Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Annual Research Highlights 2010 Volume IV, Sept. 2011 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Annual Research Highlights 2010 Volume IV, Sept. 2011 Our Mission: To conserve and enhance fish and wildlife resources and provide opportunity for hunting, fishing, trapping, boating and other wildlife related activities. Annual Research Highlights 2010 1 Foreword habitats of conservation concern within Kentucky and to success- fully implement conservation measures for these species and habitats. These two documents are available to the public, and are intended for frequent revision and re-adjustment to incorpo- rate ever changing agency and public needs and interests. The 2010 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Research Summary represents our targeted efforts to fulfill the goals of our State Wildlife Ac- tion Plan as well as the goals of the 2008 – 2012 Strategic Plan. These project summaries serve as a testament to KDFWR’s vig- ilance in the conservation of the fish and wildlife resources that we hold in trust for the public. Funding Sources and Tagging juvenile bald eagle / Ray Stainfield Guidance to Federal Programs The mission of the Kentucky issues as well as agency issues as a The Kentucky Department Department of Fish and Wildlife Re- whole. of Fish and Wildlife Resources receives sources (KDFWR) is to conserve and no general fund taxpayer dollars. As enhance fish and wildlife resources The five primary goals of the a result, the Department relies on and to provide opportunity for hunting, Strategic plan are: hunting and fishing license fees, boat fishing, trapping, boating, and other 1) To conserve and enhance fish and registration fees, and federal programs wildlife related activities. To effec- wildlife populations and their habi- to fund the seven divisions within tively conserve and enhance game and tats; KDFWR. Projects that are entirely non-game fish and wildlife resources 2) To increase opportunity for, and safe funded by the state are labeled “non- in Kentucky, long-term planning is participation in hunting, fishing, federal aid” (NFA); however, most of necessary. Over the past several years, trapping, boating, and other wildlife- the projects included in this document KDFWR has collaborated with multiple related activities; are partially or fully funded by federal outside agencies, non-profit organiza- 3) To foster a more informed and in- programs such as the State and Tribal tions, professionals, and biologists volved public; Wildlife Grant Program, the Wildlife to complete two important planning 4) To expand and diversify our Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson), documents: The 2008 – 2012 Kentucky user base and the Sport Fish Restoration Program Department of Fish and Wildlife Re- 5) To create a more diverse, (Dingell-Johnson), and the Cooperative sources Strategic Plan (http://fw.ky.gov/ effective, and efficient orga- Endangered Species Conservation Fund pdf/strategicplan2008-2012.pdf), and nization. (Section 6). Kentucky’s State Wildlife Action Plan These federal programs serve a va- (completed in 2007; (http://fw.ky.gov/ Complementing the Strategic riety of purposes; however, each has an kfwis/stwg/). Both of these documents Plan, the State Wildlife Action Plan is underlying goal of fish, wildlife, and/ are designed to guide agency decisions; Kentucky’s roadmap for sustaining fish or habitat conservation. Brief descrip- however, they serve two unique pur- and wildlife diversity. The two pri- tions of each of these programs are as poses. The 2008 – 2012 Strategic Plan mary goals of this plan are to identify follows: addresses fish and wildlife management and prioritize important species and These federal programs provided 2 Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources FOREWORD Federal Funding Source Program Goal Wildlife Restoration To restore, conserve, manage and Act enhance wild birds and mammals (Pittman-Robertson) and their habitats To fund fishery management Sport Fish Restoration projects, boating access, and aquatic (Dingell-Johnson) Program education Cooperative To fund conservation projects Endangered Species for candidate, proposed, or listed Conservation Fund species (Section 6) To develop and implement programs that benefit wildlife and State Wildlife Grant their habitats, specifically species (SWG) Program and habitats of conservation concern Collaring and tagging elk / Gabe Jenkins approximately 16 million dollars to that have been completed and not yet For projects that began in 2010, a brief KDFWR in 2010 (see Figure 1). For published, a detailed summary will 1-page overview of the project is in- reference, we have included the state be included in the first portion (“com- cluded in the second portion (“project and federal funding sources for each pleted projects”) of the document. highlights”) of the document. For project; however, these proj- select ongoing projects, brief ects may be additionally updates are included in the last supplemented by outside fund- section (“project updates”) of ing provided by non-profit this document. In the table of organizations or universities. contents, an expected date of When possible, we listed these completion, where applicable, sources in addition to the state is listed for each project. This and federal funding sources. $16,037,261.89 will facilitate looking up de- For each project summary, we tailed summaries of completed also identify the specific goals $24,057,801.82 projects in later years. A com- of the strategic plan or State prehensive project reference Wildlife Action Plan, as well guide lists all projects included as the KDFWR contact respon- in Research Highlights docu- sible for each project. ments, beginning with publica- tion year 2007. How to Use This $3,493,912.81 Document Please use the This document is divided $4,869,887.86 following citation into four main sections: pub- when referencing this Hunting and Fishing Licenses lished research, completed document: projects, project highlights, Federal Reimbursement Kentucky Department of and project updates. Citations Boat Registration Fees Fish and Wildlife Resources for all published research Other (e.g. Income Tax Check-o and Interest Income Annual Research Highlights, with Kentucky Department 2010. Volume IV. Publication of Fish and Wildlife involve- Figure 1. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife of the Wildlife and Fisheries ment are included in the Table Resources Funding Sources 2010. Total revenues for Divisions. September, 2011, of Contents. For projects 2010 were $48,458,864.38 114 pp. Annual Research Highlights 2010 3 Table of Contents Published Research Completed Projects Contact SWG Coordinator, Danna Baxley ([email protected]), for reprints of these publications. Fisheries Barding, E.E., M.J. Lacki, and L.L. Patton. 2010. Distribution and Ecology of Thoburnia atripinnis Recovery of the river otter to Kentucky. Proc. Annu. (Bailey), the Blackfin Sucker (Cypriniformes: Conf. S.E. Assoc. Fish and Wildlife Agencies (In Catostomidae), in the Upper Barren River, press). Kentucky......................................................................9 Britzke, E.R., B.A. Slack, M.P. Armstrong, and S.C. Brown Trout Population Response to Trophy Regulations Loeb. Effects of orientation and weatherproofing on in a Southeastern U.S. Tailwater ...............................16 the detection of bat echolocation calls. 2010. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 1(2):136-141. Analysis of the Environmental Requirements for Etheostoma cinereum (Ashy Darter) and Percina Corn, J.L., M.E. Cartwright, K.J. Alexy, T.E. Cornish, (Olive Darter) in the Rockcastle River, E.J.B. Manning, A.N. Cartoceti, and J.R. Fischer. Squamata 2010. Surveys for disease agents in introduced elk in Kentucky....................................................................22 Arkansas and Kentucky. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46(1):186-194. Wildlife Edmonds, S. T., D. C. Evers, D. A. Cristol, C. Mettke- Hofmann, L. L. Powell, A. J. McGann, J. W. Armiger, Sharp-Shinned Hawks Breeding in Kentucky: Breeding O. P. Lane, D. F. Tessler, P. Newell, K. Heyden, and biology, Nesting Habitat, and Nestling Removal by N. J. O’Driscoll. 2010. Geographic and seasonal Falconers ...................................................................30 variation in mercury exposure of the declining Rusty Blackbird. The Condor 112(4):789-799. Efficacy of Surrogate PropagationTM As a Quail Restoration Technique in Central Kentucky ..............34 Heyden, K.G. 2010. 2010 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) inventory and current management for the species in Kentucky. The Kentucky Warbler 86(4): 79-85. Freshwater Mollusk Monitoring in the South Fork Kentucky River System .............................................40 Heyden, K. G. 2010. Current status of nesting Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Kentucky. The Role of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) in Freshwater Kentucky Warbler 86(4):85-89. Mussel Diets ..............................................................46 Owen C.T., J.E. Alexander, Jr., and M.A. McGregor. 2010. Control of microbial contamination during in vitro culture of larval unionid mussels. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. 54 (4):187-193 Project Highlights These projects began in 2010 Owen, C.T., M.A. McGregor, G.A. Cobbs, and J.E. Alexander Jr. 2010. Muskrat predation on a diverse Fishes unionid mussel community: Impacts of prey species composition, size and shape. Freshwater Biology Evaluation of a 36-in Minimum Length Limit on