EFFECT OF RACCOON (PROCYON LOTOR) REDUCTION ON BLANDING’S TURTLE (EMYDOIDEA BLANDINGII) NEST SUCCESS

The Lake County Forest Preserve District has monitored a state-endangered Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) population at two adjoining nature preserves along the Illinois–Wisconsin border since 2004. Prior to predator management, 92.3% of documented and unprotected natural Blanding’s Turtle nests (12 of 13) and 88% of monitored artificial nests have been at least partially depredated. The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of subsidized Raccoon (Procyon lotor) removal efforts in increasing the nest success of Blanding’s Turtles. During April–May 2013 and 2014, we captured and euthanized 78 Raccoons from our 2 km2 study area. We estimated pre-removal abundance estimates using the Leslie depletion method; it appeared that we removed 83–89% of the Raccoons from the study area each year and pre-removal density estimates were 37.5% lower in 2014 than 2013. During the study period, we monitored 22 Blanding’s Turtle in situ unprotected nests. In 2013, one of seven (14%) Blanding’s Turtle nests was partially depredated and no nests were completely depredated, indicative of a successful impact of Raccoon removal on Blanding’s Turtle nest success. However in 2014, nine of 15 (60%) Blanding’s Turtle nests were depredated. Our results provide some evidence that removal of Raccoons may have increased Blanding’s Turtle nest success but other factors, such as a functional response of surviving Raccoons or depredation by other subsidized predators may be contributing to decreased nest success

Frontmatter for PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTEENTH NORTH AMERICAN CRANE WORKSHOP, 11-15 January 2017 Chattanooga, Tennessee

List of Previous Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshops: Suggested citation formats PREFACE Memorials: ROBERT H. HORWICH 1940-2017; WILLIAM A. LISHMAN 1939-2017; THEODORE A. BOOKHOUT 1931-2018; JAMES T. HARRIS 1950-2018 CONTENTS Front and back covers The North American Crane Working Group (NACWG) is an organization of professional biologists, aviculturists, land managers, non-professional crane enthusiasts, and others interested in and dedicated to the conservation of cranes and crane habitats in North America. Our group meets approximately every 3 years to exchange information pertaining to sandhill cranes and whooping cranes and occasionally reports about some of the other cranes species. The NACWG held the 14th North American Crane Workshop in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on 12-13 January 2017 preceded on 11 January by a social at the Chattanooga Zoo, and followed by field trips to nearby Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge on 14 January and to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (near Decatur, Alabama) on 15 January. The field trips coincided with the crane festivals held annually at both sites. Board member David Aborn did an outstanding job with local planning and arrangements. There were 70 registrants. The scientific program consisted of 37 oral and 14 poster presentations on North American cranes. Both field trip locations are major wintering areas for sandhill cranes and whooping cranes, and unusually warm weather resulted in great viewing. The L. H. Walkinshaw Crane Conservation Award, NACWG’s highest honor, was presented to Tom Stehn (Frontispiece). A special Award of Recognition was presented to local resident Ken Dubke, who was instrumental in Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge becoming a major sandhill crane migration stopover and wintering area and in raising historical awareness that led to creation of the Cherokee Removal Memorial. For many years Ken organized the annual Sandhill Crane and Cherokee Heritage Festival. During the NACWG business meeting, members voted to increase the size of the NACWG Board of Directors to 11 members, including a student representative; these currently include President Richard Urbanek, Vice-president Sammy King, Treasurer Barry Hartup, Secretary Daryl Henderson, David Aborn, Tommy Michot, Glenn Olsen, and new members George Archibald, Megan Brown, Paige Smith, and Hillary Thompson. The papers in these Proceedings represent 8 presentations from the workshop and 10 manuscripts submitted later. Abstracts of oral and poster presentations for which a paper is not published here are included at the end of the volume. Papers submitted for publication in the Proceedings are peer-reviewed according to scientific journal standards. We thank the following referees for their contribution to the quality of this volume: Ken F. Abraham, Jeb A. Barzen, David A. Brandt, Daniel P. Collins, Timothy A. Dellinger, Bruce D. Dugger, Taylor A. Finger, David L. Fronczak, Jeremy E. Guinn, Matthew A. Hayes, Jerome J. Howard, Gary L. Ivey, Eileen M. Kirsch, Susan N. Knowles, Anne E. Lacy, James R. Lovvorn, Robert G. McLean, Misty E. McPhee, Kim A. Miller, Neal D. Niemuth, Lovisa Nilsson, Gunter Nowald, Glenn H. Olsen, David Olson, Aaron T. Pearse, Brandon S. Reishus, Lisa A. Shender, Andrew P. Stetter, Thomas V. Stehn, Eva K. Szyszkoski, Josh L. Vest, Scott J. Werner, Brook J. Wilke, Jeffrey R. Wozniak, and Sara E. Zimorski. Daryl S. Henderson and Sara E. Zimorski were instrumental in final editing and proofing. This volume retains use of the genus Grus for 4 crane species (sarus, brolga, white-naped, and sandhill). Until analysis of nuclear DNA supports reclassification, the NACWG will continue to endorse the conclusions of Krajewski et al. (2010, Auk 127:440-452) and Krajewski (2018, Chapter 2 in Whooping Cranes: Biology and Conservation, Academic Press). Krajewski (personal communication, 2016) considers recent reclassification to the genus Antigone to be premature

Local Scale Comparisons of Avian and Woody Vegetation Communities within Four Arkansas State Parks

Measuring the spatial distribution of biotic communities can provide useful data to wildlife managers on how and why species assemblages differ across a landscape. During 18 May – 7 August 2015, we conducted avian point counts and collected vegetation data in nested subplots at 4 Arkansas state parks. We then used a series of one-way ANOVAs and Kruskal-Wallis tests to examine differences in species richness, Simpson’s evenness, Simpson’s diversity, and Bray-Curtis similarity across the 4 parks. Mount Magazine State Park had the lowest avian evenness (F3,22 = 9.57 P = 0.003) and diversity (F3,22 = 17.8 P ≤ 0.001). Mount Magazine also had the lowest understory vegetation evenness (F3,22 = 9.41 P ≤ 0.001) and diversity (F3,22 = 17.8 P ≤ 0.001). Our analyses provided weak evidence supporting a possible relationship between avian and understory woody vegetation communities at Mount Magazine; however, this relationship was not observed in the remaining parks. Comparing biotic communities across 4 local state parks may aid park managers by providing a baseline of biotic data that can be used to better understand the collective effects acting on a specific park’s flora and fauna

Survival, Movements, Social Structure, and Reproductive Behavior During Development of a Population of Reintroduced, Migratory Whooping Cranes

An effort to reintroduce a migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) into eastern North America began in 2001. During 2001-2004, 53 juveniles were released. All chicks were hatched at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Maryland, and transferred to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Wisconsin. Chicks were costume/isolation-reared and, with few exceptions, trained to follow ultralight aircraft, which led them to Chassahowitzka NWR, Central Gulf Coast of Florida. All individuals successfully returned to Central Wisconsin during their first spring migration except for the following: 5 individuals that were unable to navigate around Lake Michigan after taking an easterly migration route that terminated in Lower Michigan, and 1 female that did not return to Central Wisconsin until her second spring migration. A spring wandering period, in which yearlings typically explored and settled for several weeks in areas outside Central Wisconsin, followed spring migration. This temporary dispersal was more pronounced in females. Males summered in the core reintroduction area, while females not associated with males were more dispersed. In addition to the Michigan group noted, distant movements included 3 yearling females that summered in South Dakota, 1 female that summered as a yearling in Minnesota and then as a 2-year-old in Michigan, and 3 yearling males that staged in Minnesota in autumn. Many whooping cranes associated with sandhill cranes (G. canadensis). Many older whooping cranes returned to the Chassahowitzka pensite in subsequent fall migrations and then moved inland to winter in freshwater Florida habitats. The 2004-2005 winter was characterized by much greater dispersal than previous winters, with 14 of 34 returning birds wintering in South Carolina, North Carolina, or Tennessee. There were 12 mortalities during 2001-2005. These were associated with predation (7), gunshot (2), powerline strike (1), trauma of unknown source (1), and capture myopathy (1, euthanized). Mortalities due to predation resulted from bobcats (Lynx rufus) in southeastern U.S. (5), an undetermined predator in Wisconsin (1), and predation in Wisconsin of an adult that was roosting on land because of a fractured tarsus. A protective protocol was effective in reducing potential predation by bobcats at the Chassahowitzka release site after the first winter. During spring 2005, 7 breeding pairs were apparent on or near Necedah NWR. At least 5 of these pairs built nests, and 2 pairs each laid 1 egg. The young, inexperienced pairs did not adequately attend their nests, and neither egg survived. Four other potential pairs were also evident by summer 2005, and prospects were good for increased future reproductive activity

Impacts of Man-Made Structures on Avian Community Metrics in 4 State Parks in Northwestern Arkansas

Avian community metrics often differ between areas with no human disturbance and areas with high levels of human disturbance. However, the relationships between avian community metrics and smaller-scale disturbances are not as clear. Our goal was to investigate if avian abundance, richness, evenness, and diversity differed in areas with and without small-scale human developments. We used fixed-radius 50-m avian point counts to compare points which contained a man-made structure (n = 47), such as a picnic area, road, or campsite to those that did not contain a man-made structure (n = 181) at 4 state parks in Arkansas during 18 May – 7 August 2015. We used paired t-tests to compare points at the park scale and one-way ANOVAs or Kruskal-Wallis tests to investigate differences among the hiking and biking trails within parks. At the park scale, avian abundance (t₃ = -1.44, P = 0.246), richness (t₃ = ˗0.86, P = 0.453), diversity (t₃= 2.02, P = 0.137), and evenness (t₃ =˗0.37, P = 0.733) did not differ between points containing man-made structures and points without man-made structures. Species richness (F1,11 = 5.03, P= 0.047) and diversity (X^2₁ = 4.20, P = 0.040) were higher at points with man-made structures (Simpson’s D mean = 0.13 ± 0.01SE; S mean = 8.99 ± 0.70SE) at Pinnacle Mountain than points without man-made structures (Simpson’s D mean = 0.18 ± 0.03SE; S mean = 7.17 ± 0.47SE); abundance (F₁, ₁₁ = 1.43, P =0.257) and evenness (F₁, ₁₁ = 0.16, P = 0.695) did not differ among points. Within the 3 remaining parks, abundance (F₁,7-9 = 0.11 – 2.59, P = 0.152 – 0.748), richness (χ^2 ₁ = 0.300 – 1.68, P = 0.195 – 0.584), diversity (χ2 = 0.300 – 1.05, P = 0.305 – 0.584; F₁,7 =1.82, P = 0.219) and evenness (F₁,7-9 = 0.35 – 4.28, P =0.077 – 0.570) did not differ between points with and without man-made structures. Given the results of our analyses both at the park scale and within parks, it appears that small-scale man-made disturbances may have limited or no impact on avian community metrics

Intense myocyte formation from cardiac stem cells in human cardiac hypertrophy

It is generally believed that increase in adult contractile cardiac mass can be accomplished only by hypertrophy of existing myocytes. Documentation of myocardial regeneration in acute stress has challenged this dogma and led to the proposition that myocyte renewal is fundamental to cardiac homeostasis. Here we report that in human aortic stenosis, increased cardiac mass results from a combination of myocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Intense new myocyte formation results from the differentiation of stem-like cells committed to the myocyte lineage. These cells express stem cell markers and telomerase. Their number increased >13-fold in aortic stenosis. The finding of cell clusters with stem cells making the transition to cardiogenic and myocyte precursors, as well as very primitive myocytes that turn into terminally differentiated myocytes, provides a link between cardiac stem cells and myocyte differentiation. Growth and differentiation of these primitive cells was markedly enhanced in hypertrophy, consistent with activation of a restricted number of stem cells that, through symmetrical cell division, generate asynchronously differentiating progeny. These clusters strongly support the existence of cardiac stem cells that amplify and commit to the myocyte lineage in response to increased workload. Their presence is consistent with the notion that myocyte hyperplasia significantly contributes to cardiac hypertrophy and accounts for the subpopulation of cycling myocytes

COVID-19 vaccine skeptics are persuaded by pro-vaccine expert consensus messaging

To further understand how to combat COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy, we examined the effects of pro-vaccine expert consensus messaging on lay attitudes about vaccine safety and intention to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We surveyed 729 unvaccinated individuals from four countries in the early stages of the pandemic and 472 unvaccinated individuals from two countries after 2 years of the pandemic. We found belief of vaccine safety strongly correlated with intention to vaccinate in the first sample and less strongly in the second. We also found that consensus messaging improved attitudes toward vaccination even for participants who did not believe the vaccine is safe nor intended to get it. The persuasiveness of expert consensus was unaffected by exposing participants’ lack of knowledge about vaccines. We conclude that highlighting expert consensus may be a way to increase support toward COVID-19 vaccination in those hesitant or skeptical.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

TEN-YEAR STATUS OF THE EASTERN MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANE REINTRODUCTION

From 2001 to 2010, 132 costume-reared juvenile whooping cranes (Grus americana) were led by ultralight aircraft from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in central Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast of Florida on their first autumn migration (ultralight-led or UL), and 46 juveniles were released directly on Necedah NWR during autumn of the hatch year (direct autumn release or DAR). Return rate in spring was 90.5% for UL and 69.2% for DAR, the lower value of the latter attributable to 1 cohort with migration problems. Overall population survival 1 year and from 1 to 3 years post-release was 81% and 84%, respectively. Survival 1 year post-release was significantly different between UL (85.1%) and DAR (65.7%) cranes. Since summer 2008, DAR migration and wintering have improved, winter distribution of the population has changed, the migration route of the population has shifted westward, and number of yearlings summering in locations used during spring wandering has increased. Human avoidance problems resulted in 2 birds being removed from the population. As in earlier years, homing to the natal area and prolific pair formation continued (29 of 31 adult pairs have formed in the core reintroduction area), predation continued to be the primary cause of mortality, and parental desertion of nests, especially during the initial (primary) nesting period, continued. During 2005-2010, all 43 of these early nests failed; of 15 late nests or renests, chicks hatched from 8 nests, and 3 chicks fledged. As of 31 March 2011, the population contained a maximum 105 individuals (54 males and 51 females) including 20 adult pairs

NEST DESERTION IN A REINTRODUCED POPULATION OF MIGRATORY WHOOPING CRANES

Reintroduction of an eastern migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) into eastern North America began in 2001. Reproduction first occurred in 2005. Through 2008, eggs were produced in 22 first nests and 2 renests. All first nests failed–50% confirmed due to desertion by the parents and the remaining nest failures also consistent with the pattern of parental desertion. Nest failures were not related to stage of incubation, and they were often synchronous. Temperatures in winter and early spring affected timing of nest failure. An environmental factor such as harassment of incubating cranes by black flies (Simulium spp.) may be responsible for widespread nest desertion