The Missouri Department Of Conservation

With the reintroduction of the Grey Wolf into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem there have been many people who are opposed. Mainly the ranchers in Montana

Over just a century ago the whitetail deer population became nearly extinct, mostly due to a rapid expansion in the railroad system. At this same time market hunting, weak enforcement of game laws, and habitat loss contributed to the dangerously low deer populations in the late 1800’s. In states like Kansas and Indiana deer were completely extinct, being endangered in many others. With the whitetail deer population doubling every two years there is an estimated thirty million deer in the United States (Rooney, 2012). Although with these over-abundant populations comes the destruction of natural resources along with diseases and other factors that can tremendously affect the population. While there are many factors that play an active role in the declination of Whitetail deer populations, chronic wasting disease is just one of them.

Ecology, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as spelled out

Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A

1 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has stepped in to provide restorative practices upon 500,000 acres of heavily degraded public grasslands. This land is suffering from severe soil erosion as well as degradation due to overgrazing. The suppression of natural fires has caused shrubs and invasive weeds to encroach upon the grasslands. A full scale assessment will take place on this land before restoration efforts begin. The first thing that would need to be assessed is the soil, for it is eroding and holding little nutrient value. Samples would be taken of this soil from various parts of the grasslands including the eroded gullies. Each soil sample would be taken from at least 1 foot below the surface, to test for carbon richness below the topsoil. These would then be tested for texture, density, water retention, and chemical composition. Typically, powerful, healthy soil will contain amounts of both Nitrogen and Phosphorous, which are essential nutrients in sustainable plant growth. These samples would also be tested for any build-up of salts, something known as soil salinization. Unhealthy, salinized soil is created over years of over-hydrating and deep plowing. Excess water will suffocate root systems of once-healthy crops, and salinized soils will reduce crop output up to 20% (Withgott &Brennan, 2011). The next assessment would be in the shrubs and invasive weed species on the land. Knowing the volume and location of these plants gives way to a better understanding of

We looked first at the relationship between the wolf population and the moose population. From about 1960 to 1970, the wolf population remained fairly consistent at about 20 to 25 wolves. During this time, the moose population grew steadily from 500 to over 1200. The next 10 years saw a doubling of the wolf population to 50. This same 10 years saw a decrease of the moose population from over 1200 to over 800. Then in 1980 began a two year drastic decline in the moose population, which was brought down to 15. For the rest of the decade, the moose population remained quite low at numbers near 20. During the 1980s, the moose population doubled again from around 800 to

My first glimpse at the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps occurred through a counselor at my high school. Upon visiting the program’s website, I was amazed at how well the program fit my career goals and current interests. I am currently very interested in reforestation and the effects of meat consumption on deforestation and climate change.

There was a safe place formed in 1957 in an attempt to prevent the extinction of the area's deer that are home to the Florida Keys. Right now there are approximately 800 of these deer. Humans are trying help these deer by forming a “Key Deer Protection Allience”. The KDPA is a group of citizens that are deticated to protect these endangered species. Because Key deer have lost their fear of humans, there is a serious problem with people illegally feeding them. This makes the deer more vulnerable to dog attacks or getting entangled in fences. It also brings them closer to roads where they can be hit by cars. Feeding Key deer can also cause them to group in a small area, rather than spreading out over the available habitat. The KDPA believe

Based on the success of the drastic changes the state of Ohio has made in the exotic animal ownership regulations, their platform for change is one to model. Ohio was once a state with no restrictions on exotic animal ownership prior to the 2011 incidence of Terry Thompson, who set free his exotic animal farm of fifty plus animals before committing suicide. This incident pushed the already in question exotic pet ownership regulations into national limelight. Our task force has researched the current restrictions and the process of implementing them along with the undesirable potential side effects of these new laws. With this information, we were prepared to present a solid foundation for the state of Missouri to create a new movement in the exotic pet

While researching the gray wolf, I found out that it is actually a very touchy subject in Michigan. The hunting of Gray Wolves has been a very controversial topic. Gray wolves are native to Michigan but were nearly wiped out in the 19th and early 20th centuries by hunting and state-sanctioned bounties. In 1973, when Congress created the federal endangered species list, only six wolves were known to still exist in the Michigan wild, and gray wolves were considered an endangered species. By 2007, the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula topped 500 -- far exceeding the recovery benchmark of 100 set by the federal government, making the Great Lakes gray wolf one of the most successful recovery stories in the history of the endangered species list. The gray wolf actually came off the endangered species list in 2012, but as of December 2014, has been relisted.

The state legislature has favored the ranching industry above ecology and continues to do so. Public polls “conducted by Boise State indicate that the overwhelming majority of Idahoans (nearly 70 percent) support wolf restoration” (Laverty, par. 4) and the legislature is seeking to remedy this by re-educating the public with “a balanced view of the impact of wolves on big game species, those sectors of the economy dependent upon sport hunting, livestock, domestic animals, and humans” (State, 3). Furthermore, the “cost of wolf reintroduction will be presented as a part of any public education program including direct and indirect costs” (State, 3).

As a deer hunter, I never like to hear about whether another fellow hunter’s herd is much smaller this year. To understand what the author is conveying and whether the reader is engaged and informed of the issue, we need to look at the points Honeycutt is making. Coyotes predatory behaviour on white tail deer is the main reason why herd numbers are so small. Furthermore to understand if his message is getting across we need to look at the importance of the points he is making. Not many hunters realize that coyotes are having a significant impact on herd numbers. This is the point the author of the article How Coyotes Killed Deer Hunting makes.

Mason Neck Park and Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, officially known as Mason Neck State Park and Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck respectively, are home to a multitude of species, such as the bald eagle, the Virginia pine tree, and the white-tailed deer (“Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck,” 2016; “Mason Neck State Park,” 2016). Critical to the conservation of endangered species, Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, run by the National Wildlife Refuge System, a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides a safe habitat for the various organisms (“Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck,” 2016). On the other hand, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the governmental agency responsible for Mason Neck Park, keeps human’s recreational needs in mind and provides activities such as canoeing and fishing (“Mason Neck State Park,” 2016). The human interference present within the Mason Neck Park may impact the local ecosystem (“Mason Neck State Park,” 2016). Although there are activities available in Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, they are “wildlife-oriented recreational developments” meaning the well being of organisms living in the Refuge will be the first priority (“Elizabeth Hartwell Mason

Digest of Federal Resource Laws of Interest to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/esact.html

Over the course of the past few weeks, students have presented topics regarding pollution and endangerment of species. However, one of the three most interesting topics for me was the red wolf. This name is very peculiar, for you would expect it to be more scientific. However, it’s sad story just makes the name look irrelevant. The red wolf has been hunted down by early settlers, making it’s wildlife population to be fourteen. That is shocking, for this unique animal is suffering because of our needs. However, the thing that caught my eye was not it’s dire situation, but the fact that people are working to help this animal thrive. The Red Wolf Recovery Program oversees the health of this animal. Now, they are breeding them in captivity and