News from Scientists at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Wednesday, January 4, 2001
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Patuxent's Painted Bunting Research Featured on "Georgia Outdoors" Public TV Program Georgia's popular Public TV Program "Georgia Outdoors" featured Painted Bunting research by USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on Sapelo Island for their fall premiere show in 2000-2001. Dr. Joe Meyers, John Seginak, and Noah Kahn (University of GA student hire) assisted the TV film crew for 2 days of video shooting on the island in June. The program is a cooperative venture with the GA DNR, who is also a partner in Patuxent's 5-yr research project on Sapelo Island. Painted Bunting survival, banding and marking, and other research and ecological issues were covered in the program. The most attractive images were the close-ups of male Painted Buntings, which were color-banded and released. Michael Skinner, the "Georgia Outdoors" host, documented the research well and also entertained the viewers. Contact: Dr Joe Meyers Clauss Presents "Whooping Crane Propagation and Research at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center" Slide Show On Nov 11 Brian Clauss, USGS CRET Biotechnician, gave a 1 hr slide show presentation "Whooping Crane Propagation and Research at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center " at the American Pheasant and Waterfowl Association Convention in Ocean City Md. In attendance were approximately 100 people, including private aviculturists, scientists and representatives from zoos and conservation organizations. Contact: Brian Clauss Gee to Host Kleber Wildlife Institute, Texas A&M Visitors On January 10, Dr George Gee will host a visiting delegation from the Kleberg Wildlife Institute at Texas A&M. The group will spend the morning visiting Patuxent's Propagation Area and discussing animal management practices on Center. The delegation includes Drs. Bill Kuvlesky, Bart Ballard, Janelle Kleberg, Tio Kleberg and possibly others. Contact: Dr George Gee Sauer and Fancy Organize Symposium on "Methods and Applications for Monitoring Wildlife in National Parks" for 8th Wildlife Society Meeting John Sauer and Steven Fancy are organizing and sponsoring a symposium on "Methods and Applications for Monitoring Wildlife in National Parks" for the 8th Annual meeting of The Wildlife Society in Reno, Nevada, September 2001. Patuxent scientists Charlie Roman, Brian Underwood, and Robin Jung will participate in the symposium whose purpose is to summarize goals, methods, and current activities associated with monitoring wildlife in National Parks. Method development associated with the monitoring incorporates new procedures for both estimating detectability during sampling and defining efficient sampling procedures that permit unbiased estimation. Applications of these methods involve collaborative efforts between Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, academic, and other researchers. These advances in monitoring will be of general interest to TWS members, and feedback from TWS members will aid in further development of monitoring activities. Contact: Dr John R. Sauer |
Sparling,
Fellers, and McConnell Have Identified Link Between Agricultural
Pesticides and Declining Amphibian Populations in California Sierra
Nevada
Pesticides linked to declining amphibian populations in California Investigators Don Sparling (Patuxent), Gary Fellers (WERC) and Laura McConnell (USDA - Agriculture Research Center) have identified a causative link between agricultural pesticides and declining amphibian populations in the California Sierra Nevada. Several species of amphibians including red-legged frogs, foothills yellow-legged frogs, mountain yellow-legged frogs, Yosemite toads and Cascade toads have declined precipitously in recent times. Although other causes for these declines have been proposed, these researchers have shown in a paper that is now in press that agricultural pesticides coming from the Central Valley of California are affecting amphibian larvae and adults in Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks which lie downwind of the most intensely agricultural portions of the Central Valley. They determined that cholinesterase activity of Pacific treefrogs, a species which is still sufficiently numerous to use as a sentinel for the rarer species, was lowest in areas where the amphibian declines have been most dramatic and significantly higher in coastal reference sites upwind of the Central Valley. They also showed that the concentration and frequency of detection of certain pesticides including chlorpyrifos, diazinon and endosulfan were higher in frogs collected from the parks than from reference sites. The paper is to be published in the next issue of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry which will probably appear in February. Contact: Dr. Donald W. Sparling Patuxent Cooperator Sullivan Publishes Newsletter for Waterfowl Hunters and Environmental Educators After leaving the position of Waterfowl Program Leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Brian Sullivan has developed a new publishing and consulting business. Brian has cooperated with Patuxent for many years and has served on banding crews in Canada. Around December 15, 2000 Brian will begin publishing a free email newsletter aimed principally toward waterfowl hunters and environmental educators, called "Bent On Waterfowl", and is soliciting subscribers. Free subscriptions are available at Brian's web site, http://www.naturebent.com/ If you have information for stories on waterfowl hunting, hunting issues, programs, or projects with which you are personally involved, please contact Brian. Brian Sullivan tel
512-891-0364 |
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