Wildlife

Herding elk: Drone use takes off in wildlife management

Wardens and biologists are finding ever-expanding uses for unmanned aircraft, which are being deployed across Wyoming and other states, saving on time and resources.

  • By Mike Koshmrl, www.WyoFile.com

No more prizes for killing ‘nuisance’ animals under these hunting contest bans

Such contests kill tens of thousands of coyotes, foxes, squirrels and other animals each year.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

States revisit wildlife management with an eye on resilience

Some states are wondering if climate mitigation could have a furry, four-legged solution.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Animal movement powers new GPS wildlife tracker

COMMENTARY | Instead of batteries, the device is powered by an animal's movements and can provide long-term location and health data for researchers.

  • By Maria Hornbek, Futurity

An Initiative to Fawn Over: Funding for Wildlife Crossings Now Available

The grants will help state and local governments prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve connections between habitats.

  • By Molly Bolan

New Orleans’ Christmas Trees Get a Second Life

An annual "Christmas Tree Drop" deposits thousands of repurposed trees throughout a Louisiana wildlife refuge to help restore wetlands.

  • By Molly Bolan

A City Lost About 670,000 Trees. Now It Has a Plan to Replant Them

After a destructive storm, the Iowa locality will spend $37 million to plant more than 42,000 trees over 10 years. “So much of the plan is intended to be replicable to other cities,” says a city official.

  • By Molly Bolan

Beaver Dams Lessen Damage From Droughts

COMMENTARY | American beavers' prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts.

  • By Futurity

What It’s Like for a State Wildlife Agency to Star in a Reality TV Show

Nuisance bears, rabid skunks, search and rescue. Duties are seldom dull for New Hampshire Fish and Game. But for nine seasons the department added a twist to its operations, participating in the show “North Woods Law.”

  • By Molly Bolan

Fewer Car-Deer Crashes with Permanent Daylight Savings

COMMENTARY | Adopting permanent daylight saving time in the United States would reduce deer-vehicle collisions, report researchers.

  • By James Urton, Futurity

What to Know About the $350M in New Funding for Wildlife Crossings

The money to cut down on highway collisions between vehicles and animals was included in the infrastructure law. The application process for it should open early next year.

  • By Molly Bolan

A State Wildlife Agency That's Winning at Twitter

Oklahoma's Department of Wildlife Conservation has grown its follower count from around 8,000 to over 80,000, dishing out posts that are fun but also informative. The agency's social media team chatted with Route Fifty about the secrets to their success.

  • By Molly Bolan
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Deer Are Threatening American Forests. Is More Hunting the Solution?

To protect habitats and carbon-capturing forests, scientists say the deer population needs to be drastically reduced in many areas.

  • By Marigo Farr, Grist

Coyotes Are Here to Stay in Cities. Here’s How to Appreciate Them From a Distance

COMMENTARY | Though they can get a bad rap, coyotes often aren't as aggressive as many believe them to be. And in fact, they may bring some benefits to cities.

  • By David Drake, Bret Shaw and Mary Magnuson, The Conversation

One State Lawmaker's Plan to Ramp Up the Battle Against Wild Hogs

California, like other states, is trying to manage the invasive animals, which cause billions in damage each year nationwide. A state senator wants to make it easier for people to hunt them.

  • By Andre Claudio

Vultures Descend on Small Town—and Won't Leave

For nearly a year, officials in Bunn, in northeastern North Carolina, have tried to deter dozens of buzzards from roosting on local buildings. Even propane cannon aren't working.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

State Officials to Drone Operators: Please Stop Harassing the Animals

Wildlife officials in Colorado this week urged recreational drone pilots to avoid disrupting animals during flights, the latest example of a growing issue for state agencies.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Hunting Destructive Feral Hogs Saves Livestock and Property—and Provides ‘Excellent Table Fare’

Hunters in Alabama can now legally hunt wild pigs at night, an additional method of controlling the destructive invasive species.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In One State, Fish Populations Take Flight

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources drops thousands of fish from airplanes into lakes to maintain populations in high-altitude, hard-to-reach areas. Almost all of them survive.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Lack of Federal Firefighters Hurts California Wildfire Response

Roughly a third of all federal firefighters work in California, where more than 142,447 acres have burned this year.

  • By Sophie Quinton, Stateline

Maine Has a Dangerous, Small, and Very Itchy Problem

Climate change is keeping temperatures higher in the fall, setting up browntail-moth caterpillars to boom in summer.

  • By Kendra Pierre-Louis, The Atlantic