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NRCS to provide $332 million to protect and restore agricultural working lands, grasslands and wetlands

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is making available $332 million in financial and technical assistance through the  Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). ACEP applications may be submitted at any time to NRCS; however, applications for the current funding cycle must be submitted on or before May 15, 2015.

ACEP easements help ensure productive farm and ranch lands remain in agriculture and protect the critical wetlands and grasslands, home to diverse wildlife and plant species. The 2014 Farm Bill consolidated three previous conservation easement programs into ACEP to make it easier for diverse agricultural landowners to fully benefit from conservation initiatives. In 2014, NRCS used $328 million in ACEP funding to enroll an estimated 145,000 acres of farmland, grassland, and wetlands through 485 new easements.

In Kansas, there are an estimated 4,800 acres of grasslands and wetlands enrolled through the new easements, according to NRCS State Conservationist, Eric B. Banks.

ACEP’s agricultural land easements not only protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses, but they also support environmental quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat, and protection of open space. American Indian tribes, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that have farmland or grassland protection programs are eligible to partner with NRCS to purchase conservation easements nationwide.

A key change under the new agricultural land easement component is the new “grasslands of special environmental significance” that will protect high-quality grasslands that are under threat of conversion to cropping, urban development, and other non-grazing uses.

Wetland reserve easements allow landowners to successfully enhance and protect habitat for wildlife on their lands, reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater, and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands through the purchase of these easements. Eligible landowners can choose to enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement; tribal landowners also have the option of enrolling in 30-year contracts.

To learn about ACEP and other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or your local USDA Service Center. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Is the Easter bunny a rabbit? Or actually a hare?

By eNature

Spring has sprung and Easter is right around the corner.  That means the Easter Bunny is on the minds of many children.

And on the minds of many adults is the age-old question…..

Is the Easter Bunny a rabbit or a hare?

As many of our readers know, hares and rabbits are cousins.  The good news for all candy-lovers is that both are well equipped by nature to handle the tasks that come with being the Easter Bunny.

Rabbit vs. Hare

It’s actually the European hare, or brown hare, that holds the impressive credential of being the original Easter Bunny.  At least according to a Germanic legend dating back to the 1500s. The ritual of children preparing nests and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Oster Haas (Easter hare), who delivers brightly colored eggs on Easter morning, has taken place in German-speaking countries for centuries.

In the United States the cottontail rabbit has been designated as the official deliverer of Easter treats. This is easily evidenced by the lyrics in popular holiday tunes such as “Peter Cottontail,” and the presence of that signature fluffy white behind in every commercial rendition of the Easter Rabbit imaginable.

How are the Easter Hare (brown hare) and the Easter Rabbit (cottontail rabbit) equipped for the daunting tasks associated with their profession?

Let’s take a closer look at the unique features of these members of the family Leporidae to find out.

Night Time Is the Right Time

It goes without saying that the job of the Easter Rabbit requires lots of stamina and endurance. This small mammal must accomplish the seemingly impossible task of delivering hundreds of thousands of eggs to children in a single night. Both rabbits and hares are primarily nocturnal creatures, thus able to stay alert and on-task the entire Saturday night prior. Their most productive hours are at dawn and dusk, times of heightened activity and energy for the rabbit and hare. Both species are equipped with large eyes for seeing at night, and their large ears allow them to detect territorial intrusions.

Lickety Split

The forefeet and hindfeet of rabbits and hares have strong claws and a special type of thick hair on the lower surfaces that provides better gripping. Not only does this adaptation aid with running on uneven terrain, it may also allow for the skillful carrying and maneuvering of multiple Easter baskets with minimal slippage (and broken eggs).

With their longer hind legs, European hares have a competitive edge over cottontail rabbits, able to reach a running speed of 50 miles per hour. The agile hare has the speed and skills to outrun and outwit predators. Cottontails move at a swift, but decidedly slower pace than hares, and often rely on surface depressions and burrows to conceal themselves. So far, both the hare and rabbit have managed to elude humans on every Easter Sunday to date—an incredible feat indeed.

Many Wabbits

Though it would completely debunk the theory that there is just one Easter Rabbit, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to assume that egg-delivery is a task shared by a complex, vast network of hundreds, if not thousands of rabbits. There certainly are enough of them to cover all the territory. It’s no secret that rabbits and hares are an exceptionally fertile and active lot, often producing dozens of offspring over the course of lifetime.

Newborn hares would most quickly be able to jump on board and help with Easter tasks. Just minutes after being born, they are fully-furred and able to run around with relative ease. Alternately, newborn rabbits are ill-suited for just about any activity; they are born blind and naked, and require much coddling by their mothers before venturing out in the world.

On the Job Satisfaction

One has to wonder what the glamour and allure in being the Easter Bunny might be. One of the draws may be unlimited quantities food. While children drool over the chocolate eggs and other sweets delivered to them on Easter Sunday, rabbits and hares are no doubt enticed by their favorite edibles—grass and clover—found in many backyards. Perhaps the payoff is the pleasure of seeing the smiles on children’s faces when they discover the colorful Easter eggs that have been left for them. Or maybe it is the honor in upholding tradition, year after year.

Whatever the reward or rewards, you’ve got to commend the Easter Rabbit and the Easter Hare for hundreds of years of excellent service and on a job well done.

Learn more about the Eastern Cottontail »

More about the Desert Cottontail »

FWS declares northern long-eared bat ‘threatened’

Corbin Hiar, E&E reporter

The Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will list the northern long-eared bat as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, a lower level of protection than it originally proposed for the imperiled species.

The agency also approved a rule to provide flexibility for forest managers and landowners by allowing for the incidental killing or harming of long-eared bats during the course of forest management activities, known as a 4(d) rule.

The move was panned by environmentalists, who favored listing the bat as endangered and are likely to challenge the decision in court. It received mixed reviews from industry groups.

The threatened listing and interim 4(d) rule will both be implemented on May 4. But FWS will continue to take comment on the rule until July 1 and plans to finalize it in some form by the end of the calendar year.

“Bats are a critical component of our nation’s ecology and economy, maintaining a fragile insect predator-prey balance; we lose them at our peril,” said FWS Director Dan Ashe. “The alternative to bats is greater pesticide use, which brings with it another set of ecological concerns.”

Northern long-eared bat populations in Eastern states have plummeted by more than 90 percent since the discovery in 2006 of white-nose syndrome, which the listing said is the primary threat to the species. As of 2014, the deadly fungal disease had spread to the District of Columbia and 28 of the 37 states in which the species is found.

After initially proposing an endangered listing for the species in October 2013, Fish and Wildlife determined that the bat is not endangered because the syndrome has not yet spread throughout its range. Furthermore, it said, bat populations in areas unaffected by the disease appear to be stable.

In areas not affected by the syndrome yet, all incidental harassment, harming or killing of bats — actions collectively referred to as “take” — will be allowed.

In states where bats are infected with the disease, the range of activities exempted from prohibitions on take is more limited. The 4(d) rule will only protect forestry management practices, maintenance and limited expansion of transmission and utility rights of way, prairie habitat management, and the removal of hazardous trees and others that are not used by the bats.

The rule and threatened listing were slammed by environmentalists as a gift to industry.

“These bats are losing more ground every day to a devastating disease, and instead of providing strong protection for the survivors, the Fish and Wildlife Service has given the green light to logging, oil and gas drilling, mining and other habitat-wrecking industries,” said Mollie Matteson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Weakening protections for the northern long-eared bat when it’s just barely surviving white-nose syndrome is like sucker-punching a cancer patient.”

“We’re definitely going to fight this highly political decision — one that all but ignores the science,” she added, pointing to a letter signed by more than 80 bat scientists that called for an endangered listing.

But Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh praised the decision.

“The decision to list the bat as threatened with an interim 4(d) rule represents a biologically sound determination that will address the conservation needs of these bats while providing flexibility for those who live and work within the bats’ range,” he said.

Industries protected by the 4(d) rule were divided on the listing.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jo Ann Emerson said utilities “appreciate the decision” to go with a threatened listing.

But the American Forest and Paper Association thinks FWS is targeting the wrong culprit.

“We are concerned that listing the northern long-eared bat as threatened will hinder forest management activities that provide habitat for the animal rather than address and find treatment for the acknowledged threat to the species: white-nose syndrome,” AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman said in a statement.

That viewpoint was echoed by the Independent Petroleum Association of America, whose members’ incidental take is not specifically protected in areas where infected bats are found.

“Rather than listing the bat and limiting development, the Fish and Wildlife Service should work toward finding a solution to this deadly disease, while ensuring energy development, environmental stewardship, species conservation, and economic growth can thrive together across the nation,” said Dan Naatz, IPPA’s senior vice president of government relations and political affairs.

FWS noted that it is also spending $20 million on white-nose syndrome research.

First detected in upstate New York, the disease causes infected bats to fly out of their caves in late winter, when they should be hibernating. The bats then die of exhaustion and dehydration while searching for insects that haven’t yet hatched.

Angler Education Certification courses to come to central and western Kansas

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), in conjunction with Fishing’s Future, will host Angler Education Instructor Certification courses in Dodge City, April 11, and Burrton, April 18. Teachers and anglers aspiring to teach fishing techniques to youth, families, and students in Kansas are encouraged to attend. The Dodge City class will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dodge City High School, 2201 Ross Blvd, Dodge City. The Burrton class will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Harvey County West Park Community Building, 17 miles East of Hutchinson. The building is four miles north of the HWY-50 and Golden Prairie intersection. There is no cost to attend; however, classes will be limited to the first 40 registrants.

Apart from becoming a certified angler education instructor, attendees will also be given valuable information regarding working with children, sample curriculums, and tips for preparing a class or clinic. Other subjects covered in the four-hour class include current fishing regulations, species identification, fishing ethics, equipment, knot-tying, casting, fish habitat, aquatic nuisance species, and conservation practices.

Anglers interested in registering for these classes are encouraged to sign up by visiting www.fishingsfuture.org and searching the “Upcoming Events”.

For more information, contact Fishing’s Future coordinator Kevin Reich at [email protected] or by phone at (785) 577-6921.

Wilson Lake level requires boater caution

Wilson Lake, located in Russell County just north of the town of Wilson, is a popular fishing, boating and camping destination known for spectacular prairie views, sandstone bluffs, and deep clear waters. However, the lake’s normally consistent water level has declined during the long-term drought, and the lake is now 8.5 feet below conservation pool level.

The low water level won’t impact Wilson State Park or Corps of Engineers parks areas, which are ready for the spring and summer camping seasons, but some boat ramps are inaccessible. Two boat ramps, the Spillway Boat Ramp near the east end of the dam and the Wilson State Park Hell Creek Boat Ramp are useable and have floating courtesy docks and parking areas.

Until rains return the lake to conservation pool level, boaters must use caution to avoid shallow water hazards that are normally far below the surface. The upper, or west end, of the lake has areas too shallow for boating.

For more information on boating at Wilson Lake, or to reserve a campsite or cabin at Wilson State Park, go to www.ksoutdoors.com or call (785) 658-2465.

Youth Outdoors Day at Eisenhower State Park May 3

If your child is interested in finding out what Kansas outdoors is all about, encourage them to attend the Youth Outdoors Day, May 3, at Eisenhower State Park on Melvern Lake. Sponsored by the Outdoor Writers of Kansas, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, and Friends of Eisenhower State Park, Youth Outdoors Day will be open to youngsters age 10 to 15 with limited outdoors experience. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include three stations – shotgun shooting, fishing and archery. There will be a free hot dog lunch after the activities. There is no cost to attend, however space is limited to 50 participants who will be chosen through an essay contest.

To apply, youth are encouraged to write in 150 words or less sharing why they are excited to learn more about the outdoors. Submissions should be emailed to Eisenhower State Park manager, Dale Schwieger, at [email protected]. Entries can be submitted until April 20 and must include contact information.

Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian the day of the event. Other activities, such as hiking on an interpretive nature trail, will also be available. Prizes will be awarded to all participants.

For more information, contact Schwieger at (785) 528-4102.

Landowner stewardship workshop April 18

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), in cooperation with the K-16 Chapter of Quail Forever, Kansas Forest Service and the Jefferson County Conservation District, will host a Landowner Stewardship Workshop Saturday, April 18. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. at the Perry Wildlife Area, 7760 174th St., Valley Falls. Private landowners interested in improving and managing wildlife habitat are encouraged to attend.

Attendees will be presented with information and demonstrations regarding pond and woodland management, quail and rabbit habitat, wetland habitat basics and big game management.

Natural resource professionals will discuss technical and cost-sharing assistance available to landowners through state programs, as well as the Federal Farm Bill. If weather permits, a small prescribed burn will be conducted. Attendees should dress appropriately for outdoor activities. Lunch will be provided by K-16 Quail Forever.

Admission is free, but registration is required by April 15. For more information, or to register, contact KDWPT wildlife biologist Tyler Warner at (785) 945-6615, or by e-mail at [email protected].

Don’t let ticks take a bite out of your turkey hunting

By Bill Miller

From the OutdoorHub

I don’t remember it being this way in my carefree days of youth, but ticks have become a turkey hunting fact of life. As you read this, chances are good somewhere there’s a tick crawling up the leg of some unsuspecting turkey hunter sitting in the woods. In any pursuit that involves hiking through the woods or even the grasslands, there are ticks out there waiting to suck your blood. Losing a few corpuscles won’t harm you that much, but some ticks may leave you with a longer-lasting parting gift.

The list of tick-borne diseases just keeps growing. Take it from someone who spent five days in the hospital and two additional weeks of intravenous antibiotics following a tick bite incurred while turkey hunting—and they never did figure out what I had!

After that experience, I’ve become somewhat of a fanatic about avoiding tick bites. Here are some of the tips I’ve picked up in recent seasons.

While traditional DEET repellants may help deter ticks, products containing the chemical permethrin are a more secure choice and the treatment lasts longer.

Warning! Permethrin repellants are not meant for direct application to human skin! These should be applied only to clothing with a brief drying period before putting those garments on. Keep it to the outer layers. Heavy up on your socks, pants cuffs and shirt sleeves—the places where ticks are mostly likely to begin their crawl.

In addition to using both DEET and permethrin repellents, the surest system incorporates physical barriers to ticks—especially the right clothing. Turkey hunters in particular are wont to just sit down about anywhere, and that’s when ticks invade. Successful turkey hunting requires absolute stillness, so even when you see or feel ticks crawling on you, you can’t do anything about it. So the best thing to do is keep them from access to your skin in the first place.

Any fine-mesh bug suit works well, and they are made large enough to slip over any clothes you want to wear underneath. Look for a suit with a head net built right into the hood; the fewer openings, the less chances there are for bugs to find their way inside. Elastic cuffs are good, but when the bugs are especially bad, it’s a good idea to secure cuffs at the wrists and the ankles with duct tape. Don’t worry; there aren’t any fashion contests out in the turkey woods!

The next generation in tick deterring clothing is ElimiTick from Gamehide. They have developed a process that bonds repellent (a man-made version of the natural repellant found in chrysanthemum flowers) to fabric fibers. The active ingredient is so tightly bonded, repellency effectiveness is retained throughout the expected life of the garment—that’s through at least 70 washings. The repellent in ElimiTick is odorless and invisible. It is the first ever US EPA-registered insect-repellent clothing. Insect Shield repellent products have been rated category IV, which is the most favorable rating. It’s been deemed appropriate for use by infants and children of all ages.

Team up multiple repellents, a head net, an ElimiTick suit, and a roll of duck tape, and you’ve crafted a nearly impenetrable suit of armor against ticks. But don’t forget the vigilance. A nightly tick-check back in camp is a smart idea anyway—just to be sure. I even make these inspections during cold weather seasons if I’ve been in contact with game animals. Some ticks spend most of the winter riding around on a well-furred host. When you stop the blood flow in that game animal and grab hold for some grip and grin pictures, that’s just when that tick is looking for a new home—you!

2015 Women On Target Clinic May 23

The Geary County Fish and Game Association will conduct its annual clinic on Saturday, May 23 at Sportsman’s Acres on Milford Reservoir. It is a favorite for both experienced and beginning female shooters. Participants enjoy an entire day learning gun safety, techniques for shooting clays with shotgun, pistol target shooting, rifle target shooting and loading and shooting Black Powder guns!

This clinic could not be possible without all the help of local volunteers who love to share their sport and teach others. Interested sponsors to provide funding and supplies for the clinic are being sought. For a $100 sponsorship, you can get your name or your company name on the t-shirt each of the ladies receive for participating.

Your help is needed and greatly appreciated. Call the club at 785-223-1960 or Shirley Allen at 785-375-7305 by May 10^th to become a sponsor.

Common goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

by Ted Beringer

Male Common goldeneye

In North America the Common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a diving duck that winters across the United States but breeds in the boreal forests of Canada. For this reason, mining of tar sands that requires scouring the boreal forest is destroying critical habitat for these birds and many others that breed there. Construction of the XL pipeline intended to transport these tar sands across the United States for export will hasten this loss of habitat.

Description: The female has a milk chocolate brown head above a white neck ring.

Female Common goldeneye

Its eyes are pale yellow to white. It has a short, triangular black bill sometimes with a yellow to white tip. Its back, wings, and tail are slate gray. Its flanks, belly, and breast are white.

The male Common goldeneye has a greenish-black head with a dramatic golden-yellow eye as well as a conspicuous round white spot in front of each eye immediately behind its short black triangular bill. Its black back, tail and secondaries plus white flanks are easily apparent on the water.

Habitat: Their breeding habitat in North America is the boreal coniferous forest in North America with nearby lakes, rivers and bogs that have enough irregular shoreline to provide protective brood shelter. They nest in cavities in large trees especially in open-top or “bucket” cavities. They also use natural tree cavities created by broken limbs or tree cavities created by pileated woodpeckers and black woodpeckers.

            Diet: In the summer they prefer ponds without fish that compete for insects or even prey on their ducklings as in the case of Northern pike. The Common goldeneye forages underwater consuming mostly crustaceans (crayfish, crabs, shrimps & amphipods) and aquatic insects (naiads of dragonflies & damselflies) as well as some mollusks (especially blue mussel). They will also consume small fishes and their eggs, marine worms, and frogs. They enjoy aquatic plants like pondweeds, spatterdock, bulrush, and wild celery.

The common goldeneye is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. However, both breeding and winter habitat of these birds has been degraded by clearance and pollution. For further information about the Common goldeneye, visit the following excellent websites:

http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Global-Warming/2014/Tar-Sands-Fact-Sheet_Pelly-Amendment-UPDATE.pdf

http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/common-goldeneye

http://www.borealbirds.org/bird/common-goldeneye