in this issue

Wildlife Losses Being Assessed in Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
The full extent of wildlife losses from Hurricane Katrina is still being assessed as eight national wildlife refuges remain temporarily closed. More than $93 million in damage to Service facilities was caused by the hurricane....

Rediscovery and Recovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
In April 2005, the Department of the Interior, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Nature Conservancy, and other partners announced the extraordinary rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker at Cache River National Wildlife Refuge....

The Many Economic Benefits of Wildlife Refuges Released on October 6
The National Wildlife Refuge System is a major economic engine even as it conserves wildlife and habitat and offers some of the nation’s more alluring recreational opportunities. Those benefits will be revealed in Banking on Nature 2004: The Economic Benefits to Local Communities of National Wildlife Refuge Visitation....

Windpower and Birds
Windpower’s environment-friendly technology makes it an attractive renewable energy resource. However, windpower projects can be hazardous to wildlife...

Mark Chase Named New Refuge Law Enforcement Chief
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Mark Chase, a 20-year Service veteran, to head its Division of Refuge Law Enforcement. Chase, leading more than 470 full-time and dual-function refuge officers on the 545-unit National Wildlife Refuge System....

Volunteers Plant Thousands of Trees on South Texas Refuge
Hundreds of volunteers joined to plant 20,000 seedlings on 42 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge on October 15, the 16th annual Rio Reforestation Day....

The Best Bison Genes Are in Sullys Hill, North Dakota
Is there such a thing as a “purebred” bison herd? Though that may be impossible to authenticate, preliminary analysis has found that the bison herd at Sullys Hill National Game Preserve in North Dakota may be closer to that pure standard than any other herd within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service....

Energy Award-Winning Rhode Island Refuge Visitor Center to Open in October
The Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Kettle Pond Visitor Center, which has been named a Federal Energy Saver Showcase for 2005, opened officially on Monday, October 24....

Avian Bird Flu
To date, the virulent form of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza referred to as H5N1, has not been detected in either wild or domestic birds or in humans, in North America....

Historic Cabin of Nevada Gunslinger Opens to the Public
After suffering decades of neglect, the restored Nevada pioneer cabin of Andrew Jackson “Jack” Longstreet, a western folk legend, opened to the public on October 22....

Endangered Salamanders in Texas
A pipe replacement in San Marcos Springs (formerly Aquarena Springs) in the San Marcos River in Texas provides an opportunity to collect highly endangered Texas blind salamanders....