House Mouse Damage to Insulation

House mice (Mus musculus) were introduced into 20, 4-inch thick insulated panels and provided unlimited food and water for six months. Mouse populations increased 3-to 4-fold inside the insulated panels. Aluminum foil vapor barriers were severely damaged by mice and in all cases, reduced to less than half of their original mass. All of the insulation materials tested (insulation board, fiberglass batt, rockwool, beadboard, and vermiculite) sustained significant levels of damage as measured by increased thermal conductance. Researchers have yet to discover an insulative material that is not susceptible to house mouse damage. Producers should use construction techniques that exclude house mice and other rodents from insulated walls. In addition, house mouse populations in and around buildings should be controlled to minimize economic damage

Educational Opportunities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

University students, particularly those enrolled in natural resources programs, make up one of the smallest, yet potentially most important and influential audiences for wildlife damage professionals. Considering that these students will be tomorrow\u27s natural resources technicians, biologists, and administrators, I feel that it is critical that we provide them factual information about wildlife damage to increase their awareness of potential problems and solutions, and increase their ability to make well-informed decisions

Developing Training Standards for Wildlife Control Operators

Wildlife have always threatened peoples’ comfort, safety, crops, domestic animals, and other property. Historically, wildlife and predator control were largely regulated by fur trapping and hunting laws, especially if an individual was protecting his or her property. Current laws that regulate problem wildlife are rooted in environmental conservation law. Enforcement of these regulations and laws regarding the capture and disposition of wildlife are conducted by game wardens or environmental conservation officers, whose primary mission is to enforce hunting and trapping laws. Under the Public Trust Doctrine, stewardship of wildlife is a government responsibility. State wildlife agencies have insufficient staff, however, to respond to the increase in human-wildlife conflicts created by rapid urbanization. Consequently, the profession of Wildlife Control Operators (WCOs) has emerged as a viable industry to manage negative wildlife interactions and conflicts. Thus, consistent training standards are needed for WCOs so that both wildlife and consumers are protected under Public Trust responsibilities. The National Wildlife Control Training Program (NWCTP) was created to provide a uniform standard for demonstrating core competency and understanding of integrated wildlife damage management (IWDM) principles

GOPHER: A Computerized Cost/Benefit Analysis of Pocket Gopher Control

GOPHER is a computer program that can assist landowners, extension agents, and resource personnel in determining the cost-effectiveness of various methods of pocket gopher control. The program is interactive and user-friendly. It allows for the input of variables, including: crop type, acreage, expected yield and value, and acreage infested. Material and labor costs can be assigned or standard default values can be used. Other fixed variables can be changed, including: pocket gopher density and rate of increase, rate of treatment, rate of retreatment, and forage recovery rate. With these variables and values, GOPHER generates the costs, time, and economic feasibility of pocket gopher control. Control methods include: hand baiting, hand probe, gopher probe, burrow builder, and trapping. It also provides estimates of costs for second treatments and pocket gopher expansion without control. Free copies of GOPHER are available from the authors by providing formatted 5 1/4 inch floppy disks or 3 1/2 inch disks

Deer Population Management Through Hunting in a Suburban Nature Area in Eastern Nebraska

The Fontenelle Forest Nature Area (FF) maintained a hands-off management policy for 30 years until it was recognized that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations had grown to such levels that they were severely degrading native plant communities. In 1995, members of a community task force decided to sponsor annual nine-day hunting seasons on FF after learning that densities exceeded 28 deer/km2. Archers harvested 85 antlerless deer in the FF upland areas adjacent to residential Bellevue, Nebraska during 1996 to 1998. Muzzleloader hunters removed 53 antlerless deer from the FF lowland areas. Archery and muzzleloader hunters harvested 297 deer during the same period in Gifford Point (GP), a state-owned wildlife management area adjacent to the FF lowlands. Overall deer densities declined from 28 deer/km2 in 1995 to 14 deer/km in 1998. Densities were at or near over-winter goals in all areas by 1998, except for the unhunted residential area, which still maintained 20 deer/km. Annual survival rates for radio-marked adult and yearling female deer were 0.70 and 0.59, respectively. Archery was the primary mortality factor (20%) for radio-marked deer across years. Population models predict that densities would increase to 55 deer/km in five years if hunting seasons were abandoned in FF. Hunter behavior in FF has been reported as excellent and little public opposition exists

DEER

Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are probably the most widely distributed and best-recognized large mammals in North America. Deer are even-toed ungulates of the family Cervidae. The white-tailed deer is found in every state in the United States except perhaps Alaska and Utah. Deer are creatures of the forest edge rather than the dense, old-growth forest. Browse (leaves, stems, and buds of woody plants) is generally available all year and is a staple food for deer. Breeding occurs from October to January depending on latitude. Deer damage a wide variety of row crops, forage crops, vegetables, fruit trees, nursery stock, and ornamentals, as well as stacked hay. Deer are protected year-round in all states and provinces, with the exception of legal harvest during appropriate big-game hunting seasons. Where deer are abundant or crops are particularly valuable, fencing may be the only way to effectively minimize deer damage

EFFECTS OF A VISUAL BARRIER FENCE ON THE BEHAVIOR AND MOVEMENTS OF BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS

Prairie dogs prefer an open view of their surroundings and may abandon an area with visual obstructions. We examined the effects of a visual barrier fence, which had a see-through visibility of 60%, on the foraging, vigilance, and aggressive behaviors of adult female black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in central Nebraska. We expected animals near a visual barrier to spend more time in vigilance and less time foraging. Adult female prairie dogs exposed to a visual barrier spent a greater amount of time foraging and less time in a headbob position than those not exposed to a fence (P = 0.087, P = 0.015). We also examined changes in prairie dog home ranges and use of an area in response to these visual barrier fences, expecting that prairie dogs would move away from fences over a 54-day period. If they invaded other territories, we expected to see more aggression on colonies with a fence. The size, shape, and location of home ranges and core activity areas of adult females did not change over time as a result of the presence of a visual barrier fence. We observed only 1 act of aggression during the study period. This apparent lack of aggression is likely due to the fidelity of study animals to established home ranges. The number of prairie dogs using areas at various distances from a visual barrier fence also did not change over this time (P \u3e 0.90). These results indicate that the visual barrier fence tested did not cause prairie dogs to be more vigilant and aggressive, nor did it affect their pre-established spatial use within the colony

The National Wildlife Control Training Program: an evolution in wildlife damage management education for industry professionals

Managing wildlife and reducing damage in rural areas has traditionally been achieved by hunting and trapping problem species or by preventing animals from accessing crops and entering buildings. With urban sprawl, specialized tools and management approaches often are needed to reduce wildlife conflicts in developed landscapes. To address these issues, the private wildlife control industry has grown considerably during the past 2 decades. State wildlife agencies have regulatory authority and oversight of this industry, and there is an increasing trend toward licensing or certification of commercial wildlife control operators (WCOs). Regulations differ in every state, however, and no consistent standard for training WCOs exists. We developed the National Wildlife Control Training Program (NWCTP) to provide a uniform standard for demonstrating core competency and understanding of integrated wildlife damage management (IWDM) principles. The NWCTP includes modules on basic principles of IWDM, physical safety, wildlife diseases, site inspection, general control methods, trapping, exclusion, toxicants, animal handling, euthanasia, legal, and ethical issues, and professionalism. The NWCTP was designed to be easily adapted for use in any state or province, and we encourage wildlife agencies that lack training materials to adopt the NWCTP

State Management of Human– Wildlife Conflicts

Many positive experiences are associated with wildlife, from passively watching animals in our backyards to actively hunting in publicly owned forests. Unfortunately, wildlife can be a double- edged sword. Human– wildlife conflicts are pervasive in society, and nearly all segments—wealthy and in need, urban and rural, east and west—can experience problems with wildlife. Agricultural producers lose an estimated $45 billion each year as a result of crop and livestock damage caused by big game, predators, waterfowl, and other wildlife species (Conover 2002). Row crops, forages, rangeland, fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, turf, and livestock are susceptible to damage by wildlife at various stages of production. Inhabitants of urban/suburban areas endure significant damage and nuisance problems caused by bears, deer, raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, rabbits, skunks, snakes, and others. In addition, over 75,000 people are injured annually or become ill as a result of wildlife- related incidents, at costs well exceeding$10 billion annually (Conover 2002). Coexistence with wildlife is a balancing act of dealing with their positive and negative impacts. Many state wildlife agencies have taken on the responsibility of reducing these negative impacts for the betterment of society. Wildlife damage management (WDM) is an increasingly important part of the wildlife profession because of expanding human populations and intensified land- use practices. Concurrent with this growing need to reduce human– wildlife conflicts, public attitudes and environmental regulations are restricting use of some traditional control tools, such as toxicants and traps. Agencies and individuals carrying out control programs are being scrutinized more carefully to ensure that their actions are justified, environmentally safe, humane, and in the public interest. Thus, WDM activities must be based on sound economic, scientific, and sociological principles and carried out as positive, necessary components of overall wildlife management programs

NF03-589 New Onsite Wastewater Treatment Law Protects Nebraska\u27s People and Environment

New Law Requires Certification to Perform On-site Wastewater Treatment Work Beginning Jan. 1, 2004, a new Nebraska law allows only certified professionals or Nebraska-licensed professional engineers to perform work on on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic systems and individual lagoons). There is a concern that failing septic systems are having a negative impact on the environment and creating potentially harmful health conditions. This legislation will protect public health and the environment by authorizing development of a certification system so that people in the industry have, and demonstrate, the knowledge base necessary to minimize risks. This NebFact discusses what this law will cover for Nebraska\u27s people and the environment