New Associate Editor

Francesco M. Angelici, Ph.D., currently works in the areas of behavioral ecology, wildlife management, zoogeography, and mammal systematic and conservation studies, particularly concerning carnivores, lagomorphs, and ungulates. His other fields of research are ornithology (Falconiformes, Passeriformes, and Strigiformes) and herpetology (ecology of snakes). He studies Mediterranean and tropical fauna, with particular reference to the conservation of vertebrates. He also works in the areas of planning and environmental conservation. He has planned 3 international congresses on “Problematic Wildlife,” and he is editor of 2 books published by Springer (one in press) on the same topic. He currently works also as a zoologist conservationist with hunting management agencies. He is also a specialist in African savannah environments as well as desert and tropical rain forests. He was a lecturer in courses in zoology (Vertebrate Zoology, Wildlife Management, Animal Ecology, and Zoogeography) from 1990 to 2009 in Italian universities. He is an associate professor in the Italian (and European) academic system

Scientific Wildlife Management in Ohio: The Legacy of Paul B. Sears

Author Institution: School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State UniversityPaul B. Sears had an eclectic interest in ecosystems, including an active concern for wildlife. His professional training was in botany and ecology, but he was one of the first to recognize and write clearly about wildlife as a resource vitally dependent on soils, plant communities and human land use. He employed his impressive scientific capabilities in active service to practical wildlife conservation as chairman of the Board of the National Audubon Society, member of the Ohio Commission on Conservation and Natural Resources and member of The Ohio Wildlife Council. In these positions and others, he did much to further scientific wildlife management. He probably will be remembered best in wildlife management circles for his insightful insistence that wildlife problems were ecosystem problems generated, and therefore solvable, by humans

Ranaviruses: Lethal Pathogens of Ectothermic Vertebrates

Animal Ecology; Environmental Health; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management; Virology; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Conservation Biology/Ecolog

New Associate Editors

New associate editors are Dwayne Elmore and David Dahlgren. Dwayne Elmore is a professor, wildlife extension specialist, and Bollenbach Chair in wildlife biology in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Oklahoma State University. Specific areas of interest include wildlife habitat relationships, Galliform ecology and management, and thermal ecology. Current research projects are focused on how management and human activity affect various species of grouse and quail. He works with stakeholder groups including private landowners, NGOs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, and multiple state wildlife agencies to provide technical assistance on land management issues. David Dahlgren completed his master’s and doctoral degrees as well as a post-doctoral fellowship while researching sage-grouse reproductive habitat and ecology at Utah State University (USU). Following his formal education, in 2010 he began working for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism as their upland game specialist, a statewide coordinator position covering pheasants, quail, and prairie-chicken management and research. His time in Kansas reemphasized for him the importance of local communities, private producers and landowners, and inter-agency coordination for wildlife conservation and management. In 2013, he returned to USU and began a position as an extension associate working in the Community-based Conservation Program. In 2016, he began an assistant professorship within the Department of Wildland Resources at USU as an extension specialist with an emphasis on wildlife and rangeland habitat. He has a beautiful wife (Lacey), and 3 wonderful girls (Maylee–10; Adalou–8; and Phoebe–6). He is owned by 4 birddogs, one of which is a young German Wirehaired Pointer, his first non-German shorthair pup. He also loves fly-fishing and any time when he can get a fishing pole with a hooked fish at the other end into one of his daughters’ hands

Scaled Ecology: A Framework for Evaluating Conservation of Wildlife Ecological Processes

Ecological processes are scaled in time and space, including those associated with wildlife. Understanding the ecological processes of wildlife species and their contributions to ecosystems is crucial for effective conservation. This study focuses on American bison (Bison bison) as a case-study species to explore the holistic scaling of wildlife ecology. A PRISMA-style literature review was conducted to gather and map the scaled ecology of bison. An AIC best-fit analysis was conducted to assess the scaling of total bison ecology considering 7 different models. The results rejected the null model and identified the best-fit model as a combination between fencing and subspecies with a cumulative weight of 68%. Unfenced wood and plains bison appear to have all reported ecology conserved in management, with plains bison limited in dispersal and range expansion. Fenced plains bison show the largest area of concern as multiple ecological processes appear to not be conserved in most herds. Fenced plains bison are also kept at the highest densities of all groups, potentially removing opportunities for ecological expression, or forcing bison to express these processes differently than unfenced herds, as the spatiotemporal association of ecology for fenced bison was low compared to unfenced herds (R2 = 0.13). Considering the entirety of bison ecology in conservation efforts and management solutions, especially for bison managed behind fences will likely contribute to efforts of measuring for ecological functionality and address the implications of animal husbandry practices mirrored in bison management. The study methodology can be applied to any species. Scaling the total ecology of species across spatiotemporal gradients provides a comprehensive understanding of their ecological processes and facilitates targeted conservation measures. By incorporating scaled ecology into conservation practices, managers can better conserve wildlife species and contribute to their long-term sustainability

The Probe, Issue 172 – December 1996

A Conservation Dilemma-The Free-Ranging Domestic Cat, by John Coleman, Stan Temple, and Scott Craven, Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 9th Northern Furbearer Conference on May 22-23,1997 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada: Second Announcement / First Call for Papers Darrel Juve to Retire Wolves Attack People in Kazakhstan Video Review: Basic Coyote Control produced by Tom Beaudette of High Country Control Australian Wants to Unleash Fatal Virus on Felines Abstracts Published at the 3rd Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society: Leghold Traps: An Overview of Social and Biological Issues Behind the Controversy, William F. Andelt, Robert L. Phillips, and Robert H. Schmidt The Role of State Wildlife Agencies in Regulating the Nuisance Wildlife Control Industry, Thomas G. Barnes Enhancing Shorebird Populations Through Predator Management, Janet L. Bucknall Economics of Wildlife Damage Management, Guy Connolly Involving Communities in Wildlife Damage Management Decisions, Paul D. Curtis, Daniel J. Decker, andR. J. Stout Human Dimensions of Living With Wildlife—A Management Challenge for the 21st Century, Daniel J. Decker To Kill or Not To Kill: The Science of Wildlife Population Management, Richard A. Dolbee

Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology 2020 Report to Cooperators

The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the University of Maine Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology are pleased to summarize the past year’s research accomplishments and activities in this annual report. Together, we have collaborated with scientists from State and Federal agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations on 37 research projects presented in the pages that follow. These collaborative relationships enable us to pose a variety of research questions in interdisciplinary studies to address the resource management information needs of our research sponsors and to advance science in wildlife and fisheries ecology, management, and conservation. We value these opportunities to work together and look forward to continuing these relationships as well as developing new collaborations in the year ahead

Can sacrificial feeding areas protect aquatic plants from herbivore grazing? Using behavioural ecology to inform wildlife management

Effective wildlife management is needed for conservation, economic and human well-being objectives. However, traditional population control methods are frequently ineffective, unpopular with stakeholders, may affect non-target species, and can be both expensive and impractical to implement. New methods which address these issues and offer effective wildlife management are required. We used an individual-based model to predict the efficacy of a sacrificial feeding area in preventing grazing damage by mute swans (Cygnus olor) to adjacent river vegetation of high conservation and economic value. The accuracy of model predictions was assessed by a comparison with observed field data, whilst prediction robustness was evaluated using a sensitivity analysis. We used repeated simulations to evaluate how the efficacy of the sacrificial feeding area was regulated by (i) food quantity, (ii) food quality, and (iii) the functional response of the forager. Our model gave accurate predictions of aquatic plant biomass, carrying capacity, swan mortality, swan foraging effort, and river use. Our model predicted that increased sacrificial feeding area food quantity and quality would prevent the depletion of aquatic plant biomass by swans. When the functional response for vegetation in the sacrificial feeding area was increased, the food quantity and quality in the sacrificial feeding area required to protect adjacent aquatic plants were reduced. Our study demonstrates how the insights of behavioural ecology can be used to inform wildlife management. The principles that underpin our model predictions are likely to be valid across a range of different resource-consumer interactions, emphasising the generality of our approach to the evaluation of strategies for resolving wildlife management problems

An applied ecology of fear framework: linking theory to conservation practice

Research on the ecology of fear has highlighted the importance of perceived risk from predators and humans in shaping animal behavior and physiology, with potential demographic and ecosystem-wide consequences. Despite recent conceptual advances and potential management implications of the ecology of fear, theory and conservation practices have rarely been linked. Many challenges in animal conservation may be alleviated by actively harnessing or compensating for risk perception and risk avoidance behavior in wild animal populations. Integration of the ecology of fear into conservation and management practice can contribute to the recovery of threatened populations, human–wildlife conflict mitigation, invasive species management, maintenance of sustainable harvest and species reintroduction plans. Here, we present an applied framework that links conservation interventions to desired outcomes by manipulating ecology of fear dynamics. We discuss how to reduce or amplify fear in wild animals by manipulating habitat structure, sensory stimuli, animal experience (previous exposure to risk) and food safety trade-offs to achieve management objectives. Changing the optimal decision-making of individuals in managed populations can then further conservation goals by shaping the spatiotemporal distribution of animals, changing predation rates and altering risk effects that scale up to demographic consequences. We also outline future directions for applied research on fear ecology that will better inform conservation practices. Our framework can help scientists and practitioners anticipate and mitigate unintended consequences of management decisions, and highlight new levers for multi-species conservation strategies that promote human–wildlife coexistence

Five Managers, Five Continents, Perspectives Shared

Wildlife management and conservation are dynamic, solving problems on landscapes where people live, work and recreate. Manager to manager exchanges are as relevant to advancing conservation knowledge as professional publications, but have yet to reach the same institutional/cultural application within our profession. Many in the world focus on total protection and protected areas as the basis for conservation, i.e. the Yellowstone model. Today, a new focus is emerging on conservation through management, recognizing that most of the world’s land base occurs outside of protected areas. This presentation will focus on shared experiences between wildlife managers on five continents. It will begin with introduced species (red deer) management and plant/rangeland ecology in the Patagonia region of Argentina; then disease concerns, wildlife tolerances, livestock husbandry in the Serengeti, Mara and Mara Conservancy areas of Tanzania and Kenya. It will bring perspectives to hunting season management of red deer and relationships to Amur tiger conservation in the Russian Far East. Finally, it will land in northern Europe to discuss livestock (reindeer) predation experienced by the Sámi people of Norway and Sweden, and their reindeer loss reimbursement approach. The experiences and perspectives gained and shared by Montana wildlife managers and biologists will be discussed, as they have changed our season setting applications and are refining predator/ prey/livestock management in Montana. In today’s time, manager to manager exchanges may become the most relevant approach to advancing new management and conservation thoughts, philosophies, research initiatives, and policies