Endangered Resources
The Endangered Resources Program celebrated 25 years of conservation successes in 2008, working 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
Cougar Travels to Dunn County - seen on a trail camera
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. 
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...
Cougar Tracks found in St. Croix County
Fresh tracks found in snow at a farm in St. Croix County have been confirmed by
Wisconsin DNR officials as a cougar. On December 18th, DNR wildlife biologists
tracked the big cat for over one mile near the Eau Galle reservoir. Small snow
balls licked off the fur were found and still contained hair. Mammalian ecologist,
Adrian Wydeven, doesn't know whether this is the same animal seen in Minnesota,
but hair and urine samples taken from the cat may help answer that question. Read
an article in the Pioneer Press... (exit DNR) or
see more
photos....
Banding Together for Research - 60 years of raptors at Cedar Grove
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
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...
New Endangered Resources License Plate Designs
Bluebird |
Heron |
Badger |
Woodpecker |
The Endangered Resources Program is excited to introduce a new, second license plate that will be available for purchase in addition to the original wolf plate. The new plate will help showcase our work to protect Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their habitats. Each of the new plate designs represents the diversity of Wisconsin's natural heritage and includes non-game animals and the ecosystems that support them. The money from the $25 contributed to each Endangered Resources license plate is used to support the program's conservation fund account. More....
Carnivore Tracking Programs and Wolf Ecology Workshops for 2009-2010
White-nose Syndrome: A Grave Threat to Wisconsin's Bats
Read more... (exit DNR)
Donate to the Wisconsin Bat Conservation Endowment Fund... (exit DNR)
Gray Wolf Back on Endangered Species List
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
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)
More Endangered Resources News...
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