Wildlife Conservation Unit 1
Job of a Professor
Ranks of professor
Assistant Professor
Entry-level rank for faculty on the tenure track
Associate Professor
First level of tenure
Professor
Wait at least 4 years after the assistant professor's title
Teaching (65%), research(30%), and service:(20%) Publish or Perish
Require a PhD or terminal degree
Tenure review and track
Academic advising
Mentor graduate and undergraduate student researchers
Are selected based on research area and ability to teach needed courses
Research leading to publication is required
Job of an Instructor
Teaching and administrative duties (mostly MS or PhD)
Less requirements for outside research
Local Ecology, policy, history:
Plano Estacado: is the prominent land feature of the Panhandle
• 31,700 sq. mile plateau (largest in North America)
• Relatively flat, semi arid, treeless shortgrass plain
• Elevation ranges from 3,000’ on the east to 5,000’ on the west
Canyon rests around 3500 square feet above sea level
• Historically a shortgrass prairie
• Currently < 20% of the shortgrass prairie in TX remains
• Major agricultural crops: cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat • > 2 million acres of CRP in SHP of Texas-CRP is the conservation reserve program
Playas:
• Most common topographic feature of the Llano Estacado
• Shallow depressional wetlands
• Randall County contains 564 playas totaling 16,606 acres of wetlands (~25,000 playas; 411,000 acres in the southern High Plains)
• Have erratic hydroperiods–drying and filling frequently in most years–and fill primarily by thunderstorms
• Formed by dissolution and wind forces & are Lined with clay
• Surrounded by watersheds that drain into the playa
Escarpment:
Located along the eastern edge of the Llano and portions of the north and west
Rugged canyon lands that contain trees and shrubs
Habitat is drastically different from the Llano
On the eastern edge of the Llano, the escarpment is the dividing line between the High Plains and the Rolling plains
Escarpment is technically the rolling plains
Climate:
Relatively dry area (`20” of precipitation annually)
¾ of precipitation falls during April-September
Generally mild temperatures with large fluctuations in precipitation are common
Temp drops of 50 to 60 degrees within 12 hours are not uncommon
Temperature drops 40 have occurred within a few minutes
Factors that influence our climate
Topographic influence
Rainshadow
As mountains intercept wind currents, the air is forced to rise
The air cools as it rises and the moisture condenses
Causes rain to fall on the windward (usually west) side of mountains and dry conditions on the leeward side
Rainshadow produces the grasslands of the great plains
Aspect-the direction a slope faces
N.E.W.S-north slopes are the most coolest and most mesic (moist) and south are the warmest and most xeric (driest)
North slopes tend to have the lowest variability in temperature and moisture (soil moisture)
South slopes tend to be the most variable and extreme
Differences in conditions are due to differences in the amount of solar radiation intercepted
Results in different vegetation on different slopes
Trees grow better on the north side of the mountains because it is warmer and they can intercept more sunlight
Fire:
Fire favors grasses over woody vegetation
This is because of the growth points of the meristem (woody growth points are lateral or apical)
Natural processes in most ecosystems
Increases palatability of many grasses
Widely used management method in tallgrass prairie
Fire is a natural component of prairie ecosystems
Historically our area experienced fires every 5-10 years
They spread better in homogenous areas
Rivers:
The biggest river in the panhandle is the Canadian –flowing west to east and, filling Lake Meridith
Flows out of Ute Lake in NM and into Lake Meredith north of Amarillo
Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River-Drains the northern Llano and flows through Palo Duro Canyon
Wildlife:
We are near the western boundary for many eastern species and near the eastern boundary for many western species
Important wintering area and migratory stopover for waterfowl, shorebirds, and sandhill cranes
The Palo Duro Escarpment contains species not found in surrounding areas
What is Wildlife?
Things that are living outside direct human control
Plants and animals that are not cultivated or domesticated
Historically, game species were the focus of most management
Breadth has expanded to include non-game animals such as reptiles, amphibians, bats
Indicates weighing concern for non-game species and willingness by the public to fund non-game research and programs
Management:
Manipulate to meet some objective
Wildlife Management-the application of ecological knowledge to populations of vertebrates in a manner that strikes a balance between the needs of those populations and the needs of people
Why do we manage wildlife?
Alter abundance(+ or -)
Conserve species
Three basic management approaches
Preservation-no human intervention
Direct Manipulation- when animal populations are trapped, shot, poisoned, or stocked.
Indirect Manipulation- when vegetation, water, or other components of wildlife habitat are altered
Habitat is the physical and biological resources required by an organism for its survival and reproduction
History of Wildlife Management
1800s-decrease in game species became noticeable due to consumption
Increased regulations to ‘ration’ remaining game
1930s-Wildlife management emerged as a science
1933-Aldo Leopold published “Game Management”
He became known as the father of wildlife biology
1937-Pittman Robertson Act
Placed a 10% (now 11%) tax on the sales of sporting arms and ammunition.
1940s-1960s: most money for management and research came from hunters and their license fees/ P-R Funds.
Until 1960 wildlife management was primarily game animal management for hunters (the largest stakeholder)
1960s & 1970s- Attitudes towards hunting and nature started to change
There was a greater concern for endangered species
Increased emphasis on non0-game species
Currently trying to get non-consumptive users to finance a greater portion of the cost of wildlife management.
IE: the conservation “keep Texas wild” license plate that donates 20 dollars to the TFWD
Public Trust
Who owns wildlife?
• In the US, wildlife is a public trust, not the property of the owner of the land on which the wildlife
Reside
• Except many situations involving exotic species
• In many European countries, wildlife is the property of the landowner
• The government, largely the states, manages wildlife (set seasons, bag limits, methods of take,
etc.)
• Federal authority can supersede state authority in certain cases
e.g., Migratory Bird Treaty Act (enacted in 1918)
• Protects most shorebirds, whooping cranes, swans, bird’s nests and eggs, and enacted a
closed season for migratory birds between March 10 and September 1
• States can enact their own regulations but they can only be more restrictive, not less
Restrictive
National Policies
The policy directly impacts wildlife and wildlife biologists’ funding, regulations, jobs, etc.
Lacey Act (1900; formally- Game and Wild Birds Preservation and Disposition act
Sponsored by John F. Lacey
Prohibits the transportation of illegally killed game across state lines
Curbed trafficking in plumage and other wildlife products
Prohibits importation of harmful exotic species
This act has large penalties-up to 10,000 or 1 year in prison
Restoration Acts
(Hunting) Pittman-Robertson Act (1937; formally – Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act)
• Levied a tax on sporting arms and ammunition (11% currently)
• Revenues are pooled in the national treasury and redistributed to the states
• States must match federal dollars 1:3
$1 state contribution for every $3 of federal money
• No state can receive P-R funds if it uses license revenues for unrelated
activities (e.g., road construction)
• Funds originally available for research, land acquisition, and construction
—---------
• Currently used for the above and
maintenance of completed projects,
management of state wildlife areas, and hunter safety programs
• Cannot be used for law enforcement or public relations programs
• Amount determined by land area and number of licensed hunters in the
state
• $204 million in 2001 ~ $4 billion since inception
(fishing) Dingell-Johnson Act (1950-Formally the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act)
• 10% tax on certain fishing tackle and equipment
• 1:3 state match required
• Amount received based on the number of licensed anglers and water
area of state
• Funds are used for boating safety, fish management, construction of
new boating facilities, and research
• $241 million in 2001
Wilderness Act (1964):
Established the National Wilderness Preservation System
Wilderness areas are subject to 4 criteria
Little human impact
Land provides opportunity for recreation in a climate of solitude
At least 2,024 ha (ha=2.47) available- if less, special conditions apply
Must include ecological, geological or other features leading to educational, scientific, or historic value
Cannot have roads, motor vehicles, boats, or other machinery, commercial activities, or structures allowed
Wildlife remains under the jurisdiction of the state
Sikes Act (1960):
Requires Department of Defense lands be managed for wildlife
Professional biologists must be involved in the management of fish and wildlife resources or lands under the jurisdiction of the act
Results in many jobs for wildlife biologists
Endangered Species Act (1966,1969,1973)
First protection for all endangered species.
Previous legislation only focused on particular species
Ex. Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940
The current version was passed in 1973
Extended coverage to all plants and animals except pests
Endangered=species faced with extinction in all or much of their distribution
Threatened=species that are likely to become endangered
Recognized separate populations and subspecies as species
EX. florida panther is endangered despite healthy populations of mountain lions
Listing process
It can be initiated by any individual, agency, or group
Petition to the secretary of the interior
Requires public notification in the federal register
Delisting follows the same process
NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act 1970)
Requires that all federal planning, actions, and functions use all practical means to enhance and protect environmental quality
Proposed “major” actions by the government potentially having significant impacts on the environment must be accompanied by an EIS (environmental impact statement)
EIS discloses fully the effects of the action on the environment.
Must propose alternate actions
EIS often requires field studies to properly identify the status of wildlife and other resources at the site.
EIS does NOT prevent the action
It becomes a tool by which legal challenges can be made
Food Security Act (“Farm Bill”) 1985:
• Established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Farmers receive rental payments to take highly erodible lands out of production for 10-15 years
• Designed to reduce crop surpluses and soil erosion
• Often benefits wildlife
• Farmer must establish and maintain permanent cover
• Trees, shrubs, forbs, legumes, and native or introduced grasses
• Mowing and grazing is prohibited (except when authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture in
emergencies)
• Government shares cost of cover plantings
• $1.8 billion expended in fy2002 on rent and cost share
• $1.9 billion expended in fy2017
• ~ 34 million acres enrolled in fy2004
• ~ 22 million acres in active contracts in July 2018
Policies of Sentiment:
Often, policy decisions are based on feelings/perceptions of the untrained public
e.g., Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (1971)
• Protected these animals from capture, branding, harassment, or death on BLM and Forest Service lands
• Horses and burros often cause damage to the environment
• Act makes it difficult to manage the animals
• Captured and removed (via helicopter) 500 burros from the Grand Canyon
• Cost $1,000 per animal
• Most cost-effective method would have been shooting