Endangered Resources

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For over 25 years, the Endangered Resources Program has worked to conserve Wisconsin's biodiversity for present and future generations. Our goals are to identify, protect and manage native plants, animals and natural communities from the very common to critically endangered. We work with others to promote knowledge, appreciation and stewardship of Wisconsin's native species and ecosystems.


Features

The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change

The State of the Birds report cover
2010 State of the Birds Report

A news release issued by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar concludes that climate change threatens to further imperil hundreds of species of migratory birds that are already under stress from habitat loss, invasive species and other environmental threats. The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and experts from the nation’s leading conservation organizations, shows that climate changes will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest peril. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect nature’s resources for the benefit of people and wildlife.
Read the 2010 State of the Birds report...(exit DNR)

Peregrine Falcons are back in Madison

Peregrine falcon
© Laura Erickson

On February 25th, peregrine falcons were spotted for the first time this year at Madison's MG&E nest site, where three young were successfully produced in 2009. Last year's nest pair were Verne and his mate Frightful. However, the birds spotted this year are another pair. Steve Schultz, Executive Director - MGE Energy Production, was able to read a band number via their web cam. The falcon ID'd is "Suzuki", a male produced along with 4 siblings in 2006 at We Energies Pleasant Prairie Power Plant. The female's identification is still unknown at this time. Peregrines are known to be quite territorial and as there was a fair amount of turnover of falcons at the MG&E site last year, it will be interesting to see if Suzuki ends up holding his ground and nesting there. Watch the MG&E nest box videos.... (exit DNR)

Cougar spotted on trail-cams in Clark County; tracks in Bayfield County

Cougar photo courtesy of Leu and Krystal Vang
© Leu and Krystal Vang

Trail cams and individual track observations continue to help DNR biologists track cougar sightings in the state. Two trail cam sightings occurred within 13 miles of one another in Clark County and cougar tracks were also observed in Bayfield County. If this cougar is the same seen in Minnesota in December, this animal has travelled approximately 136 miles in 44 days. Previous observations of a cougar in Dunn and St. Croix counties proved through genetic testing to be of the same individual. Read more on the latest sightings...

Cougar Travels to Dunn County - seen on a trail camera

Photo of the deer carcass

On December 19th, a cougar was photographed on a trail camera on a farm in Dunn County. Fresh tracks and a recent deer kill were found nearby. Photo of a cougar track This location is approximately 16 miles southeast of the area where tracks were seen on December 16th (see story below). Assuming this is the same cougar as the one coming out of the Twin Cities, it appears to be traveling to the ESE at 5-7 miles per day. Read more on cougar sightings...


Escape to the sights and sounds of nature! View our Endangered Resources Music Video [VIDEO Length 1:29]

Banding Together for Research - 60 years of raptors at Cedar Grove

Photo of hawks as they await processing by Paul A. Smith Since 1950, Helmut Mueller and Dan Berger have been trapping and banding raptors and other birds at Cedar Grove Hawk Research Station and they continue their research today. The station has the longest sustained record of activity in North America for trapping and banding migratory raptors and more than 20,000 birds of prey of 23 species have been live-trapped, banded, measured, and released. Berger and Mueller were recently recognized by the Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology for their six decades of research at the site. Largely self-funded and relying on an all-volunteer crew, the facility has the "longest sustained record for birds of prey in North America," said Gloria McCutcheon, DNR regional director. Read more.... (exit DNR)

Road trips to the right place at the right time: Wisconsin's Birding and Nature Trail

Photo of the five regional guides Nothing builds an appreciation for nature like seeing, hearing and watching it for yourself. Though wild animals don't suddenly appear on cue, experienced bird watchers have tried to tip the odds in your favor by forming lists of "best bets" to see birds in key places at key times of the year. That was the concept in compiling the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail – a series of regional auto routes that could get you to the right place at the right time to find the places where birds congregate during their courtships, breeding seasons, migrations, resting times and feeding periods. Read the full Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine article...

White-nose Syndrome: A Grave Threat to Wisconsin's Bats

Bats with white-nose syndrome

Bats are a vital part of the ecosystem, vacuuming up insects that spread West Nile virus and other illnesses. Without them, farmers would need more pesticides for their crops. For now, Wisconsin's bat population is healthy and hearty. But a devastating fungus is racing through cave-dwelling bat populations in eastern states and it's headed this way. White-nose syndrome has now killed an estimated 1 million bats, and experts say it could reach Wisconsin within two to three years. More... (exit DNR)

Read more... (exit DNR)

Donate to the Wisconsin Bat Conservation Endowment Fund... (exit DNR)

Gray Wolf Back on Endangered Species List Gray Wolf

On June 29th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to reinstate federal protection of wolves in the upper Great Lakes region. A coalition of wolf advocate groups led by the Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit June 15, challenged the federal government's decision. A court-ordered settlement restores federal Endangered Species Act protections for more than 4,000 gray wolves around the Great Lakes. The Service will provide an additional opportunity for public comment on the rule to ensure compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act. While the Service gathers additional public comment, gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes area will again be protected under the Endangered Species. All restrictions and requirements in place under the Act prior to the delisting will be reinstated.
Read more about the changes... (exit DNR)
Read about the gray wolf in Wisconsin

Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States: An Endangered Species Success Story

A new book edited by Adrian Wydeven (mammal ecologist and wolf program coordinator for the Wisconsin DNR), Tim Van Deelen (assistant professor of wildlife ecology at UW- Madison), and Ed Heske (Illinois Natural History Survey) is available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds from sales going to support the conservation of wolves for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The book on the recovery of gray wolves examines the history of wolf management, habitat, depredation management, population dynamics, ESA listing process, social surveys, and education efforts within the region that has allowed this recovery to occur. The book contains 21 chapters, authored by 47 individuals, including 8 current or retired employees of the Wisconsin DNR. More Information... (exit DNR)

The Vanishing Present: Wisconsin's Changing Lands, Waters, and Wildlife

Cover of The Vanishing Present: Wisconsin's Changing Lands, Waters, and Wildlife

A new book edited by Donald M. Waller (Professor of botany and environmental studies at UW-Madison) and Thomas P. Rooney (assistant professor of biological sciences and environmental sciences at Wright State University) is available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds from sales going to support the research fund of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Endangered Resources. "The Vanishing Present brings together a distinguished set of contributors including scientists, naturalists, and policy experts to examine how human pressures on Wisconsin's changing lands, waters, and wildlife have redefined the state's ecology." More Information... (exit DNR)

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If you see a whooping crane...
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Cougars in Wisconsin
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New Pages

Changes to the Endangered Resources Review Program
Forest Habitat Types
Flambeau River State Forest Biotic Inventory

Popular Downloads

Bat House - Assembly Directions [PDF 558KB]
State Natural Areas Inspection Report [PDF 15KB]
Wisconsin Endangered and Threatened Species Laws & List [PDF 221KB]
Checklist of Wisconsin Birds [PDF 1.3MB]

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ATRI - Aquatic and Terrestrial Resources Inventory
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Escape to the sights and sounds of nature! View our Endangered Resources Music Video [VIDEO Length 1:29]
Last Revised: March 8, 2010