Wild birds and mammals are among our most valuable

renewable natural resources

•*Wildlife•* Food•* Furs

Understanding Wildlife Management

Wildlife serves as monitors of the quality of our environment

Impact of individual and community use decisions on wildlife and habitat

Stewardship=implies the development of a

personal ethical approach to wildlife conservation

Food Web= a diagram showing how all living things are

interdependentPredatorsPrey

Herbivore-an animal that eats only plants

Carnivore-an animal that eats only other animals

Omnivore-an animal that eats both plants and animals

Generalist- an animal that eats a great variety of food types

Specialist- an animal that eats only one or a few kinds of food

HabitatAll living things including people, have basic needs for survival

-Food -Air -Water -Cover -Space

Habitat-place where a plant or animal lives which provides these needs

Place where a wild animal lives and grows

4 Essential Elements:Food WaterCover Space

Mast-seeds and fruits of trees

Specialist are more subject to declines in population

Do not have the ability to switch over and start eating a different kind of food

Availability, abundance and quality of foods change with the seasons and between years

Primary Ways Animals react to Seasonal Change:

Migration-BirdsHibernation-WoodchucksChange of DietColor Shape Habit Travel

Protection from predators

Development has caused a great loss of cover

Food Increases=Space DecreasesFood Decreases=Space Increases

Different kinds of cover may be used for different purposes

Water

Need water to surviveMinimal requirements to major

SPACE

Is a certain sized area that every animal needs to live

Varies from species to speciesWolf-60 square milesRabbit-1 acre

Some species are territorial and will mark off boundaries

Space needs are affected by food, cover and water

Cover can change with the seasons. Many species need a cover/variety of cover types through the year or through their life cycle

Camouflage=is an adaptation of an animal which helps it blend in with its habitat and helps it survive

Coat & Markings

Habitats are dynamic-always changing natural actions that become limiting factors

Wild fires Hurricanes -Floods

Browse-leaves, twigs and young shoots of trees or shrubs which animals eat.

Wildlife Management- the manipulation of habitats, populations and people to meet some human purposes for wildlife

FoodCover Water SpaceFood

Is any material taken into an animal’s body that provides energy to carry out necessary life functions

Plants and animals in a habitat are interrelated

Food Web-is an exchange of material and energy

Store FoodInadequate amounts, inconsistent supplies or low quality of food may be a cause for low animal populations in a local area

CoverThe kind of protection available within an animal’s habitat

Breed Hide NestSleep Feed

Habitat that is good for one animal may not be good for others

Different animals can share the same habitat

Some animals live in a variety of habitats throughout their life cycle

Wildlife Populations-a group of individuals of the same species

The health of wildlife populations is linked to the abundance and quality of 4 primary needs:

FoodCover Water Space

CARRYING CAPACITYThe number of animals an area of land can support over some period of time

*Not a constant number*

Any area of land has a limit to the number of animals of a particular wildlife species that it can support at a given point in time

This is determined by limiting factors which include the quantity, quality and distribution of food, cover, water and other habitat needs of the species.

Habitat-place where a plant or animal naturally lives

Limiting Factors-any element of habitat that is deficient and prevents an animal population from increasing

SIZEPOPULATION FOODCOVER SPACE WATER

Regulated Hunting-is used as a means of keeping populations at or below the carrying capacity in order to prevent over population and damage to their habitat

Space availability is the key in: CARRYING CAPACITY

ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION: the natural process of changing of site from one form of vegetation to another; a progression of plant communities through several stages of growth

Carrying Capacity: highest during summer months-lowest during the winter

Populations reach highest point in the summer

Surplus-the number of animals in a population in excess of the carrying capacity of the land they live in/on

Items that contribute to carrying capacity:

Move Die Starve MortalityDiseasePredation

Accidents

History of Hunting, Human Land Use and Wildlife Management

Useful: meant any bird or mammal that could be eaten, used by settlers for clothing, tools or sold for its meat, fur and feathers

Commercial/Marketing Hunting: hunting of wildlife for their flesh or other parts which are sold for profit in the marketplace

Predators: any birds or mammals that eat meat

Why to Hunt: to engage in an activity that is challenging in terms of knowledge of wildlife

Pittman-Robertson Act: Placed a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition

Money used for restoration of habitat and educational programs

1960’s & 1970’s: laws passed to protect native endangered species

Wildlife Management emerged in the 1930’s-due to Dr. Aldo Leopold-Father of Wildlife Management

Ecosystem-a community of plants and animals together with their physical environment that interact as a unit

Loss of habitat poses a serious threat to wildlife today

Uncontrolled hunting and trapping combined with the elimination of habitat led to sharp declines in wildlife-Hunters, Trappers and Fisherman were the first to notice

Wildlife Stewards: people who assume responsibility for the land and wildlife

Need to provide more protection to wildlife habitat (waterfowl-was given 1st consideration)

1937-Pittman-Robertson Act

Hunter Ethics: a self or culturally imposed set of rules or norms of hunter behavior

Fur Bearers: are a renewable resource in that a portion of their population can be harvested yearly without harming the overall health of the population

Hunting: is a method used in management to control and maintain the populations of species at sustainable levels

Recreational Hunting: regulated hunting for recreational and cultural tradition reasons rather than out of necessity

Reasons for Hunting: To share a mutually valued outdoor experience with friends and family

To experience the beauty of hunting which includes contact with nature

Conservation: wise use of our natural resources

Roosevelt: leader in the conservation movement which accelerated in the protection and restoration or wildlife

KEY POINTS IN HISTORY1920-Market hunters are put out of business by federal laws

-making it illegal to transport wildlife across state lines

1929-National Wildlife Refuge System

1930-Began paying new license feesUsed to manage wildlifeSet hunting/trapping seasonSet bag limits

Wildlife management is accomplished through the monitoring, manipulation and regulation of wildlife populations, habitats and people

Principal goal of wildlife management is maintaining a diversity (variety) of wildlife habitats and species with healthy, reproducing populations

Threatened Species: species that are no immediate danger of extinction, however have declined enough to merit close attention

Endangered Species: A species that is in immediate danger of extinction

Over Exploitation: overuse of a population resulting in its decline to below a desirable level

Habitat Loss Contamination Game Species: wildlife species that are hunted

Harvest: to catch, shoot or trap wildlife

Surplus: the number of animals in a population exceeding the carrying capacity of the land they live in/on

Control human use in particular areas

Major aspect of wildlife management is improving people’s knowledge:

Influences attitudes and behaviorsWork to maintain, improve and create habitat

Education is an important way to accomplish management goals that seek to maximize the benefits of wildlife to people

Promotion of the long term conservation of animal species

Monitoring: identify the status of wildlife populations

(#’s, reproduction, health)

Census: a complete count of an animal population in an area

Survey: a count of a portion of an animal population in an area:

-animal’s health-quality of its food

Game Populations-populations of wildlife species that are existing in an area

Set Hunting SeasonsBag LimitsDetermines harvestable surplus for each season

Bag Limits: Quotas of game animals that can be legally taken daily or seasonally

Used to regulate animal populations

annual and daily harvest

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Federal Agency

Regulation of interstate and international traffic in wildlife and wildlife products

Enforcing regulations pertaining to migratory birds

Population Dynamics-the seasonal and annual changes in wildlife

Limiting Factors: any element of habitat that is deficient and prevents an animal population from increasing

All management programs are built on a foundation of BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Biological Research: careful, well-studied and investigated in the field of biology, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles

Manipulation: the purposeful improvement or change in habitat elements to influence wildlife

Affect animal populationsHabitat StructureWildlife Diversity

Tradeoffs: the idea that to manage habitat for one use limits its capacity for other uses

Informed Decisions: making a choice or judgement based on solid information rather than opinions or emotions

Area Sensitive Species: a species that requires a relatively large tract of high quality habitat to maintain viable populations of that species

Modern Hunting: governed by principles of wildlife management

Market Hunting: Hunting of wildlife for their flesh or other parts which are sold for profit in the marketplace

Regulation: Control of human use of wildlife, usually through enforcement

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: administers the Endangered Species Act & Wildlife Refuge System

Sport hunting and trapping: provide funding for the nation’s wildlife management programs

-Hunting License-Ammo-Other hunting related items

and outdoor equipment11% manufacturer’s tax

on spring arms, ammo and equipment

Used for research, habitat acquisition and management programs

Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp:Preservation of vital habitats

ManagementThe manipulation of habitats, wildlife populations and people to meet specific goals for wildlife

5 Management Elements:

Goals:Describe the purpose of managementDescribe the results

Objectives:Clear, measureable definition of the planDescribe specific end results necessary to meet the goalsIdentify a time frame for events to be completed

Problem Identification:Helps to detect those problems that will prevent managers from meeting their objectives

Actions:Implemented to solve the problems that are identified

Evaluation:Actions taken and their results is conducted as a part of the management process

Featured Species:Special interest wildlife species

StewardshipStewardship: practicing responsibility for the welfare of wildlife-Individuals-Community Groups-Government Agencies

Ecology: Study of an organism in relation to its environmentCharacteristicsHabitsRequirements

Management of living things can be used that affect animal species either directly or indirectly

Direct Management: Hunting of species

Indirect Management: Manipulation of plants and habitat

Management of Non-Living Things

Used to benefit wildlife speciesBuilding a pondDamming a stream

These activities could enhance the wildlife populations

Education to influence human behavior

Education indirectly influences wildlife

Important in gaining support for wildlife conservation

Educated public can greatly benefit wildlife

Informed Decisions:monitoringmanipulationregulationcreate food sourcesplanting fruit bearing shrubspromoting certain types of plant growth

Government agencies manage state & national parks, wildlife refuge, wilderness areas and public forests

Personal & Community action are important stewardship of wildlife because without support wildlife conservation would not exist

Being an informed supporter is important-up to date on local, state and national issues regarding wildlife

The abundance of wildlife species in an area is directly related to the quantity & quality of their habitat requirements

About 90% of the potential woodland wildlife habitat in Northeastern U.S. is privately owned

-depends on private landowners

Support federal, state and local efforts to develop land-use plans

Urge public officials to consider wildlife programs

Insist on government subsidizes to fund these programs

Reject plans to restore wildlife on unscientific emotions