Teaching Wildlife Damage Management Through Service-Learning

As human-wildlife conflicts in South Carolina continue to increase, it became evident that students in the natural resource majors at Clemson University were not receiving the proper training and exposure to wildlife damage issues and management. To address this need, an undergraduate and graduate course was developed to expose students to various techniques used to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Other topic areas included the philosophical, sociological, ecological and economic basis for controlling damage caused by individual animals or populations of problem wildlife. The course involves a high degree of service-learning addressing human-wildlife conflict issues in South Carolina

Lack of Support for Coyote Control of Raccoon Populations Predicted by the Mesopredator Release Hypothesis

Predator control programs are often highly criticized for treating predator species in isolation without considering the potential indirect effects of manipulating individual segments of the predator guild. The mesopredator release hypothesis (MRH) in particular predicts strong indirect effects of predator control where mid-sized predators are released from pressure when large-bodied predators are removed from a system. Recent coyote (Canis latrans) colonization of the southeastern United States has prompted speculation on the top-down effects of a new top predator on systems which have gone without a strong predator presence since the extirpation of the red wolf (Canis rufus). This presentation will report on the results of a doctoral dissertation project investigating the potential impact of coyotes on raccoons (Procyon lotor) with three indirect field tests of one prediction of the MRH: 1) lack of significant instances of raccoons in coyote diet; 2) lack of spatial avoidance of raccoons to areas treated with coyote urine; and 3) lack of raccoon behavioral response to coyote scat treatments. This lack of indirect support for coyote suppression of raccoon populations might suggest that coyote control programs in the Southeast are not likely to have indirect effects on ground nesting prey. However, the MRH may still predict indirect effects of coyotes through a different intermediate predato

Using Workshops to Educate Landowners About Developing Natural Resource Enterprises to Diversify Income on the Family Farm

Enterprises based on the natural resources available on farm and other private lands, such as fee-access hunting and fishing, agritourism, and wildlife watching, can provide opportunities for supplementing and diversifying income. Workshops featuring a combination of presentations and field tours were implemented throughout the southern U.S. to educate landowners on the benefits, considerations, and management of these enterprises. Participants were surveyed regarding workshop quality and future land management activities. Most landowners reported that the information gained at these events would increase revenues collected on their properties and that they expect to modify their current land use practices as a result

Survey of Pine Vole Activity in Apple Orchards near Roanoke, Virginia

A survey of pine vole activity in apple orchards around the Roanoke, Virginia area was made in conjunction with current trapping efforts involving pine vole research. A total of 60 orchards were examined and subjectively ranked according to pine vole activity. At least 10% of the trees in each orchard were examined for signs of possible activity

Beavers

The beaver (Castor canadensis) is the largest North American rodent. Most adults weigh from 35 to 50 pounds (15.8 to 22.5 kg), with some occasionally reaching 70 to 85 pounds (31.5 to 38.3 kg). Individuals have been known to reach over 100 pounds (45 kg). The beaver is a stocky rodent adapted for aquatic environments. Many of the beaver’s features enable it to remain submerged for long periods of time. It has a valvular nose and ears, and lips that close behind the four large incisor teeth. Each of the four feet have five digits, with the hind feet webbed between digits and a split second claw on each hind foot. The front feet are small in comparison to the hind feet. The underfur is dense and generally gray in color, whereas the guard hair is long, coarse and ranging in color from yellowish brown to black, with reddish brown the most common coloration. The prominent tail is flattened dorsoventrally, scaled, and almost hairless. It is used as a prop while the beaver is sitting upright and for a rudder when swimming. Beavers also use their tail to warn others of danger by abruptly slapping the surface of the water.The beaver’s large front (incisor) teeth, bright orange on the front, grow continuously throughout its life. These incisors are beveled so that they are continuously sharpened as the beaver gnaws and chews while feeding, girdling, and cutting trees. The only way to externally distinguish the sex of a beaver, unless the female is lactating, is to feel for the presence of a baculum (a bone in the penis) in males and its absence in females. Exclusion: Fence small critical areas such as culverts, drains, or other structures. Install barriers around important trees in urban settings. Cultural Methods and Habitat Modification: Eliminate foods, trees, and woody vegetation where feasible. Continually destroy dams and materials used to build dams. Install a Clemson beaver pond leveler, three-log drain, or other structural device to maintain a lower pond level and avoid further pond expansion. Frightening: Shooting of individuals or dynamiting or other continued destruction of lodges, bank dens, and dams, where legal, will occasionally move young colonies out of an area. Repellents: None are registered; however, there is some evidence that repellents may be useful. Toxicants: None are registered. Trapping: No. 330 Conibear® traps. Leghold traps No. 3 or larger (including coil-spring types with equivalent jaw spread and impact). Basket/suitcase type traps are primarily used for live trapping. Snares can be useful, particularly in dive sets and slides where legal. Shooting: Rarely effective (where legal) for complete control efforts and can be dangerous to humans. Other Methods: Other methods rarely solve a beaver damage problem and may increase risks to humans and nontarget species

Management and Attitudes Towards Predators on Quail Plantations in the Southeastern United States

Loss of habitat and predation are two of the primary reasons given for recent bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) population declines in the southeastern United States. However, the bobwhite quail remains a favored game species of many hunters throughout the southeastern states, a fact that is reflected in the many private and commercial quail plantations advertising quail hunts. A survey of private and commercial landowners in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida was conducted to determine the significance of predator control programs in the respondents’ management plans. Survey questions aimed to assess the respondents’ attitudes towards predators of bobwhite quail, the extent to which predators were controlled, and the perceived return of the implemented predator control programs. Results will be examined for which mammalian predator species are more commonly removed, which predator control practices are most common, and the cost and perceived return of such practices between private and commercial quail plantation owners and among the southeastern states

ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: COMPATIBLE OR CONFLICTING?

Examples of wildlife-human conflicts include deer-automobile collisions, disease transmission concerns, and damage to various commodities (e. g. agricultural crops, timber production). The extent of these problems is increasing at a time when American\u27s attitudes are shifting emphasis from commodity production to concern for the environment. Ecosystem management has been proposed as a strategy to balance concerns for commodity production and the environment. Ecosystem management, unlike traditional natural resource management, will require management over large areas for long periods of time. This new philosophy of land management requires that the natural resource base be viewed in its entirety, and not as separate and independent parts. Ecosystem management will require cooperative decision making by all stakeholders. The public wants to be involved in the definition of a healthy ecosystem as well as determining management strategies that maintain and enhance the integrity of ecosystems. Social, economic and ecological factors must be considered if ecosystem management is to be embraced by the public. Ecosystem function over the landscape has been altered by many factors including habitat modification, elimination of large predators, and introduction of exotic species. Examination of these factors suggests that wildlife damage management will need to be an integral part of practical ecosystem

Beavers

The American beaver (Castor canadensis) (Figure 1) is known as an “ecosystem engineer” because of the benefits their dams provide to biological diversity and ecosystem function. It also is considered a “keystone species” because of its ability to transform its environment, creating new habitats upon which other species depend. Despite the many positive benefits beavers provide through foraging and dam building, beavers also create conflict with people when their activities cause damage. The authors of this publication acknowledge and appreciate the many positive benefits that beavers provide; however, the focus of this publication is to provide basic information on beaver ecology, damage, and management. In general, beavers cause damage by 1) gnawing on trees or crops; 2) flooding trees, crops, property, or transportation corridors (roads, airports, railways) through dam building; and 3) degrading and destabilizing banks and levees through burrowing. There are several lethal and nonlethal damage management tools and techniques for resolving beaver conflicts. Lethal methods include shooting and trapping. Although lethal methods may be appropriate in many situations, modern wildlife damage management also includes several non-lethal options. Non-lethal techniques for reducing beaver damage include exclusion, habitat modification, repellents, and relocation. To be the most effective at reducing damage, it is recommended that several management methods be used in combination

Parasites of Culled Resident and Migratory Double-Crested Cormorants

The Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus: DCCO) is lethally managed in many states because of damage to farmed and recreational fisheries. Because a majority of birds culled in the U.S. are migratory cormorants, parasite assemblages may differ from resident birds, due to the diversity of feeding habitats and prey community assemblages encountered over their geographic range. We used multivariate techniques to identify if distinct assemblages and/or proportions of parasites could be identified at the genus level, among geographically different colonies of DCCO. Additionally, we assess the efficacy of models to predict the foraging location of a cormorant based on parasite assemblage. We assessed the intestinal parasites of 218 DCCO culled from 11 sites in Alabama, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Vermont. Intestines were frozen prior to analysis. Following thawing and defatting, contents including the endothelial layer, were collected from the entire length of the intestine. Parasites were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level based on previously reported parasites of the Phalacrocorax genus in North America. The majority of parasites (87%) recovered were digenetic trematodes. Four species of trematode were found to change significantly in abundance (prevalence and/or intensity) with latitude and/or longitude. Similar diversity was noted for cestodes, nematodes, and acanthocephalans recovered from the samples

Field Assessment of the Effectiveness of DiazaCon™ on Reducing Gray Squirrel Reproduction and Population

The Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) (EGS) is a common wildlife species in urban and suburban communities within the eastern United States. Due to their relative adaptability and limited predation in urban environments, their numbers have increased in communities across their natural range resulting in an increase in human-squirrel conflicts. DiazaCon™ is on oral contraceptive that ultimately interferes with production of necessary reproductive steroids. The objectives of this multi-year study are to determine the efficacy of DiazaCon™ in reducing EGS reproduction and monitor potential effects of consumption of treated EGS primarily by Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) on the Clemson University campus