June 2012
Tracks: News for Tribes
*This email is provided as a service to Tribes. Information is compiled from many sources. The information and opinions from sources other than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Service.
NEWS
Request for FY 2013 Tribal Wildlife Grant Proposals
The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) invites submission of grant proposals from federally recognized Indian tribal governments, including Alaska Native Villages, for the development and implementation of programs that benefit wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and that are not hunted or fished. TWG supports projects that develop or augment tribal capacity to manage, conserve, or protect fish and wildlife resources through funding and technical support. The 2013 Tribal Wildlife Grant program is expected to be funded at the FY 2012 level of $4.25 million.
Project proposals must be postmarked by September 4, 2012, and submitted to the appropriate Regional Office. A TWG project proposal includes a cover page, program summary, program narrative, budget narrative, budget table, resolution of support from the tribal council, and Standard Form 424 Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) short form.
To view the FY 2012 TWG Application Kit and related materials, please visit our web site at; http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/grants.html, or contact the Regional Tribal Liaison Kim Greenwood, kim_greenwood@fws.gov
New Endangered Species Website
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program has launched a new, web-based interactive map with information about endangered species success in every state: stories of species making strides towards recovery, audio interviews and podcasts with Service biologists about on-the-ground endangered species conservation, and videos that highlight the Service’s partners.
The interactive map can be found online at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/ and also has links for the Endangered Species Program’s new weekly e-newsletter and ways to connect via social media.
The Endangered Species Act provides a safety net for America’s native fish, wildlife and plants. The Service is actively engaged with conservation partners and the public in the search for improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species.
The Mountain-Prairie Region has also posted Endangered Species Act (ESA) regional success stories on its website at: http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/ea/campaigns_ES.cfm
Heads Up! Service to Initiate Consultation on National Eagle Repository Feather Distribution Processes
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) National Eagle Repository (Repository) is considering changing its eagle and eagle feather distribution processes. Because of the potential impact to members of federally recognized Tribes, the Service will extend the opportunity for federally recognized Tribes to consult with the Service about these potential changes.
The Repository will continue to distribute eagles, their parts and feathers to members of federally recognized Tribes for cultural and religious purposes, and would like to discuss how to accomplish that in a way that better meets the needs of all Tribes. We have heard Tribal members express frustration over the current wait times for their orders, and we would like to discuss alternatives to decrease those wait times while maintaining a fair, unbiased process for this important program. The Service will provide several options for Tribal consideration and is willing to hear additional options posed by the Tribes.
We encourage your officially designated Tribal representative’s participation in this endeavor either by oral or written statement during one of the five government-to-government consultation meetings, or by telephone consultation, or by submission of a written statement.
The Service has established five locations for government-to-government consultation meetings around the United States for this national program: Arlington, Virginia, Bloomington, Minnesota; Albuquerque, New Mexico (completed June 21); Sacramento, California; and Anchorage, Alaska.
July 10, 2012
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1-4 p.m. 4401 N Fairfax Drive, Room #200 A and B
Arlington, Virginia 22203
July 24, 2012
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1-4 p.m. Norman Pointe II Building
7th Floor - Room 702
5600 American Blvd. West,
Bloomington, Minnesota 55437-1458
(About 15 minutes west of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport)
September 11, 2012
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Alaska Regional Office
1-4 p.m. 1011 E Tudor Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
October 21-26, 2012
NCAI 69th Annual Convention, Sacramento, California, exact time, date, and location will be prominently posted at the Convention
New Book: The Wildlife Techniques Manual, 7th Edition, 2012
Edited by Nova Silvy, Texas Tech University
- Two-volume set, containing over 1,100 pages.
- Published in association with The Wildlife Society
- Including contributions by USFWS employees John McDonald Jr. and John Organ.
Available from Johns Hopkins Press (www.press.jhu.edu – use code NAF for a special 25% discount), Amazon.com, and most other book retailers.
Since its original publication in 1960, The Wildlife Techniques Manual has remained the cornerstone text for the professional wildlife biologist. Now fully revised and updated, this seventh edition promises to be the most comprehensive resource on wildlife biology, conservation, and management for years to come.
Superbly edited by Nova J. Silvy, the thirty-seven authoritative chapters included in this work provide a full synthesis of methods used in the field and laboratory. Chapter authors, all leading wildlife professionals, explain and critique traditional and new methodologies and offer thorough discussions of a wide range of relevant topics, including:
• experimental design
• wildlife health and disease
• capture techniques
• population estimation
• telemetry
• vegetation analysis
• conservation genetics
• wildlife damage management
• urban wildlife management
• habitat conservation planning
The Techniques Manual, as it is commonly called, covers every aspect of modern wildlife management and provides practical information for applying the hundreds of methods described in its pages.
The Wildlife Techniques Manual is a resource that wildlife professionals simply cannot do without. If you have questions please contact Vincent Burge at and vjb@press.jhu.edu.
Matt Hogan Announced as the new ARD for Refuges and Partners for Fish and Wildlife in the Mountain-Prairie Region
Matt has been an integral member of our Mountain-Prairie leadership team since February of 2010, as the ARD for Migratory Birds and Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration. In addition, Matt has served as the region's AGO Coordinator for the last year, and in that role has worked with a number of our region's large landscape conservation initiatives. Prior to coming to Region 6, Matt served as Executive Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) in Washington, DC, where he gained extensive experience working with state fish and wildlife agencies around the country. Matt's contacts and experiences with state fish and wildlife agencies in our region have proven invaluable to our efforts working with states, and he will bring that same experience to our Refuge program.
Matt worked for the Service and the Department of the Interior in several important leadership roles in Washington, D.C., before leaving to head AFWA. In those roles, Matt demonstrated a strong commitment to the Service and particularly to our National Wildlife Refuge System. He actively worked to improve the coordination between and among all Service programs. In particular, he was a strong proponent of our efforts in the Prairie Pothole Region and worked actively to secure additional Migratory Bird Conservation Fund dollars to support our efforts there. He also worked closely with the Department to ensure that the transition of the appraisal function out of the Service to the Department did not jeopardize our efforts to secure easements with private landowners. Prior to coming to the Service, Matt worked in the policy arena in Washington, DC both on Capitol Hill and with several NGOs. Among his experiences is significant involvement with the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, or CARE, group as well as working on the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act and resulting policies.
Matt has over 20 years of experience on a myriad of fish and wildlife conservation issues combined with significant leadership experience both in the region and at a national level. Matt excels at seeking common goals to build partnerships and conservation strategies with a multitude of partners, both inside and outside the agency. He’s a big picture thinker who looks to anticipate trends that impact our refuges, our resources, and our mission as a whole. His experience and his skills will be valuable to the region and to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Please join us in welcoming him to his new role.
Eck Kah Ka (Greetings All):
It is my great honor to share with you the news of the hatching of the first Bald Eagle produced in captivity by a Federally Recognized Tribe. The Comanche Nation through our Sia: Eagle and Raptor Program has now produced both species of Native Eagles: Golden Eagles via artificial insemination in 2010 and now the Bald Eagle on April 13, 2012. Although Sia Directors have produced over three hundred eagle offspring in captivity since 1972, the hatching of Native Eagles under the captive propagation amendment to our Native Religious Use Permit (sometimes referred to as the "Aviary Permit") is historic. The efforts of Sia/Comanche Nation are dedicated to the benefit of all Federally Recognized Tribes.
Although this information was shared with Region 2 Native American Liaison by our Sia interns on the day the eaglet hatched (17 days ago) with a live link, it seems this historic event was not passed on by that office. Please enjoy the attached YouTube condensed video of the hatching as well as the still images of this eaglet. The cultural and political importance of a Native American Tribe producing both Bald and Golden Eagles in captivity under the authority of our Native Religious Use Permit comes at a time when many outside of our cultures perceive the relationship of Native Americans and Eagles as one that only calls for the death of an eagle. Numunuh (Comanche) efforts are dedicated to the ethic that we live at a time in history when an Eagle no longer must forfeit his/her life in order to benefit the spiritual and ceremonial needs of our People. We remain committed to bringing new Eagle life forward.
Please watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2PLtxgFzPo&feature=email
Respectfully,
Wahathuweeka a.k.a. William Voelker
Director/Founder
Sia: The Comanche Nation
Eagle & Raptor Program
P. O. Box 341
Cyril, Oklahoma 73029
1-580-464-2750
www.comancheeagle.org
