Wildlife Manual

What is the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is responsible for?

the conservation - including restoration, protection and management - of fish and wildlife resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the public: research, land protection, monitoring, public recreation and education, and regulation of possession or use of wildlife.

Conservation

a management practice involving the wise use of natural resources to provide maximum benefit over a sustained period of time

Management

the application of scientific knowledge and technical skills to protect, preserve, conserve, limit, enhance, or extend the value of wildlife and its habitat

Wildlife

Any wild living organism, including non-domesticated plants.
Lives in a free condition, providing for its own food, shelter, and other needs in environments that provide suitable habitat

Adaptation

A trait that allows an animal to live successfully in its environment
-Physical/anatomical (physical features), behavioral (learned or inherited), physiological (performing special functions)

Biodiversity

The diversity of life and its many processes
-genetic variability of wild species, variability of communities they live in, environmental process in these communities

Uses of Wildlife for Humans

Food, clothing, spiritual well being, enjoyment/recreation, economic resource (birders + others)

Direct Human Disturbances

hunting, fishing, trapping

Urban Sprawl

Growth of cities (rural areas become urban and pollution and habitat loss occur, greatest human impact on environment)

Problems caused by urbanization

-habitat loss
-waste concentration
-degradation of of natural resources
-urban heat islands
-water drainage (lag time+pathways)
-invasives introduced

Animals adapted to urban environments

Raccoon, coyote, opossum, beaver, deer, squirrels, skunks, crows, chipmunks, garter snakes, black bear, many songbirds \---gives habitat with virtually no predators, easier shelters, free, easy-access food sources

Agriculture Benefits

\-gives humans food

-provides alternate food sources for wildlife

Primary producers

most basic trophic level upon which all successive levels depend. Includes plants/phytoplankton

What is the food chain driven by?

the sun, allows plants to fix inorganic compounds into plant tissues to be later digested by animals.

Food chain

Describes the path of consumption starting from a primary producer to the highest level it reaches

Food Chain energy transfer

1% from sun to producers, 10% up each trophic level

Food web

a complex system composed of several linked food chains in an ecosystem.

Nutrient Exchange

Nutrients are returned to the system through respiration, decomposition, and excretion.
-Without fire and decomposers, nutrients would remain mostly trapped in dead organic matter

Population

total number of individuals, of the same species, that occupy a specific area

Population density

the number of individuals in a given population within a specific area
-do not have lifetimes, only limited by habitat availability

Goal of Management

manage for sustainable, healthy population levels that ensure the survival of the species and the proper function of ecosystems, while minimizing conflicts between people and wildlife.

Wildlife Management Tools

Census, Estimate, Index

Census

complete count of every individual
-most accurate way to determine pop. size
-useful for animals that live in open areas
-aerial surveys can be used
-expensive, hard to count every single individual

Estimate

estimation based on a statistical sample and used to determine population size

Lincoln-Peterson Index

N \= M*S / R
N \= pop. size estimate
M \= \# of marked individuals released
S \= size of second sample
R \= \# of marked individuals recaptured

Index

A quantitative measure of a population that measures a species that is easy to observe and is assumed/known to be directly related to population size
- provide info about relative population levels and changes over time
-easiest and least expensive

Biological Carrying Capacity

maximum population of a species that a specific ecosystem can support over long periods of time

Cultural Carrying Capacity

maximum population level of a species with which the human population can compatibly coexist with or tolerate
-Often lower than bio carrying capacity

Harvest

the regulated removal of a certain number of individuals from a population

Ways to limit harvest

-season legnths
-daily/seasonal bag limits
-sex/age limitations
-limited entry
-timing of the season
-equipment restrictions
-size restrictions

Healthiest level for a population

K/2 (K\=carrying capacity)

Biological population factors

Birth rate, death rate, reproductive rate, age and sex ratios, recruitment, immigration, emigration

Cultural population factors

-human population densities
-number of conflicts/interactions between wildlife and humans
-number of people who hunt
-amount of land open to hunting

Game Species

Species that are hunted under strict regulations

Nongame Species

Species that are not hunted, killed, or consumed by humans

Extinct

no longer on planet

Endangered

any species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

Threatened

any species with low numbers and are rapidly declining such that they are in danger of being endangered in all or a significant portion of its range in the foreseeable future

Special concern

species that occur in small numbers, or with such a restricted distribution or with such specialized habitat requirements that they could easily become threatened.

Extirpated

extinct from an area, can exist outside natural range

Benefits of game and nongame species

aesthetic, recreational, economical, ecosystem benefits -nongame species play essential role in ecosystem and their mangement is important

Threats to ecosystems

Habitat fragmentation, invasive species, illegal hunting or collection, pollution.

-Also habitat changes, unregulated or illegal harvest and/or collection, disruption of migration routes and breeding behaviors, breeding programs, contamination by pollutants, predator control, competition or predation from introduced species and other natural causes.

While managing rare species, what methods can one use to increase population size?

-Habitat protection
-captive breeding and foster parent programs
-controlling predators and competitors
-controlling human activities
-other techniques specific to that species

Migratory Bird Treaty Act

1918

puts all migratory birds under the protection of the federal government

Migratory Bird Conservation Act

1929

establishes refuges for migratory waterfowl

Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act

1934

authorized the money for creating refuges to come from the sale of migratory bird hunting stands

Pittman-Robertson Act

1939

levies a 10% tax on hunting equipment to go towards wildlife management

Dingell Johnson Act

1950

levies a 10% tax on fishing equipment to go towards wildlife management

Endangered Species Act

1966, amended 1973

required that the federal government identify all endangered and threatened species. Requires that the habitat of endangered species be protected. Prohibits the hunting/selling/killing/exporting/collecting/harassing of any endangered species and their body parts

MA ESA

1990

provides for many of the same protections contained in the national Act including the regulatory protection of designated habitats for listed species

Wallop-breaux Amendment

1984

mod to Dingell-Johnson act. adds a 3% tax on outboard motors and fish finders

How does the government appropriate funds for wildlife management?

The number of hunting and fishing licenses sold in the state and the land area (size) of the state

Where do diseases originate from?

infectious and noninfectious pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and toxic material

Limiting factor

any variable that restricts a population's size and prevents growth

Density dependent limiting factor

a limiting factor that is impacted by population density (disease)

Density independent limiting factor

a limiting factor that is not impacted by population size (weather)

Limiting factors examples

disease, predation, weather conditions, accidents, food availability and habitat quality

What is rabies?

a virus that affects the nervous system of mammals. Unless treated, once transmitted the virus is almost always fatal. Can make animals unusually tame, affectionate, paralyzed, or restless, aggressive, agitated, and can bite at real and imaginary objects. All mammals are susceptible to the disease

How is rabies transmitted?

direct contact with saliva or a mucous membrane (eye, mouth, nose)

Indirect Human Disturbances

Eating, conversion of wildlife habitat into crop/agricultural land, daily activities

Humans disturb wildlife through…

urbanization and cultivation

Agriculture Drawbacks

\-hurts wildlife populations

\-communities and ecosystems altered (hard edges)

\-introduce invasive species and diseases

\-changes water cycle

Primary Consumers

herbivores, deer/rabbits

Secondary Consumers:

carnivores/omnivores, feed off herbivores. Birds of prey, bears

key to managing wildlife

think in terms of populations, not individuals (except w/rare species)

wildlife management tools/practices

native plantings, prescribed burns, forest management, harvest regulation, mowing, hunting/trapping surveys, nest boxes, installation of water control devices