Feed Editor 25 Jul 2009 18:18:41 GMT Top stories from the Midwest region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/midwest/newsroom en After more than 22 years of working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California, Kevin Foerster is migrating to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Foerster will be settling in at refuge headquarters in Winona, Minnesota in early November. In addition to managing the "Upper Miss" Refuge, he will serve as the Refuge Supervisor for Trempealeau, Port Louisa, Great River, Two Rivers, Middle Mississippi River and Illinois River National Wildlife Refuges. 23 Nov 2009 21:18:18 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=143 Twenty juvenile whooping cranes reached Illinois today on their ultralight-guided migration from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuges along Florida's Gulf Coast. These majestic birds, the tallest in North America, left Necedah refuge on October 23 following Operation Migration’s four ultralight aircraft. Illinois is one of the seven states the ultralight-guided migration will fly over before reaching Florida. The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private groups conducting this project, is now in its ninth year, in an effort to reintroduce this endangered species in eastern North America. 5 Nov 2009 17:31:14 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=141 A summer filled with beach cleanups, trimming trails, habitat restoration for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, and banding egrets and great blue herons is just the beginning for high school students at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided funding allowing these experiences to happen. “I now know how much damage Spotted Knapweed does to the beaches,” stated a YCC enrollee who gathered 100 garbage bags full of this invasive plant from the Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge beach. 5 Nov 2009 14:47:37 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=140 It’s a crisp calm autumn morning while gathering program materials for a class of inner-city 1st graders. They are eagerly awaiting their morning field trip to Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). This will be their first time out to the Refuge for this school year. Their program is on the scientific study of changes in nature-phenology. Prior to their field trip I went into their classroom with myriad of items that signify change; snowpants, colored leaves, umbrella, nuts, picture of a snowflake, sunglasses, model of emerging green grass. The students had to categorize these items into three groups: plant, animal, or weather. Once this was completed we then reorganized the items into the seasons of when they would be used or seen. 5 Nov 2009 14:47:20 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=139 Morris Wetland Management District (District) will be renovating their headquarters to a more effective and environmentally friendly heating and cooling system. The headquarters is one of first buildings in the Morris area to go “green” besides the University of Minnesota, Morris Campus. Geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and energy efficient windows are part of this renovation. 5 Nov 2009 14:47:01 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=137 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Conservation Fund announce grants to protect important wildlife habitat using funds from Rockies Express Indianapolis, IN (November 2, 2009) – Across Indiana, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Conservation Fund and industry partners have launched a landmark conservation effort to meet growing energy demand while conserving wildlife habitat. Today, the team announced seven energy industry-funded grants totaling $1.1 million that will protect more than 1,300 acres of migratory bird habitat in the state. 2 Nov 2009 19:43:45 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=136 Barry Christenson is returning home to the prairie to become the new District Manager for Windom Wetland Management District. Christenson will manage 13,000 acres of Waterfowl Production Areas, the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge and wetland habitat easements critical to waterfowl and other prairie wildlife. “We are very excited to have Barry coming back to the Region,” said Rick Schultz, Chief of Refuges for the Midwest Region. “He has a passion for habitat restoration and brings with him strong experiences with partnerships.” 29 Oct 2009 19:50:18 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=135 Bruce Freske recently began duties as the new manager of the Morris Wetland Management District. Bruce began his career with the Fish and Wildlife Service as a student trainee at Green Bay Ecological Services in 1987, followed by assignments at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Illinois River National Wildlife Refuge, Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District, and Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge. Freske most recently transferred from the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge Complex located in Swan Quarter, North Carolina, where he served as the manager for the past 5 1/2 years. 29 Oct 2009 19:49:35 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=134 Mark Vaniman, a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the new refuge manager at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan. He began his new duties on September 14, 2009. “His variety of work assignments and his passion for refuges will serve him well at Seney National Wildlife Refuge.” says Rick Schultz, Chief of Refuges for the Midwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In his previous position, Vaniman served as Project Leader at Windom Wetland Management District. 29 Oct 2009 19:48:49 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=133 Rick Schultz has returned to the Midwest Region of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as the Chief of Refuges after a career move that took him to Washington D.C. Schultz will oversee the management of 54 National Wildlife Refuges, 12 Wetland Management Districts and more than 300,000 acres in waterfowl production areas. 29 Oct 2009 14:12:52 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=132 Nine young whooping cranes were released October 24 on central Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The cranes are part of the Direct Autumn Release (DAR) project conducted by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private groups that is reintroducing this highly imperiled species in eastern North America, part of its historic range. There are approximately 77 whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North America thanks to WCEP’s efforts. 27 Oct 2009 18:58:52 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=131 Twenty young whooping cranes have begun their ultralight-led migration from central Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). This is the ninth group of birds to take part in a landmark project led by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and private groups that is reintroducing this highly imperiled species in eastern North America, part of its historic range. There are now 77 whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North America thanks to WCEP’s efforts. 23 Oct 2009 18:44:52 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=130 A collection of youth in the Midwest found that banding geese and wading in a river collecting aquatic plants qualified as a summer job. “I had always admired them from a far, but actually getting a chance to hold one was an amazing experience,” wrote one Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) enrollee about their goose banding experience on Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Wisconsin. Another enrollee wrote, “That experience will last me a lifetime!” 22 Oct 2009 18:44:15 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=129 A tentative departure date of Oct. 10, 2009 has been set for the 2009 ultralight-led migration of twenty-one juvenile whooping cranes from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Wisconsin to their wintering destinations in southern Florida. The public and media are invited to observe the Class of 2009 departure at the Ducks Unlimited (DU) Wetland located off Headquarters Road between Hwy. 21 and the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Office. Public and media are encouraged to arrive no later than 6:45 a.m on Saturday, Oct. 10. The departure is weather-dependent. For the most up-to-date departure status please call the Whooping Crane Migration Hotline at (904) 731-3293. 8 Oct 2009 17:07:52 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=127 A portion of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge will be open for the first time for the Youth Deer Hunt on October 17 and 18. Pre-hunt scouting is allowed on Friday October 16; 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. No registration is required. The Northeastern section of the Refuge will be open to youth hunters. Access to the area is from the north on 270th Ave. N.E. (Northgate Road) and from the south on County Road 7 (290th St N.E.) and intersection with the Lost Bay Habitat Drive and the east boundary road. The area is adjacent to and west of the state Eckvoll Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is also open to youth deer hunting. See attached map. Maps are available at the Refuge Office, kiosks, and on the web at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/agassiz/. 1 Oct 2009 14:24:34 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=126 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in coordination with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership and private landowners, will host a congressional tour of aquatic habitat restoration projects within the Meramec – Lower Bourbeuse watersheds in Franklin and Crawford Counties on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. Congressional staff from the offices of Sen. Bond, Sen. McCaskill, Rep. Leutkemeyer and Rep. Emerson will tour the projects supported by the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) and its associated fish habitat partnerships (FHPs) that work to recover, restore, and protect populations of fish, mussels, and other aquatic species. 29 Sep 2009 22:52:09 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=125 The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to treat the shovelnose sturgeon as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Act) due to its similarity of appearance to the endangered pallid sturgeon. The Service is also proposing a special rule that would prohibit harvest of flesh or roe of shovelnose sturgeon and shovelnose–pallid sturgeon hybrids when associated with a commercial fishing activity. 22 Sep 2009 19:20:27 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=119 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a final rule in the Federal Register acknowledging that Endangered Species Act protections are reinstated for the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes. The rule complies with a court order and settlement agreement which effectively restored ESA protections on July 1, 2009. 16 Sep 2009 15:04:30 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=118 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a new program to issue two new types of permits that will be used to improve the management of bald and golden eagles under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The two permits are designed to protect public safety and manage activities or projects that may disturb or otherwise incidentally “take” bald or golden eagles or their nests, while maintaining stable or increasing populations. Permits will only be granted when they are compatible with this goal. 10 Sep 2009 18:54:01 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=117 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on a draft plan that would address potential impacts from Quad Cities Nuclear Station to two at-risk species in the Upper Mississippi River near Cordova, Illinois – the federally endangered Higgins eye pearlymussel and the sheepnose mussel, a candidate for Endangered Species Act listing. 10 Sep 2009 16:26:28 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=114 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius announced today that the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission voted to approve more than $6 million in federal funding and more than $12 million in matching grants for wetland conservation in Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. 9 Sep 2009 14:15:04 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=113 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the availability of coal mining guidelines developed to conserve and protect the endangered Indiana bat. The bat’s habitat stretches from the eastern United States through the Midwest, including 13 states with coal mining operations. “These guidelines provide coal mining companies a set of consistent and reasonable protective measures they can use when their proposed operations could impact the Indiana bat and its critical habitat,” Secretary Salazar said. “This technical guidance was developed through extensive state and federal collaboration and will assist companies in complying with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.” 3 Sep 2009 16:29:46 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=112 The first ever Midwest Jack Pine Symposium was held on August 25 and 26, 2009 in Odanah, Wisconsin and was attended by approximately 180 people from Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada, representing Federal, State and County agencies, private industry, and non-profit conservation organizations. Christie Deloria and Joel Trick of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Marquette and Green Bay Ecological Services Field Offices led the effort to organize the symposium, with the goal of integrating forestry and wildlife in jack pine management to benefit the numerous declining species found in this ecosystem. The meeting also served as one of the semi-annual meetings of the Wisconsin Society of American Foresters, bringing together a diverse mix of forestry and wildlife related disciplines. 2 Sep 2009 20:25:07 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=111 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul will host the 2010 Junior Duck Stamp Contest on April 23, 2010. This is only the second time in the program’s history that the event has been held outside of Washington D.C. “The Midwest Region is proud to host the Junior Duck Stamp Contest in 2010,” said Tom Melius, Midwest Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “This is not just an art contest; it’s a program that can help instill environmental stewardship in young minds.” 31 Aug 2009 20:31:00 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=110 Watch the unveiling of the architectural drawings and the ground breaking of the new Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. 27 Aug 2009 20:20:14 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/ The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in coordination with the Wisconsin DNR and Trout Unlimited, hosted Congressman Ron Kind (WI-3) and congressional staff with Senators Kohl (WI) and Feingold (WI) on a tour of an aquatic habitat restoration project at Big Spring Branch in southwestern Wisconsin (Iowa County) on August 25, 2009. Prior to restoration activities, heavy agricultural pressure had contributed to severe erosion of stream banks and high sediment loads to the stream, which negatively impacted habitat quality and the local trout fishery. 28 Aug 2009 19:38:51 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=109 Watch the video of Secretary Salazar's visit to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refgue on August 9th, 2009. 28 Aug 2009 19:01:30 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/ The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced more than $300,000 will support fish habitat projects in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin and Iowa. An additional $899,589 in partner contributions, over $1.2 million in total, will go toward restoring and enhancing aquatic stream habitat and improve recreational fishing. Funding is provided for priority projects identified through the Driftless Area Restoration Effort (DARE) Fish Habitat Partnership established under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP). The Driftless Area Restoration Effort (DARE) partnership formed to address habitat degradation, loss, and alteration that are the primary factors contributing to the decline of fish populations in this unique region. 26 Aug 2009 23:00:41 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=108 "St. Paul, Minn. — Minnesota has some new research efforts to find natural methods that will control invasive plants and insects. Slowing the spread of exotic plants and insects with chemicals is expensive and often has negative environmental side effects. Finding a natural enemy to kill a plant or insect is often more efficient and more sustainable." 25 Aug 2009 22:58:37 GMT http://www.fws.gov/scripts/exit.cfm?link=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/21/natural-plant-killers/ Watch the interview with Heidi Keuler as she speaks about Asian Carp and the impact they could have on our ecosystem. 24 Aug 2009 23:00:25 GMT http://www.fws.gov/scripts/exit.cfm?link=http://www.hybridcarstore.com/video/video79.php Today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust has received $454,000 in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding supports the restoration and enhancement of coastal wetlands, forests, shrublands, and grasslands on a 116-acre tract in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, which will provide critically needed stopover habitat for birds that migrate over Lake Michigan. “The economic recovery investments that the Department of the Interior is making will create jobs by building trails, restoring habitat, upgrading visitors’ centers, and protecting national treasures in communities across America, while leaving a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren,” said Secretary Salazar. 13 Aug 2009 14:25:00 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=106 Jerry Kronable, 26, of Hardin, Ill., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, in East St. Louis, Ill., to one violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act yesterday. Kronable was sentenced to pay a $5,000 fine, serve one year probation, and forfeit the rifle he used to shoot the eagle. Kronable admitted that on Jan. 17, 2009, he noticed a bald eagle feeding on a deer carcass in a field on Degerlia Hollow Road, near the intersection of Illinois Route 100, in Hardin, Ill. Kronable stopped his vehicle and shot at the eagle, from his vehicle, with a .22 caliber rifle. The eagle was struck by at least one .22 caliber bullet. The eagle was able to fly to a nearby tree limb, but died soon after, and fell onto the roadside where it was discovered. 13 Aug 2009 14:24:29 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=107 Chicago - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it plans to increase the operating parameters for the electric fish dispersal barrier system in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Romeoville, Ill. The barrier system is designed to deter the passage of invasive species, especially Asian carp, between the Great Lakes and Illinois River watersheds. "As part of a continuing review process of Asian carp migration and the barrier system, the Army Corps of Engineers developed a multi-pronged strategy we have been applying since this spring," said Maj. Gen. John Peabody, Commander of the Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. 12 Aug 2009 14:22:35 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=105 Three tiny chicks, rescued before hatching from the first piping plover nest found in Illinois in 30 years, were released August 7, 2009, at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan, representing new hope for the recovery of this endangered shorebird.. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources confirmed that a pair of piping plovers constructed a nest and tended four eggs this summer on a remote stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline in northern Illinois. This is the first piping plover nest found in Illinois since 1979. 12 Aug 2009 15:33:10 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=104 BLOOMINGTON, Mn – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted more than $286,000 in projects at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge funded under President Obama’s economic recovery package that will create jobs and economic growth in Minnesota. Overall, the Department of the Interior is investing more than $11 million across Minnesota in projects in wildlife refuges, national park units, and on tribal lands. 9 Aug 2009 14:30:05 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=103 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that Neosho National Fish Hatchery in Missouri will receive $3.75 million in funding to support the construction of a two-story, 9,200 sq. ft., energy-efficient visitor center. A portion of the construction costs ($109,105) will be funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $3,753,627 contract was awarded to Kansas-based Crossland Construction Co., Inc. at a recent groundbreaking ceremony of the hatchery visitor center. 7 Aug 2009 14:16:53 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=101 Getting people involved in outdoor activities in a world filled with Wii's and PS2's is getting more and more challenging. And it may be harder still for people with limited mobility and access to the resource. In order to provide access to some of the best the Upper Mississippi River basin has to offer, the Genoa (WI) hatchery had plans to convert one of the hatchery's rearing ponds to an accessible fishing pond and provide an accessible fishing dock. 22 Jul 2009 18:26:39 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=100 Glup earned the award from Take Pride in America®, a nationwide partnership program authorized by Congress to promote the appreciation and stewardship of our nation's public lands. The Take Pride in America program is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior for the benefit of all public lands at all levels of government nationwide. 20 Jul 2009 18:25:54 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=99 John Rogner, long-time field supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chicago Ecological Services Field Office has accepted an appointment as the assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced his appointment of Rogner earlier today. 20 Jul 2009 18:25:20 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=98 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin will host a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, August 7th for a newly constructed handicap-accessible fishing dock on hatchery grounds. 8 Jul 2009 18:24:40 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=95 The donation was the result of a Wild Cats promotion, in which Guests could earn giveaways and donate to an important cause. “We found in our research that two of the most urgent environmental problems confronting our state are species extinction and habitat destruction,” explained Joseph Nayquonabe, interim corporate vice president of marketing for Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley. “We know that our Guests, as a group, enjoy donating money to worthy causes.” 7 Jul 2009 18:23:35 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=97 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neosho National Fish Hatchery (NFH) in southwest Missouri, the nation’s oldest operational federal fish hatchery, hosted a ground breaking ceremony today to celebrate the construction of a new visitor center. The 9,200 sq. ft. visitor center is expected to accommodate more than 100,000 visitors per year, enhance environmental education and interpretation opportunities, and generate economic benefits for Newton County and surrounding areas. 1 Jul 2009 18:22:10 GMT http://www.fws.gov/midwest/News/release.cfm?rid=94