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2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest
Phone: 612-713-5360 |
2008 News Releases
Region 3's news releases are organized in reverse chronological order starting with the current month. A brief synopsis of each release is included here. Click on the news release title for a full text version. For news releases issued prior to those available here, visit the national website and use the searchable database to obtain the Region's archived releases through 1991.
July
July 9, 2008
Steps Proposed to Save Endangered Mussels
Two endangered freshwater mussels - the clubshell and the northern riffleshell - may get a boost as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers releasing the species into Illinois' Vermilion River Basin, under a draft Environmental Assessment developed by the Service.
June
June 30, 2008
Federal Duck Stamp celebrates 75th anniversary July 12 in Owatonna
Three-time winning artist Joe Hautman will display his 2008 Federal Duck Stamp and will be joined by other Minnesota wildlife artists at event and dinner. Owatonna, Minn. The Federal Duck Stamp program, widely considered one of the most successful conservation efforts in American history, will note its 75th anniversary with a special celebration on July 12 in Owatonna.
June 17, 2008
Fish Disease Found in Ohio Reservoir
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHSv), a virus that causes disease in fish but does not pose any threat to public health, was confirmed present in muskellunge sampled during routine egg collection in Clear Fork Reservoir in late April. The virus was found in ovarian fluid samples collected from the muskellunge as part of routine ODNR testing for VHSv, but has not resulted in a fish kill. The samples were sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Fish Health Center in LaCrosse, WI, where the VHSv virus was initially isolated and then to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Ames, Iowa, where it was later confirmed.
June 13, 2008
Steps Taken to Address Selenium Concerns
at Cane Ridge Wildlife Management AreaFollowing discovery of elevated levels of selenium in the water and aquatic life at Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Indiana, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have begun employing management actions designed to discourage endangered least terns and other migratory birds from nesting on the refuge.
June 13, 2008
As part of a suite of wetlands acquisitions and conservation grant approvals, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $4 million to purchase more than 18,000 acres of prairie wetland and associated grassland habitat for the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota – one of the largest purchases in history using dollars generated from Federal Duck Stamp sales and import duties on firearms and ammunition.
June 10 , 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today opened a 30-day public comment period on a proposal to add one national wildlife refuge to the list of areas open for hunting during the 2008-09 season and increase hunting opportunities on two other refuges in the Midwest Region.
June 10 , 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its federal, state and regional partners, including Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, will resume annual search efforts in the Illinois Waterway from the Chicago suburbs to near Havana, Ill., for three species of invasive fish, as well as for lethal fish pathogens.
May
May 22, 2008
Morgan County Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to
Poisoning Migratory Birds; Fined $7,500Steven K. Rolf, 60, of rural Beardstown in Morgan County, Ill., entered a plea of guilty to two misdemeanor charges of illegally killing migratory birds by poison in violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore accepted Rolfs’ guilty plea and imposed the agreed upon sentence at a hearing held today in Springfield.
May 19, 2008
Service Partners with Tomah Veterans Administration Hospital
for Annual Fishing Day 2008The Genoa National Fish Hatchery stocked the pond at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tomah, Wis., with more than 1,000 rainbow trout in preparation for the 18th annual fishing tournament on May 21. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., disabled veterans, escorted to the pond and aided by Tomah Middle School seventh graders, will fish, weigh and measure their catches in competition for prizes donated by the Genoa American Legion, the AL also donated 100 pounds of flathead catfish for a fish fry that culminates the half-day event.
May 14, 2008
Public Meeting Scheduled in Grand Marais to Discuss Canada Lynx Habitat
The U.S. and Wildlife Service is hosting a public meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at 7 p.m. in Grand Marais, to discuss the proposal to designate critical habitat for the Canada lynx, a federally threatened species. The meeting will be at the Cook County Court House, 411 West Second Street in Grand Marais.
May 14, 2008
Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne honored two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees during the 65th annual convocation held May 13, in Washington, D.C. The Department each year recognizes acts of "courage, valor, selflessness and exceptional management" in men and women who are nominated by their respective agencies from across the United States.
May 9, 2008
Fish and Wildlife Service Awards $578,014 for Great Lakes Restoration Projects
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced it will award grants for over $578,000 to fund fish and wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes Basin.
May 2, 2008
Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery Closed to Public for Raceway Construction
The Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery in Brimley, Mich., will be closed to the public for extensive renovation May 1 to November 15, 2008. The hatchery will receive 16 new rearing units or “raceways” to replace the original units that were constructed in the 1950s. The raceways will average 30 inches deep and each set of four units will be spaced far enough apart to allow for Service vehicles to drive between. These rearing units will be used to produce more than 1.2 million fish each year.
May 2, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to release by July 2008 a draft economic analysis that will estimate the potential costs for conservation actions associated with the proposal to revise the amount of critical habitat designated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the federally threatened Canada lynx. At that time, the Service will also reopen the public comment period on the proposed revised critical habitat rule. The new 30-day comment period will give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the draft economic analysis as well as provide information pertinent to the critical habitat proposal.
May 2, 2008
Genoa National Fish Hatchery Receives Funding
for New Outdoor ClassroomThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wisconsin, will receive more than $95,000 as part of the National Fish Hatchery System Volunteer Act of 2006, to apply toward the construction of a new outdoor education classroom.
May 2, 2008
Clean Vessel Act Grant Program Awards More Than $700,000 to Five Midwest States
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall announced that more than $700,000 from the Clean Vessel Act (CVA) grant program will be awarded to five states in the Midwest region in 2008. The grant program awarded a total of more than $13.6 million to 27 states across the nation. The grants will fund the construction and installation of sewage pumpout facilities, floating restrooms and pumpout boats in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Funding will also create recreational boating education programs across the region.
April
April 28, 2008
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Reviews Status of
Threatened Lake Erie Watersnake; Seeks Public InputInformation on Lake Erie watersnakes is needed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the agency conducts a review of the rare snake’s status required under the Endangered Species Act.
April 28, 2008
Missouri Youth wins 3rd Place in National Junior Duck Stamp Contest
The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge announce Rebekah Nastav 17 of Amoret, Missouri won third place in the 2008 National Junior Duck Contest. The judging occurred on Thursday April 17th, at the San Diego Zoo. Rebekah’s artwork of a hooded merganser entitled “Evening Swim” is featured on the website http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/. With third place Rebekah won $2,000. In 2006 Rebekah won first place in the national competition when she was only 15. Due to rules of the contest she was unable to compete in 2007.
April 24, 2008
Final Recreation Regulations Published for
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish RefugeThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a final rule in the Federal Register to implement general recreation actions in the approved Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the 240,000-acre Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
April 23, 2008
Ducks Respond to Changes in Upper Miss Refuge’s Closed Area System
Migrating ducks, geese and swans were provided more resting and feeding areas, combined with less human disturbance, during their stop-over on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge during the fall of 2007.
April 17, 2008
Public Meeting Scheduled to Discuss Canada Lynx Habitat
The U.S. and Wildlife Service is hosting a public meeting on Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 7 p.m. in Bloomington to discuss the proposal to designate critical habitat for the Canada lynx, a federally threatened species. The meeting will be at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge visitors' center at 3815 American Boulevard East in Bloomington.
April 15, 2008
A draft plan to assess the damage to fish, wildlife, and habitat from dioxins, furans and other harmful chemicals released into the Tittabawassee River is available for public review and comment. A public meeting to present information regarding the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Plan for the Tittabawassee River System Assessment Area will be held on April 17, 2008 in the Great Hall B at the Best Western Valley Plaza Inn, 5221 Bay City Road, Midland, Michigan, starting at 7pm.
April 10, 2008
Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Named 2008 Refuge Friends Group of the YearThe nonprofit group Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge was honored as the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s 2008 Refuge Friends Group of the Year at a ceremony held recently in West Virginia.
April 9, 2008
Smoke from Prescribed Fires is a Sign of Spring in Minnesota
From early April through mid-June, as weather conditions safely allow, professional fire crews and specialized equipment from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, Minn., will conduct prescribed burns to improve wildlife habitat and reduce the threat of wildfire on federally managed Refuge lands and Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) in nine counties, including the Metro area.
April 8, 2008
Litchfiield Wetland Management District to Begin Spring Prescribed Burning Season
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Litchfield Wetland Management District (WMD) will soon begin its annual prescribed burn program on Waterfowl Production Areas located within Kandiyohi, Meeker, McLeod, Wright, Renville, Stearns and Todd Counties.
April 2, 2008
Prescribed Fire Season Will Begin Soon in St. Croix, Polk and Dunn Counties
Returning birds and melting snow are sure signs of spring in the Midwest. Natural resource professionals are also preparing for another spring ritual, the start of the prescribed fire season. From early April to mid June, staff at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s St. Croix Wetland Management District in New Richmond, Wis., will be mobilizing crews of firefighters and equipment for scheduled burns at 20 Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) in St. Croix, Polk and Dunn Counties.
April 2, 2008
A proposed Safe Harbor Agreement to conserve the endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly in DuPage County, Illinois, has been released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for comment. The draft was developed by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District for conservation measures at the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve.
April 1, 2008
Missouri Junior Duck Stamp Judging to Occur in Columbia on April 3
The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge will host the judging of the Missouri Junior Duck stamp contest on Thursday April 3rd at the Richard Schoettger Conference Building in Columbia, Missouri. The Conference Building is located at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center at 4200 New Haven Rd. Judging will get underway at 10:00 am and continue until 2:00 p.m.
