February 9, 2007 - TOP 5 STORIES
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Trapping to continue in Minnesota
Predator urine might be useful in reducing deer-vehicle crashes
2006 Minnesota deer harvest second highest on record
State-required ATV trail to be built in Aitkin Co.
Feds plan to remove gray wolf from endangered list
Trapping to continue in Minnesota
Sportsmen win first round in court fight to protect trapping
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation Reports
A federal judge on Feb. 1 dismissed a lawsuit that attempted to use the threatened Canada lynx as a pawn in the anti-hunters’ lawsuit to ban trapping in Minnesota. The decision will allow trapping to continue in the state.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz dismissed the suit brought by the Humane Society of the United States against the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to ban trapping for abundant game wherever endangered or threatened species exist. The anti’s had argued that since the state holds a population of Canada lynx, a species protected under the Endangered Species Act, all trapping of any species should be stopped to prevent incidental catch of lynx. There is no data proving this to be a problem.
The dismissal was in accordance with a settlement in which the DNR agreed to apply for a federal incidental take permit. The permits are distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for activities that could possibly result in “take” of threatened or endangered species. Trapping will continue while the permit process moves forward.
“We are satisfied that the agreement will not disrupt trapping in Minnesota,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation President Bud Pidgeon. “However, there is still work to be done. Two nearly identical lawsuits that threaten trapping, hunting and fishing wherever endangered species exist are still pending in Minnesota and Maine.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, along with the Minnesota Trappers Association, Fur Takers of America, National Trappers Association, and Minnesota trappers Todd Roggenkamp and Cory Van Driel, represented the sportsmen’s interests as parties in the suit.
“This case could have turned Minnesota’s trapping industry upside down,” said Charles Andres, president of Fur Takers of America. “We are glad to know that trapping will continue status quo while the federal permits are acquired and reviewed.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmen’s interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts. The U.S. SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who often have little or no background in wildlife law.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects and advances America’s heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping. For more information about how you can protect your rights as a sportsman, contact The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, (614) 888-4868 or visit www.ussportsmen.org
Predator urine might be useful in reducing deer-vehicle crashes
Urine would be placed in canisters set far from the roadway in the hope that the smell will trigger an instinct in deer to flee.
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (AP) – Perhaps wolf urine could make highways safer.
Testing whether deer can be scared off with real or synthetic urine from predators such as wolves, coyotes and bears was just one of several ideas that officials from eight states, including Connecticut, planned to consider here as they look for ways to reduce the number of crashes between deer and vehicles.
The eight states are pooling their money and brain power to reduce the hazard, which kills about 200 people nationwide each year.
“I think it’s a problem in every state but Hawaii,” said Bob Weinholzer, programs administrator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Weinholzer said such crashes cost the nation’s drivers about $1.4 billion annually in property damage, death and injuries.
That’s why he planned to propose the predator urine research project to fellow transportation officials from states that make up the newly formed Deer-Vehicle Crash Information Research Center. Representatives from Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin attended the two-day meeting last week.
The participants will propose and vote on research projects to fund with their combined $280,000. Weinholzer said sharing costs is the only way most states can afford long-term thorough research.
“You get a better, bigger research project done and more professionally,” said Steve Gent, traffic and safety engineer for the Iowa Department of Transportation.
While deer-vehicle crashes usually aren’t very serious – they usually result in damage to cars rather than injuries to humans – the numbers are growing in some states as their deer populations grow.
“There are no good, easy solutions from a transportation perspective,” Gent said. “Pretty much all research shows that two things work: one is to reduce the size of the deer herd, which is very controversial. The other is to put up a deer fence. All you do is move the problem.”
That’s why Weinholzer says predator urine might be useful. The urine would be placed in canisters set far from the roadway in the hope that the smell will trigger an instinct in deer to flee.
Deer in Iowa probably don’t naturally come across wolf urine – or bear urine, for that matter – Weinholzer acknowledged. But researchers hope to learn if a predator’s urine will set off an instinctive reaction anyway.
Gent said it’s worth a try.
“It’s all for the common good,” he said.
According to MnDOT, two people were killed in 4,176 deer-vehicle crashes reported in Minnesota in 2005, the last year for which figures were available.
MnDOT will conduct its own, separate study starting next month near Camden State Park in southwestern Minnesota. A laser triggering system will be set up near Highway 23. When large animals break the beams, the system will activate flashing lights atop deer crossing signs for about a minute, warning drivers to slow down.
Some 40 to 80 deer are killed by vehicles on that stretch of road annually, Weinholzer said.
“Slowing down is the biggest key,” he said. “You could never stop all deer crashes.”
2006 Minnesota deer harvest second highest on record
Associated Press
Minnesota hunters killed nearly 270,000 deer in 2006, the second-highest harvest in the state. Firearms hunters accounted for most of those: about 229,000, the Department of Natural Resources announced. Archers killed about 25,000 deer and muzzleloader hunters 13,500. It was the fourth straight year the total harvest exceeded a quarter-million deer. The DNR attributed the escalating harvests to a new all-season license that combines archery, firearm and muzzleloader licenses and allows firearms hunters to hunt statewide.
DNR News
Minnesota hunters harvested nearly 270,000 deer during 2006, the second highest deer harvest ever recorded, according to a final numbers recently announced by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
With nearly 500,000 deer hunters enjoying long seasons and liberal bag limits, DNR officials anticipated a strong 2006 deer harvest. In total, firearms hunters harvested 229,000 deer while archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 25,000 and 13,500 deer, respectively.
Hunters who participated in the early antlerless season tagged 2,300 deer. Overall, the statewide firearm harvest was up 6 percent, archers enjoyed another record season and increased 8 percent, while muzzleloader harvest decreased 4 percent from their record 2005 harvest.
“Once again, Minnesota deer hunters enjoyed another great deer season,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
Prior to 2003, Minnesota hunters had never killed 250,000 deer in any one season. Over the four years, total deer harvest exceeded 250,000 each year.
“The last four years have yielded the top four harvests ever recorded, which not only indicates an abundant deer population, but also shows the great flexibility our seasons offer,” Cornicelli said.
The all-season license, which allows people to hunt during the archery, firearm and muzzleloader season, has been increasing dramatically since 2002. In 2006, 75,000 people purchased the license, which likely contributed to the record archery and continued high muzzleloader harvest.
“We continue to see dramatic increases in muzzleloader hunters,” Cornicelli said. “I think people are really grabbing on to the fact that they can extend their time in the field by getting into muzzleloader hunting, which overall isn’t very expensive.”
The final deer harvest number is computed using information provided by hunters when they register their deer. A final report, which includes more detailed harvest information, will be available online at www.dnr.state.mn.us in the coming weeks.
For the 2007 season, the deadline for the either-sex permit application is Sept. 6. Archery deer hunting will begin Sept. 15. The early antlerless deer season will be the weekend of Oct. 13-14. The statewide firearms deer-hunting season will open on Nov. 3. The muzzleloader season will open Nov. 24.
State-required ATV trail to be built in Aitkin Co.
DNR, Aitkin County commissioners agree on a grant agreement that will create a continuous trail, at least 70 miles in length
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – An 85-mile ATV trail will be developed in Aitkin County under an agreement approved by the county and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The proposal from Aitkin and Itasca counties was chosen to satisfy a 2003 requirement from the Legislature to build a continuous 70-mile trail somewhere in the state. St. Louis County and Roseau and Lake of the Woods counties also submitted proposals.
“We thought long and hard before we put this proposal together,” Aitkin County land commissioner Mark Jacobs said. “One of the thoughts is that if you have a designated system that is environmentally sound, you can move (ATVs) away from the unregulated lands.”
“It met the criteria and they were ready to get started,” said Ron Potter, coordinator of the DNR’s off-highway program. “Once its built, were hoping that some of the local (ATV) clubs will take it over as a grant-in-aid trail and maintain it.”
Preliminary plans show the trail connecting with existing Aitkin-Itasca county trails to create a system nearly 500 miles long. Construction is expected to start in 2008.
Forrest Boe, DNR Division of Trails & Waterways director, said the first step is for the counties to recommend a trail location and design, and conduct an environmental review. There is nothing definite, as far as trail location is concerned, Boe explained. The public will have the opportunity to help design the trail and determine where it goes.
“This is an exciting opportunity,” said Brian Napstad, county board chairperson. “We do have a variety of trails in the area, but nothing like this. People will now be able to park their vehicles at a variety of locations and have access to literally hundreds of miles of quality trails.”
Feds plan to remove gray wolf from endangered list
“Wolves have recovered in the western Great Lakes because efforts to save them from extinction have been a model of cooperation, flexibility, and hard work,” Lynn Scarlett said. “This same spirit of collaboration has helped gray wolves in the Northern Rockies exceed their recovery goals to the point where they are biologically ready to be delisted. States, tribes, conservation groups, federal agencies and citizens of both regions can be proud of their roles in saving this icon of wilderness.”
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – Once hunted to near extinction, gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region and the northern Rocky Mountains have rebounded so successfully they no longer need federal protection, officials said last week.
The Interior Department said it would remove about 4,000 wolves in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota from the endangered and threatened species list in about a month. State and tribal governments will have responsibility for keeping their numbers at healthy levels.
The department hopes to take the same action for about 1,200 wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming within a year.
“Today, through this action, we recognize a comeback of the wolves,” Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett said in a conference call with reporters.
Government-approved bounty hunting nearly wiped out the wolf in the lower 48 states by the 1950s. Changing attitudes led to their protection in 1974 under the newly enacted Endangered Species Act.
The federal government will continue monitoring wolf populations for five years after they are dropped from the list and can return them on an emergency basis if necessary.
States and tribes are developing management plans dealing with touchy issues such as whether to allow sport hunting of wolves and how to deal with livestock depredation.
Gray wolves were previously listed as endangered in the lower 48 states, except in Minnesota where they were listed as threatened. The Service oversees three separate recovery programs for the gray wolf; each has its own recovery plan and recovery goals based on the unique characteristics of wolf populations in each geographic area. The separate actions announced today affect the western Great Lakes wolf population, which has been delisted under the ESA, and the proposed delisting of the Northern Rocky Mountains population. Wolves in other parts of the 48 states, including the Southwest wolf population, remain endangered and are not affected by actions taken today.
Western Great Lakes wolves
The Service’s removal of the gray wolf from the endangered and threatened species list applies only to the Western Great Lakes Distinct Population Segment (DPS). A DPS is a term used in the ESA to describe a significant and discrete population of vertebrate fish and wildlife occurring in a distinct portion of a species’ or subspecies’ range. In this case, the area includes Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The DPS includes all the areas currently occupied by wolf packs in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as areas in these states in which wolf packs may become established in the future. The DPS also includes surrounding areas into which wolves may disperse but are not likely to establish packs.
When the wolf was first listed as endangered in the 1970s, only a few hundred wolves remained in Minnesota. Recovery criteria outlined in the Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Plan include the assured survival of the gray wolf in Minnesota and a population of 100 or more wolves in Wisconsin/Michigan for a minimum of five consecutive years. The recovery plan identified 1,250 to 1,400 as a population goal for Minnesota. The state’s wolf population has been at or above that level since the late 1970s.
The Wisconsin/Michigan wolf population has been above 100 since the winter of 1993-94, achieving the latter numerical goal in the recovery plan.
The region’s late winter gray wolf population now numbers approximately 4,000 and occupies portions of Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Wolf numbers in the three states have exceeded the numerical recovery criteria established in the species’ recovery plan.
The Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources have developed plans to guide future wolf management actions. Protection of wolves, control of problem animals, consideration of hunting and trapping, as well as maintenance of the long-term health of the wolf population will be governed by the appropriate state or tribe.
Once a species is removed from Endangered Species Act protection, there are several safeguards to help ensure it continues to thrive, including a mandatory 5-year monitoring period. The Service also has the ability to immediately relist a species on an emergency basis, if monitoring or other data show that is necessary.
The final rule removing gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes DPS from the list of threatened and endangered species will be published in the Federal Register. The rule becomes effective 30 days after publication; until that date, gray wolves remain under the protection of the ESA in the western Great Lakes DPS.
The rule and other information about the gray wolf may be found at www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf
Special interest groups are happy with Service's recent wolf delisting
By Tracey Ludvik
Wausau Daily Herald
STEVENS POINT, Wis. (AP) – Removal of the gray or timber wolf from the federal Endangered Species list in early March will give local wildlife officials more flexibility to manage the wolf population.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources estimated there were 455 wolves statewide in 2005.
Eric Anderson, a wildlife professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, is glad the wolf will be delisted.
“If you look at attitudes (about the wolf) around the state, there’s more of a preponderance of negative attitudes in northern Wisconsin,” he said.
That’s because with the growing wolf population, people are seeing more wolves while seeing fewer deer and conclude that wolves are killing the deer, Anderson said.
The Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association is one special interest group that doesn’t want wolf numbers to get too high, he said. The group has reported that several hunting dogs were killed by wolves in recent years during bear hunts.
“The average cost of a bear hunting dog is $2,000, so it’s a very big deal to them,” Anderson said.
According to DNR mammal ecologist Adrian Wydeven, there have been two reports of dogs killed and one report of sheep killed in central Wisconsin in recent years.
“The USDA Wildlife Services can euthanize problem wolves and possibly in the future there will be a hunting and trapping season for wolves,” Wydeven said, adding that another option is to grant permits to landowners to kill a particular problem wolf.
“The vast majority of wolves don’t attack livestock or dogs,” Wydeven said.
There are strategies farmers and landowners can use to avoid attracting wolves, he said.
“Clean up animal carcasses as soon as possible, keep fences fixed and remove sick animals (from the herd).”
For help managing a current or prospective wolf problem, call the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services at 1-800-228-1368.
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation