Wolves have made a spectacular recovery the past twenty years through
protection by the federal endangered species act. But now the
State of Minnesota is debating a public hunting and trapping season. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nick Van Der Puy reports.
Tag: wildlife management
Spring Bear Hunt Called Off
U.S. hunters were outraged last month (February) when Ontario’s
Minister of Natural Resources cancelled the spring bear hunt. His
reasoning was based on concerns about the orphaning of bear cubs. As The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Suzanne Elston points out, the decision
was in fact, purely political:
New Method for Counting Deer
When wildlife managers and animal rights groups clash over whether to
kill deer, one of the big disputes is whether the herd has been counted
correctly. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports on
a new method that more accurately counts deer in the forest:
Sturgeon Restrictions Threatens Tradition
Sturgeon numbers have been steadily declining around the Great Lakes
for years. In order to rehabilitate sturgeon populations, some states
are adopting new restrictions on harvesting the fish. In Wisconsin, the
sturgeon spearing season was shut down this year after just three days,
when the quota of fish had been caught. It was the state’s shortest
season on record. In Michigan, new restrictions will start next year.
But the new rules endanger something else: a way of life for
communities where the tradition of sturgeon spearing spans generations.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
Snow Geese Hunting Restrictions Eased
The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service has allowed most of the states in the
Great Lakes region to ease restrictions on hunting Canadian Snow Geese.
And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tom Scheck reports, the effort
is being made to protect a region in Canada:
Nationwide Bird Count
For the second year in a row people who feed birds will be counting
them as part of a nationwide survey. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Lester Graham reports.
Golfing With Wolves
Animals often lose their natural habitat when rural areas are
developed. But sometimes those new developments can provide them with
even better access to food and shelter…and that can cause populations
to explode. In Canada’s Banff National Forest, the problem is elk. One
of their favorite hang-outs is the golf course, where they eat
everything in sight, and leave behind mounds of dung… so the town put
together an elk advisory board to study the problem, and now they may
have found an innovative solution. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Wendy Nelson reports:
Marsh Monitoring Program
Marshes and other wetlands across the Great Lakes region are disappearing. Others are polluted. And that means trouble for the animals that live in them, especially birds and frogs. The four-year-old Marsh Monitoring Program based in Ontario uses hundreds of volunteers across the region to keep track of wildlife in wetland areas. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Andy Robins reports:
Restocking Program Restores Walleye
At one time, the St. Lawrence River was home to some of the best walleye fishing in the world. But by the mid-1980’s, the spawning runs that once brought thousands of fish to this region had dropped off dramatically. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports, a group of local fisherman decided to tackle the problem themselves:
Gender Disparity Endangers Yellow Perch
Scientists in Wisconsin say among yellow perch, males in Lake Michigan outnumber females by 9-to-1. Such a gender disparity may be detrimental to the food chain. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lisa Labuz has more: