Shark Fin Dealer Sentenced for Federal Violations
August 19, 2009 by USFWS
A Florida man and his company were fined $10,000 and placed on probation for five years for illegally trafficking in shark fins from federally or state protected species. Service special agents teamed with investigators from NOAA Fisheries and the Food and Drug Administration to expose the dealer’s crimes, which included trying to export unlawfully purchased fins and drying fins in unsanitary conditions.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain-Prairie Region Spring 2009 Dakotas Flood Response Recognition Ceremonies
August 18, 2009 by USFWS
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leadership recently recognized employees in the Mountain-Prairie Region (Region 6) and Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region (Region 3), who responded to the severe flooding in the Dakotas earlier this year.
Secretary Salazar Announces Approval of Wetlands Mapping Standard
August 18, 2009 by USFWS
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the adoption of a Wetlands Mapping Standard that provides minimum requirements and guidelines for wetlands mapping efforts. The new standard is designed to guide current and future wetlands digital mapping projects and enhance the overall quality and consistency of wetlands data. Quality data on wetlands are considered critical for planning effective conservation strategies to benefit fish and wildlife resources now and in the future.
Wetlands Mapping Standard Guidelines
City of Philadelphia Receives Grant for Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds
August 17, 2009 by USFWS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced $70,000 in grant funding as part of the Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds to the City of Philadelphia. The Treaty, a partnership between the Service, the City of Philadelphia, and Fairmount Park is a commitment to restore, conserve and protect valuable bird habitat within Philadelphia’s urban environment and to develop an informed public through education and training programs.
Learn More About Urban Treaties
Service Investigation Secures Guilty Plea from Major Oil Company
August 14, 2009 by USFWS
Exxon Mobil Corporation, whose oil and gas drilling and production facilities in 5 States were linked to the deaths of Federally protected birds, has pleaded guily to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The company must pay $600,000 in fines and community service payments and implement an environmental compliance plan to prevent bird deaths at its facilities in Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. The company has already spent $2.5 million to protect birds at these sites.
Endangered Piping Plover Chicks Make History
August 12, 2009 by USFWS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources confirmed that a pair of piping plovers constructed a nest and tended their eggs this summer on a remote stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline in northern Illinois. This is the first piping plover nest found in Illinois since 1979.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Proposal to List Seven Foreign Bird Species as Endangered under Endangered Species Act
August 12, 2009 by USFWS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to protect seven Brazilian bird species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If made final, the measure would extend ESA protection to these species.
Tracking the Elusive Eastern Fox Snake
August 11, 2009 by USFWS
Kile R. Kucher, a graduate student at Central Michigan University, is deep into his second year of field work and marsh water looking for Eastern fox snakes at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. The species is listed by the state as threatened due to wetlands loss, illegal collecting and indiscriminate killing by people who think fox snakes are venomous. By tracking the snake, the refuge hopes to better protect and integrate the snake into its habitat management program.
Celebrate Fall at a National Wildlife Refuge Near You
August 11, 2009 by USFWS
Whether it’s watching butterflies, taking a guided birding tour or learning about cultural resources, this year celebrate fall with the diversity of the National Wildlife Refuge System. And it’s a great opportunity to find a family event in your community, such as during National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 12-18. There is a refuge within an hour’s drive of most major cities.
Delta Waterfowl New Partner of National Hunting and Fishing Day
August 11, 2009 by Delta Waterfowl
Delta Waterfowl is proud to announce it is a new partner of National Hunting and Fishing Day, slated for September 26. The annual commemoration will hold several events across the country to promote awareness about hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation, as well as celebrate America’s rich, time-honored outdoors heritage. Delta Waterfowl’s regional directors are busy spreading the word to chapters and volunteers at the grassroots level about the day’s many events.
Delta Waterfowl New Partner of National Hunting and Fishing Day
August 11, 2009 by Delta Waterfowl
Delta Waterfowl is proud to announce it is a new partner of National Hunting and Fishing Day, slated for September 26. The annual commemoration will hold several events across the country to promote awareness about hunting, fishing and wildlife conserv…
Don’t Feed Wild Dolphins
August 10, 2009 by USFWS
Feeding wild animals — including the loveable dolphin — can have deadly consequences for them. Wild creatures learn to beg for food and, in the process, lose their natural fear of people. And so dolphins swim too close to churning boat propellers and get severely injured. Or they get entangled in fishing hooks and lines and die. They get sick from eating bait and people food like beer, pretzels, candy and hot dogs. And finally, feeding wild dolphins disrupts their social groups and ultimately threatens their ability to survive in the wild. Hear it straight from a dolphin.
