Minnesota’s upland game grandchildren. research program, he joined the faculty of Humboldt State in 1959. Throughout his career, he twice served as depart- James Leigh Ruos ment chair and worked as a wildlife consultant for various companies. He received the university’s Distinguished Teach- Longtime TWS member James Ruos ing Award in the 1969-1970 academic year and was named died Dec. 29, 2019, at his home in Conservationist of the Year in 1972 by the Humboldt Student Paris, Virginia, at the age of 85. Chapter of The Wildlife Society.

A TWS member since 1955, Ruos served Known as “Doc,” Harris is remembered for helping create the in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, where a pond is named for 21 years. He joined the agency in 1966 him, and for helping establish the university’s wildlife mu- after spending his early career studying seum. He and his wife, Lorene, endowed two scholarships at sharp-tailed grouse and the Midwestern HSU and augmented a third created in his honor.

Courtesy the family of James Ruos grasslands for the Minnesota Depart- ment of Natural Resources. Harris served in a variety of positions with TWS, including section president and a member of the editorial review Born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1934, he graduated from board of the Journal of Wildlife Management. He was also a Gettysburg College with a B.S. in biology in 1956. Ruos did ad- member in several other organizations, including the Cooper ditional graduate work in wildlife biology at the University of Ornithological Club, American Ornithologist’s Union, Pacific Wyoming and at Humboldt State College in California. Seabird Group and the National Audubon Society.

Much of his early career was spent at the Patuxent National His research interests resulted in hundreds of publications and Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, where he sought to a book on northwestern California birds. He supervised almost captive-breed peregrine falcons using birds live-trapped at 50 HSU graduate students and was an active volunteer with Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge at a time when the rap- the California Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and tor was imperiled by the pesticide DDT. Wildlife Service and the city of Arcata.

62 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2020 © The Wildlife Society Joseph Anthony Burns He was an avid cyclist, rock climber and skier, and he enjoyed camping, visiting historical sites, museums and Joseph Burns, of Washington, D.C., international travel. died Nov. 28, 2019. He was 58. “Joe was the model of kindness, bringing out the best A TWS member for 38 years, Burns in people through his patient listening and boundless was a Certified Wildlife Biologist® and enthusiasm,” colleagues recalled in the Inside the Forest one of the Society’s first policy interns. Service weekly newsletter. “He worked selflessly to conserve wildlife, protect the environment and improve efficiencies in transportation and sustainability. He had a gift to connect Born in 1961 in Belleville, Illinois, people with one another and to the lands and resources we he received his B.S. from Southern manage. We will miss Joe’s passion for the environment, his Credit: U.S. Forest Service Illinois University in 1980. love of riding bikes, and his ability to bring light and humor to any room.” A technology transfer specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, Burns served as a wildlife biologist for over 30 years, including A remembrance board has been set up to express condo- 21 years with the Forest Service, as well as with the U.S. lences and remember Joe through stories and pictures at: Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and www.kudoboard.com/boards/AByuA2l4. Atmospheric Administration. Donations may be made in his honor to The Wildlife Society, In addition to The Wildlife Society, Burns was a member of which will be placed in the Endowment Fund to support the Society of American Forestry, the Society of Conservation wildlife policy, public outreach and education efforts, Biology and The Wildlife Project, and he served on several including the policy intern program. National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board committees focused on ecology and transportation, GIS technology, environmental analysis, archeology and historic Members who wish to submit a tribute preservation, environmental justice, environmental issues in should send an email to [email protected]. transportation law and climate and energy.

This gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) was found near a field camp in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. Field crews were at the camp conducting surveys for Gotcha! endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudonius luteus). The snake was over 5 feet long and seemed to be hanging out in the nearby rocky outcrop.

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