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
Gray Wolf Back on Endangered Species List
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed Monday 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
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Conservation Congress Honors Two Endangered Resources Ecologists
Randy Jurewicz, Conservation Biologist, and Sumner Matteson, Avian Ecologist, were honored this past May for their dedication and commitment to the recovery of Wisconsin’s osprey and trumpeter swan populations. Due in large part to the efforts of these two individuals, both the osprey and trumpeter swan were delisted from the state’s threatened and endangered species list earlier this year. By honoring Randy and Sumner the WCC also honored the countless partners, volunteers, contributors, and wildlife managers across the state. All can collectively proudly look back at these successes as conservation success stories in Wisconsin.New Rare Species and Natural Community Web Pages
Take
a look at the new design and organization of our rare species and natural communities
Web pages. The Endangered Resources Program restructured these pages to make
them easier to find and use. Maps, photos, and other information have been added.
Developing additional content will be a long-term work-in-progress, and the
pages will continue to improve over time. Check out the new
pages and feel free to send us suggestions or comments.
Peregrine Chicks Banded
The three falcon chicks that hatched in a nest box located on MG&E's Blount
Generating Station in Madison have now been banded. Scientists will use the
bands to track and study the birds. This reflects a success story for Wisconsin's
peregrine population which now has 27 nesting pairs. The nest box was built
by the plant manager and his son for which two of the chicks are named. The
box can easily be seen from the Isthmus bike path.
Read
background about the birds or Visit
the MGE website (exit DNR) for videos.
$950,000 destined for private land habitat management in Driftless Area
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank today announced the state has received a $559,602 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?s State Wildlife Grant Program to enhance privately owned prairie and savanna habitat throughout the driftless area of Wisconsin in coming months along with $397,486 in state and private matching funds. Funds will be distributed through Wisconsin?s Landowner Incentive Program. Read More...
A warble from the barrens
On a windless June morning in a dewy pine barren, a tiny, colorful bird adds its song to the typical chorus of Wisconsin's shrubland birds. Amid the melodious notes of vesper sparrows and bouncing calls of field sparrows, a distinctive chip chip che-way-o announces the presence of a rare, elusive species- the Kirtland's warbler. The male's song is followed by chipping calls from the female. She alights on a pine branch and is photographed, marking the first time a female of this species has been seen in Wisconsin. Careful scrutiny leads to another first discovery on this fine morning. Concealed among grasses under a pine branch is a Kirtland's warbler nest containing five eggs! Read More...
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)
State of the Birds - The 2009 Report
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a comprehensive report on bird populations in the US showing the decline of birds and solutions to reverse the trend. View the Report (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)
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