Let’s say you’ve done some amazing wildlife research and published your findings in JWM or another peer-reviewed scholarly journal. That’s excellent–but that needn’t be the end of the story. You can share your work with a wider audience by also writing about it in The Wildlife Professional (TWP). As The Wildlife Society’s member magazine, TWP reaches all 9,000-plus TWS members including professionals in state and federal agencies, policymakers, students, university professors, and more.  When it comes to writing style, however, journal papers and magazine articles are completely different animals. That’s why the editors of TWP invite you to join us for a Magazine-Writing Workshop, to be held at the Annual Conference in Snowbird, Utah, on Saturday, October 2, from 1-5 p.m. We’ll discuss how to write a compelling lead, how to add vivid quotes and concrete examples, how to weave in news and current events, how to incorporate sidebars, how to find rich photographic illustration, and how to free your own voice from the constraints of the journal formula. You’ll also hear advice from one TWP writer who will share his experience of the process. We hope you can join us, but even if not, please send your article ideas to editor@wildlife.org. We’d love to help you share your story.

Lisa Uncategorized

A recent article in the Times dwells on controversy over roundups.

In  “Horse Advocates Pull for Underdogs in Roundups,” the New York Times’ recent article about feral horse gathers, the author describes a battle between horse advocates and greedy ranchers with BLM policy stacked against the “magnificent” horses. The roundups are depicted as cruel, resulting in the death or severe injury for the animals in question, while the growing cost to taxpayers is the major stumbling block to a vibrant population of these symbols of the American west. But the article leaves one very important factor out of the equation: wildlife. Not once does the author, in text or accompanying video, point out that these animals are not actually wild. Not once does he mention the deterioration of rangelands or threats to native species caused by horses. Responsible journalism should take into account all parties affected by an issue, but there’s a gaping, wildlife-shaped hole in this story.

Emily Boehm Uncategorized

Early-bird registration for The Wildlife Society Annual Conference ends tomorrow, September 3.  Register now and save on registration.  The conference takes place October 2-6 in Snowbird, UT (just outside of Salt Lake City)The TWS Conference is the largest gathering of wildlife professionals and students in North America.

Included in the conference fee is the opening night dinner and the student-professional mixer.

The conference includes an informative Plenary that you can’t miss, “There’s More to Diversity Than Just the Wildlife“.

For travel and lodging information visit here.

See you in Snowbird!

Darryl Walter TWS Annual Conference, Wildlife students annual conference, student, Wildlife Society member

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on Monday that it has asked the National Academy of Science/National Research Council (NAS/NRC) to undertake an independent review of its Wild Horse and Burro Program. NAS/NRC has made three previous reports on horse and burro and these will be reviewed as part of the two year, $1.5 million study, which will look at population estimation methods, annual herd growth, and population control, as well as identifying new areas for further research. BLM says that it will ask NAS/NRC to make recommendations for future management and then include the public in a dialogue about the program. Kudos to BLM for putting science first and seeking an independent assessment of this tricky and often emotional conservation issue!

The BLM manages nearly 70,000 horses and burros on public lands in the West, at a cost last year of $64 million. See TWS’s new factsheet for more information about feral horses and burros in America.

Emily Boehm Uncategorized

On 21 July 2010, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin approved a new Comprehensive Black Bear Management Program (CBBMP) for the State of New Jersey that would include the reintroduction of lethal measures to limit black bear (Ursus americanus) populations. The lethal management provisions would support the reopening of the New Jersey bear hunt, which has been closed since 2005.

Black Bear with a Fish. Credit: Alan Vernon/Wikimedia Commons

The American black bear is North America’s smallest and most common bear. Its range extends over nearly all of Canada, and it is pervasive throughout the Cascade, Rocky and Appalachian mountain ranges in the United States. Small, scattered populations of several subspecies (including the Mexican Black Bear, Florida Black Bear, and Louisiana Black Bear) receive varying levels of protection from federal and state agencies.

New Jersey has a stable population of the Eastern black bear subspecies. Current estimates size the population at around 3,400 bears – a significant rise from the 1992 population of 500, and one that can be primarily attributed to protections received during the 1990s.

New Jersey black bear distribution map. Credit: NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife

Serious bear conflicts have also risen – by 2009, they were up 96% from 2006 numbers. In 2010, 76 Category 1 (most aggressive) bear incidents have been reported, and 13 aggressive bears have been euthanized. Over 9,000 comments on the CCBMP, including many that opposed a hunt, were received by the NJ Fish & Game Council before their vote in its favor on 13 July 2010. The decision to use lethal management was announced shortly thereafter, and attributed to a lack of efficient and effective alternatives.

Because the intent of the hunt is to reduce the overall bear population, all sex and size classes of bear (including yearling bears and sows with cubs) will be eligible for the hunt.

Details of the Bear Hunt

The hunt is scheduled to take place from 6 – 11 December 2010, on a 1,000-square-mile region of northern New Jersey situated north of Rte. 78 and west of Rte. 278. The area covers four bear hunt zones: Morris, Sussex, Warren, and Passaic counties. Hunters receiving a permit will be allowed to hunt only in their designated hunt zone.

New Jersey black bear hunting zone map. Credit: NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife

The permit period for the hunt opens on 1 October 2010, but the bear hunter seminar courses required to apply for a permit are

scheduled from 7 September through 10 November 2010. Hunters who retain a valid certification from 2003 to 2006 are not required to attend the seminar courses. The bag limit is one bear per hunter, and youth hunters with a valid permit are allowed to participate.

Controversy

The revised CBBMP has come under fire from animal rights and animal welfare groups, who oppose the hunt in favor of nonlethal bear management methods such as relocation, public education, and aversive conditioning.

Martin notes that although he continues to support and explore nonlethal options for wildlife management, the conclusions of the CCBMP were that lethal options would be the most effective and efficient way to limit the New Jersey bear population.

More Information

Learn more about bears in New Jersey by visiting the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Bear Fact Page.

Read FAQs about the 2010 bear hunt in New Jersey on the NJ DFW’s Bear Hunt page.

Review the Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy here.

The Wildlife Society has provided comments in support of the CCBMP. Read more about those comments here.

Alexandra Sutton Uncategorized

TWS is pleased to announce the winners for this year’s student travel grants. Before the drum roll, we want to thank the almost 70 applicants who applied making this year’s the most competitive ever. Okay, back to that drum roll…

And this year’s winners are:

Erik Blomberg from University of Nevada, Reno
Stefanie Bergh from University of Minnesota
Peter Blank from University of Maryland
Kelly Corman from Texas A&M University – Kingsville
Susan Ellis-Felege from University of Georgia
Josh Felch from University of Kentucky
Katherine Guerena from University of Delaware
Matthew Hanson from Florida Atlantic University
Jake Harris from University of Exeter (United Kingdom)
Robin Holevinski from State University of New York – ESF (Syracuse, NY)
Agnes Pelletier from Trent University (Canada)
Tara Raabe from Texas State University
Christina Rockwell from Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA)
Shari Rodriguez from North Carolina State University
Rachael Urbanek from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL)

shannon TWS Annual Conference, TWS Sponsored Programs, Uncategorized grants, student

Add typhus to the long list of human health risks posed by feral cats. Most recently, an outbreak of typhus in Orange County, California, was traced to cat fleas. Out of 16 cases (14 confirmed, two likely), ten people were owners of cats without flea protection. Five of those cats were adopted strays. Luckily, once the health department got involved,  the patients were treated with antibiotics and recovered, but not before hospital stays of up to nine days.

Scientific papers have for years revealed these cat-related risks. Two articles  from the early nineties showed that fleas found on cats and opossums carried murine typhus, a relatively mild form of the fever, and infected people, too. Yet another example of how feral cats provide the link between people and wildlife — and wildlife diseases! Not too many people hang out with opossums (myself excluded) but caring for feral cats seems to be a popular pastime these days.  

Toxoplasma gondii forms tissue cysts in the brain of its non-cat hosts, and it’s already been associated with behavioral changes and mental illness (toxo infection is statistically more prevalent in car crash victims and schizophrenics). Now, it looks like the parasite plays a role in Parkinson’s disease: A recent paper in Neuroscience Letters highlights a connection between inflammation of neurons caused by toxo cysts and degeneration of neurons that can lead to developing PD. About twice as many PD patients tested positive for toxoplasmosis than did subjects in the control group. In fact, neuroinflammation similar to that caused by toxo has been identified as an contributing factor of Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s, and Huntington’s diseases.

Feral cats in neighborhoods and backyards increase the chances that people will pick up T. gondii in soil and sandboxes. The moral of this story? Don’t let feral cats mess with your head (and read these papers for more information).

On typhus: Velten et al. 2008. Human cases of flea borne (endemic) typhus in Orange County, California, during 2006-2008. Orange County Vector Control District.

Sorvillo et al. 1993. A suburban focus of endemic typhus in Los Angeles County: association with seropositive domestic cats and opossums. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 48(2): 269-273.

Williams et al. 1992. Typhus and typhuslike rickettsiae associated with opossums and their fleas in Los Angeles County, California. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 30(7): 1758-1762.

On Parkinson’s Disease: Miman et al. 2010. The probable realtion between Toxoplasma gondii and Parkinson’s disease. Neuroscience Letters 475: 129-131.

Emily Boehm Uncategorized

Lately, the news from the Gulf of Mexico has been surprisingly upbeat, given that just over a month ago oil was gushing madly into its waters. Now, NOAA’s recently released “BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Budget: Where Did the Oil Go?” is saying that a 75% of the oil is gone: a quarter was skimmed, burned, or otherwise collected; a quarter naturally evaporated or dissolved; a quarter was naturally or artifically dispersed; and the final quarter is in the process of biodegradation.

Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey held a hearing earlier this month despite the congressional recess to examine the oil budget, and cornered NOAA scientist Bill Lehr into admitting that the numbers in the report could be overly optimistic, and that it was not peer-reviewed before its release — a process that’s happening now. Markey insisted that NOAA present the algorithms and methods behind the budget for scrutiny. He emphasized his concern that the report is a public relations effort to quell fears about the spill’s effects and instill confidence in the administration’s response.

 Biologist Rick Steiner is skeptical too. In an interview with The Huffington Post, he said that NOAA’s estimates are based on some questionable assumptions — like the percentage of oil in skimmed oil-water mixtures — and could lead to misunderstandings about the ecological consequences of the spill. He has proposed that BP set up a second $20 billion fund, in addition to the one designed to compensate economic losses due to the spill, to address habitat restoration. He believes that the oil still left in the water will have long-term and unpredictable consequences on fisheries and the general health of the Gulf. Actions like wetlands restoration and water pollution control could help to bolster the ecosystem against these damages.

Of course, part of the reason that the spill’s effects have been downplayed is because they’re out of sight, deep below the surface in underwater plumes — some as big as Manhattan, scientists say. Studies in Florida, for example, have found that large amounts of oil on the ocean floor are taking a toll on benthic and deepwater systems, and the oil is not degrading as quickly at depth as was hoped.

Read The Huffington Post’s coverage of this story and the interview with Rick Steiner for more information on the estimates, the oil that remains, and the way forward.

Emily Boehm Uncategorized

Tanzania is planning on building a commercial road through the 5,700 square-mile Serengetti National Park, a project that could potentially disrupt one the world’s greatest remaining migration of land mammals. The project at issue is the proposed Arusha-Musoma Highway that would bisect the park and is planned for construction in 2012.  The road could jeopardize the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra, numbering in the millions–a wildlife phemonena that is widely considered one of the world’s great remaining natural spectacles. It is hard to believe that the economic value of the road could offset the massive input of foreign currency that comes to Tanzania as the result of wildlife tourism, but the project is being given serious consideraton. Opponents point out that there are many other alternatives for reaching the same goals without going through the park.

Michael Hutchins National Parks, wildlife conservation

In these critical times, achieving effective results demands a paradigm shift that can only be realized with exposure to new thoughts and ideas. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference will help you discover and implement ideas that deliver results. It will train your mind to search for innovative solutions. It will provide opportunities to make valuable connections with other association professionals and suppliers who have solutions you need. And, it will prepare you for the long road ahead.

Below is some helpful information to show the value of attending the Annual Conference

General Tips

Many travel budgets and training budgets have been slashed, and some agencies and organizations are experiencing severe financial problems. Which means that regardless of the merits of a conference, you’ll probably need to justify the expense – so here are some things you might want to consider:

* Focus on what you will specifically bring back to the organization as return for the investment.
* Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues to share what you learned. This way others in your unit can also benefit from your attendance.
* Share the syllabus and speaker handouts with your colleagues. As an attendee, you have unlimited access to materials posted by speakers.
* Be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the conference.
* Offer to share a room to reduce hotel expenses by finding a roommate on the Share a Room group on the TWS Annual Conference Facebook Group.

How to calculate ROI of the conference

Read this article to understand more about your expenses and benefits of attending TWS Annual Conference

Justification letter for your supervisor

Download a sample letter that you can easily edit to fit your needs

Darryl Walter TWS Annual Conference annual conference