OWAA member debuts American Waterfowler magazine
Jay Michael Strangis is editor and publisher of new magazine American Waterfowler. The inaugural issue features articles about snow goose hunting during the spring conservation seasons in both Central and Atlantic flyways, sea duck hunting, Oklahoma goose hunting and a photo essay documenting Canada goose hunting in Alberta.
“Having regular writers of the quality of John M. Taylor, Robert Milner, Michael Hungle, David Rearick, L.P. Brezny, Jim Dougherty, Bill Graham…makes it easy to produce a magazine of the quality we envisioned from the start,” Strangis said.
American Waterfowler is published six times a year. For more information, visit www.WaterfowlerMag.com or e-mail info@waterfowlermag.com.
OWAA president launches website
John Beath launched GoFishMagazine.com, a quarterly online magazine devoted to fishing. Beath says subscriptions are free to anyone who signs up online.
Several OWAA members have contributed to GoFishMagazine.com, including Chris Batin, Mary Peachin and John Felsher.
“In addition to great magazine articles and photos, Go Fish Magazine has videos linked to stories and the magazine has a more social network feel to it,” Beath said. “Readers of Go Fish Magazine can submit comments and be more interactive than a print magazine.”
For more information about GoFishMagazine.com, contact Beath at jbeath@gmail.com. To sign up for a free subscription, visit www.GoFishMagazine.com.
Canadian NAWCA enhancement bill signifies milestone
A bill that allows the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to use Canadian funding toward the dollar-for-dollar match required by the U.S. government was signed into law by President Obama after being passed unanimously by Congress last year.
The bill allows Canadian contributions for the first time since NAWCA began more than 20 years ago.
“Allowing Canadian funds to match the federal grants will help continue NAWCA projects to be matched by an average of $2 for every dollar from the U.S. government,” said Ducks Unlimited Director of Governmental Affairs Scott Sutherland at a hearing before the House Natural Resources Committee. For more information, visit www.ducks.org/conservation.
New magazine for the modern hunter-gatherer
Whether you fish, hunt or forage, Cooking Wild Magazine will help you bridge the gap from the field to the table. The new Sacramento, Calif.-based quarterly from Power Media is filled with wild cooking tips, recipes and techniques for the modern hunter-gatherer.
“We’ve always loved to cook the food that we bring home ourselves…We combined this love with the desire to increase awareness and expand people’s knowledge of cooking wild game, fish, foragables,” said Cooking Wild Editorial Director Andy Donald. “To put it simply the magazine is going to answer the question, ‘You killed it, now what?’”
For a free trial subscription, visit www.cookingwildmagazine.com.
Harlequin duck survival rates stabilize more than a decade after Exxon spill
A new article in the Wildlife Society’s Journal of Wildlife Management says wildlife managers should consider longer-term survival issues resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.
The authors tracked the survival rates of 138 female harlequin ducks during the winters of 2000-03 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. They found that it took roughly a decade for survival of female harlequin ducks to recover following the spill, “much longer than had been assumed that deleterious effects on wildlife populations would be expressed,” they wrote.
Harlequin ducks were especially vulnerable to the spill because the oil invaded their habitat and remained in the sediment through at least 1998, according to soil samples.
Read the full article at http://www2.allenpress.com/pdf/wild-74-03-471-478.pdf.
Brucellosis increasing in Wyoming elk herds
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists say brucellosis, a bacterial infection of cattle, elk and bison, appears to be increasing in northwestern Wyoming elk herds.
The research, conducted at the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, found several cattle herds have been infected in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana since 2004 and recent cases of brucellosis cattle are thought to have spread from elk due to the lack of contact between bison and cattle.
USGS disease ecologist and lead author of the study, Paul Cross, said miscarriages are common among infected animals, and the presence of the disease within livestock results in additional testing requirements and trade restrictions.
For more information, visit www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/03/30/Brucellosis-increasing-among-some-elk/UPI-31231269978629.
BowNation: a little something for every bowhunting enthusiast
“The three longbeard gobblers stood together on the slope 80 yards away, checking out the situation. I cut and yelped and clucked and threw some other sounds in for good measure, watching to see what they responded to. My bow was ready but right now I held my camera, and intended on putting it to use,” wrote Robert Hoague in a blog linked to his newest Internet property, BowNation.
Hoague, who founded Bowhunting.net in 1996, now invites those who love archery and bowhunting to join BowNation. The amalgam of Facebook, Twitter, forums and blogs allows members to post photos, invite friends, find events and share their latest hunting adventure. Visit www.bownation.com to set up your own profile.
Missouri Department of Conservation among National Fish Habitat honorees
Leaders in aquatic resources conservation were honored by The National Fish Habitat Board during the Third Annual National Fish Habitat Awards ceremony in April. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s Lower Bourbeuse Landowner Committee was recognized for Extraordinary Action in support of Fish Habitat Conservation for its efforts to improve aquatic habitat in the Meramec-Lower Bourbeuse watershed.
Nominations were submitted by hundreds of organizations that comprise the National Fish Habitat Partners Coalition and Fish Habitat Partnerships under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. For more info, visit www.fishhabitat.org.
Campgrounds and RV sites recognized for ‘going green’
The recreational sites that pledge to adopt the environmentally friendly practices of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ “Plan it Green” program will now be formally recognized. Since the program’s launch three years ago, more than 100 campgrounds and RV resorts across the country provide recycling programs for guests, planting trees to offset carbon emissions or avoiding the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment.
Now, the Larkspur, Colo.-based campground association has partnered with Woodall’s North American Campground Directory to list qualifying parks with a “Green Friendly” icon in the GoCampingAmerica.com and Woodalls.com travel planning websites, as well as the 2011 print edition of the Woodall’s directory. For a look at the association’s newly revised website, visit www.GoCampingAmerica.com.
NRPA reduces volunteer screening costs
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) now offers access to full-service, national background checks for potential volunteers at a reduced cost.
Originally, the volunteer management and screening Safe Tool Kit was available for free to NRPA members with a minimum commitment of 50 screenings at $18.50 per screening. Now, member agencies can receive a free tool kit with a minimum commitment of 10 background checks at the same price. The total cost of the program is $185 plus shipping and handling. Non-member agencies can purchase the tool kit for $995 with a minimum commitment of 10 background checks at $21.50 per screening. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org/tlc2.
Project Learning Tree workshop offered in May
Featuring outdoor play, music and movement, literature, art and math, the new educational program, “Project Learning Tree: Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood,” encourages teachers to explore nature with their students.
The first 25 public preschool teachers, Head Start teachers, private child care providers and kindergarten teachers who register will be able to participate in a workshop on how to use the program.
The program will take place on May 8 at Brown County State Park in Nashville, Ind. E-mail Donna Rogler at drogler@dnr.IN.gov to register. Cost is $15. Participants will receive an activity guide and music CD.
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