Developing a Curriculum for the Nuisance Wildlife Control Industry in New York

The nuisance wildlife control industry continues to expand in New York State. Each year during the past 5 years, approximately 1,200-1 ,400 private Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators (NWCOs) were given authority to handle wildlife conflicts by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). These NWCOs were required to complete a trapper education course, and a personal interview or exam prior to obtaining a permit. The education and experience requirements for NWCOs varied by region in New York. The goals of this project were to: (1) develop a core curriculum for individuals who desired to handle nuisance wildlife and charge a fee for service, (2) standardize license requirements across the state, (3) enhance professionalism and training of individuals involved in the NWCO industry, and (4) develop a test bank of questions for administration of an examination. Existing educational programs from throughout the United States were reviewed for content and suitability in New York State. A core educational manual was developed by staff with Cornell University and a DEC review team. The curriculum will be piloted during 2003 in conjunction with legislative changes that mandate training for NWCOs in New York State

Arthropod Phylogenetics in Light of Three Novel Millipede (Myriapoda: Diplopoda) Mitochondrial Genomes with Comments on the Appropriateness of Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Data for Inferring Deep Level Relationships

Background Arthropods are the most diverse group of eukaryotic organisms, but their phylogenetic relationships are poorly understood. Herein, we describe three mitochondrial genomes representing orders of millipedes for which complete genomes had not been characterized. Newly sequenced genomes are combined with existing data to characterize the protein coding regions of myriapods and to attempt to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships within the Myriapoda and Arthropoda. Results The newly sequenced genomes are similar to previously characterized millipede sequences in terms of synteny and length. Unique translocations occurred within the newly sequenced taxa, including one half of the Appalachioria falcifera genome, which is inverted with respect to other millipede genomes. Across myriapods, amino acid conservation levels are highly dependent on the gene region. Additionally, individual loci varied in the level of amino acid conservation. Overall, most gene regions showed low levels of conservation at many sites. Attempts to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships suffered from questionable relationships and low support values. Analyses of phylogenetic informativeness show the lack of signal deep in the trees (i.e., genes evolve too quickly). As a result, the myriapod tree resembles previously published results but lacks convincing support, and, within the arthropod tree, well established groups were recovered as polyphyletic. Conclusions The novel genome sequences described herein provide useful genomic information concerning millipede groups that had not been investigated. Taken together with existing sequences, the variety of compositions and evolution of myriapod mitochondrial genomes are shown to be more complex than previously thought. Unfortunately, the use of mitochondrial protein-coding regions in deep arthropod phylogenetics appears problematic, a result consistent with previously published studies. Lack of phylogenetic signal renders the resulting tree topologies as suspect. As such, these data are likely inappropriate for investigating such ancient relationships

THE ROLE OF THE NUISANCE WILDLIFE CONTROL PRACTITIONER IN URBAN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION

Private sector involvement in nuisance wildlife control has evolved from primarily part-time trappers to full-time firms with their own professional organization, the National Urban Wildlife Management Organization (NUWMA). The private sector plays a key role in urban wildlife management by providing an effective service in addressing human/wildlife conflicts. This role can be improved and expanded by enabling nuisance control practitioners to provide accurate information on wildlife biology, damage prevention, and even wildlife habitat promotion. Both government agencies and private organizations, such as NUWMA, can facilitate this by developing appropriate training, regulations, licensing procedures, standards of ethics, and continuing education programs

PERSPECTIVES ON WILDLIFE NUISANCE CONTROL: RESULTS OF A WILDLIFE DAMAGE CONTROL FIRM\u27S CUSTOMER SURVEY

Customers of Critter Control, Ins, offices were surveyed in 1990 and 1991 to examine their views and experience nuisance wildlife. Most of the survey respondents were having problems with raccoons (Procyon lotor), squirrels (Sciurus), skunks (Mephitis mephitis), woodchucks (Marmata monax), and moles (Talpidae). Approximately 25% of the respective attempted to control the nuisance situation themselves before contacting Critter Control. Most customers approved of the control of rats/mice (Muridae), moles, snakes, bats (Chiroptera), pigeons (Columba livia), and skunks. Most disapproves lethal control of deer (Odocoileus spp. ), geese (Branta canadensis), woodpeckers (Picoides spp.), squirrels, and raccoons. E eight percent of the respondents described the humane treatment of nuisance animals as either very or moderately imI to them. The survey results are incorporated into a discussion of attitudes towards wildlife in nuisance situations, and how attitudes affect the control of such problems