Recent News

Second Chance for Yankee Cottontails

June 19, 2017 — cfergus

By Ted Williams for Cool Green Science

Stunned but delighted is how Dr. Robert McDowell, Director of Wildlife at the University of Connecticut, sounded when I arrived at his office to learn about New England cottontail rabbits.

WILD Act Passes Senate by Unanimous Consent

June 19, 2017 — cfergus

The U.S. Senate passed legislation by unanimous consent on June 8 to reauthorize the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program and create new national conservation awards.

The Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Act (WILD Act, S. 826) was introduced in April and is championed by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barasso (R-WY) and committee Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE).

Agencies Partner for Troubled PA Game Birds

June 19, 2017 — cfergus

By Joe Evans

A state-agency partnership is creating more habitat for two troubled game birds and other wildlife species that rely on young forest.

Since 2011, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have teamed to restore thousands of acres of idle, difficult-to-manage habitat for ruffed grouse and woodcock on state forests.

Ruffed Grouse Sighting a Pleasant Surprise

May 18, 2017 — cfergus

By Bill Reid for the Norwich Bulletin

This past March I was hiking through a forest that had recently gone through an extensive timber harvest.

Most of what foresters refer to as the overstory, composed of dominant, mature white pine, had been harvested to make way for younger and mid-sized deciduous oaks, maples, pines and birch trees.

Planned Fires Help Cape Cod Forests, Wildlife

May 12, 2017 — cfergus

By Chris Lindahl for the Cape Cod Times

MASHPEE — As firefighters on Tuesday prepared to set part of the forest ablaze off Red Brook Road, they had to check the weather.

Final Sparta Mountain Plan (NJ) Met With Concerns

May 12, 2017 — cfergus

By Erika Norton for the Sparta Independent


Tree harvest plans:
322 acres managed to accelerate old-growth characteristics (single-tree selection cutting)
100 acres shelterwood cutting
208 acres managed for young forest characteristics (modified tree seed cutting)
Source: New Jersey DEP

Logging, Prescribed Fire to Make Moose Habitat in MN

May 02, 2017 — cfergus

By John Myers, Duluth News Tribune

Twenty years ago the Superior National Forest, in Minnesota, was criticized for allowing loggers to cut too many trees, especially too many large swaths of forest.

Controlled Burns Restore Habitat, Reduce Tick Numbers

May 01, 2017 — cfergus

By Mike Barcaskey for the Beaver County Times

While it’s an old tool of nature, controlled burns are more popular than ever with wildlife-management groups, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is no exception.

This spring, the Game Commission will be conducting controlled burns to restore wildlife habitat and decrease the threat of wildfires on State Game Lands statewide.

What Can Congress Learn from Teddy Bear and Peter Rabbit?

April 28, 2017 — cfergus

By Eric Holst, Environmental Defense Fund, Opinion Contributor for The Hill

This week, several Senate Republicans initiated efforts to reform the Endangered Species Act in ways that would roll back critical protections for wildlife, putting countless plants and animals at greater risk of extinction. It’s one of many anticipated actions to review the law, a number of which are likely to propose weakening the Act in order to streamline development and reduce regulatory burdens on private landowners.

Mashpee Refuge a "Bright Spot" for Native Cottontails, Bats

April 22, 2017 — cfergus

By Sam Houghton, Mashpee Enterprise

Mashpee, MA – The Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge continues to be a rare bright spot for two species: the Northern long-eared bat and the New England cottontail. And the management of the refuge may have helped with their survival.

That was the message from a talk at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on Monday, April 17, entitled “Bats & Bunnies: Managing Habitat for Seldom Seen Mammals.”

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