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2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest
Phone: 612-713-5360 |
2008 News Releases
Region 3's news releases are organized in reverse chronological order starting with the current month. A brief synopsis of each release is included here. Click on the news release title for a full text version. For news releases issued prior to those available here, visit the national website and use the searchable database to obtain the Region's archived releases through 1991.
September
September 22, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust will celebrate the completion of the Rapids Lake Unit of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, October 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Festivities will include the dedication of the new Education and Visitor Center, educational activities for all ages, demonstrations and self-led tours.
September 15, 2008
Fewer Barriers to Fish Passage, Less Erosion in Missouri Streams
This year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program provided Missouri nearly $100,000 to reconnect more than 28 stream miles, remove barriers to fish passage, assess and survey low-water crossings, and conduct an inventory of low-head dams.
September 15, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) will provide public opportunities to see endangered whooping cranes on the refuge as part of the 8th Annual Whooping Crane and Wildlife Festival Saturday, September 20 in Necedah, Wis. The small town of Necedah plays host to wildlife and whooping crane or "whooper" enthusiasts from across the United States and globe during this annual celebration of the Whooping Crane Reintroduction Project.
September 11, 2008
Secretary Kempthorne Announces $2 Million for Wetlands Grants in Minnesota
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, recently approved $2 million in federal funding to enhance and restore wetlands and critical migratory bird habitat in Minnesota. The commission allocated more than $26 million to protect, restore, improve and manage more than 135,000 acres of vital wetland areas and associated wildlife habitats across the U.S. under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
September 11, 2008
Secretary Kempthorne Announces $1 million for Wetlands Grants in Michigan
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, recently approved $1 million in federal funding to support the second phase of the Saginaw Bay to Lake Erie Coastal Habitat Project in Michigan. The commission allocated more than $26 million to protect, restore, improve and manage more than 135,000 acres of vital wetland areas and associated wildlife habitats across the U.S. under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
September 11, 2008
Secretary Kempthorne Announces $1 million for Wetlands Grants in Iowa
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, recently approved $1 million in federal funding to the Iowa River Corridor Wetlands Initiative to enhance wetlands and migratory bird habitat in Iowa. The commission allocated more than $26 million to protect, restore, improve and manage more than 135,000 acres of vital wetland areas and associated wildlife habitats across the U.S. under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
August
August 28, 2008
Trout Travails in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa Treated with more than $300,000 in Fish Aid
Recognizing the need to fix crumbling stream-banks and dilapidated culverts, and to improve water quality for brook trout and other aquatic species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently provided more than $300,000 to support 16 fish habitat projects in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. With nearly $1 million in partner contributions, the projects will restore and enhance stream habitat to improve recreational fishing and help aquatic resources in the heart of the Upper Mississippi River basin.
August 22, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were joined by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle to celebrate the renovation of Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery in central Wisconsin on August 18, 2008. The Service's Sport Fish Restoration Program worked with Wisconsin DNR and the Fox River/Green Bay Trustee Council to fund the renovation work with a common goal of expanding sport fishing and aquatic education opportunities for the citizens of Wisconsin.
August 22, 2008
The 2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest: Put Your Stamp on Conservation
After 75 years of supporting wetlands acquisition throughout the United States, the Federal Duck Stamp Program continues to be a conservation success story, providing funds used to protect millions of acres of irreplaceable wildlife habitat. For grassland and wetland-dependent wildlife across the Upper Midwest, Federal Duck Stamp revenue has been a lifesaver, thanks in part, to the little-known, but hugely important Small Wetlands Program.
August 18, 2008
State and federal natural resource agencies are seeking public comments on an environmental assessment (EA) that lays out a plan to manage damage and conflicts caused by double-crested cormorants in Wisconsin.
August 14, 2008
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Comment on Eagle Permit Assessment
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published today a draft environmental assessment of a proposed permit program designed to protect bald and golden eagle populations, while providing the flexibility necessary for people to manage their land and businesses. This program would allow issuance of permits under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act authorizing activities that may disturb eagles, require nest removal, or otherwise result in the death of or injury to a bird. A Notice of Availability regarding the draft environmental assessment appeared in the August 14, 2008, edition of the Federal Register.
August 8, 2008
Scouts Support Baby Brookies Program at Jordan River National Fish Hatchery
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will accept a donation dedicated to the Jordan River National
Fish Hatchery (NFH) from the Cub Scouts of East Jordan in a ceremony at the hatchery on
August 13 in Elmira, Mich. The ceremony will mark the first donation from a non-Federal
organization to a Federal hatchery since the instatement of the National Fish Hatchery System
Volunteer Act of 2006. The monies will be dedicated to Baby Brookies, an educational program
on the life cycle of brook trout. FWS Assistant Regional Director Charlie Wooley will accept
the donation at the ceremony.
August 7, 2008
West African Art Dealer Sentenced for Illegal Ivory Smuggling
Tania Julie Siyam, a 32-year-old Canadian citizen, was sentenced in Akron, Ohio, yesterday to serve 60 months in prison and pay a $100,000 fine for illegally smuggling ivory from the West African country of Cameroon to the United States. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams, is the result of a multi-year, international investigation by special agents of the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife officials from Environment Canada and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cleveland, Ohio.
July
July 25, 2008
Partnership Proves Key to Kirtland’s Warbler Nesting Success in Wisconsin
A partnership of private, state and federal agencies has sparked a flicker of hope in Wisconsin for an endangered wood warbler. Efforts by Plum Creek Timber Company, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have led to the first successful nesting of Kirtland’s warblers in the state.
July 18, 2008
Another Jackson County Road Provides
Emergency Habitat for Endangered Least TernsFountain Bluff Township and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials announced today that Odd Fellow Road, near Jacob, Illinois, will remain closed to protect nesting endangered interior least terns. Odd Fellow Road has been closed several weeks due to extensive flooding.
July 9, 2008
Steps Proposed to Save Endangered Mussels
Two endangered freshwater mussels - the clubshell and the northern riffleshell - may get a boost as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers releasing the species into Illinois' Vermilion River Basin, under a draft Environmental Assessment developed by the Service.
June
June 30, 2008
Federal Duck Stamp celebrates 75th anniversary July 12 in Owatonna
Three-time winning artist Joe Hautman will display his 2008 Federal Duck Stamp and will be joined by other Minnesota wildlife artists at event and dinner. Owatonna, Minn. The Federal Duck Stamp program, widely considered one of the most successful conservation efforts in American history, will note its 75th anniversary with a special celebration on July 12 in Owatonna.
June 17, 2008
Fish Disease Found in Ohio Reservoir
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHSv), a virus that causes disease in fish but does not pose any threat to public health, was confirmed present in muskellunge sampled during routine egg collection in Clear Fork Reservoir in late April. The virus was found in ovarian fluid samples collected from the muskellunge as part of routine ODNR testing for VHSv, but has not resulted in a fish kill. The samples were sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Fish Health Center in LaCrosse, WI, where the VHSv virus was initially isolated and then to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Ames, Iowa, where it was later confirmed.
June 13, 2008
Steps Taken to Address Selenium Concerns
at Cane Ridge Wildlife Management AreaFollowing discovery of elevated levels of selenium in the water and aquatic life at Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Indiana, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have begun employing management actions designed to discourage endangered least terns and other migratory birds from nesting on the refuge.
June 13, 2008
As part of a suite of wetlands acquisitions and conservation grant approvals, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $4 million to purchase more than 18,000 acres of prairie wetland and associated grassland habitat for the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota – one of the largest purchases in history using dollars generated from Federal Duck Stamp sales and import duties on firearms and ammunition.
June 10 , 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today opened a 30-day public comment period on a proposal to add one national wildlife refuge to the list of areas open for hunting during the 2008-09 season and increase hunting opportunities on two other refuges in the Midwest Region.
June 10 , 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its federal, state and regional partners, including Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, will resume annual search efforts in the Illinois Waterway from the Chicago suburbs to near Havana, Ill., for three species of invasive fish, as well as for lethal fish pathogens.
May
May 22, 2008
Morgan County Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to
Poisoning Migratory Birds; Fined $7,500Steven K. Rolf, 60, of rural Beardstown in Morgan County, Ill., entered a plea of guilty to two misdemeanor charges of illegally killing migratory birds by poison in violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore accepted Rolfs’ guilty plea and imposed the agreed upon sentence at a hearing held today in Springfield.
May 19, 2008
Service Partners with Tomah Veterans Administration Hospital
for Annual Fishing Day 2008The Genoa National Fish Hatchery stocked the pond at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tomah, Wis., with more than 1,000 rainbow trout in preparation for the 18th annual fishing tournament on May 21. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., disabled veterans, escorted to the pond and aided by Tomah Middle School seventh graders, will fish, weigh and measure their catches in competition for prizes donated by the Genoa American Legion, the AL also donated 100 pounds of flathead catfish for a fish fry that culminates the half-day event.
May 14, 2008
Public Meeting Scheduled in Grand Marais to Discuss Canada Lynx Habitat
The U.S. and Wildlife Service is hosting a public meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at 7 p.m. in Grand Marais, to discuss the proposal to designate critical habitat for the Canada lynx, a federally threatened species. The meeting will be at the Cook County Court House, 411 West Second Street in Grand Marais.
May 14, 2008
Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne honored two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees during the 65th annual convocation held May 13, in Washington, D.C. The Department each year recognizes acts of "courage, valor, selflessness and exceptional management" in men and women who are nominated by their respective agencies from across the United States.
May 9, 2008
Fish and Wildlife Service Awards $578,014 for Great Lakes Restoration Projects
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced it will award grants for over $578,000 to fund fish and wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes Basin.
May 2, 2008
Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery Closed to Public for Raceway Construction
The Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery in Brimley, Mich., will be closed to the public for extensive renovation May 1 to November 15, 2008. The hatchery will receive 16 new rearing units or “raceways” to replace the original units that were constructed in the 1950s. The raceways will average 30 inches deep and each set of four units will be spaced far enough apart to allow for Service vehicles to drive between. These rearing units will be used to produce more than 1.2 million fish each year.
May 2, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to release by July 2008 a draft economic analysis that will estimate the potential costs for conservation actions associated with the proposal to revise the amount of critical habitat designated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the federally threatened Canada lynx. At that time, the Service will also reopen the public comment period on the proposed revised critical habitat rule. The new 30-day comment period will give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the draft economic analysis as well as provide information pertinent to the critical habitat proposal.
May 2, 2008
Genoa National Fish Hatchery Receives Funding
for New Outdoor ClassroomThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wisconsin, will receive more than $95,000 as part of the National Fish Hatchery System Volunteer Act of 2006, to apply toward the construction of a new outdoor education classroom.
May 2, 2008
Clean Vessel Act Grant Program Awards More Than $700,000 to Five Midwest States
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall announced that more than $700,000 from the Clean Vessel Act (CVA) grant program will be awarded to five states in the Midwest region in 2008. The grant program awarded a total of more than $13.6 million to 27 states across the nation. The grants will fund the construction and installation of sewage pumpout facilities, floating restrooms and pumpout boats in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Funding will also create recreational boating education programs across the region.
