Michigan Bird Conservation Initiative

Wildlife managers thinning cormorant flocks near Oscoda, in U.P.

by Helen Lounsbury | The Bay City Times

Wednesday May 07, 2008, 1:55 PM

OSCODA - As double-crested cormorants swarm back to Michigan this month, wildlife managers say they're launching a more aggressive strategy to cut the fish-eating birds' numbers.

Plans to thin cormorant flocks statewide target Lake Huron's two largest nesting colonies: on Thunder Bay near Alpena and on the eastern U.P.'s Les Cheneaux Islands.

There, managers plan to reduce the birds' breeding flocks by about two-thirds.

Bird watchers flock to GH to spy rare bird

Thu, May 8, 2008

BY PETER DAINING
pdaining@grandhaventribune.com

Bird watchers spotted the first neotropic cormorant ever reported in Michigan off the Grand Haven pier head Monday.

USFWS Wildlife Biologist job

This position is located in the Branch of Policies, Permits, and Regulations in the Division of Migratory Bird Management (DMBM). The Branch is responsible for the coordination and guidance of migratory bird permitting, and oversees migratory bird regulations, including the annual revisions of waterfowl hunting regulations and subsistence regulations, and revisions of, or additions to, regulations governing other uses of migratory birds.

SALARY RANGE: 69,764.00 - 107,854.00 USD per year
OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 to Tuesday, May 13, 2008
SERIES & GRADE: GS-0486-12/13
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 13
POSITION INFORMATION: Full-Time Permanent
DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy - Arlington, VA (Ballston)

Volunteer Birders Needed at Pivotal Moment in Piping Plover Recovery

This spring and summer, beach-loving birders are invited to add the piping plover (Charadrius melodus) to their life lists while assisting state and federal conservation efforts focused on the small, sand-colored shorebird. Volunteer birdwatchers and nest monitors have a chance to help tip the balance in the plovers' favor, at a time when there is cause for cautious optimism about their future.

5 Seasonal MI DNR Wildlife Assistants

Vacancy Announcements - Wildlife Assistant (6/7/E8)

5 Seasonal Wildlife Assistant (6/7/E8) vacancies are now posted separately on the Civil Service website for "all applicants."

Gladwin Field Office, Saginaw Bay Management Unit

Fish Point Wildlife Area, Saginaw Bay Management Unit

Traverse City Field Office, Northwest Management Unit

Allegan State Game Area, Southwest Management Unit

Muskegon State Game Area, Southwest Management Unit

The application deadline for these vacancies is the close of business on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.

Some Migratory Birds Can`t Find Success in Urban Areas

Newswise — New research finds fresh evidence that urbanization in the United States threatens the populations of some species of migratory birds.

But the six-year study also refutes one of the most widely accepted explanations of why urban areas are so hostile to some kinds of birds.

Gobblers Galore

Spring gobbler hunting is back bigger and better than ever. Here's where to go for your longbeard in 2008.

By Greg Keefer

"We had a good nesting year and a lot of jakes in the spring of 2007," said Al Stewart, the DNR's upland game specialist in Lansing.

"Turkeys are spread out over most of the southern third of the Lower Peninsula and there really aren't any spots to hunt that are better than others. We now have birds in 79 of the state's 83 counties, with most of them in their native range south of a line drawn between Muskegon and Bay City. Simply put, we have a lot of birds."

MSU Kellogg Bird Sanctuary seeks volunteers

Posted by Hometown Staff April 05, 2008 14:00PM

AUGUSTA -- If you enjoy working with people and would like to learn about birds and wildlife, you are invited to become a volunteer at Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station's Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, located at 12685 East C Ave. in Augusta.

You may choose to become an interpreter or a Resource Center greeter/gift shop cashier.

Birdfeeders Can Both Help And Harm Bird Populations

ScienceDaily (Apr. 7, 2008) — Millions of people tend bird feeders in their backyards each year, often out of a desire to help the animals. But a new survey of research on the topic finds that feeding may not always bring a positive outcome for the birds.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, DNR Promote Children and the Outdoors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2008

Contact: Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014

Recognizing the growing gap between today’s children and the outdoors, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has designated April 22-27 as "No Child Left Inside Days" in Michigan.

The Department of Natural Resources is promoting the benefits of outdoor recreation by providing a number of opportunities and suggestions for educators, parents and guardians to help in this effort to mend the child-nature connection.