Maine Department of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife Chandler E. Woodcock, Commissioner Research & Management Report 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS GREETINGS ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 BUREAU OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................... 4 FUNDING WILDLIFE AND HABITAT STEWARDSHIP ................................................................................................... 5 THE RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT SECTION: AN IFW SOURCE FOR SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION .................. 6 ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES CONSERVATION ............................................................................................ 7 Second Chances for “Species at Risk”...As Well As for MDIFW’s Conservation Program ................................ 7 Bald Eagles - They’re back! ................................................................................................................................ 8 INFORMATION FOR HABITAT CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................... 10 Beyond Mapping - GIS analyses for Fish and Wildlife ..................................................................................... 10 Knowing is Half the Battle - Fact Sheets for Fish and Wildlife Datasets .......................................................... 11 Pre-application Screening and Environmental Review ..................................................................................... 12 Oil Spill Response ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Emerging Technologies .................................................................................................................................... 12 BIRD CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 13 New Avenues for Bird Conservation Funding and Data Collection .................................................................. 14 Habitat Selection and Nest Predation of Rusty Blackbirds in Maine’s Working Forest .................................... 15 IFW’s Raptor Program Takes a New Turn ....................................................................................................... 16 Game Birds ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 Researchers Investigate Common Eider Survival Rates .................................................................................. 19 MAMMAL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 20 White-tailed Deer .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Disease Monitoring in Deer and Moose ........................................................................................................... 24 Moose ............................................................................................................................................................... 27 Black Bear ........................................................................................................................................................ 29 Canada Lynx .................................................................................................................................................... 32 Furbearers and Small Game Mammals ............................................................................................................ 33 Bats and White-Nose Syndrome ...................................................................................................................... 35 New England Cottontail .................................................................................................................................... 35 REPTILE, AMPHIBIAN, AND INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT .............................................................. 37 Amphibians and Reptiles .................................................................................................................................. 37 Invertebrates ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Special Habitats for Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates .......................................................................... 43 FISH CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 44 Brook Trout Stream Habitat: It’s All About Access and Diversity ................................................................... 44 REGIONAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... 47 ILLEGAL INTRODUCTION OF LARGEMOUTH BASS IN THE ST. CROIX RIVER DRAINAGE .................................................... 47 HABITAT VARIABLES INFLUENCING THE RETURNS OF HATCHERY-REARED FALL-YEARLING BROOK TROUT IN MAINE LAKES...................................................................................................................................48 NEW DRY MILLS HATCHERY EDUCATION BUILDING WILL FASCINATE AND INFORM VISITORS OF ALL AGES ................... 49 REGIONAL WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................ 50 WILDLIFE MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................. 50 WILDLIFE HABITAT ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................... 50 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW........................................................................................................................................... 50 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND PUBLIC OUTREACH ........................................................................................................ 51 MANAGING MAINE’S WILD TURKEYS .......................................................................................................................... 51 PUBLIC VALUES CONSERVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE ............................................. 52 TURKEY VIRUSES IN MAINE’S WILD TURKEY POPULATION .................................................................................. 54 Cover Images: Bald eagle carrying stick, photo by Sharon Fiedler. Eagle nest in tree, photo by Erynn Call. 2 Greetings, This 2013 Research and Management Report highlights many of the projects the Department is engaged in and is the evidence of countless hours of effort on the part of the professional research and management staff at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW). Our biologists assist the decision-makers of MDIFW in fulfilling our mission to preserve, protect, and enhance our fisheries and wildlife resources. Maine is fortunate to have such exceptional biologists, and I want to thank them for their work and dedication to our mission. The work that we do here in Maine is often used as a model by others to effectively manage regions outside Maine. Enjoy the materials contained within. If you have any questions, please contact MDIFW. Thank you. Chandler Woodcock Commissioner These studies are financed in part through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Funds under Projects 81D, 82R, and 83C, and through the Endangered Species Conservation Act. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife receives Federal funds from the U.S. Department of the Inte- rior. Accordingly, all Department programs and activities must be operated free from discrimination in regard to race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against should write to The Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 3 BUREAU OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Maine is a land rich in contrasts between the boreal and temperate, freshwater and saltwater, upland and wetland, and alpine and lowlands. The state has enormous natural variety and owes its biological wealth to its: • 21.3 million acres – State of Maine, • 36,000 miles of rivers and streams, • 17.5 million acres of vast forests & rugged mountains, • 4,100 miles of bold coastline, and • nearly 6,000 lakes and ponds, • 4,613 coastal islands and ledges. • 5,000,000 acres of wetlands, This mosaic of diverse physical settings supports a wide diversity of wildlife that can be equaled in few other states. Maine is also a transition area, and its wildlife resources represent a blending of species that are at or approaching the northern or southern limit of their ranges; • 292 bird species (~40 species can be hunted), • >16,000 invertebrate species, • 58 non-marine mammal species (20 can be hunted/ • 2,100 plant species, trapped; caribou, puma, and wolf populations are • 310 phytoplankton species, considered locally extinct [extirpated]), • 271 macrophyte (aquatic plant) species,