Outdoor Briefs

BE CAREFUL

Urbanization increases wildlife conflicts

It's no secret that Nevada's once sparse human population has exploded over the past 20 years as new residents arrived and settled into expanding residential home developments, many on the edge of such urban centers as Las Vegas and Reno. And with that growth came a new challenge for wildlife managers: managing human-wildlife conflicts.

Human-wildlife conflicts most often occur where human habitat overlaps with wildlife habitat. An example is the conflict that occurs between homeowners and black bears in communities along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It's here that some bears have adopted the practice of breaking into homes and raiding the refrigerators. Another example is that which occurs when a hungry coyote or bobcat makes a meal out of someone's dog or cat on the outskirts of Las Vegas or when a rattlesnake seeks the cool shade of a covered porch.

"The situation may simply be one in which a person is concerned that rabbits are eating his prized roses. Regardless, the humans involved in these encounters expect us to rectify the situation, and that expectation often comes with a demand that the animal, or animals, be moved," said Lt. David Pfiffner, game warden supervisor for the Nevada Department of Wildlife in Las Vegas.

Translocation of wild animals may seem like an easy answer to a growing problem, but NDOW Director Ken Mayer said moving animals from one place to another is more difficult than it seems. Doing so also involves a lot of risk for the animal and can spread disease.

To guide NDOW employees as they handle human-wildlife conflicts, Mayer recently approved an agency policy and procedure titled Movement and Disposition of Terrestrial Wildlife: Mammals and Reptiles. The document not only directs agency actions in relation to human-wildlife conflicts but also the decision-making process in relation to the movement of any wildlife species.

There also are legal ramifications the average person probably isn't aware of. For instance, it is illegal to deliberately relocate raccoons, foxes, coyotes or skunks because they are recognized rabies vector species. Moving them could introduce rabies into animal populations at the release site, which in turn could transmit the disease to humans.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

State of the birds report released

Most of us have been focused recently on the state of the union or the state of the state, but what about the state of birds within the state?

Those who are interested can find the answer to that question in the state of the birds report, recently released by fish and wildlife agencies across the nation, including the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The status report, titled the "State of the Birds United States of America 2009," is of vast importance to bird biologists, bird watchers, and bird hunters. It can be viewed online at www. stateofthebirds.org.

The report is a compilation of 40 years of data from ongoing bird surveys conducted across the U.S. Citizen-scientists and biologists from Nevada submitted data gathered from such efforts as the annual Christmas Bird Count and other surveys. The report represents a partnership among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, state wildlife agencies, American Bird Conservancy, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and other conservation organizations.

The purpose of the report is to demonstrate that bird populations depend on an adequate amount of quality habitat and shows that there has been a decline in bird populations due primarily to habitat loss and degradation. However, the report also shows promise for birds in habitats that have been restored and conserved.

The "State of the Birds" calls special attention to the situation in Hawaii, where nearly all native bird species are in danger of extinction without conservation measures. In arid lands such as Nevada, birds have sustained a 30-percent decline. Other areas of concern include grasslands across the U.S., where a 40-percent decline has taken place. In addition, 39 percent of species dependent on U.S. oceans have declined and there is also great concern for many coastal shorebirds. Of more than 800 species of native birds in the U.S., 67 are federally listed as endangered or threatened, and more than 184 are species of conservation concern.

The good news is that many species have shown a positive response to habitats where conservation actions have taken place. For instance, many wetland birds are on the rebound thanks to the protection of more than 30 million wetland acres. Across the nation, 39 species of waterfowl game have increased by more than 100 percent, the result of restoration and protection efforts by sportsmen's and other groups. In Nevada, the Las Vegas Chapter of Ducks Unlimited has worked on habitat restoration for waterfowl at the Clark County Wetlands Park and habitat enhancement at the Overton Wildlife Management Area.