monitoring data compiled over the last several years by members
of the Colorado Safe Passage Coalition, as well as topography
and construction information provided by the Colorado Department of transportation. the competition brief with additional
details is scheduled to be released in late spring 2010. Source:
North American Wildlife Crossing Structure Design Competition (ARC)
Northwest
WaSHinGton—of the 150 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) on
the ridges west of the Yakima River Canyon, as many as 18 died
from pneumonia in December and dozens more became infected.
Because the disease is not only contagious but fatal, officials from
the Washington Department of fish and Wildlife began euthanizing
the sickest animals in the area to keep the disease from spreading
to newborn lambs as well as bighorns in neighboring herds. in addition, officials have been monitoring the herds, looking for sheep
that are coughing or lethargic, symptoms of pneumonia. there is
no treatment or preventive vaccine for bighorn sheep infected with
or at risk from contracting the disease. although pneumonia in wild
bighorn is not transmissible to humans or domestic livestock, the
meat of the euthanized animals could carry secondary infections
and, therefore, will not be donated to local food banks.
Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Canada
the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service will draft a revised grizzly bear
recovery plan in close cooperation with members of the interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (iGBC) to protect and manage
the approximately 1,500 threatened grizzly bears in the north
Cascades and the northern Rockies. as part of the plan, wildlife
officials from Canada and the U.S. will work together on the trans-boundary grizzly populations shared by both countries including
cooperative mortality monitoring and habitat management coordination. the iGBC—made up of state, federal, and tribal officials
and representatives of alberta and British Columbia—is scheduled
to complete the new recovery plan by the end of 2012. Source:
Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee
Southeastern
floRiDa—in December, florida wildlife officials reported the
death of another endangered panther (Puma concolor coryi) on
a florida roadway, bringing the panther death toll for 2009 up to
a record high of 16 animals. By current estimates there are 100
florida panthers in the state, up from an estimated 30 individuals two decades ago. as the panther population continues to
grow, vehicle collisions with the animals have become more
common, ranging from six to 15 per year since 2000. to protect
the species, state officials have designated well-marked panther
speed zones in some counties, requiring reduced speed limits of
45 mph at night when panthers are most active. Motorists found
violating these speed limits can receive fines of more than $200
for their first offense, and those driving 29 miles or more over the
posted limit face a mandatory court appearance.
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
an endangered florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) lies dead on i- 75, hit by
a vehicle near the Broward-Collier County line. Because vehicle collisions with
panthers have become more common, state officials have installed road signs
that remind motorists to slow down in designated panther speed zones.
Credit: f WC
tenneSSee—in 2009, tennessee had a record year for the
hunting of black bears (Ursus americanus), with harvest num-
bers reaching an all-time high of 566 individuals—an indication of
a healthy and growing black bear population in the state. once
in decline, tennessee’s black bear population has grown steadily
over the last four decades largely because of management
practices such as the establishment of bear reserves as well as
fall and winter hunting seasons scheduled to occur after females
have gone to their dens. tennessee Wildlife Resources agency
officials estimate that there are currently about 2,000 black
bears in Great Smoky Mountains national Park and an additional
3,000 to 6,000 individuals in eastern tennessee.
Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
North Central
oHio—the theme for the 2010 ohio Wildlife Diversity Conference on March 10 was designed to appeal to the senses. “it all
Makes Sense”—sponsored by the ohio Department of natural Resources—included discussions on the effects of scent,
sound, and taste on humans and wildlife. Keynote speaker Wil
Hershberger, author of The Songs of Insects, talked about the
interpretation of insect sounds, while Stan Gehrt of ohio State
University discussed the life history of skunks. other sessions
included an overview of a state-wide survey of small mammal
diversity as well as the complexities of managing paddlefish in
the ohio River. officials also unveiled the ohio Wildlife legacy
Stamp, featuring the Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula), proceeds
of which go towards protection of threatened and endangered
species, habitat restoration, and conservation education.
Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
