A farm near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania.
(Credit: Scott Bauer/USDA)

On Tuesday May 14, 2013, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee passed its version of the Farm Bill (The Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013, S. 954) with a 15-5 vote. Then, near midnight on Wednesday May 15, 2013 the House Agricultural Committee passed their version of the bill (Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, HR 1947) with a 36-10 vote. The whole Senate is set to begin discussing the bill Monday, whereas the House will hear their version in early June.

The Senate bill proposes a 10-year budget (through 2023) of $955 billion with cuts of $23 billion. The House bill (originally a $940 billion, 10-year budget with nearly $40 billion in cuts including those made due to the sequester) is now almost $500 billion over five years (expiring 2018). The current Farm Bill expires September 30, and both houses made it clear that a bill must be passed by then.

Both the House and Senate bills include major conservation program consolidations of 23 existing programs into 13, including streamlining programs and slowly reducing the acreage cap of the Conservation Reserve Program from its current 32 million acres (the 2008 Farm Bill reduced it from 39 million acres). The Senate version of the bill proposes reducing the acreage cap to 25 million acres over 10 years, while the House proposes a reduction to 24 million acres. Additionally, the House bill would limit enrollment in the Conservation Stewardship Program to 8.695 million acres per year. These caps, limits, reorganizations, and eliminations in the conservation programs would total more than $6 billion in cuts, as stated in the original 10-year House budget.

Both bills seek to reduce spending through streamlining the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cutting funding.

During the House mark up, only six of the 99 proposed amendments (outside of those passed en bloc) dealt with the Conservation Title. Four were withdrawn to be further discussed on the House floor, and two were defeated.

Senator Bennet’s amendment was passed in the Senate mark up and would allow more flexibility for the  Secretary of Agriculture to waive requirements of landowner donation matches, in the cases of critical wildlife habitat on grasslands.

The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) has been consolidated into the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Although overall funding for EQIP remains strong relative to past legislation, proposed House amendments that sought to withdraw the language of a five percent cap of EQIP funds for WHIP, or to increase the cap to 10 percent were withdrawn. The Senate bill has set a minimum of five percent EQIP funds for WHIP.

Sources: Bloomberg BNA (May 15, 2013), Corn and Soybean Digest (March 12, 2013),  Environment & Energy Daily (May 16,2013), Land Trust Alliance (May 14, 2013), Senate Press Release on Historic Farm Bill Conservation Pact Adopted by Senate Agricluture Committee with Overwhelming Support (May 15, 2013), Sustainable Agriculture Blog (May 9, 2013).

Related TWS articles : Wildlife Programs Face Uncertainty in Farm Bill (July 20, 2012),

For more information, visit: House Farm Summary, Senate Farm Bill Summary, House Bill Section-by-section, Title II, Subtitle H – Repeal of Superseded Program Authorities and transitional provisions (page 19 of 65), or see below.

SUBTITLE H—

REPEAL OF SUPERSEDED PROGRAM AUTHORITIES AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 2701. Comprehensive Conservation Enhancement Program

Section 2701 repeals the Comprehensive Conservation Enhancement Program.

Section 2702 repeals the Emergency Forestry Conservation Reserve Program, but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2703 repeals the Wetlands Reserve Program, but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2704 repeals the Farmland Protection Program, but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2705 repeals the Grassland Reserve Program, but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2706 repeals the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program, but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2707 repeals the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program,

but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2708 repeals the Great Lakes Basin Program.

Section 2709 repeals the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Program, but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.

Section 2710. Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (repealed but provides for the continuation of existing contracts until the contract’s expiration.)

Section 2711. Environmental Easement Program (repealed)

Section 2712. Technical Amendments

One of the most effective ways to reach the broader public involves the increasingly popular medium of “citizen science,” which the Canadian Section of TWS made the theme of its annual meeting in Canmore, Alberta, this past March. Increasing numbers of university researchers, wildlife management agencies, and non-profit organizations are using citizen science for the practical purpose of getting around limitations of research funding and personnel.

That said, it’s important to understand what citizen science is — and isn’t — and to learn from insights presented by speakers at the recent Canadian Section meeting.

The Audubon Society, a pioneer in citizen science, describes citizen science as engaging volunteers in the collection of ecological information. One of the earliest examples occurred in 1900, when ornithologist Frank Chapman, an Audubon officer, enlisted the public to help with the society’s first Christmas Bird Count, launched as a replacement for the traditional Christmas Side Hunt, in which people chose sides and went afield to compete in shooting the most birds and mammals. Another champion of citizen science, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, offers a simple working definition of citizen science as volunteers partnering with scientists to answer real-world questions.

Some citizen science projects aim to monitor wildlife abundance and distribution by compiling large data sets over many years and vast geographic areas. In these cases, volunteers are essential because more data is required than scientists can possibly get on their own. The Christmas Bird Count, Frogwatch Canada, Hummingbirds at Home, the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, Bat Detective, the Great Backyard Bird Count, and the North American Bird Phenology Program are examples.

Other projects emphasize the educational value of involving citizens in science, often targeting youth. For example the Roadkill Project, based at the Road Ecology Center at the University of California at Davis, got its start in 1992 under the National Science Foundation’s EnvironNet Program with the objective of enhancing the effectiveness of science teachers.

In Washington State, Project CAT (Cougars and Teaching) started in 2000 as a unique collaboration of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Cle Elum/Roslyn School District, University of Washington, Central Washington University, and local residents. It integrated citizen participation and the K-12 curriculum into a research project seeking to improve understanding of cougar ecology, including interactions with humans.

Insights from Canada
At the Canadian Section meeting in March, presenters shared a variety of projects in which non-scientists serve a critical role in data collection. The subjects ranged from pikas in Banff National Park, to wolves and other carnivores in Wisconsin, to wolverines and beavers in Alberta, to butterflies in New England. Several presenters shared observations and findings on the effectiveness of using volunteers.

Greg Breed went a step further to address analytical approaches for improving accuracy and trend detection; for example, by adjusting for age-related hearing loss in bird observers. In a nod to technology, Mark Boyce described a “moose app” that allows Alberta hunters to use their smart phones to systematically report their moose observations, modeled after a successful system used to monitor moose populations in Scandinavia.

Throughout the meeting, presentations and a panel discussion on the many aspects of citizen science provided the following take-home messages that are important to anybody considering a citizen science project:

The volunteer component of any citizen science project must be embedded in a research framework designed and overseen by scientists. Volunteers must be well trained in data collection procedures. The sampling protocols and procedures must be simple, and data quality should be assessed on a continuing basis. As speaker Bill Hunt emphasized, “Citizen science must first be science.”

Putting volunteers to work on science projects is not the same as using trained staff. It represents a different type of relationship, and requires skills in volunteer management that will be new to most scientists. Those contemplating a citizen science project need to focus first on building their own skills and capabilities.

Because data quality has a positive relationship to experience, volunteer retention is very important. Volunteers tend to stay with a project when they feel that the work is interesting, meaningful, and enjoyable. Motivating volunteers and helping them feel like valued members of the research team are key strategies for retaining skilled and committed volunteers.

Understand that volunteers have their own reasons for participating in projects that may be very different from your own. This became clear in a presentation by Jane Wiedenhoeft on the volunteer wolf tracking program that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources began in 1995, when wolf numbers were low. The program grew as wolves increased in numbers and distribution, eventually resulting in their delisting and the opening of wolf hunting and trapping seasons. This reflects a real wildlife management success story, right? Not to some of the longest-serving and most effective volunteer trackers, who quit because “they had joined the project to save wolves, not to help kill them.”

These discussions raised some thorny questions, such as, “If citizens can do this work, what does that say about the need for trained biologists?” There was concern about “rogue amateurs” who launch data-gathering projects in order to promote their own agendas concerning wildlife. You may be thinking, “Not a problem; if the science is no good, they won’t get it published.” But apparently it is a problem: more than one presenter cited cases in which policymakers chose a finding they preferred over the one offered by scientists.

After much reflection, I conclude that properly-conducted citizen science is a very important strategy for building our knowledge base, increasing society’s understanding and appreciation of science, and engaging citizens in science-based conservation of wildlife and the natural world. It is an approach I am comfortable with. However, I reject the term “citizen scientist,” which carries the notion that anybody can become a scientist by participating in data gathering, whether or not they possess research skills and mastery of the scientific method. It takes qualified scientists to do science—a point that we all need to promote as wildlife professionals and members of TWS.

A committee of TWS members and staff selected participants based on the applicants’ academic record, demonstrated leadership capability, and demonstrated level of excellence either in their current position or in their position as a leader of a Chapter or Section of The Wildlife Society.

This year’s participants are:

• Matt Bahm, Lecturer, Gonzaga University, Washington
• Sarah Bullock, Wildlife Biologist, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska
• Amy Carrozzino-Lyon, Research Associate and Instructor, Virginia Tech
• Sarah Hamer, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
• Agnès Pelletier, Research Associate, Trent University, Ontario
• Stephanie Ferrero, Wildlife Biologist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
• Rachael Urbanek, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Science, Arkansas Tech University
• Jonathan Wiens, Habitat Biologist, Government of Manitoba
• Rachel Williams, Regional Landowner Relations Specialist, Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Krysten Zummo, Wildlife Technician, SUNY Cobleskill, New York

Many young wildlife professionals entering leadership positions have not necessarily been trained in the skills needed for successful management of large groups or complicated programs. The Leadership Institute introduces these exceptional young people to the management, mentoring, and organizational skills they need to become exceptional leaders.

From May through September, participants will complete a wide variety of exercises, which include reading and reflection on leadership topics, presenting to peer groups, leading seminars, and developing summary documents regarding their professional leadership goals. During TWS’ Annual Conference in Milwaukee, the participants will meet for focused analytical discussions, serve as mentors for students, be mentored by Institute alumni and Council members, and attend Council meetings.

Learn more about the Leadership Institute.

Student Research in Progress Posters

The Student Development Working Group invites students to submit Research-in-Progress Posters covering topics in wildlife science, management, conservation, education, human dimensions, or policy. All undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. students are eligible for this session. View more information. The deadline to submit a student research in progress poster is June 2.

Amazon and The Wildlife Society
Remember that when you shop on Amazon, visit http://wildlife.org/amazon first and The Wildlife Society will earn a commission for everything you buy on Amazon at no extra charge to you. Feel free to bookmark this link and share it with friends and family. This is a great way to help your Society.

Wildlife Techniques Manual for Kindle Available through Amazon.com
The Techniques Manual is now available as e-book for the Kindle reader. It’s priced at $85.50, and it’s a great idea for students – no heavy books to carry around! Remember to use http://wildlife.org/amazon to purchase it.

Membership Center
The Wildlife Society is moving to a new association management system. This new enterprise-wise database system will improve the user experience for our members. Each member will have access to an individual membership portal. The system will go live in June and we will have more information to share with you next month.

The written testimony focused on the importance of sustained or increased funding to several programs within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Bureau of Land Management. Recommendations from TWS included strong funding for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants Program; increased funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Bureau of Land Management’s endangered species program, and US Geological Survey’s Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units; as well as continued funding for other programs supporting threatened and endangered species management.

Submitted testimony also stressed the importance of science-based decision making. TWS’s written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies is available for more information regarding specific funding level requests.

Outside Testimony by TWS to Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Agriculture 
The Wildlife Society provided written testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies in support of strong funding for federal programs that benefit wildlife and their habitats on agricultural and other private lands.

Testimony pointed to the importance of sustained or increased funding to several programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provide funding for wildlife control and habitat enhancement. TWS urged the Senate to include strong funding for programs such as Wildlife Services, The Renewable Resources Extension Act, the Conservation Reserve Program, and Farm Bill conservation programs like the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program and the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program.

TWS strongly recommended that Congress fund Wildlife Service’s Methods Development at $18 million and return funding for Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Conservation Operations Technical Assistance to the fiscal year 2011 level of $755 million. Wildlife Service’s Methods Development carries out research critical to state wildlife agencies while Conservation Operation’s Technical Assistance (TA) sub-activity provides funding for NRCS to support implementation of the various Farm Bill programs.

Endorsement of the Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2013
The Wildlife Society, along with other member organizations of the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species, endorsed the proposed Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2013 (HR 996). The proposed legislation would strengthen the Federal government’s ability to make rapid, science-based decisions on whether a non-native species should be classified as injurious; reducing the time to declare a non-native species as injurious from the current average of four under the provisions of the Lacy Act.

Additional benefits of the Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2013 include providing the Fish and Wildlife Service with clear regulatory authority, including “emergency” authority, placing some of the financial burden of risk analysis on live animal importers through the creation of a user fee, providing funds to assist states with their invasive species monitoring and risk analysis programs, and allowing qualified zoos, aquaria, research facilities and other institutions to hold species not suited as private pets or aquarium species without the need for a Federal permit.

Testimony Supporting Funding of Fire Suppression Accounts for USFS and DOI
In 2009, the FLAME Act was signed into law with overwhelming bipartisan support from the House and Senate to ensure adequate funds were available to cover annual wildfire suppression costs, avoiding the need to transfer funds from other agency programs. Annual suppression costs were to be calculated using predictive modeling that included the ten-year average and other indicators. The FLAME accounts were to be funded at levels beyond annual suppression and not at the expense of other agency programs. However, in fiscal year 2012, a transfer of funds from non-suppression programs were required to cover the cost of fire suppression, with the same projected to happen in fiscal year 2013.

The Wildlife Society joined members of the Fire Suppression Funding Solutions Partner Caucus in submitting written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, recommending that the US Forest Service and Department of Interior FLAME accounts be funded separately from the ten-year suppression levels in order to avoid transfers in FY 2014. Additionally, the caucus requested that any remaining balance in the FLAME accounts at the end of fiscal year 2013 is carried over into fiscal year 2014. Finally, the testimony suggested that annual suppression levels should be funded using the ten-year average, along with any added factors that may improve predictive modeling, including current weather conditions, fuel loads and other data that contribute to wildland fire risk.

Letter to Congress Supporting the FRESHER Act
The Wildlife Society joined with other sportsman and conservation organizations in thanking Representative Matthew Cartwright (D-PA) for introducing the Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation (FRESHER) Act of 2013. The FRESHER Act fills an important gap in Clean Water Act regulation, and will help to reduce the amount of sediment entering rivers and streams as a result of construction activities related to oil and gas development.

Sedimentation has direct and indirect impacts on aquatic life, including stress, altered behavior, reductions in growth and direct mortality. Several studies in the east have demonstrated increased erosion and turbidity in areas where natural gas development has occurred. The FRESHER ACT will help to address sedimentation loading in streams, by requiring oil and gas operators to obtain authorization under a permit to discharge stormwater runoff from their sites, and require operators to develop and implement a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for construction activities.

ESA Resources Provided to House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee
Following discussions concerning Endangered Species Act reform during Public Witness Day for the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, The Wildlife Society provided each subcommittee member with resources on the history and accomplishments of this key piece of legislation. The spring 2013 issue of the Wildlife Professional, an issue that highlighted 40 years of the Endangered Species Act, and TWS’s position statement on ESA were among the items provide for each committee members.

In the letter that accompanied the ESA resources, The Wildlife Society expressed their belief that ESA is a strong and useful tool for wildlife conservation while also acknowledging that there are commonsense ways to strengthen it. The letter also pointed out that while many species have been listed and only a small percentage have been recovered, it must be keep in mind that in many cases it took decades for a species to become endangered and it will almost certainly take decades to recover them.  However, TWS feels that with the innovative work of the wildlife professionals who are members of The Wildlife Society and with the support of Congressional authorizers and appropriators, recovery of listed species can be accomplished.

Current DSU Wildlife Society Officers for 2012-13 are President Bobby Horne, Vice President Chase Hall, Secretary Ryan Fulgham, and Treasurer Kristi Janes. The Faculty Advisor for the student chapter is Dr. AHM Ali Reza.

The student chapter at Delta State University has been active for several years but was only recently recognized as an official student chapter. The student chapter seeks to enhance opportunities for its members to engage in networking and educational activities with wildlife professionals and to foster campus and community awareness of wildlife issues.

Recent activities have included presentations on Black Bears in Mississippi by Brad Young (Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks; now works for a private agency), Native Plants for Wildlife Conservation and Management in Mississippi by Jeanne Jones (Mississippi State University), and Bat Fauna of Mississippi by Chester Martin (U.S. Army ERDC). Other activities have included a wild game party and workshops on plant identification, bat identification, and wildlife photography.

University of Connecticut Student Chapter Hosts the Northeast Wildlife Student Conclave
During the first weekend in April 2013, the University of Connecticut Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society was proud to host 150 attendees from 13 different universities at The Wildlife Society’s 2013 Northeast Wildlife Student Conclave.

The UConn student chapter is a small organization with 15-20 active members. The Conclave was held at the J.N. Webster Scout Reservation in Ashford, Connecticut which offered an amazing venue to hold the event.

On Friday, participants listened to the keynote speaker, Robert Borowski, on the topic of the responsibilities of professionals in the wildlife field. Following the speech, all attendees were invited to attend a bonfire complete with s’mores to meet students from other schools in attendance.

On Saturday, 12 different workshops were hosted by individuals affiliated with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the University of Connecticut, the University of Rhode Island and other various wildlife organizations. Students and advisors participated in four different workshops throughout the day, many of which offered hands-on learning opportunities.

On Saturday evening, the annual Quiz Bowl was held and SUNY- ESF was named the winning team! The UConn Wildlife Society had a great experience hosting this year’s Conclave and would like to thank everyone who volunteered their time and effort in order to make the event such a success.

The National Wild Turkey Symposium seeks original research, case studies, and synthesis papers on ecology and management of wild turkeys. The Symposium occurs every five years and brings together state, federal and private researchers, land managers, and turkey enthusiasts. Contributed papers will be peer-reviewed. Abstracts are due Sept. 20, 2013 with manuscripts due Aug. 8, 2014. For more information, contact the editor: darren.miller@weyerhaeuser.com.

Vertebrate Field Zoology: Field Techniques in Wildlife Studies
Aug 5 – 16, 2013 (12 days), Swanton Pacific Ranch, Santa Cruz County

This two-week intensive, resident field camp emphasizing wildlife identification and field inventory and survey techniques, is administered by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and the Western Section of The Wildlife Society.

The four-unit course, held at Cal Poly’s scenic Swanton-Pacific Ranch near Santa Cruz, will introduce participants to key wildlife field techniques, including hands-on opportunities for data collection. Instructors include wildlife professionals from agency, academic, private and non-profit sectors. Informal time provides additional mentoring opportunities.

Meals, lodging, and four-units of academic credit are included in the $1,599 course fee. Register through Cal Poly Extended Education or call (805) 756-2053 for registration details. Course is limited to 16 student participants, with students working in groups of four-to-five to maximize hands-on experiential learning and mentoring. Participation is open to college undergraduates with junior standing or above, graduate students, and professionals who have completed the pre-requisite course-work or equivalent: BIO 162 (Intro Organismal Form & Function) or BIO 263 (Intro Ecology and Evolution) or BIO 427 (Wildlife Management) or ASCI 329 (Principles of Range Management).

For Additional Information, contact Cynthia Perrine, TWS Western Section Program Director. perrine.cynthia@gmail.com or call (530) 570-7036.

Coconino National Forest Supervisor’s Office
1824 S. Thompson St.
Flagstaff, AZ

This two-day workshop focuses on practical, low-cost techniques for restoring or constructing wetlands and pooled water wetland habitats. These same techniques can also be used to transform livestock (stock) ponds into high-quality wetland wildlife habitat, while still providing water for livestock.

The workshop will include instruction on the best locations for building ground water and surface water wetlands, how to test soils, lay out proposed wetlands, choose construction techniques, work with heavy equipment operators, and establish native plants. Over the course of the workshop we will be creating a spring-fed wetland pool on the Mogollon Ranger District to provide water and wetland habitat for bats, northern leopard frogs, and many other wildlife species.

Tom Biebighauser, the primary instructor, is among the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic wetland restoration practitioners and instructors in North America, having restored or created more than 1,400 wetland habitats across the U.S. and Canada. The workshop is limited to 35 people and is expected to fill quickly.

Registration is $165, which includes all workshop materials and a copy of Wetland Restoration and Construction — A Technical Guide, by Tom Biebighauser. Please note that attendance will be limited to 35 people. Register today.

If you need to register by phone, purchase order, or by mail, please contact Dan Taylor at Bat Conservation International; dtaylor@batcon.org or call (858)-922-5757. Registration does not include lodging or meals, however numerous options are available in Flagstaff and a list of lodging options will be provided to registered participants.

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis). (Credit: Christopher Servheen/FWS)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced this month in the federal register that the comment period for the draft of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Gear Conservation Strategy is currently open. The draft conservation strategy outlines the management and monitoring plan developed to ensure the maintenance of a recovered grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horriblis) population and their associated habitat in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem post-delisting. Grizzly bears are presently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states. Additionally, the draft conservation strategy provides a list of agencies which have signed a memorandum of understanding to implement the strategy.

Written comments should be addressed to the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator and sent to the following address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University Hall, Room 309, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812; telephone 406-243-4903. The comment period will close on August 1, 2013.

Source: Federal Register (May 3, 2013).