Friday, March 3, 2006

Wolf Control in Wisconsin Here's a release from Wisconsin DNR about public opportunity to comment on a proposal for control depradating wolves. Check it out and comment by April 3, if you have an opinion on it. Later... DATE:                     March 3, 2006 CONTACT:   Adrian Wydeven (715) 762-1363 SUBJECT: Public invited to comment on Environmental Assessment of alternatives for wolf control permit   MADISON --  The public has until April 3, 2006 to comment on an Environmental Assessment (EA) of proposed alternatives for controlling wolves determined to be killing or injuring domestic animals in Wisconsin.             The draft EA was developed by US Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services in cooperation with the Department of Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It can be reviewed by contacting USDA - Wildlife Services, 732 Lois Dr, Sun Prairie (608) 837-2727, fax (608) 837-6754 and at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf  Written comments will be accepted through April 3, 2006, and should be submitted to the address or fax number above; or by electronic mail to PermitsR3ES@fws.gov    The gray wolf is currently listed as an endangered species by the federal government and as a protected wild animal by the state of Wisconsin. As an endangered species, states can only take control measures against wolves determined to be killing or injuring domestic animals under authority of a permit issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service which is responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA).             The draft EA examines a range of alternatives for addressing the problem of wolf damage in Wisconsin. The preferred alternative would allow for removal of depredating wolves as part of a management program that includes both lethal and non-lethal control measures.             [base "]While public comment is taken into consideration, it[base ']s the US Fish and Wildlife Service that has the authority to set any limits contained in the permit,[per thou] said Rebecca Schroeder, chief of DNR[base ']s Ecosystem and Diversity Conservation section. [base "]We[base ']ve requested the same level of control we[base ']ve had the past few years including capture and collaring for population monitoring and authority to remove individual animals from the population if necessary to address depredation problems and limit damage payment costs.             [base "]Issuance of a permit would greatly help our job of balancing native wild animal populations with social tolerance for top-level predators like the gray wolf.[per thou]             Other alternatives examined in the draft EA include: using only non-lethal control methods; technical assistance from federal agencies; and no federal involvement in wolf damage management in Wisconsin.            The gray wolf, a native Wisconsin animal, was considered absent from Wisconsin in the 60s due to bounty hunting beginning in 1865 to 1957. Without help, the population began to naturally recover during the 70s as wolves migrated into Wisconsin from Minnesota.             Wisconsin began systematic gray wolf population surveys over the winter of 1979-80. Current estimates of the wolf population in Wisconsin from data collected during the winter of 2004-05 place the population at between 425 to 455 wolves in 108 packs with 414 - 442 wolves outside of Indian reservations.             Mindful of the growing population, The Natural Resources Board adopted a Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan in 1999. The plan is available on line at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/publications/wolfplan/toc.htm             It is anticipated that a final EA with a selected action for wolf management will be available in mid-April.             For more information on gray wolves in Wisconsin visit the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at dnr.wi.gov or  the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at www.fws.gov/midwest , or the USDA- Wildlife Services program at www.aphis.usda.gov/ws.livestock   -30- 9:35:16 PM    comment []

Leopold Weekend Events/Leopold's son dies Hey, gang! This one got away from me this year. Wisconsin's annual Aldo Leopold Weekend (always the first weekend in March) slipped my mind until Rick Stel, Development Coordinator at the Aldeo Leopold Foundation, reminded me that there is a whole slew of events in Wisconsin and elsewhere celebrating the life and work of Wisconsin's great conservation pioneer, Aldo Leopold. Click here to go the the site that lists all the events. Last year, as you may recall, I participated in Lodi Reads Leopold, the event that started the Leopold Weekend idea several years ago. I had fun reading several passages from A Sand County Almanac, and enjoyed the readings done by other guests. If you're still looking for something fun to do this weekend, check out those events and consider going to one. You'll no doubt learn something about Leopold and his work and you'll likely meet some interesting people who also consider Leopold worthy of a weekend in March. On a sad note, Aldo Leopold's oldest surviving son, Luna, passed away last week at the age of 90. He was actively writing and working with the Aldo Leopold Foundation to the end of his life and leaves an unprecedented legacy of research and writing that spans nearly 70 years. For a look at some of his work, click here to go the the Virtual Luna Leopold Project. I plan to write a piece on Luna's life and work for the March 24 issue of Wisconsin Outdoor News. I'll let you know if that happens.  Meanwhile, here's an obit from the Leopold Foundation:   Dr. Luna Leopold passes away   Distinguished Hydrologist, Dr. Luna Leopold, age 90, passed away peacefully at home in Berkeley, California on Thursday night, February 23. Dr. Leopold had a 23-year career in the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, from 1950-1972, ending as Chief Hydrologist. He was a hydrologist and scientist who is credited with revolutionizing the understanding of streams and their landscapes. He started his career with a bachelor[base ']s degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, continued with a master[base ']s degree in physics and meteorology from the University of California at Los Angeles, and concluded with a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University. Leopold was the son of Aldo Leopold, one of the early leaders of the movement to preserve the American wilderness. Luna Leopold combined his father[base ']s land ethic with a deep understanding of rivers and their relationship to people. He was both a scientist and a conservationist, and served on the Sierra Club[base ']s Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute. After retiring from the U.S. Geological Survey in 1972, Leopold became a professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. He later became professor emeritus at UC-Berkeley. He published a number of books and some 200 scientific articles. His books include: The Flood Control Controversy (1954); Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology (1964); Water - A Primer (1973); Water in Environmental Planning (1978); A View of the River (1994); and Water, Rivers and Creeks (1997). Leopold was the recipient of many awards. These honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, U.S. Department of the Interior; Warren Prize, National Academy of Sciences; Robert E. Horton Medal, American Geophysical Union; and the Penrose Medal, Geological Society of America. He was a Fellow in the Geological Society of America, American Geophysical Union, California Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Philosophical Society, and several other professional scientific societies, and was a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1991, he received the National Medal of Science. In 2000, he was awarded the most prestigious award given out by The American Geological Institute, the Ian Campbell Medal, during the Geological Society of America Presidential Awards Ceremony. A number of universities have awarded him an honorary degree. Leopold had strong ties to Pinedale and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. He had over 40 years professional experience documenting water quality issues specifically related to Fremont Lake. He owned a home on the New Fork River and a summer home on Fremont Lake. He, and his wife Barbara, offered a scholarship at Teton Science Schools in Jackson, "The Barbara & Luna Leopold Award for Achievement in Field Science and Community Commitment." According to Pinedale BLM Archaeologist, Dave Vlcek, Leopold took an active interest in the archaeology of the Upper Green River Basin. In 2005, Luna Leopold and Claudio Vita-Finzi, published and article entitled, "Archaeological Trash: Geomorphology and early human occupation in Wyoming" in "Catena", an Interdisciplinary Journal of Soil Science - Hydrology - Geomorphology that focuses on Geoecology and Landscape Evolution. The article posited that artifacts made from lithic source material, predominantly consisting of river-polished quartzite cobbles located on ancient landforms such as the Pleistocene terraces of the Green River, might be much older than most archaeologists allow. Our hearts are with the family. Luna participated in our board meeting via conference call a month ago, and we heard Luna loud and clear, articulating his vision for a Leopold Conference, which we adopted as a keystone of our effort to foster the land ethic. You should know that Luna was in almost daily contact with us by email and phone since then, actively developing plans and refining lists of invitees for the inaugural conference, which we have set for September 22-24. This past Wednesday evening, he participated for more than an hour in a teleconference with the planning committee to work out the general structure and composition of the event, and we all marveled yet again at his acuity and dedication. We shall miss him greatly, but we will carry forward his vision.   This news is appropriate to share, if you wish, with your Leopold Weekend audiences. For your own information, I've included an excerpt from Curt Meine's essay "Moving Mountains" (published in Aldo Leopold and the Ecological Conscience, Knight/Riedel 2002). It details Luna's significant involvement in the final editing and publication of A Sand County Almanac after his father's sudden passing in April of 1948.   "After the profound shock of Leopold's death had eased, Luna Leopold assumed responsibility for seeing the manuscript through to publication. Working with Joe Hickey, Frances and Frederick Hamerstrom, and other close colleagues and students of Leopold, Luna negotiated the final terms of publication with Oxford University Press. This team collaborated in making final editorial decisions. Several essays were added, shifted, or renamed, but most of the alterations to Leopold's manuscript were minor. The team felt that it was better to leave Leopold's work intact than to risk making inappropriate changes.   Luna Leopold did agree, reluctantly, to one significant change. Oxford considered Leopold's title 'Great Possessions,' too obscure and too Dickensian. Consultations among Oxford's editors, Luna, and the editorial panel yielded several alternate titles, none of which seemed to capture the book's characteristic tone of concern tempered by gentle irony and understated wonder. In the end, they chose for the title the heading of the manuscript's first section, 'A Sand County Almanac.' Oxford published the book in the fall of 1949 under the full title A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There." Later... 9:30:05 PM    comment []