Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
December's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Regal Fritillary
In this winter season, when days grow shorter and light grows less intense, we bring light to the darkness with the celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. I chose the Wisconsin endangered Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) as my December species, one of the largest most beautiful temperate North American butterflies (here’s where I found the photo I based my poster drawing on http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/courses/introconsbio/Regal_fritillary.jpg ), as my way to brighten your life these winter days! So, here’s wishing you Holidays filled with light and a transformative New Year!
1. The Regal Fritillary is unique among butterflies in that it lays its eggs near its larvae’s host plants, the arrowleaf, birdsfoot, and prairie violets, rather than on them. So, it lays more eggs than butterflies that lay their eggs directly on their larvae’s hosts!
2. Tall grass prairie was once the Regal’s home. Since most of the tallgrass prairie has been destroyed due to our conversion of prairie to agricultural land in the 1800s, the Regal is now found in declining numbers, in declining habitat - large grassland areas with prairie remnants or lightly grazed pasture lands with prairie vegetation, along with hills and valleys. Land in Crawford, Columbia, Green, Iowa, Portage, and St. Croix Counties meet the Regal’s requirements.
3. What are the threats to the Regal’s existence? Development and intensive agriculture.
4. How can the Regal Fritillary be saved? By a two-pronged approach. We need to properly manage its remaining habitat, and protect more habitat.through buying land or conservation easements. The most common prairie management technique, controlled burns, has led to a decline in Regals and other rare butterflies. Instead, management by light grazing, infrequent mowing and/or localized brush cutting has helped Regals flourish.
1,823 acres containing Regal habitat in the Military Ridge area is being preserved through collaboration amongst The Nature Conservacy, the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, WI DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever, Blue Mounds Area Project and The Prairie Enthusiasts.
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail.asp?locid=19&prid=3592
In 2007, The Driftless Area Land Conservancy purchased the development rights for the Kenneth Powell family farm, containing 327 acres near the Nature Conservancy’s Barneveld Prairie Preserve, 18 of which is a high quality tallgrass prairie remnant, with funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (a USDA program) and the WI DNR’s Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2007/011707/wisdrifrpp.html
In 2008, the state of WI’s Stewardship Program gave a $405,200 grant to Nature Conservancy WI to purchase 153 acres of land in the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage area, in order to expand Thomson Prairie, which had been pegged for residential development
.http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail.asp?locid=19&prid=3592
5. What can you do to help save the Regal Fritillary? Tell people about its rarity, its beauty, and why it is in such a sorry state. Let everyone know why you think endangered species are important. Our human communities can never be complete without our natural communities. When you are considering what gifts you will give to friends and family, think of the Regal Fritillary and the other animals and plants in WI that are most in need! Volunteer with and donate to the environmental organizations of your choice. The WI DNR (most of my info on the Regal is found here http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEPJ6040 and you can find info on how to help the WI DNR here http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm ) as well as the Madison Audubon Society http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm and Madison’s John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ are on my list!
1. The Regal Fritillary is unique among butterflies in that it lays its eggs near its larvae’s host plants, the arrowleaf, birdsfoot, and prairie violets, rather than on them. So, it lays more eggs than butterflies that lay their eggs directly on their larvae’s hosts!
2. Tall grass prairie was once the Regal’s home. Since most of the tallgrass prairie has been destroyed due to our conversion of prairie to agricultural land in the 1800s, the Regal is now found in declining numbers, in declining habitat - large grassland areas with prairie remnants or lightly grazed pasture lands with prairie vegetation, along with hills and valleys. Land in Crawford, Columbia, Green, Iowa, Portage, and St. Croix Counties meet the Regal’s requirements.
3. What are the threats to the Regal’s existence? Development and intensive agriculture.
4. How can the Regal Fritillary be saved? By a two-pronged approach. We need to properly manage its remaining habitat, and protect more habitat.through buying land or conservation easements. The most common prairie management technique, controlled burns, has led to a decline in Regals and other rare butterflies. Instead, management by light grazing, infrequent mowing and/or localized brush cutting has helped Regals flourish.
1,823 acres containing Regal habitat in the Military Ridge area is being preserved through collaboration amongst The Nature Conservacy, the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, WI DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever, Blue Mounds Area Project and The Prairie Enthusiasts.
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail.asp?locid=19&prid=3592
In 2007, The Driftless Area Land Conservancy purchased the development rights for the Kenneth Powell family farm, containing 327 acres near the Nature Conservancy’s Barneveld Prairie Preserve, 18 of which is a high quality tallgrass prairie remnant, with funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (a USDA program) and the WI DNR’s Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2007/011707/wisdrifrpp.html
In 2008, the state of WI’s Stewardship Program gave a $405,200 grant to Nature Conservancy WI to purchase 153 acres of land in the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage area, in order to expand Thomson Prairie, which had been pegged for residential development
.http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail.asp?locid=19&prid=3592
5. What can you do to help save the Regal Fritillary? Tell people about its rarity, its beauty, and why it is in such a sorry state. Let everyone know why you think endangered species are important. Our human communities can never be complete without our natural communities. When you are considering what gifts you will give to friends and family, think of the Regal Fritillary and the other animals and plants in WI that are most in need! Volunteer with and donate to the environmental organizations of your choice. The WI DNR (most of my info on the Regal is found here http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEPJ6040 and you can find info on how to help the WI DNR here http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm ) as well as the Madison Audubon Society http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm and Madison’s John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ are on my list!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
November's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Wallace's Deepwater Mayfly
For November’s Wisconsin endangered species, I’ve chosen the humble and obscure Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly (Spinadis simplex). I’m calling attention to this species as a Thanksgiving to the lesser known, ordinary creatures whose value is greater than they or we might think - much like the majority of organisms who live out their brief but precious lives in obscurity – including most of us humans!
We know something about their aptly named Order, Ephemeroptera, but little about this particular species. How ironic, given that they are one of the oldest existing winged insects! The Order is called Ephemeroptera because the winged adults are short-lived. All insects in this Order are unique for 3 reasons – their ancient lineage, they have winged subimagos (last non-adult life stages), and their wings point straight up. And, these insects are especially vulnerable to poor water quality http://www.earthlife.net/insects/ephemer.html .
About Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly itself, we know little. We can only say where it’s been found, in Grant, Crawford, Iowa, Richland and Columbia counties in Wisconsin, and that it prefers large, fast-flowing rivers where nymphs live among wood or other solid substrates over sand in deep water http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=18&SpecCode=IIEPH19010 . The specifics of its distribution and life cycle are unknown. What a great opportunity for someone to study this mayfly, and bring it and themselves into the limelight!
Threats to its survival are wetland destruction, shoreline development, water pollution, and alteration of waterflow by impoundments or destruction of nearby vegetation http://dnr.wisconsin.gov/org/land/er/wwap/plan/pdfs/04_0_Invertebrate_SGCN.pdf.
Conservation efforts to combat these threats will also benefit other sensitive species, as well as all living things that value clean water – including us!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, show your appreciation of Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly and other endangered species, and thank your local and national conservation organizations for working to save them, by being generous with your time and money. Here are just a few of the many organizations that could use your thanks: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm , http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . and http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ Share your knowledge and awareness with friends, families and acquaintances! Help save the world!
We know something about their aptly named Order, Ephemeroptera, but little about this particular species. How ironic, given that they are one of the oldest existing winged insects! The Order is called Ephemeroptera because the winged adults are short-lived. All insects in this Order are unique for 3 reasons – their ancient lineage, they have winged subimagos (last non-adult life stages), and their wings point straight up. And, these insects are especially vulnerable to poor water quality http://www.earthlife.net/insects/ephemer.html .
About Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly itself, we know little. We can only say where it’s been found, in Grant, Crawford, Iowa, Richland and Columbia counties in Wisconsin, and that it prefers large, fast-flowing rivers where nymphs live among wood or other solid substrates over sand in deep water http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=18&SpecCode=IIEPH19010 . The specifics of its distribution and life cycle are unknown. What a great opportunity for someone to study this mayfly, and bring it and themselves into the limelight!
Threats to its survival are wetland destruction, shoreline development, water pollution, and alteration of waterflow by impoundments or destruction of nearby vegetation http://dnr.wisconsin.gov/org/land/er/wwap/plan/pdfs/04_0_Invertebrate_SGCN.pdf.
Conservation efforts to combat these threats will also benefit other sensitive species, as well as all living things that value clean water – including us!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, show your appreciation of Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly and other endangered species, and thank your local and national conservation organizations for working to save them, by being generous with your time and money. Here are just a few of the many organizations that could use your thanks: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm , http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . and http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ Share your knowledge and awareness with friends, families and acquaintances! Help save the world!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
October's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Massasauga Rattlesnake
The Massasauga Rattlesnake’s, or Eastern Massasauga’s (Sistrurus catenatus) story is like the Fugitive’s – a species unjustly convicted of and punished for horrendous crimes it didn’t commit. The Massasauga Rattlesnake is a shy, retiring creature that has been vilified over the years. There are no records of anyone killed in Wisconsin by a Massasauga Rattlesnake since the 1900s. By contrast, thousands of Massasauga Rattlesnakes were killed in the late 1800s in the Milwaukee area as the city was expanded, and there were bounties on rattlers until as late as 1975. At the sight, sound, and even thought of rattlers many of us feel so much fear – to the point of killing them, and to the point of not studying them thoroughly enough to truly understand them! The Massasauga is even helpful to people, because it primarily preys on mice, voles and other small rodents. And, they thoughtfully (and self-protectively) most commonly don’t use venom on people - 60% of poisonous snake bites to people don’t contain venom - which is saved for their prey.
1. How has the Massasauga Rattlesnake become endangered? As you might have guessed, it has been a victim of our fears. The killings during settlement and then the bounties dangerously lowered their population. Animals that have become over populous because of our destruction of top predators – raccoons and skunks –newly introduced species such as hogs, as well as foxes, hawks, and eagles, prey on the Massasauga. The Massasauga is a favorite venomous species pet, so they are being illegally captured. Off-road vehicles on their habitat is harmful to them. Though the primary reason for their being endangered today, is that we are indirectly killing them by destroying their wetland habitats. Because of our lack of knowledge about the Massasauga, we’re not sure how to manage their existing habitat.
2. What do we know about the Massasauga Rattlesnake? They are found in isolated spots in southeastern, central, and west central Wisconsin.
When the soil temperature is high enough, Massasaugas become active. During their active season, from April to early, mid October, they live in floodplain habitats along medium to large rivers, especially near river confluences – which is why the Ojibwa called them Massasauga, meaning great river mouth – where they favor open canopy wetlands, such as sedge meadows, fresh wet meadows, scrub carr and adjacent upland prairies and old fields. They enjoy warm, humid, overcast days and sun themselves in concealing vegetation. They are primarily active during the early morning, but also on summer evenings.
Female Massasauga Rattlesnakes are pregnant from late July through August. They prefer dry to dry-mesic prairies during this incubation period. They give birth to 8 to 20 young, live rather than eggs. Their young are usually born beneath a log, in a wood pile, or abandoned mammal burrow, where they will stay for 4 or 5 days, until shedding into more protective skins.
The beginning of hibernation is dependent on air temperature. Unlike other snake species, each snake hibernates alone. They prefer crayfish burrows, built in river bottom dugouts with above ground mud chimneys, in which they choose the at or near water level spots. They will also use mammal burrows, sawdust piles, or old root canals.
3. What does this mean for habitat management? It will have to encompass the Massasauga Rattlesnake’s needs at different times of year and at different times in its lifecycle – through its active time including basking, its hibernation, and its reproductive times and youth. Allowing meadows and wetlands to fill in with vegetation will compromise their active habitat. Managing to leave some open canopy is necessary for basking. Prescribed burning, mowing and herbicide application should only be done during their hibernation http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_Article_Lookup.asp?id=924 . During hibernation, recent research shows that lowering water levels (drawdown management) in wetland habitats during the fall may harm them. Impounding, or containing, sedge meadows and wetlands will also be detrimental to the Massasauga during hibernation. And it’s important that crayfish are allowed to flourish, so the Massasaugas can use their burrows.
4. What can you do to help? Tell everyone you know that the Massasauga Rattlesnake is not aggressive towards people! Let them know all the interesting facts about them and reveal their true natures! See this artful photo, where the Massasauga looks like a work of art itself http://k41.pbase.com/u13/eddie_sanchez/upload/38428436.DSCN5316.jpg (I’ve based my poster on it). Donate to the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm (all of my information about the Massasauga comes from their website – where you can find out even more interesting facts about them http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=49&SpecCode=ARADE03011 , under Detailed Information). Donate to and volunteer with conservation organizations, to support their work helping endangered species, even some that don’t seem, at first glance, worth saving!
1. How has the Massasauga Rattlesnake become endangered? As you might have guessed, it has been a victim of our fears. The killings during settlement and then the bounties dangerously lowered their population. Animals that have become over populous because of our destruction of top predators – raccoons and skunks –newly introduced species such as hogs, as well as foxes, hawks, and eagles, prey on the Massasauga. The Massasauga is a favorite venomous species pet, so they are being illegally captured. Off-road vehicles on their habitat is harmful to them. Though the primary reason for their being endangered today, is that we are indirectly killing them by destroying their wetland habitats. Because of our lack of knowledge about the Massasauga, we’re not sure how to manage their existing habitat.
2. What do we know about the Massasauga Rattlesnake? They are found in isolated spots in southeastern, central, and west central Wisconsin.
When the soil temperature is high enough, Massasaugas become active. During their active season, from April to early, mid October, they live in floodplain habitats along medium to large rivers, especially near river confluences – which is why the Ojibwa called them Massasauga, meaning great river mouth – where they favor open canopy wetlands, such as sedge meadows, fresh wet meadows, scrub carr and adjacent upland prairies and old fields. They enjoy warm, humid, overcast days and sun themselves in concealing vegetation. They are primarily active during the early morning, but also on summer evenings.
Female Massasauga Rattlesnakes are pregnant from late July through August. They prefer dry to dry-mesic prairies during this incubation period. They give birth to 8 to 20 young, live rather than eggs. Their young are usually born beneath a log, in a wood pile, or abandoned mammal burrow, where they will stay for 4 or 5 days, until shedding into more protective skins.
The beginning of hibernation is dependent on air temperature. Unlike other snake species, each snake hibernates alone. They prefer crayfish burrows, built in river bottom dugouts with above ground mud chimneys, in which they choose the at or near water level spots. They will also use mammal burrows, sawdust piles, or old root canals.
3. What does this mean for habitat management? It will have to encompass the Massasauga Rattlesnake’s needs at different times of year and at different times in its lifecycle – through its active time including basking, its hibernation, and its reproductive times and youth. Allowing meadows and wetlands to fill in with vegetation will compromise their active habitat. Managing to leave some open canopy is necessary for basking. Prescribed burning, mowing and herbicide application should only be done during their hibernation http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_Article_Lookup.asp?id=924 . During hibernation, recent research shows that lowering water levels (drawdown management) in wetland habitats during the fall may harm them. Impounding, or containing, sedge meadows and wetlands will also be detrimental to the Massasauga during hibernation. And it’s important that crayfish are allowed to flourish, so the Massasaugas can use their burrows.
4. What can you do to help? Tell everyone you know that the Massasauga Rattlesnake is not aggressive towards people! Let them know all the interesting facts about them and reveal their true natures! See this artful photo, where the Massasauga looks like a work of art itself http://k41.pbase.com/u13/eddie_sanchez/upload/38428436.DSCN5316.jpg (I’ve based my poster on it). Donate to the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm (all of my information about the Massasauga comes from their website – where you can find out even more interesting facts about them http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=49&SpecCode=ARADE03011 , under Detailed Information). Donate to and volunteer with conservation organizations, to support their work helping endangered species, even some that don’t seem, at first glance, worth saving!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Kirtland's Warbler
Why did I pick the Kirtland’s Warbler (Dendroica Kirtlandii) for my September Wisconsin species? Actually, my daughter did – I let her choose because her birthday is in September. She says it was love at first sight – she thinks Kirtland’s is cute because of its diminutive size and bright, contrasting colors. It was also her idea that I model my drawing on this photo of the warbler http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/images/bird_id/kirtland%27s-warbler-lg.gif , with a bubble coming out of its beak, saying LOST. Brilliant!
What interests me about this warbler?
1. Although there are no records of Kirtland’s having nested in Wisconsin before http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/47268492.html, this species is federally endangered and there is suitable habitat in Wisconsin. Its reproductive success in Wisconsin in Adams and Marinette County and presence in other Wisconsin counties is the result of an intense process of aiding a species in decline - an inspiring story of hope and perseverance. In 2008 the Kirtland’s Warbler, for the first time since the 1940s, has nested outside of Michigan, producing at least 10 nestlings in Wisconsin. See here for past and present accounts of Kirlands in Wisconsin http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/ This, thanks to a many faceted effort -- the difficult and dedicated research, monitoring and management of this species by a variety of people in a variety of places.
Government, scientists, industry, a public foundation and lay people have come together to help save this species. The Plum Creek Timber Company allowed government agencies onto their land, the U.S. Department of Agriculture traps the cowbirds (300 were trapped where the warblers successfully nested), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor nests, trap, band and run field trips http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1 and http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/kiwa/2009Summary.html. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin http://www.wisconservation.org/ (see and hear here – you’ll follow a volunteer’s discovery of a new Kirtland’s) also helped, particularly with volunteer coordination and organization of statewide surveys. Many volunteer birders helped survey warblers. In fact, one documented the first nesting Kirtland’s in Wisconsin.
And, of course it would be impossible for Kirlands to recover in Wisconsin if they weren’t doing well in Michigan’s northern Lower and Upper peninsula,s from where they are spreading and the Bahamas, their primary wintering place. The Kirtland's Warbler Recovery Team http://warbler.kirtland.edu/ gives a sense of the geographical vastness and complexity of the effort. It is made up of people from the Michigan DNR, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bahamas Department of Agriculture, and The International Institute of Tropical Forestry, just to name some of the partners.
2. The story of the Kirtland’s Warbler’s decline is a convergence of two circumstances - its reliance on a now shrinking habitat to breed, a young jack pine forest between 4 and 20 years old, and the spreading range of its foe, the cowbird http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm .
Suitable habitat is crucial. Warblers make their nests on the ground, hidden by the low-hanging, closely packed branches which only young jack pines provide. And jack pines can only regenerate with fire, when the cones release their seeds that then sprout on the now fertile ground. As the trees age, their lower branches self-prune, no longer protecting the Kirtland's warblers nest.
Along with this range contraction came the proliferation of the brown-headed cowbird in its remaining habitat. It traditionally followed buffalo herds on the Great Plains, feeding on insects disturbed by buffalos' hooves. Being peripatetic, the cowbird laid eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving these unwitting adoptive parents to care for their young. When logging opened up land in the Midwest, cowbirds migrated too, and began laying eggs in warbler’s nests. Cowbirds hatch earlier and are larger and more aggressive than warblers, so the warbler nestlings don’t stand much of a chance.
3. Another interesting thing about the Kirtland’s Warbler is that once it was discovered, in the United States in 1850, it took awhile before anyone found out where it lived and bred http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,00.html . Its breeding range wasn’t discovered until over 50 years later, in 1903, when a nest was found in jack pine habitat. And nearly 30 years later, in 1879, Kirtland’s was discovered to over winter in the Bahamas, and later the Turks, Caicos and Hispaniola Islands. Just think how much there is yet to discover in our own Wisconsin backyards, about species we still know little about!
4. What are people doing to help Kirtland’s now? Cowbirds continue to be trapped and Kirtland’s banded and monitored. The vegetation where they breed will be analyzed to determine ideal breeding habitat. And 134,000 acres of jack pine will continue to be managed on a 50-year rotation, yielding at least 38,000 acres of young jack pine in which Kirtland's can nest. Wildlife managers will revisit known habitat and search out new, and manage accordingly. Census work in jack pine stands in Burnett, Douglas, Washburn, Bayfield, Vilas, Oneida, Marinette, Jackson and Adams counties will search out singing male Kirtland's warblers and potential new breeding sites, so conservation efforts can expand. http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1
5. And, finally, here’s what you can do to help the Kirtland’s Warbler. Pick up some general bird identification skills at Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s web site http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1053 Learn more about Kirtland’s and become a volunteer yourself! Donate to the organizations cited above! Tell your friends and family about Kirtland’s fascinating life history and road to recovery, and how people like you made it happen! Help change the world, one species at a time!!
What interests me about this warbler?
1. Although there are no records of Kirtland’s having nested in Wisconsin before http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/47268492.html, this species is federally endangered and there is suitable habitat in Wisconsin. Its reproductive success in Wisconsin in Adams and Marinette County and presence in other Wisconsin counties is the result of an intense process of aiding a species in decline - an inspiring story of hope and perseverance. In 2008 the Kirtland’s Warbler, for the first time since the 1940s, has nested outside of Michigan, producing at least 10 nestlings in Wisconsin. See here for past and present accounts of Kirlands in Wisconsin http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/ This, thanks to a many faceted effort -- the difficult and dedicated research, monitoring and management of this species by a variety of people in a variety of places.
Government, scientists, industry, a public foundation and lay people have come together to help save this species. The Plum Creek Timber Company allowed government agencies onto their land, the U.S. Department of Agriculture traps the cowbirds (300 were trapped where the warblers successfully nested), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor nests, trap, band and run field trips http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1 and http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/kiwa/2009Summary.html. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin http://www.wisconservation.org/ (see and hear here – you’ll follow a volunteer’s discovery of a new Kirtland’s) also helped, particularly with volunteer coordination and organization of statewide surveys. Many volunteer birders helped survey warblers. In fact, one documented the first nesting Kirtland’s in Wisconsin.
And, of course it would be impossible for Kirlands to recover in Wisconsin if they weren’t doing well in Michigan’s northern Lower and Upper peninsula,s from where they are spreading and the Bahamas, their primary wintering place. The Kirtland's Warbler Recovery Team http://warbler.kirtland.edu/ gives a sense of the geographical vastness and complexity of the effort. It is made up of people from the Michigan DNR, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bahamas Department of Agriculture, and The International Institute of Tropical Forestry, just to name some of the partners.
2. The story of the Kirtland’s Warbler’s decline is a convergence of two circumstances - its reliance on a now shrinking habitat to breed, a young jack pine forest between 4 and 20 years old, and the spreading range of its foe, the cowbird http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm .
Suitable habitat is crucial. Warblers make their nests on the ground, hidden by the low-hanging, closely packed branches which only young jack pines provide. And jack pines can only regenerate with fire, when the cones release their seeds that then sprout on the now fertile ground. As the trees age, their lower branches self-prune, no longer protecting the Kirtland's warblers nest.
Along with this range contraction came the proliferation of the brown-headed cowbird in its remaining habitat. It traditionally followed buffalo herds on the Great Plains, feeding on insects disturbed by buffalos' hooves. Being peripatetic, the cowbird laid eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving these unwitting adoptive parents to care for their young. When logging opened up land in the Midwest, cowbirds migrated too, and began laying eggs in warbler’s nests. Cowbirds hatch earlier and are larger and more aggressive than warblers, so the warbler nestlings don’t stand much of a chance.
3. Another interesting thing about the Kirtland’s Warbler is that once it was discovered, in the United States in 1850, it took awhile before anyone found out where it lived and bred http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,00.html . Its breeding range wasn’t discovered until over 50 years later, in 1903, when a nest was found in jack pine habitat. And nearly 30 years later, in 1879, Kirtland’s was discovered to over winter in the Bahamas, and later the Turks, Caicos and Hispaniola Islands. Just think how much there is yet to discover in our own Wisconsin backyards, about species we still know little about!
4. What are people doing to help Kirtland’s now? Cowbirds continue to be trapped and Kirtland’s banded and monitored. The vegetation where they breed will be analyzed to determine ideal breeding habitat. And 134,000 acres of jack pine will continue to be managed on a 50-year rotation, yielding at least 38,000 acres of young jack pine in which Kirtland's can nest. Wildlife managers will revisit known habitat and search out new, and manage accordingly. Census work in jack pine stands in Burnett, Douglas, Washburn, Bayfield, Vilas, Oneida, Marinette, Jackson and Adams counties will search out singing male Kirtland's warblers and potential new breeding sites, so conservation efforts can expand. http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1
5. And, finally, here’s what you can do to help the Kirtland’s Warbler. Pick up some general bird identification skills at Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s web site http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1053 Learn more about Kirtland’s and become a volunteer yourself! Donate to the organizations cited above! Tell your friends and family about Kirtland’s fascinating life history and road to recovery, and how people like you made it happen! Help change the world, one species at a time!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
August's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Prairie White-Fringed Orchid
I chose the prairie white-fringed orchid, Platanthera leucophaea, for my August Wisconsin endangered species because it ends flowering and fruits in August. What interests me most about orchids are their great popularity with us humans and their unique ecological relationships with other species.
One of the reasons orchids are so popular is that they’re the dogs of the plant world – they are the second biggest family of flowering plants, with 725 genera and 10,000 to 15,000 different species. Because they are easily hybridized, they can look strikingly different from one another (some look as if they come from another world!), and some are easy to grow and care for.
1. The prairie white-fringed orchid is one of the largest and showiest native North American orchids. Experience it for yourself at these websites: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLLE2, for a lovely feathery photo and http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html for a stunning close up. My drawing is based on this photo http://www.ojibway.ca/orchids.htm Read a more detailed description of the prairie white-fringed orchid here http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=PLALEU To get a handle on its taxonomy and North American distribution, go here
http://plants.usda.gov/java/stateSearch?searchTxt=prairie+white+fringed+orchid&searchType=Comname&stateSelect=US55&searchOrder=2&imageField.x=82&imageField.y=10 and for its distribution in Wisconsin, http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=20&SpecCode=PMORC1Y0F0.
2. These orchids rely on the nocturnal hawkmoth (Sphingidae http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/WIsphinx.htm - these are impressive in their own right) for pollination in order to reproduce, and their flowers are fragrant at night to accommodate them. The orchids rely on fungus living in the soil to become established in the soil and grow. Once the orchids have leaves, they aid the fungus as well! Adult orchids don’t have well-developed root systems and require these mycorrhizae for water and nutrition, especially when they’re under stress.
3. Why is this species endangered? It has declined in the US by more than 70%, mainly due to habitat loss for cropland and pasture. The remaining orchids are primarily threatened by continued habitat loss, specifically alteration of hydrology, fire protection, and development, as well as non-native species, illegal collection, herbicide drift and. possibly pesticides which may harm the hawkmoth
4. Which management practices can help these species survive? Restoration of mesic prairie through proper water (no ditching or draining and restoring water table levels) and fire management is essential. To this end, invasive and woody species must be removed for they dry out the habitat and prescribed burning is needed for seedling establishment and favorable fungus growth.
5. Read about how the WI DNR in partnership with private citizens and our own Madison Audubon Society have come together to save this orchid.
Two projects, both in Rock County under the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) - the Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid and the Tallgrass Farm Projects, adjacent to privately owned Fair Meadows State Natural Area, contain one of Wisconsin’s largest populations of the prairie white- fringed orchid, which has become even more numerous under this collaborative management http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/wlip/projects/rock.htm and http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/index.asp?SNA=416 .
On the Orchid Project site, LIP funds invasive tree and brush removal, herbicide treatment of reed canary grass, and prescribed burning. A section 6 grant helps with permanent protection. The landowner contributes time and personal equipment. A follow-up management plan, specific monitoring and project evaluation criteria are included. Mesic prairie is being restored in former agricultural fields and apple orchards.
The Tallgrass site is managed through controlled burns, brush clearing, invasive weed control, stewardship, and increasing diversity by seeding and planting native plants.
The WI DNR and Madison Audubon Society have collaborated at two sites, the Faville Grove Sanctuary and Snapper Prairie. At Faville Grove, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities of more than half of those acres. MAS has worked with NRCS to fill ditches and artificial drainage swales. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the former fence lines, buying local genotype seed, and mowing and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 37% match of volunteer on-site by hand seed collection and planting of more than 100 native species, weed control, and prescribed burns.
At Snapper Prairie, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the property line and weeding, mowing, and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 36% match through volunteer labor for on-site by hand seed collection and backseeding of more than 100 native species, and weed control. Find details here (the 4th & 5th projects) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/wlip/projects/jefferson.htm and at MAS’s website http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/sanctuaries.htm
To learn about and see how prairie white-fringed orchid seeds are germinated as a way to conserve them, read this interesting account by a WI DNR employee, who then plants them on his farm, where he is doing a prairie restoration http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html .
If you’re tempted to grow this orchid on your own property, look here http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2001/jun01/orchids.htm , and get an idea of an orchid’s very exacting habitat requirements for soil, fungi, light and moisture. If you’re lucky enough that your habitat meets these requirements, plant on!
A non-profit conservation group, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, funds projects through its WI Foundation Endowment http://www.wisconservation.org/index.php?page=Endowed_Funds. The Koshkonong Corners SNA Fund was created by John Van Altena and Connie Brouillette, partly to fund the management of land supporting the prairie white-fringed orchid.
6. What can you do to help? Educate friends and family! Oppose development and support protection and proper management of white fringed prairie habitat! Volunteer! Support the organizations that disseminate important information about this species and help protect this species, such as the Center for Plant Conservation, which is responsible for much of the info on my blog http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3520 (donate here: http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/SupportCPC.html )as well as the very informative http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Platanthera+leuc ophaea (donate here: http://www.natureserve.org/supportUs/index.jsp ). Also support and learn more about the American Orchid Society http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About and its conservation efforts. Get involved with the WI Natural Resources Foundation http://www.wisconservation.org/
Support your WI DNR http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and your Madison Audubon Society http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/join.htm in their mission to save the prairie white-fringed orchid.
Help save the world!
One of the reasons orchids are so popular is that they’re the dogs of the plant world – they are the second biggest family of flowering plants, with 725 genera and 10,000 to 15,000 different species. Because they are easily hybridized, they can look strikingly different from one another (some look as if they come from another world!), and some are easy to grow and care for.
1. The prairie white-fringed orchid is one of the largest and showiest native North American orchids. Experience it for yourself at these websites: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLLE2, for a lovely feathery photo and http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html for a stunning close up. My drawing is based on this photo http://www.ojibway.ca/orchids.htm Read a more detailed description of the prairie white-fringed orchid here http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=PLALEU To get a handle on its taxonomy and North American distribution, go here
http://plants.usda.gov/java/stateSearch?searchTxt=prairie+white+fringed+orchid&searchType=Comname&stateSelect=US55&searchOrder=2&imageField.x=82&imageField.y=10 and for its distribution in Wisconsin, http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=20&SpecCode=PMORC1Y0F0.
2. These orchids rely on the nocturnal hawkmoth (Sphingidae http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/WIsphinx.htm - these are impressive in their own right) for pollination in order to reproduce, and their flowers are fragrant at night to accommodate them. The orchids rely on fungus living in the soil to become established in the soil and grow. Once the orchids have leaves, they aid the fungus as well! Adult orchids don’t have well-developed root systems and require these mycorrhizae for water and nutrition, especially when they’re under stress.
3. Why is this species endangered? It has declined in the US by more than 70%, mainly due to habitat loss for cropland and pasture. The remaining orchids are primarily threatened by continued habitat loss, specifically alteration of hydrology, fire protection, and development, as well as non-native species, illegal collection, herbicide drift and. possibly pesticides which may harm the hawkmoth
4. Which management practices can help these species survive? Restoration of mesic prairie through proper water (no ditching or draining and restoring water table levels) and fire management is essential. To this end, invasive and woody species must be removed for they dry out the habitat and prescribed burning is needed for seedling establishment and favorable fungus growth.
5. Read about how the WI DNR in partnership with private citizens and our own Madison Audubon Society have come together to save this orchid.
Two projects, both in Rock County under the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) - the Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid and the Tallgrass Farm Projects, adjacent to privately owned Fair Meadows State Natural Area, contain one of Wisconsin’s largest populations of the prairie white- fringed orchid, which has become even more numerous under this collaborative management http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/wlip/projects/rock.htm and http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/index.asp?SNA=416 .
On the Orchid Project site, LIP funds invasive tree and brush removal, herbicide treatment of reed canary grass, and prescribed burning. A section 6 grant helps with permanent protection. The landowner contributes time and personal equipment. A follow-up management plan, specific monitoring and project evaluation criteria are included. Mesic prairie is being restored in former agricultural fields and apple orchards.
The Tallgrass site is managed through controlled burns, brush clearing, invasive weed control, stewardship, and increasing diversity by seeding and planting native plants.
The WI DNR and Madison Audubon Society have collaborated at two sites, the Faville Grove Sanctuary and Snapper Prairie. At Faville Grove, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities of more than half of those acres. MAS has worked with NRCS to fill ditches and artificial drainage swales. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the former fence lines, buying local genotype seed, and mowing and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 37% match of volunteer on-site by hand seed collection and planting of more than 100 native species, weed control, and prescribed burns.
At Snapper Prairie, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the property line and weeding, mowing, and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 36% match through volunteer labor for on-site by hand seed collection and backseeding of more than 100 native species, and weed control. Find details here (the 4th & 5th projects) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/wlip/projects/jefferson.htm and at MAS’s website http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/sanctuaries.htm
To learn about and see how prairie white-fringed orchid seeds are germinated as a way to conserve them, read this interesting account by a WI DNR employee, who then plants them on his farm, where he is doing a prairie restoration http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html .
If you’re tempted to grow this orchid on your own property, look here http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2001/jun01/orchids.htm , and get an idea of an orchid’s very exacting habitat requirements for soil, fungi, light and moisture. If you’re lucky enough that your habitat meets these requirements, plant on!
A non-profit conservation group, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, funds projects through its WI Foundation Endowment http://www.wisconservation.org/index.php?page=Endowed_Funds. The Koshkonong Corners SNA Fund was created by John Van Altena and Connie Brouillette, partly to fund the management of land supporting the prairie white-fringed orchid.
6. What can you do to help? Educate friends and family! Oppose development and support protection and proper management of white fringed prairie habitat! Volunteer! Support the organizations that disseminate important information about this species and help protect this species, such as the Center for Plant Conservation, which is responsible for much of the info on my blog http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3520 (donate here: http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/SupportCPC.html )as well as the very informative http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Platanthera+leuc ophaea (donate here: http://www.natureserve.org/supportUs/index.jsp ). Also support and learn more about the American Orchid Society http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About and its conservation efforts. Get involved with the WI Natural Resources Foundation http://www.wisconservation.org/
Support your WI DNR http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and your Madison Audubon Society http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/join.htm in their mission to save the prairie white-fringed orchid.
Help save the world!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Poweshiek Skipperling
The Poweshiek Skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) is a kind of butterfly called a skipper because of its quick darting flight, and is named after Chief Poweshiek, a Fox tribe Indian who signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. It flies from mid June to July and peaks the first two weeks of July, which is why I chose to feature it in July!
Unlike the other Wisconsin endangered species I’ve featured, this one’s habitat, tall grass prairie, has been destroyed since the 1850s. Over 99% of its habitat is now gone, because of conversion to agricultural land, grazing, haying, and more recently, invasive weeds and poor habitat management.
1. I’ll begin by saying how incredible beautiful tall grass prairies are – they are the oceans of the Midwest! Their beauty is poignantly enhanced by their rarity. Look at this website to see some lovely, vivid photos of the Poweshiek Skipperling http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly/species/131-poweshiek-skipperling (my poster is based on the first one of these), and see one person’s brief account of their search for this butterfly. Also see these lovely photos of the Poweshiek and their habitat
http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf
2. Since so much of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s habitat is already destroyed, the challenge is to manage its existing habitat wisely.
See Ann Swengel’s incredibly intelligent, careful observations and insightful ideas in her North American Butterfly Association journal in depth article http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf (an excerpt can be found on the Madison Sierra Club’s website www.wisconsin.sierraclub.org, their April-June 2009 newsletter) about the mystery of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s decline. Here, she challenges the accepted idea that fire management is the only way to manage tall grass prairies. For this species and other vulnerable species it is in fact harmful. The Poweshiek is most abundant when nothing is done, though when its prairie is becoming brushy and weedy, it’s best to use localized treatments like mowing, brush-cutting and spot herbicide treatments. She makes the argument that using different management techniques protects diversity. There is no one size fits all management strategy that will benefit all species, because of the complexity of this ecosystem. It’s best to look to the rarest, most vulnerable species, and manage to suit their needs.
From the WI DNR’s new Endangered Resources website http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010 , you can find out that Poweshiek’s population fluctuates greatly, so they are particularly vulnerable to any external forces that could further lower their numbers. The WI DNR recommends expanding their habitat, creating habitat corridors, and using fire management with care.
This website http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ suggests only burning habitat infrequently and part of the habitat at a time – to protect Poweshieks and keep their home prairie and Poweshiek friendly!
3. Where can you find the Poweshiek Skipperling In Wisconsin? They live in Kettle Moraine Low Prairie in Waukesha County http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna88.htm and in the Puchyan Prairie in Green Lake County http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/LAND/er/sna/sna172.htm . Go to these websites to donate and find more info. These lands are wet mesic prairies (Poweshieks are also found in adjacent dry prairies with the plants they favor) with native grasses, sedges and many plants in the sunflower family.
4. Given a butterflies unique lifecycle, what plants to they need in these prairies to survive? The larvae feed on prairie dropseed and little bluestem, which is unique to their WI habitat. Adults feed on coneflowers and black-eyed susan.
Check out this lovely photo http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=photoview&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010&PhotoNum=13522 .
5. Go here to see all the different kinds of butterflies (100 plus!) that can be found in Wisconsin, along with their range, habitat, flight time and conservation status http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/bflylist.html Go to this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/nativewisconsinbutterflies.htm#Skippers for an understanding of what’s in WI and how they’re classified, along with some lovely photos. For example, our butterfly is a Skipper, so it’s in the family Hesperiidae, and because it’s a Grass Skipper, it’s in the subfamily Hesperiinae.
6. And these websites give you a wider, North American (or Midwestern, since tall grass prairies only exist here, though there is a small population in Manitoba) perspective of Poweshieks. http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ . This website has great info about the history of tallgrass prairies, the Poweshiek’s conservation status, description and taxonomy, life history, distribution, threats and conservation needs. Donate to this very worthy organization!
Nature Serve has similar information
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=116340&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=116340&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=116340 on threats, conservation needs, life history, and conservation status, but is a more scientifically expressed version of the xerxes entry.
See information about butterflies and moths (there are far more kinds of moths than butterflies, did you know) of North America here http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=2059 as well as some specifics about the Poweshiek. You’ll find photos, maps, classification, identification, life history, flight times, wing span, caterpillar and adult food, habitat, range, conservation status and management needs. You can donate to help them with their mission!
8. How can you help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and other butterflies? By good habitat management, on your land and on theirs! As Ann Swengel advises in her Paradise Lost article, when you’re in Poweshiek habitat, or any other endangered species habitat, observe, analyze, advocate – this is how she reached her heretical conclusion in management circles that fire can be harmful to Poweshiek’s and other rare species.
Manage them well on your own land, as is detailed in this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/butterflyattraction.htm which describes how you can make butterfly habitat in your garden – you’ll need host plants for caterpillars, nectar plants for butterflies, water, shelter, a place to bask – and you must not use insecticides!
Be a conservationist everyday, in your own life, as tourist, landowner, voter and conversationalist! Help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and the natural world!
Unlike the other Wisconsin endangered species I’ve featured, this one’s habitat, tall grass prairie, has been destroyed since the 1850s. Over 99% of its habitat is now gone, because of conversion to agricultural land, grazing, haying, and more recently, invasive weeds and poor habitat management.
1. I’ll begin by saying how incredible beautiful tall grass prairies are – they are the oceans of the Midwest! Their beauty is poignantly enhanced by their rarity. Look at this website to see some lovely, vivid photos of the Poweshiek Skipperling http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly/species/131-poweshiek-skipperling (my poster is based on the first one of these), and see one person’s brief account of their search for this butterfly. Also see these lovely photos of the Poweshiek and their habitat
http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf
2. Since so much of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s habitat is already destroyed, the challenge is to manage its existing habitat wisely.
See Ann Swengel’s incredibly intelligent, careful observations and insightful ideas in her North American Butterfly Association journal in depth article http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf (an excerpt can be found on the Madison Sierra Club’s website www.wisconsin.sierraclub.org, their April-June 2009 newsletter) about the mystery of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s decline. Here, she challenges the accepted idea that fire management is the only way to manage tall grass prairies. For this species and other vulnerable species it is in fact harmful. The Poweshiek is most abundant when nothing is done, though when its prairie is becoming brushy and weedy, it’s best to use localized treatments like mowing, brush-cutting and spot herbicide treatments. She makes the argument that using different management techniques protects diversity. There is no one size fits all management strategy that will benefit all species, because of the complexity of this ecosystem. It’s best to look to the rarest, most vulnerable species, and manage to suit their needs.
From the WI DNR’s new Endangered Resources website http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010 , you can find out that Poweshiek’s population fluctuates greatly, so they are particularly vulnerable to any external forces that could further lower their numbers. The WI DNR recommends expanding their habitat, creating habitat corridors, and using fire management with care.
This website http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ suggests only burning habitat infrequently and part of the habitat at a time – to protect Poweshieks and keep their home prairie and Poweshiek friendly!
3. Where can you find the Poweshiek Skipperling In Wisconsin? They live in Kettle Moraine Low Prairie in Waukesha County http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna88.htm and in the Puchyan Prairie in Green Lake County http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/LAND/er/sna/sna172.htm . Go to these websites to donate and find more info. These lands are wet mesic prairies (Poweshieks are also found in adjacent dry prairies with the plants they favor) with native grasses, sedges and many plants in the sunflower family.
4. Given a butterflies unique lifecycle, what plants to they need in these prairies to survive? The larvae feed on prairie dropseed and little bluestem, which is unique to their WI habitat. Adults feed on coneflowers and black-eyed susan.
Check out this lovely photo http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=photoview&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010&PhotoNum=13522 .
5. Go here to see all the different kinds of butterflies (100 plus!) that can be found in Wisconsin, along with their range, habitat, flight time and conservation status http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/bflylist.html Go to this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/nativewisconsinbutterflies.htm#Skippers for an understanding of what’s in WI and how they’re classified, along with some lovely photos. For example, our butterfly is a Skipper, so it’s in the family Hesperiidae, and because it’s a Grass Skipper, it’s in the subfamily Hesperiinae.
6. And these websites give you a wider, North American (or Midwestern, since tall grass prairies only exist here, though there is a small population in Manitoba) perspective of Poweshieks. http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ . This website has great info about the history of tallgrass prairies, the Poweshiek’s conservation status, description and taxonomy, life history, distribution, threats and conservation needs. Donate to this very worthy organization!
Nature Serve has similar information
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=116340&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=116340&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=116340 on threats, conservation needs, life history, and conservation status, but is a more scientifically expressed version of the xerxes entry.
See information about butterflies and moths (there are far more kinds of moths than butterflies, did you know) of North America here http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=2059 as well as some specifics about the Poweshiek. You’ll find photos, maps, classification, identification, life history, flight times, wing span, caterpillar and adult food, habitat, range, conservation status and management needs. You can donate to help them with their mission!
8. How can you help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and other butterflies? By good habitat management, on your land and on theirs! As Ann Swengel advises in her Paradise Lost article, when you’re in Poweshiek habitat, or any other endangered species habitat, observe, analyze, advocate – this is how she reached her heretical conclusion in management circles that fire can be harmful to Poweshiek’s and other rare species.
Manage them well on your own land, as is detailed in this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/butterflyattraction.htm which describes how you can make butterfly habitat in your garden – you’ll need host plants for caterpillars, nectar plants for butterflies, water, shelter, a place to bask – and you must not use insecticides!
Be a conservationist everyday, in your own life, as tourist, landowner, voter and conversationalist! Help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and the natural world!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June's Featured WI Endangered Species: St. Croix Snaketail
My thoughts about the St. Croix Snaketail (Ophiogomphus susbehcha, meaning of the snaketail genus, and the species Lakota Sioux for dragonfly), the endangered WI species I chose for June since its peak flight time is now!
1. Do you know what makes a dragonfly a dragonfly? Do you know what makes the St. Croix Snaketail unique?
Find some general information here: See UW-Madison Entomology website for dragonflies’ status, habitat, range and flight times http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/dragonfly.htm , the WI DNR’s http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/ for what makes dragonflies what they are as well as info about other endangered and threatened dragonflies, the National Park Service’s http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/upload/Dragonfly%20factsheet-2.pdf for a dragonflies’ life cycle, from eggs, larvae to adult, and the discovery of the St. Croix,
and Integrated Taxonomic Information System’s http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=592874 for taxonomy.
Specific information about the St. Croix Snaketail itself is here: Explore the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center site
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/wi/249.htm for a map of where it’s found in WI, the National Park Service’s St. Croix National Scenic Riverway http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/insects.htm and the DNR’s and Terrestrial Resources Inventory site http://wiatri.net/inventory/odonata/SpeciesDetail.cfm?TaxaID=101 for wonderful St. Croix photos, status, charachteristics, habitat, map and flight season.
2. There are still new things to discover – even in today’s WI!
Read about the inspiring discovery of the St. Croix Snaketail by William Smith in 1989, whose keen observation of strange “exuviae” (in this case, skins of the last larval stage of the dragonflies, as they leave the water for dry land) led to his recognition that he found a new species of dragonfly. Read The WI DNR http://www.lake-link.com/news/headline.cfm?NewsHeadlinesID=2705 , the
Wisconsin State Journal: http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/199198
and the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/12/science/a-delicate-creature-yields-its-secrets.html provide accounts.
3. Which leads me to the observation that this dragonfly is the first creature I’ve featured that is popular enough to hit the mainstream media, to be used as a fundraising tool by the National Park Service http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ and be the focus of a popular high school research project. Read the next to last article http://cbm.wiatri.net/Partnership/abstracts04.cfm in which the Grantsburg High School students collaborate with the Citizen Based Monitoring Network of WI. Go to http://web.gk12.net/ to read about the students’ experience at the Great Lakes Odonata Meeting, a collaborative event between experts and amateurs.
Check out some gorgeous photos of dragonflies here, and a photo of the exuviae. I got the photo that my drawing is based on from this website!
Is there something that draws us to creatures that fly, earthbound as we are without artificial means – and especially to dragonflies. With their unique form, they seem magical, almost fairylike, as if they could have come from an enchanted land.
4. This creature has very specific needs, detailed in this WI DNR fact sheet http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/stcroix.htm .
Ophiogomphus are quite sensitive– the larvae can only live in a certain habitat with clean gravel of a certain size, in well-aerated warm water streams, and are very sensitive to water quality.
And, Snaketail’s are uniquely sensitive within the Ophiogomphus genus – they prefer larger, deep streams that flow fast and clean, with much cobble and gravel with sand substrates, bounded by largely forested watersheds.
5. Dams, organic pollution, inorganic sediments, waterway modifications, and shoreline modifications are each factors which could cause the extinction of the St. Croix Snaketail.
6. What can you do to help? If you live near their habitat, don’t use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Keep your property forested. Oppose development and pollution. Vote accordingly. Amaze and educate your friends and family with the story of this unique creature! Support your WI DNR at http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and the NPS http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ , as well as River Alliance of Wisconsin http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/index.php?page=content&mode=view&id=83 . Even if you live elsewhere, join a local conservation organization to make a difference where you live. Think and act as if what you do on your own land, in your own city makes a difference, because it does! Help change the world!!
1. Do you know what makes a dragonfly a dragonfly? Do you know what makes the St. Croix Snaketail unique?
Find some general information here: See UW-Madison Entomology website for dragonflies’ status, habitat, range and flight times http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/dragonfly.htm , the WI DNR’s http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/ for what makes dragonflies what they are as well as info about other endangered and threatened dragonflies, the National Park Service’s http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/upload/Dragonfly%20factsheet-2.pdf for a dragonflies’ life cycle, from eggs, larvae to adult, and the discovery of the St. Croix,
and Integrated Taxonomic Information System’s http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=592874 for taxonomy.
Specific information about the St. Croix Snaketail itself is here: Explore the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center site
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/wi/249.htm for a map of where it’s found in WI, the National Park Service’s St. Croix National Scenic Riverway http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/insects.htm and the DNR’s and Terrestrial Resources Inventory site http://wiatri.net/inventory/odonata/SpeciesDetail.cfm?TaxaID=101 for wonderful St. Croix photos, status, charachteristics, habitat, map and flight season.
2. There are still new things to discover – even in today’s WI!
Read about the inspiring discovery of the St. Croix Snaketail by William Smith in 1989, whose keen observation of strange “exuviae” (in this case, skins of the last larval stage of the dragonflies, as they leave the water for dry land) led to his recognition that he found a new species of dragonfly. Read The WI DNR http://www.lake-link.com/news/headline.cfm?NewsHeadlinesID=2705 , the
Wisconsin State Journal: http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/199198
and the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/12/science/a-delicate-creature-yields-its-secrets.html provide accounts.
3. Which leads me to the observation that this dragonfly is the first creature I’ve featured that is popular enough to hit the mainstream media, to be used as a fundraising tool by the National Park Service http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ and be the focus of a popular high school research project. Read the next to last article http://cbm.wiatri.net/Partnership/abstracts04.cfm in which the Grantsburg High School students collaborate with the Citizen Based Monitoring Network of WI. Go to http://web.gk12.net/ to read about the students’ experience at the Great Lakes Odonata Meeting, a collaborative event between experts and amateurs.
Check out some gorgeous photos of dragonflies here, and a photo of the exuviae. I got the photo that my drawing is based on from this website!
Is there something that draws us to creatures that fly, earthbound as we are without artificial means – and especially to dragonflies. With their unique form, they seem magical, almost fairylike, as if they could have come from an enchanted land.
4. This creature has very specific needs, detailed in this WI DNR fact sheet http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/stcroix.htm .
Ophiogomphus are quite sensitive– the larvae can only live in a certain habitat with clean gravel of a certain size, in well-aerated warm water streams, and are very sensitive to water quality.
And, Snaketail’s are uniquely sensitive within the Ophiogomphus genus – they prefer larger, deep streams that flow fast and clean, with much cobble and gravel with sand substrates, bounded by largely forested watersheds.
5. Dams, organic pollution, inorganic sediments, waterway modifications, and shoreline modifications are each factors which could cause the extinction of the St. Croix Snaketail.
6. What can you do to help? If you live near their habitat, don’t use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Keep your property forested. Oppose development and pollution. Vote accordingly. Amaze and educate your friends and family with the story of this unique creature! Support your WI DNR at http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and the NPS http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ , as well as River Alliance of Wisconsin http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/index.php?page=content&mode=view&id=83 . Even if you live elsewhere, join a local conservation organization to make a difference where you live. Think and act as if what you do on your own land, in your own city makes a difference, because it does! Help change the world!!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
May's Featured WI Endangered Species: Fassett's Locoweed
Look at this beautiful field of Fasssett’s Locoweed (Oxytropis campestris var. chartacea) http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/communities/index.asp?mode=photoview&Code=CTGEO091WI&PhotoNum=985 and this lovely head shot http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ProfileImage.asp?FN=3068a
I picked Fassett’s Locoweed for my May Wisconsin endangered species because it begins flowering in May. Happy Mother’s Day! After such a long unspringlike spring, it truly feels like spring has arrived now that flowers are in bloom! Farther north, where this species grows, its blossoms are especially welcome. This is one of the intangible reasons plants are so important to us – they raise our spirits!
I didn’t find much information about Fassett’s Locoweed. We don’t devote much time to Fassett’s Locoweed because it’s of no practical use - it is not agriculturally profitable, not a species we garden with, it’s not used for medicinal purposes… Fassett’s is one of those creatures that just exists, without regard for us.
Here are some facts that stuck with me – as Fassett’s Locoweed ages, its leaves change color – just as our hair greys as we age. And, like some of us who need variety in life to keep us alive and healthy, Fassett’s depends on fluctuations in lake level – its seeds germinate when the soil dries out as summer progresses and the plant can only grow in full sun. These extreme changes make other species unable to live here so they can’t shade out Fassett’s. These similarities between us and Fassett’s remind me that although we are so different, because we are living beings we share certain qualities and rights– including the right to exist and thrive!
Here is some more information about Fassett’s Locoweed and what you can do to keep it from being LOST:
1. Fassett’s Locoweed is only found in 3 counties in Wisconsin (see this map
http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/gla/tesweb/plants/locoweed/loco.htm ): Bayfield http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna473.htm ( and in the Chequamegon National Forest), Portage http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/sna/sna227.htm , and Waushara http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna226.htm - and nowhere else in the world. It’s thought that Fassett’s exists in these places because it is a remnant from plant life from two large glacial lakes, which existed 10,000 years ago. Help WI DNR protect these unique places by donating, using the links found on the above pages!
2. Know why Fassett’s Locoweed is endangered: development (housing and recreation), trampling and driving on habitat, runoff from herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, invasive species, and erosion and irrigation of nearby land. While visiting these areas, be conscious of your actions, and spread the word to other vacationers and people living here.
3. Government agencies play a large role in defending and educating us about Fassett’s Locoweed. The University of Wisconsin-Extension Lakes Program’s second article in its newsletter http://www.uwsp.edu/uwexlakes/laketides/vol29-2/Text-only.htm tells us how Fassett’s Locoweed got its name: Although Fassett’s Locoweed was first discovered in 1928, it was later found by a famous WI botanist, Norman Fassett. It’s called Locoweed because it contains alkaloid compounds that cause cattle to behave crazily. Its Latin name, Oxytopis campestris, describes its flower petals and where it’s found: oxus means sharp and tropis, means keel; Campestris means "of the fields or open plains."
US Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/plants/fassetts.html, the US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/tep/oxytropis_campestris_chartacea/index.shtml., the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/factsheets/plants/locowd.htm and the USDA http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OXCAC (plant classification details) give more interesting information.
4. This private organization, the Center for Plant Conservation http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/, has some interesting information about Fassett’s Locoweed http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3068 and could use your donations to help them fulfill their mission of plant education and conservation.
5. Be alert when in possible Fassett’s Locoweed habitat. You might discover some new plants! If so, contact the land owners or government agency where the plant is found. Read the story about how some naturalists found a new population of Fassett’s Locoweed in the Chequamegon National Forest at http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/conservation/success/oxytropis_campestris_protect.shtml . Pretend you are there while you enjoy the great photos on this link!
6. The Whitefish Lake Consevation Organization is a grassroots group protecting Fassett’s Locoweed and other sensitive species. Here’s their newsletter: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/whitefish_lake/WL_pdf/WILCO_Online_Newsletter_May_2007.pdf You can do the same here! Support your local environmental organizations, such as your local Sierra Club http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/involve/donate.htm and Audubon Society http://www.madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . The same dangers to Fassett’s Locoweed threaten animals and plants everywhere! Act and help spread the word!
I picked Fassett’s Locoweed for my May Wisconsin endangered species because it begins flowering in May. Happy Mother’s Day! After such a long unspringlike spring, it truly feels like spring has arrived now that flowers are in bloom! Farther north, where this species grows, its blossoms are especially welcome. This is one of the intangible reasons plants are so important to us – they raise our spirits!
I didn’t find much information about Fassett’s Locoweed. We don’t devote much time to Fassett’s Locoweed because it’s of no practical use - it is not agriculturally profitable, not a species we garden with, it’s not used for medicinal purposes… Fassett’s is one of those creatures that just exists, without regard for us.
Here are some facts that stuck with me – as Fassett’s Locoweed ages, its leaves change color – just as our hair greys as we age. And, like some of us who need variety in life to keep us alive and healthy, Fassett’s depends on fluctuations in lake level – its seeds germinate when the soil dries out as summer progresses and the plant can only grow in full sun. These extreme changes make other species unable to live here so they can’t shade out Fassett’s. These similarities between us and Fassett’s remind me that although we are so different, because we are living beings we share certain qualities and rights– including the right to exist and thrive!
Here is some more information about Fassett’s Locoweed and what you can do to keep it from being LOST:
1. Fassett’s Locoweed is only found in 3 counties in Wisconsin (see this map
http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/gla/tesweb/plants/locoweed/loco.htm ): Bayfield http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna473.htm ( and in the Chequamegon National Forest), Portage http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/sna/sna227.htm , and Waushara http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna226.htm - and nowhere else in the world. It’s thought that Fassett’s exists in these places because it is a remnant from plant life from two large glacial lakes, which existed 10,000 years ago. Help WI DNR protect these unique places by donating, using the links found on the above pages!
2. Know why Fassett’s Locoweed is endangered: development (housing and recreation), trampling and driving on habitat, runoff from herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, invasive species, and erosion and irrigation of nearby land. While visiting these areas, be conscious of your actions, and spread the word to other vacationers and people living here.
3. Government agencies play a large role in defending and educating us about Fassett’s Locoweed. The University of Wisconsin-Extension Lakes Program’s second article in its newsletter http://www.uwsp.edu/uwexlakes/laketides/vol29-2/Text-only.htm tells us how Fassett’s Locoweed got its name: Although Fassett’s Locoweed was first discovered in 1928, it was later found by a famous WI botanist, Norman Fassett. It’s called Locoweed because it contains alkaloid compounds that cause cattle to behave crazily. Its Latin name, Oxytopis campestris, describes its flower petals and where it’s found: oxus means sharp and tropis, means keel; Campestris means "of the fields or open plains."
US Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/plants/fassetts.html, the US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/tep/oxytropis_campestris_chartacea/index.shtml., the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/factsheets/plants/locowd.htm and the USDA http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OXCAC (plant classification details) give more interesting information.
4. This private organization, the Center for Plant Conservation http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/, has some interesting information about Fassett’s Locoweed http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3068 and could use your donations to help them fulfill their mission of plant education and conservation.
5. Be alert when in possible Fassett’s Locoweed habitat. You might discover some new plants! If so, contact the land owners or government agency where the plant is found. Read the story about how some naturalists found a new population of Fassett’s Locoweed in the Chequamegon National Forest at http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/conservation/success/oxytropis_campestris_protect.shtml . Pretend you are there while you enjoy the great photos on this link!
6. The Whitefish Lake Consevation Organization is a grassroots group protecting Fassett’s Locoweed and other sensitive species. Here’s their newsletter: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/whitefish_lake/WL_pdf/WILCO_Online_Newsletter_May_2007.pdf You can do the same here! Support your local environmental organizations, such as your local Sierra Club http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/involve/donate.htm and Audubon Society http://www.madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . The same dangers to Fassett’s Locoweed threaten animals and plants everywhere! Act and help spread the word!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
April's Featured WI Endangered Species: The Crystal Darter
My thoughts about the Crystal Darter:
No one knows much about the Crystal Darter (Crystallaria asprella). We don’t even know exactly how many Crystal Darters now exist, although we do know they have gone extinct in six states. In Wisconsin, Crystal Darters live in the lower Black, lower Trempealeau, lower Red Cedar Rivers and the Chippewa, Mississippi, St. Croix and Wisconsin rivers. They used to live in the Mississippi River basin from Wisconsin and Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Florida and on the Gulf slope in the Escambia, Mobile Bay, and Pearl River drainages. They were never common, but at least widely distributed. Now, they are extinct in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Iowa. Because of their scarcity and the many threats to their existence from our degradation and destruction of their habitat, they are globally and nationally vulnerable, and endangered in Wisconsin.
1. What we do know about Crystal Darters is quite interesting:
A. Although they are part of the familiar Perch family, along with walleye, sauger and yellow perch, they are one of two darter species recently put into their own subgenera (they’re now called Crystallaria asprella) because of their “elongated shape, single anal spine, translucent flesh, and
B. their peculiar behavior of burying themselves in the sand”.The Crystal Darter’s unique behavior – burying in the sand, with only its eyes protruding…until prey comes along – is the most interesting to me. They are also mostly nocturnal, making their predatory strategy even more eerie and effective!
If you’d like to learn more, take a look at the Crystal Darter Status Assessment Report from 2003 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, found at http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/Eco_Serv/soc/fish/crda-sa.pdf . Excellent maps and general information about the Crystal Darter can be found here: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=100313&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=100313&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=100313 You can also find some information specifically about the WI Crystal Darter at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/fish/Crydrt.htm .
2. Threats to the Crystal Darter -- These include water pollutants from homes, agriculture, and industry as well as destruction and degradation of habitat through development, impoundment, channelization, dredging, and siltation. All river dwellers are vulnerable to these threats.
3. What is being done to protect the Crystal Darter?
In Colfax, WI residents voted to remove a dam in darter habitat.
The Lower WI State Riverway was formed by the WI legislature, in response to increased, uncontrolled development here. It seeks to preserve the aesthetic beauty of the region, from the Prairie du Sac dam to the Mississippi River, while respecting the rights of landowners, particularly those engaged in agriculture. See http://lwr.state.wi.us/ for more information.
The Lower Chippewa River Basin Partnership Team is a grassroots and government effort, in response to development pressures here. See http://basineducation.uwex.edu/lowerchip/index.htm as well as this report http://www.chippewariver.com/documents/2004MonitoringReport.pdf which tells us that despite this group’s efforts, there is much work left to do to keep these waters safe for people and wildlife.
5. What you can do to help protect the Crystal Darter --. Given the little we know, and how unusual the darter is from what we do know – what a great opportunity for those with a scientific bent to study the Crystal Darter, add something fascinating to our knowledge of the natural world, and hopefully save it from extinction!! If you live near these rivers, support dam removal and oppose development harmful to the Crystal Darter. If you own, work at, or know of farms and industry here, or if you live nearby, spread the word and act to eliminate harmful runoff! Vote accordingly!! Join and become active in local conservation groups!! Help save the Crystal Darter!!
No one knows much about the Crystal Darter (Crystallaria asprella). We don’t even know exactly how many Crystal Darters now exist, although we do know they have gone extinct in six states. In Wisconsin, Crystal Darters live in the lower Black, lower Trempealeau, lower Red Cedar Rivers and the Chippewa, Mississippi, St. Croix and Wisconsin rivers. They used to live in the Mississippi River basin from Wisconsin and Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Florida and on the Gulf slope in the Escambia, Mobile Bay, and Pearl River drainages. They were never common, but at least widely distributed. Now, they are extinct in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Iowa. Because of their scarcity and the many threats to their existence from our degradation and destruction of their habitat, they are globally and nationally vulnerable, and endangered in Wisconsin.
1. What we do know about Crystal Darters is quite interesting:
A. Although they are part of the familiar Perch family, along with walleye, sauger and yellow perch, they are one of two darter species recently put into their own subgenera (they’re now called Crystallaria asprella) because of their “elongated shape, single anal spine, translucent flesh, and
B. their peculiar behavior of burying themselves in the sand”.The Crystal Darter’s unique behavior – burying in the sand, with only its eyes protruding…until prey comes along – is the most interesting to me. They are also mostly nocturnal, making their predatory strategy even more eerie and effective!
If you’d like to learn more, take a look at the Crystal Darter Status Assessment Report from 2003 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, found at http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/Eco_Serv/soc/fish/crda-sa.pdf . Excellent maps and general information about the Crystal Darter can be found here: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=100313&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=100313&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=100313 You can also find some information specifically about the WI Crystal Darter at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/fish/Crydrt.htm .
2. Threats to the Crystal Darter -- These include water pollutants from homes, agriculture, and industry as well as destruction and degradation of habitat through development, impoundment, channelization, dredging, and siltation. All river dwellers are vulnerable to these threats.
3. What is being done to protect the Crystal Darter?
In Colfax, WI residents voted to remove a dam in darter habitat.
The Lower WI State Riverway was formed by the WI legislature, in response to increased, uncontrolled development here. It seeks to preserve the aesthetic beauty of the region, from the Prairie du Sac dam to the Mississippi River, while respecting the rights of landowners, particularly those engaged in agriculture. See http://lwr.state.wi.us/ for more information.
The Lower Chippewa River Basin Partnership Team is a grassroots and government effort, in response to development pressures here. See http://basineducation.uwex.edu/lowerchip/index.htm as well as this report http://www.chippewariver.com/documents/2004MonitoringReport.pdf which tells us that despite this group’s efforts, there is much work left to do to keep these waters safe for people and wildlife.
5. What you can do to help protect the Crystal Darter --. Given the little we know, and how unusual the darter is from what we do know – what a great opportunity for those with a scientific bent to study the Crystal Darter, add something fascinating to our knowledge of the natural world, and hopefully save it from extinction!! If you live near these rivers, support dam removal and oppose development harmful to the Crystal Darter. If you own, work at, or know of farms and industry here, or if you live nearby, spread the word and act to eliminate harmful runoff! Vote accordingly!! Join and become active in local conservation groups!! Help save the Crystal Darter!!
Friday, March 6, 2009
March's Featured WI Endangered Species: The Winged Mapleleaf Mussel
My thoughts about the Winged Mapleleaf Mussel (Quadrula fragosa) –
From knowing nearly nothing about molluscs, I’ve become a big fan! I’ve learned so many interesting facts through my research and all the time I’ve spent observing and trying to do them justice in my paintings, capturing the subtleties of their patterns and shapes. Here are some facts – sobering, interesting amusing…
Did you know that the Midwest once had the greatest diversity of mussels in the world? Now, 43% of these are endangered, making this group of animals the most in danger of becoming extinct in North America. The Winged Mapleleaf Mussel is only one of many of these nearly lost creatures.
On the lighter side, the names of the different mussels can be quite amusing - monkeyface, sheepnose, elephant ear, wartyback, snuffbox, spectacle case, pistolgrip – like characters in a Mollusc Charles Dickens novel. Their names are so descriptive I can’t help but think that mollusc specialists must be amusing too.
Did you know that Winged Mapleleaf mussels have complicated lifecycles? Sperm in the water is taken in through the female’s gills. The larvae, called glochidia, then have to attach to specific host fish – blue and channel catfish - to further develop. When they do, they drop off to mature at the river bottom.
I also didn’t know that Winged Mapleleaf mussels are relatively long-lived – take this college-aged 22 year old found in the St. Croix River!
Although these mussels live in a river, mussels always make me think of shells, and shells the ocean, where all life on Earth began. Let’s work together to ensure that Winged Mapleleaf mussels have a lot more life ahead of them!!
Here’s where you can go, to become as fascinated and charmed by mussels as I am, and find out ways to help save them:
1. To learn some basic facts about the Winged Mapleleaf, go here:
www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/musselmanual/page28_9.html dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/mussels/wingedmaple.htm
www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/clams/winge_fc.html - I like their slogan: learn, join, protect
www.fws.gov/Midwest/fisheries/topic-wingedmapleleaf.htm
2 To get excellent overviews, explore here:
Many of these sites are from the US Fish and Wildlife Service:
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/genoa/mussel_recovery.html - My favorite!! Gives an interesting history of how mussels were and are used (cancer research!), as well as lifecycle and conservation efforts, and their important place in the food web
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/threatened.html - Facts on diversity & extinction
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/clams/index.html - Amusing mussel names & conservation info
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/ - Great general guide
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/threatened.html - Funny mussel names
http://news.fws.gov/mussels.html - Mussels as a cultural legacy, as well as biological and conservation info
One from the National Park Service:
http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/mussels.htm - Great overview
One from your WI DNR:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/mussels/ - Funny mussel names
3. To find out more about what’s being done to help save the Winged Mapleleaf, investigate here:
http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/index.php?id=83&mode=view&page=content - Grass roots organization dedicated to stopping habitat loss and degradation, from dam impoundments which alter the river’s natural flow, dredging and polluted runoff, and ridding the river of the invasive zebra mussel – Donate to this worthy organization!
http://www.macalester.edu/~hornbach/winged.mapleleaf/index.html - A college doing research to help learn about & protect these mussels
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/LaCrosseFisheries/mapleleaf.html - Photos and conservation info; a behind the scenes look on the captive breeding of the winged maple leaf
http://www.peoplelandandwater.gov/fws/03-29-07_fws_hatchery-biologist-chosen.cfm - A story of the hard work and collaboration among biologists from the Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, state conservation agencies of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, and academic interests to help captive breed the winged maple leaf mussel. The story begins with the USGS’s discovery of the host-fish species of the winged maple leaf mussel, ending with the first-ever captive propagation of the winged mapleleaf. In 2007, they infested 600 channel catfish with an amazing 120,000 glochidia!
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/genoa/monthly activities.html - See 2nd story, about the La Crosse National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office educating young people about the dangers of pharmaceuticals in our waters – they cause male fish to produce eggs and prematurely eject the mussel larvae.
4. If you truly become enamored of mussels, you can join others like you in these professional societies:
American Malacological Society http://erato.acnatsci.org/ams/
Conchologists of America http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/home/
Freshwater Mollusc Conservation Society http://ellipse.inhs.uiuc.edu/FMCS/
5. I’ll end with some practical suggestions:
If you live near or boat on the St. Croix River, oppose development and dam management that would effect this river! Join your local conservation groups and donate to your local DNR. Vote for politicians who are conservation-conscious! When boating, ensure that you’re not further spreading the zebra mussel (http://www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/upload/zebra%20mussels.pdf ). Find out where to drop off your toxins such as medicine, paint, and car oil. Do not use pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers on your lawn and garden.
Even if you don’t live near the St. Croix River, remember that what you do effects the wildlife living near you! Act accordingly! Properly dispose of the everyday wildlife toxins you use, such as medicines (in Dane County http://www.meddropdane.org/ ), paint and car oil (http://www.danecountycleansweep.com/ ) Support your WI DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/taxes.htm) and local conservation groups (http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ , http://www.madisonaudubon.org/audubon/ ) that are fighting to keep your wild neighbors safe! Help spread the word!!
From knowing nearly nothing about molluscs, I’ve become a big fan! I’ve learned so many interesting facts through my research and all the time I’ve spent observing and trying to do them justice in my paintings, capturing the subtleties of their patterns and shapes. Here are some facts – sobering, interesting amusing…
Did you know that the Midwest once had the greatest diversity of mussels in the world? Now, 43% of these are endangered, making this group of animals the most in danger of becoming extinct in North America. The Winged Mapleleaf Mussel is only one of many of these nearly lost creatures.
On the lighter side, the names of the different mussels can be quite amusing - monkeyface, sheepnose, elephant ear, wartyback, snuffbox, spectacle case, pistolgrip – like characters in a Mollusc Charles Dickens novel. Their names are so descriptive I can’t help but think that mollusc specialists must be amusing too.
Did you know that Winged Mapleleaf mussels have complicated lifecycles? Sperm in the water is taken in through the female’s gills. The larvae, called glochidia, then have to attach to specific host fish – blue and channel catfish - to further develop. When they do, they drop off to mature at the river bottom.
I also didn’t know that Winged Mapleleaf mussels are relatively long-lived – take this college-aged 22 year old found in the St. Croix River!
Although these mussels live in a river, mussels always make me think of shells, and shells the ocean, where all life on Earth began. Let’s work together to ensure that Winged Mapleleaf mussels have a lot more life ahead of them!!
Here’s where you can go, to become as fascinated and charmed by mussels as I am, and find out ways to help save them:
1. To learn some basic facts about the Winged Mapleleaf, go here:
www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/musselmanual/page28_9.html dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/mussels/wingedmaple.htm
www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/clams/winge_fc.html - I like their slogan: learn, join, protect
www.fws.gov/Midwest/fisheries/topic-wingedmapleleaf.htm
2 To get excellent overviews, explore here:
Many of these sites are from the US Fish and Wildlife Service:
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/genoa/mussel_recovery.html - My favorite!! Gives an interesting history of how mussels were and are used (cancer research!), as well as lifecycle and conservation efforts, and their important place in the food web
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/threatened.html - Facts on diversity & extinction
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/clams/index.html - Amusing mussel names & conservation info
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/ - Great general guide
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/mussel/threatened.html - Funny mussel names
http://news.fws.gov/mussels.html - Mussels as a cultural legacy, as well as biological and conservation info
One from the National Park Service:
http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/mussels.htm - Great overview
One from your WI DNR:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/mussels/ - Funny mussel names
3. To find out more about what’s being done to help save the Winged Mapleleaf, investigate here:
http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/index.php?id=83&mode=view&page=content - Grass roots organization dedicated to stopping habitat loss and degradation, from dam impoundments which alter the river’s natural flow, dredging and polluted runoff, and ridding the river of the invasive zebra mussel – Donate to this worthy organization!
http://www.macalester.edu/~hornbach/winged.mapleleaf/index.html - A college doing research to help learn about & protect these mussels
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/LaCrosseFisheries/mapleleaf.html - Photos and conservation info; a behind the scenes look on the captive breeding of the winged maple leaf
http://www.peoplelandandwater.gov/fws/03-29-07_fws_hatchery-biologist-chosen.cfm - A story of the hard work and collaboration among biologists from the Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, state conservation agencies of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, and academic interests to help captive breed the winged maple leaf mussel. The story begins with the USGS’s discovery of the host-fish species of the winged maple leaf mussel, ending with the first-ever captive propagation of the winged mapleleaf. In 2007, they infested 600 channel catfish with an amazing 120,000 glochidia!
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/genoa/monthly activities.html - See 2nd story, about the La Crosse National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office educating young people about the dangers of pharmaceuticals in our waters – they cause male fish to produce eggs and prematurely eject the mussel larvae.
4. If you truly become enamored of mussels, you can join others like you in these professional societies:
American Malacological Society http://erato.acnatsci.org/ams/
Conchologists of America http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/home/
Freshwater Mollusc Conservation Society http://ellipse.inhs.uiuc.edu/FMCS/
5. I’ll end with some practical suggestions:
If you live near or boat on the St. Croix River, oppose development and dam management that would effect this river! Join your local conservation groups and donate to your local DNR. Vote for politicians who are conservation-conscious! When boating, ensure that you’re not further spreading the zebra mussel (http://www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/upload/zebra%20mussels.pdf ). Find out where to drop off your toxins such as medicine, paint, and car oil. Do not use pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers on your lawn and garden.
Even if you don’t live near the St. Croix River, remember that what you do effects the wildlife living near you! Act accordingly! Properly dispose of the everyday wildlife toxins you use, such as medicines (in Dane County http://www.meddropdane.org/ ), paint and car oil (http://www.danecountycleansweep.com/ ) Support your WI DNR (http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/taxes.htm) and local conservation groups (http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ , http://www.madisonaudubon.org/audubon/ ) that are fighting to keep your wild neighbors safe! Help spread the word!!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
February's Featured WI Endangered Species: The Piping Plover
My thoughts about the Piping Plover:
Okay – I think these birds are cute! Many of you looking at my poster had this reaction too. Unlike the American Burying Beetle, saving Piping Plovers won’t be a hard sell. They, like the Beetle, are beautiful, unique in their behavior, form and function, and like all other living creatures deserve to exist. We have a responsibility to help them, as we are the cause of their being endangered! Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Learn more about Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) and why they are endangered.
2. Act to help the Piping Plovers that still exist stay alive, and raise a new generation of plovers!
Here is some information, and ways you can learn about and act to save the Piping Plover:
1. IMPORTANT UPDATE! Nesting Piping Plovers are now found in Wisconsin! They are in the Apostle Islands area on or near National Park Service lands, on Long Island and Chequamegon Point, places you might decide to go for a vacation. Together, these groups and individuals monitor and protect Piping Plover nests there:
a. National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/apis/naturescience/birds.htm ), specifically the Apostle National Lakeshore (http://www.nps.gov/apis/ )
b. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/pipingplover/index.html ), which includes the (Ashland National Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/ )
c. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/birds/plover.htm )
d. University of Minnesota’s Great Lakes Waterbird Research Program (http://www.waterbirds.umn.edu/Piping_Plovers/piping9.htm )
e. Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe
f. The Nature Conservancy
g. Private landowners
h. Some kids from Cedarburg, WI!
2. To find out more about this exciting partnership, go to WI DNR’s magazine: http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2008/jun08/plovers.htm .The Ashland National Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office elaborates at http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/ashland/AccomRpt_FY07index.html , in an article called “Piping Plovers Once Again Utilizing the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore”. And for the very latest, check out the Fish & Wildlife Journal at http://www.fws.gov/arsnew/regmap.cfm?arskey=24686&callingKey=region&callingValue=3 .
3. You can help! While it’s true that Piping Plovers’ nests are enclosed to protect them from people and wildlife, the plovers can move freely entering and exiting the enclosures. Your actions can determine if they survive. While vacationing in Piping Plover habitat, keep your dogs on-leash, don’t bring food to the beach and dispose of garbage carefully to avoid attracting raccoons and foxes, and don’t use all-terrain vehicles. Be vigilant to avoid stepping on vulnerable plover chicks!
4. Be observant! If you see a new Piping Plover nest, or tagged or untagged plovers outside of their enclosures, contact these agencies so you can help them monitor and protect these plovers: the National Park Service Ecologist ((715) 779-3398, Ext. 211 (if seen on the Apostle Islands); WI DNR's Bureau of Endangered Resources, (608) 266-1571, and the University of Minnesota's Plover Team at plover@umn.edu or phone (612)-624-1202.
5. See if there are opportunities to be Piping Plover patrollers! Contact the National Park at http://www.nps.gov/apis/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm , and the US Fish & Wildlife Service at http://volunteer.gov/gov . Here is a similar opportunity in Michigan: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/pipingplover/volunteers.html (Some of these Michigan Plovers migrate to Wisconsin to live and breed!)
6. Find some very good general information about Piping Plovers at these great sites: Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Piping_Plover_dtl.html#fig1 , the Encyclopedia of Life’s http://eol.org/pages/1049343 , WI Bird Education Initiative’s http://www.wisconsinbirds.org/plan/species/pipl.htm , and the Center for Biological Diversity’s http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/piping_plover/
7. Donate money to help Endangered Species through the WI DNR at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/taxes.htm . Find out how you can donate to the National Park Service’s partners at http://www.nps.gov/apis/supportyourpark/joinourfriends.htm .
8. Donate to and get involved with our local environmental organizations that fight to preserve natural spaces, such Madison Audubon Society, Madison Sierra Club, and the Madison Nature Conservancy. There are many bird enthusiasts at Audubon who would love to answer your questions and help you get involved!
9. Support politicians who oppose development in sensitive plover habitat. We can find other places to live and vacation. These endangered birds have very specific habitat requirements, and can not live in most places!
10. Live your life in a way that is respectful of other living creatures! When vacationing, be mindful that for Piping Plovers this land is necessary for their survival. Make your enjoyment of the beach encompass an enjoyment of them! I especially enjoy the way Piping Plovers sound and move, something I can’t capture in my painting. Listen to Wild Birds Unlimited’s recording of their “plaintive bell-like whistles” http://whatbird.wbu.com/obj/1001/_/Piping_Plover.aspx and this video http://www.videodouble.com/video/piping-plover-chicks-21416348/ to hear and see for yourself!
11. Let’s all work together, like the private and government agencies, as well as the private citizens of Ashland, Cedarburg, and the Bad Indian Reservation. Tell relatives, friends, and acquaintances about these unique creatures. Help change the world!!
Okay – I think these birds are cute! Many of you looking at my poster had this reaction too. Unlike the American Burying Beetle, saving Piping Plovers won’t be a hard sell. They, like the Beetle, are beautiful, unique in their behavior, form and function, and like all other living creatures deserve to exist. We have a responsibility to help them, as we are the cause of their being endangered! Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Learn more about Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) and why they are endangered.
2. Act to help the Piping Plovers that still exist stay alive, and raise a new generation of plovers!
Here is some information, and ways you can learn about and act to save the Piping Plover:
1. IMPORTANT UPDATE! Nesting Piping Plovers are now found in Wisconsin! They are in the Apostle Islands area on or near National Park Service lands, on Long Island and Chequamegon Point, places you might decide to go for a vacation. Together, these groups and individuals monitor and protect Piping Plover nests there:
a. National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/apis/naturescience/birds.htm ), specifically the Apostle National Lakeshore (http://www.nps.gov/apis/ )
b. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/pipingplover/index.html ), which includes the (Ashland National Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland/ )
c. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/birds/plover.htm )
d. University of Minnesota’s Great Lakes Waterbird Research Program (http://www.waterbirds.umn.edu/Piping_Plovers/piping9.htm )
e. Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe
f. The Nature Conservancy
g. Private landowners
h. Some kids from Cedarburg, WI!
2. To find out more about this exciting partnership, go to WI DNR’s magazine: http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2008/jun08/plovers.htm .The Ashland National Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office elaborates at http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/ashland/AccomRpt_FY07index.html , in an article called “Piping Plovers Once Again Utilizing the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore”. And for the very latest, check out the Fish & Wildlife Journal at http://www.fws.gov/arsnew/regmap.cfm?arskey=24686&callingKey=region&callingValue=3 .
3. You can help! While it’s true that Piping Plovers’ nests are enclosed to protect them from people and wildlife, the plovers can move freely entering and exiting the enclosures. Your actions can determine if they survive. While vacationing in Piping Plover habitat, keep your dogs on-leash, don’t bring food to the beach and dispose of garbage carefully to avoid attracting raccoons and foxes, and don’t use all-terrain vehicles. Be vigilant to avoid stepping on vulnerable plover chicks!
4. Be observant! If you see a new Piping Plover nest, or tagged or untagged plovers outside of their enclosures, contact these agencies so you can help them monitor and protect these plovers: the National Park Service Ecologist ((715) 779-3398, Ext. 211 (if seen on the Apostle Islands); WI DNR's Bureau of Endangered Resources, (608) 266-1571, and the University of Minnesota's Plover Team at plover@umn.edu or phone (612)-624-1202.
5. See if there are opportunities to be Piping Plover patrollers! Contact the National Park at http://www.nps.gov/apis/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm , and the US Fish & Wildlife Service at http://volunteer.gov/gov . Here is a similar opportunity in Michigan: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/pipingplover/volunteers.html (Some of these Michigan Plovers migrate to Wisconsin to live and breed!)
6. Find some very good general information about Piping Plovers at these great sites: Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Piping_Plover_dtl.html#fig1 , the Encyclopedia of Life’s http://eol.org/pages/1049343 , WI Bird Education Initiative’s http://www.wisconsinbirds.org/plan/species/pipl.htm , and the Center for Biological Diversity’s http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/piping_plover/
7. Donate money to help Endangered Species through the WI DNR at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/taxes.htm . Find out how you can donate to the National Park Service’s partners at http://www.nps.gov/apis/supportyourpark/joinourfriends.htm .
8. Donate to and get involved with our local environmental organizations that fight to preserve natural spaces, such Madison Audubon Society, Madison Sierra Club, and the Madison Nature Conservancy. There are many bird enthusiasts at Audubon who would love to answer your questions and help you get involved!
9. Support politicians who oppose development in sensitive plover habitat. We can find other places to live and vacation. These endangered birds have very specific habitat requirements, and can not live in most places!
10. Live your life in a way that is respectful of other living creatures! When vacationing, be mindful that for Piping Plovers this land is necessary for their survival. Make your enjoyment of the beach encompass an enjoyment of them! I especially enjoy the way Piping Plovers sound and move, something I can’t capture in my painting. Listen to Wild Birds Unlimited’s recording of their “plaintive bell-like whistles” http://whatbird.wbu.com/obj/1001/_/Piping_Plover.aspx and this video http://www.videodouble.com/video/piping-plover-chicks-21416348/ to hear and see for yourself!
11. Let’s all work together, like the private and government agencies, as well as the private citizens of Ashland, Cedarburg, and the Bad Indian Reservation. Tell relatives, friends, and acquaintances about these unique creatures. Help change the world!!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
January's Featured WI Endangered Species: The American Burying Beetle
My thoughts about the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus):
They’re beautiful, they’re unique in their behavior, form and function, they like all other living creatures deserve to exist, and we all have a responsibility to help them, as we are the cause of their being endangered! Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Learn more about the American Burying Beetle. Bugs are not icky! And they’re not monstrous! Some people asked me if my painting is life-sized. (No, the beetle is about 1.5 inches long). Others were glad these beetles are no longer found in Wisconsin.
2. Act to help breed more of these beetles, place them back in the wild, and preserve their habitat.
Here are some ways you can learn and act to save the American Burying Beetle:
1. IMPORTANT UPDATE! An entomologist told me that he believes there are still American Burying Beetles in Wisconsin! They most likely are found in more remote places, where scientists haven't yet surveyed. So, keep your eyes peeled! And, contact the UW-Madison's Entomology department (see info below), to let them know if you've found one.
2. Help change attitudes towards insects! You can find out more from the Insect Ambassadors Program, at www.entomology.wisc.edu/insectam/index.html . Or you can go to www.entomology.wisc.edu for more general information, and to find links to national entomology societies.
3. Explore and support the St. Louis Zoo and the further a field Roger Williams Park Zoo. Both zoos are rearing the beetles, with the goal of reintroducing them to their original habitats. See www.stlzoo.org/wildcareinstitute/centerforamericanburyingbe and http://www.rwpzoo.org/conservation/beetlerecovery.cfm .
4. Donate to and get involved with private environmental organizations that fight to preserve natural spaces, such as your local Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, and the Nature Conservancy. Shahla Werner, the Madison Sierra Club head, is an entomologist, and is especially knowledgeable and passionate about insects.
5. Find more about the beetle through your state government, the WI DNR.
Go to http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/beetles/amerburying.htm
On your state tax form, check the Endangered Resources Donation box, and your contribution will be matched by state funds. See http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/taxes.htm for more information.
6. Find out more from your federal government! See the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s website for more information on this beetle: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/insects/abb_fact.html .
7. While we’re talking about the government…support politicians who oppose sprawl. Let your votes do the talking!
8. Live your life in a way that is respectful of other living creatures! For example, don’t build your house in the country. Oppose developers who build homes in the country. Support your local organic farmers.
9. Spread the word to relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Help change the world!!
They’re beautiful, they’re unique in their behavior, form and function, they like all other living creatures deserve to exist, and we all have a responsibility to help them, as we are the cause of their being endangered! Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Learn more about the American Burying Beetle. Bugs are not icky! And they’re not monstrous! Some people asked me if my painting is life-sized. (No, the beetle is about 1.5 inches long). Others were glad these beetles are no longer found in Wisconsin.
2. Act to help breed more of these beetles, place them back in the wild, and preserve their habitat.
Here are some ways you can learn and act to save the American Burying Beetle:
1. IMPORTANT UPDATE! An entomologist told me that he believes there are still American Burying Beetles in Wisconsin! They most likely are found in more remote places, where scientists haven't yet surveyed. So, keep your eyes peeled! And, contact the UW-Madison's Entomology department (see info below), to let them know if you've found one.
2. Help change attitudes towards insects! You can find out more from the Insect Ambassadors Program, at www.entomology.wisc.edu/insectam/index.html . Or you can go to www.entomology.wisc.edu for more general information, and to find links to national entomology societies.
3. Explore and support the St. Louis Zoo and the further a field Roger Williams Park Zoo. Both zoos are rearing the beetles, with the goal of reintroducing them to their original habitats. See www.stlzoo.org/wildcareinstitute/centerforamericanburyingbe and http://www.rwpzoo.org/conservation/beetlerecovery.cfm .
4. Donate to and get involved with private environmental organizations that fight to preserve natural spaces, such as your local Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, and the Nature Conservancy. Shahla Werner, the Madison Sierra Club head, is an entomologist, and is especially knowledgeable and passionate about insects.
5. Find more about the beetle through your state government, the WI DNR.
Go to http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/beetles/amerburying.htm
On your state tax form, check the Endangered Resources Donation box, and your contribution will be matched by state funds. See http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/taxes.htm for more information.
6. Find out more from your federal government! See the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s website for more information on this beetle: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/insects/abb_fact.html .
7. While we’re talking about the government…support politicians who oppose sprawl. Let your votes do the talking!
8. Live your life in a way that is respectful of other living creatures! For example, don’t build your house in the country. Oppose developers who build homes in the country. Support your local organic farmers.
9. Spread the word to relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Help change the world!!
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