Blog

List of Protected Migratory Bird Species Updated by Service

Updates and revisions to the list of bird species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) were announced today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Species on the list are governed under migratory bird hunting and permitting regulations that affect the possession, transportation, sale, purchase, exportation and importation of protected species. “It is important for the Service to keep the list of migratory birds current because of our obligation to comply with our international treaties for the protection of migratory bird species,” said Jerome Ford, Assistant Director for Migratory Birds. Reasons for changes to the List of Protected Migratory Birds Species include a need to add species
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Forest Management Unit Recognized for Wildlife Management Excellence

The Forest Management Unit of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division recently was recognized by the Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society with the Wildlife Management Excellence Award. This award honors an agency, or unit of an agency, whose management activities promote conservation, management, and provide economic benefits. “Our unit has been able to make remarkable advances in the past five years and are excited about the direction in which we are moving,” said Matt Payne, program manager of the Forest Management Unit.   “We look forward to continuing to advance silvicultural activities that promote a healthy forest
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First-ever Report on USDA Efforts to Expand Agroforestry Practices

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the first-ever report on USDA’s role advancing agroforestry. Agroforestry: USDA Reports to America details how agroforestry practices are helping farmers, ranchers and woodland owners enhance agricultural productivity, protect the environment and increase profits. “USDA has invested less than one percent of its budget into tree-based practices. Yet that small investment allows us to help create private goods and public services that reap great rewards, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and more resilient agricultural lands,” Vilsack said. “However, much work remains to promote and sustain agroforestry practices, which have great potential to promote economic growth and job
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Quail Restoration Efforts Highlight Peabody Wildlife Management Area Rally

Kentucky is a national leader in the bobwhite quail restoration field. Now people can see those efforts first hand during a rally being held at Peabody Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in western Kentucky Oct. 26. This free event includes field tours of habitat restoration areas at Peabody WMA and presentations by experts in quail restoration. Visitors can learn more about the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative and hear a State of the Bobwhite report from a biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Decades of research has shown that simply releasing quail onto farm fields doesn’t work. Progressive
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The Case of the Golden-winged Warbler

In summer, the Golden-winged Warbler flits among the thorny blackberry bushes and spiky yellow goldenrod up here, on top of the highest points in the Appalachians. These rounded, stone-strewn humps are the “Highlands of Roan” and as their name suggests, they very much resemble the misty highlands of Scotland—mostly bald compared to the surrounding hillsides of mature forest and carpeted with long grass the color of ponies. Very few people care about the Golden-Winged warbler, and even fewer make it up this high in the Appalachians—above 5,000 feet. Here on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Appalachian Trail
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Accepting Applications for Urban Forestry Projects

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is now accepting applications for urban forestry project grants that can be used to enhance landscapes and provide green spaces in urban areas across the state, Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. “Trees and green space are an important part of a community, even in densely-populated urban areas where such resources are limited,” Commissioner Martens said. “Governor Cuomo and members of the State Legislature understand the benefits of community and urban forests in protecting our air and water and improving the quality of life, and these grants are a valuable tool to
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