For a jaw-dropping natural spectacle, it’s hard to beat a bird festival. Of all the wildlife in the United States, birds attract the biggest following. According to the Service’s most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, about 18 million people a year take trips to see wild birds. National wildlife refuges make great bird festival locales because they’re bird magnets; many protect important bird habitat along the country’s major flyways. To see great masses of birds, look for festivals that coincide with spring or fall migration. Here are some major refuge-centered festivals scheduled for 2014, in the
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The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative’s Science Team has just published two new Forest Reclamation Advisories. Reforestation to Enhance Appalachian Mined Lands as Habitat for Terrestrial Wildlife: Surface mining is widespread throughout the Appalachian coalfield, a region with extensive forests that are rich in wildlife. Game species for hunting, non-game wildlife species, and other organisms are important contributors to sustainable and productive ecosystems. Although small breaks in the forest canopy are important to wildlife diversity, most native Appalachian wildlife species require primarily forested habitats. This Forest Reclamation Advisory provides guidance on reforestation practices to provide high quality habitat for native forest wildlife on Appalachian coal mines. Establishing Native Trees on Legacy Surface Mines
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The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is currently accepting applications through its Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) to continue longleaf pine restoration efforts in Alabama. The grant was awarded through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and will be made available to qualifying landowners for longleaf pine restoration on private lands. Landowners are encouraged to submit applications to receive 50/50 cost share assistance for practices such as site preparation, seedlings, planting, native grass restoration and/or exotic control costs. This program is focused on longleaf pine ecosystem
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The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Unit is accepting applications for grants that support research, conservation or education projects. “These projects are designed to enhance our knowledge and protection of the state’s nongame wildlife, native plants and natural habitats,” said Curtis I. Taylor, Chief of the WVDNR’s Wildlife Resources Section. Nongame wildlife includes species that are not typically taken for sport, fur or food, and generally includes animals such as frogs, lizards, snakes, crayfish, insects, songbirds and others. The WVDNR grant program has two categories. The first category supports scientific research that will lead to increased knowledge
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The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) regional partnership is excited to announce the launching of an interactive mapping application that can create greater efficiencies in communication and use of resources to accomplish our conservation work. The Map and Forum Tracking Tool will allow the AMJV community to post bird project information, follow on-the-ground conservation activities, and participate in discussions related to specific locations or project sites within the AMJV boundary. Our map-based forum is designed to foster targeted discussions on AMJV and Partner bird-conservation activities by linking relevant locations on a map interface with discussions and documents – reports, photos,
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Under Governor Cuomo’s NY Open for Hunting and Fishing Initiative, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens today announced the kickoff of the second year of a research project on wild turkey survival to help improve the management of this popular game bird. “Wild turkeys are the most popular small game species in New York among hunters afield,” Commissioner Martens said. “The data generated by this study will provide valuable information on turkey survival rates and population size to help guide future management of this important game species. I encourage landowners that have wild turkey on
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