Abundance of Geese Expected Along Atlantic Flyway

light geese

An abundance of geese and other waterfowl are expected to migrate along the Atlantic Flyway this season.

According to Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the number of breeding Atlantic Population Canada geese were significantly higher during the spring of 2011, increasing from approximately 154,000 pairs in 2010, to 194,800 pairs this season.

Although the number of pairs increased, a cold spring on the Ungava Peninsula contributed to a slightly reduced nesting effort, with fewer eggs laid compared to a normal nesting year.

Light geese are also expected to be abundant. Greater and lesser snow geese and Ross's geese are collectively referred to as "light geese". These birds have become so abundant that they are causing harm to wetland habitats throughout their range.

Birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts that wish to support wild populations of waterfowl can purchase a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Federal Duck Stamp).

Federal Duck Stamps are available at most U.S. Post Offices, National Wildlife Refuges, and some DNR sport license agents. Federal Duck Stamps can also be purchased by calling toll-free 1-800-DUCK499, 1-800-STAMP24 or order online at www.duckstamp.com.

NOAA Columbia-Snake River Salmon BiOp Fails

On August 2, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge James Redden ruled that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service failed for the third time in ten years to produce a legal and scientifically adequate plan to protect imperiled Columbia-Snake River salmon from extinction.

Fishing and conservation groups, the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the Spokane Tribe opposed the federal biological opinion, or BiOp, in court.

This is the third time Judge Redden has found a BiOp for the Columbia-Snake Basin inadequate and illegal. Today, salmon populations are critically low, lingering near just 1 percent of their historic levels.

In finding the current plan’s heavy reliance on unidentified and uncertain habitat actions illegal, the court wrote: “Coupled with the significant uncertainty surrounding the reliability of NOAA Fisheries' habitat methodologies, the evidence that habitat actions are falling behind schedule, and that benefits are not accruing as promised, NOAA Fisheries' approach to these issues is neither cautious nor rational.”

Endangered Snake River salmon and steelhead tackle a migration like no other salmon on earth. Some swim more than 900 miles and climb almost 7,000 feet to reach their spawning grounds, scaling eight dams along the way.

source: wildsalmon.org

USGS Red Knot - Horseshoe Crab Research

According to a U.S. Geological Survey study, ecological links exist between
red knots and horseshoe crab populations

Population health of the red knot, a shorebird species whose population has plummeted over the last 15 years, has been directly tied to the number of egg-laying horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay during the red knot’s northward migration each spring.

The research appears to support the hypothesis that managing horseshoe crab populations and their harvest may help conserve red knots. Horseshoe crabs are harvested for bait. They are also used in the pharmaceutical industry, which collects their blood for its clotting properties.

The study, which looked at data from more than 16,000 birds over a 12-year period, revealed that the chance of a red knot gaining significant weight after arriving at Delaware Bay is directly related to the estimated number of female horseshoe crabs that spawned during the shorebird stopover period each spring.

Birds that do not gain enough weight tend to have a lower chance of surviving the rest of the year, and in some years the difference between heavy and light bird survival can be large.

The research also found evidence that the annual survival of these birds is not only partly dependent on their body mass when they leave Delaware Bay but is also strongly related to snow conditions when the birds reach their arctic breeding grounds.

The research, Demographic consequences of migratory stopover: linking red knot survival to horseshoe crab spawning abundance, was authored by Conor McGowan (USGS), James Hines (USGS), James Nichols (USGS), James Lyons (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and others.

It was published in this month’s edition of Ecosphere, a new open-access journal of the Ecological Society of America. The article is available online.

source: USGS

Oil Spill in Yellowstone River

On July 1, 2011, crude oil spilled into the Yellowstone River. According to Montana officials, the spill released over 1,000 barrels of crude oil into the river.

These are a few details concerning the spill:

- The spill occurred when a pipeline feeding the ExxonMobil refinery in Lockwood broke.

- On July 2, Governor Brian Schweitzer, Disaster and Emergency Services (DES) and other state agencies were notified by Yellowstone County DES that crude oil was released into the Yellowstone River from an ExxonMobil Company pipeline.

- Evacuations took place in the immediate area of the spill due to the odor from the oil.

- Unified Command for the incident includes the EPA, State of Montana and Exxon Mobile.

- Other agencies involved include: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, North Dakota Disaster and Emergency Management, National Response Center, PPL Montana.

- Following the spill, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued a consumption advisory for fish caught in the Yellowstone River in the area of the oil spill.

- For more information, visit: visit www.yellowstoneriveroilspill.mt.gov