Chief Editor: Elsie Davis May - June 2016

RD’s Corner

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This is an incredibly exciting time to be engaged in the work of fish, wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation.

While the challenges to our mission are great—from the overarching threat of a rapidly changing climate to an astounding rate of urbanization happening across the Southeast—our capacity to respond has never been greater.

Consider, for example, that we have tools at our disposal that allow us to visualize lands and waters and measure change in ways that were unimaginable to Rachel Carson. We have means of communications and access to information that Mardy and Olas Murie would have given anything to lay hands on. We also have achieved something “Ding” Darling dreamed of and wrote about: a growing acceptance within the conservation community and within our own organization that the only way to respond effectively to the challenges we face is to be intentional, strategic, and act interdependently on a shared vision for the future. Interdependence means we go beyond acting on our own, as individuals, as programs, or as organizations, and move to a higher level of functioning--a state of mutual reliance on one another to achieve successes that none of us could achieve acting independently.

Our Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) epitomizes interdependence in conservation action. SECAS is a shared, long-term, regional vision for lands and waters that sustain

Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed as many as 102,000 birds across 93 speciesBy Nanciann Regalado, NRDA

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred more than six years ago, but for many of us the memories of the spill are still fresh in our minds. As the well continued to spew oil for weeks, and given the inevitability of widespread injury and death of wildlife, many people worried whether those responsible for the spill would be held accountable. As proved by the historic $20.8 billion settlement with BP reached in May 2016, responsible parties can be held accountable. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service played a key role in that outcome.

A plan for assessing injury caused by Deepwater Horizon oil The Service has a critical role in assessing injuries to federal lands and other natural resources that are caused by an oil spill. We are stewards of wildlife refuges located all along the Gulf coast, and we also serve as a trustee on behalf of the public for natural resources that include migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and some fish.

Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon spill began, Service biologists started developing plans for documenting and quantifying injury to birds. Service biologist Pete Tuttle, who had 25 years of experience, led the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (five Gulf States and four federal agencies) in developing an the avian injury assessment. Pete and other Service experts considered the range of bird species that could be affected by the spill and the ways they could be exposed to the oil. The multi-state, multi-year strategy was laid out in 60 detailed work plans that described the data collections necessary for a comprehensive injury assessment for birds.

“The early stages of the spill were certainly interesting times.” Pete notes. “The estimated flow rate of oil seemed to grow each day while prospects of controlling the release diminished. This prompted us to consider worst case scenarios regarding injuries to birds. It was a good thing we did, because no one was thinking the spill would continue for 87 days.”

A brown pelican flying near Mangrove Island, Louisiana, photo: Tom MacKenzie, USFWS

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fish, wildlife, and people. Through SECAS, we are working with a diversity of partners to design and achieve a connected network of landscapes and seascapes that support thriving fish and wildlife populations and an improved quality of life for people across the southeastern United States and the Caribbean.

SECAS was initiated by the states of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Southeast Natural Resources Leaders Group. We expect the Southeast Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) and Climate Science Center to provide the technical capacity and engage with existing partnerships such as Joint Ventures and the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership to help develop the vision. Each of these entities are powerful networks in their own right, but they crafted a vision to join forces in an even larger network to enable an exponential increase in collective conservation impacts. SECAS unifies conservation activities by identifying and supporting the steps necessary to regionally plan, implement, and evaluate actions that sustain habitat, mitigate threats, and support adaptation in changing conditions for fish and wildlife populations. Through SECAS, federal, state, non-profit and private organizations are thinking big by coordinating their conservation actions and investments to focus on common goals. To learn more about SECAS, visit http://secassoutheast.org/

Our recently announced Southeast Region FY16-FY18 Regional Priorities roll up into the achievement of the SECAS vision. Working with others on shared goals for People, Lands and Waters, and Fish, Wildlife, and Plants allows us, and our partners, to focus the investments of our human and financial resources and our time on what will make the most difference—defining and creating the connected conservation landscape needed to sustain the fish and wildlife resources entrusted to our stewardship. The SECAS vision and our priorities are inextricably linked.

Among the benefits we are gaining through SECAS is the ability to proactively address species of the greatest conservation need: We are identifying the most crucial areas to conserve and the most important steps we can take to conserve these at-risk species. Through SECAS, we also are able to identify areas for smart urban growth that minimize negative impacts to fish and wildlife. Our SECAS collaboration gives us access to maps, conservation resources, and identified priorities that can be shared for use by regional planners, highway departments, developers, and a host of partners in the business and financial communities.

One of the first products to come out of the SECAS model is the Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment (GCVA). Winner of the 2016 inaugural Sam D. Hamilton Award for Transformational Conservation Science, the GCVA is a collaborative effort to evaluate the vulnerability of four key ecosystems and 11 associated species to the effects of climate change, sea level rise, and land-use change across the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico. This information is critical to our mission accomplishment in the Southeast.

Our Regional Priorities document is posted on our website at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/priorities/, and my hope is that you have had the opportunity to read and discuss it with your colleagues and your teams. It addresses the fact that the challenges to our mission are happening at the landscape scale, and coming at us fast; and that our response must be at the landscape scale, and with an appropriate sense of urgency.

Urgency doesn’t mean a knee-jerk reaction, in fact, it is quite the opposite. It means that we act deliberately and thoughtfully on our priorities, driven by facts and fueled by passion for our mission. We don’t procrastinate; but, we also take the time to figure out the right things to do, in the right places, involving the right people. That’s where SECAS comes in.

SECAS is the organized, deliberate and thoughtful approach to our mission accomplishment. It is 21st century conservation based on a model of interdependency that is found in nature itself. We know that no matter how committed we are or how hard we work, the challenges we face are bigger than any one of us can address alone. They are not bigger than what we can tackle together, acting as One Service, while working with our partners.

The task ahead for each of us is to see ourselves within the context of that overarching southeastern conservation vision, no matter our program affiliation or job series. Then we must align ourselves for success, getting clarity on our roles and identifying the contributions we can make as individuals, as stations, as programs, and as an organization. We must risk leaving the comfort of the familiar--as did Rachel, Mardy and Olas, and “Ding”-- to ask ourselves what we can do better or differently to achieve the future we desire for fish, wildlife, plants and people. In so doing, we will be rising to the challenges of our time and leaving a lasting legacy for the next generation to build upon.

- Cindy

The largest bird injury assessment ever conductedThe resulting injury assessment strategy included collecting evidence of oil exposure, oil-related mortality, and the effects of the oil on the health of the birds. Estimating short-term mortality alone is exceedingly complex. For the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, researchers had to examine mortality on sandy beaches, within marshes, island breeding colonies, in offshore open water areas, and everywhere in between. One approach used to estimate mortality was a model that estimates the rate of deposition of spill-affect birds on coastal shorelines. Called the Shoreline Deposition Model, it became a key component of the Trustees’ bird injury assessment. “It is common knowledge that the number of birds killed by an oil spill is typically much larger than the number of dead birds collected by responders,” Tuttle explained. “For a variety of reasons, many dead birds

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Employee Spotlight

are never found. They sink or are eaten before washing ashore, or they are buried by sand, washed into in accessible marshes, or eaten by other animals once they do wash ashore. Even when a carcass does end up in an area being searched, we don’t find some bodies because searcher efficiency is never perfect.” Several field studies were conducted to inform the Shoreline Deposition Model. One evaluated the probability that a bird that had died in the water would be deposited on a searchable shoreline. This study, the Carcass Drift Study, included placing 248 radio-tagged bird carcasses in numerous locations off-shore across the northern Gulf. This study showed that only a small fraction of birds that died on the water (either in open sea or open water in marsh areas) would ever reach the shore. A second set of studies evaluated the persistence of bird carcasses on beaches and in marshes. The Carcass Persistence Study involved placing bird carcasses of different sizes along sandy beaches and marsh edges and then revisiting them almost every day for two weeks. The results of this study proved that the rates

of disappearance of bird carcasses due to scavengers, rewash, or burial varied by habitat and bird size. This was an important piece of data, considering the diversity of the species killed by the oil and the habitats they used.

A third set of studies evaluated the probability that a person walking along a beach or riding in a boat near a marsh edge would see a dead or dying bird that is present within a search area. Not surprisingly, the Searcher Efficiency Study found efficiency varied by habitat types. For example, it was easier for searchers to find bird carcasses on a sandy beach than along a marsh edge. Many faceted injury assessment estimate points to enormous loss of birdsEstimating mortality using the Shoreline Deposition Model was only part of the massive bird injury assessment lead by the Service. Other key assessments included looking at the physiological and physical effects of oil exposure on birds.

The Trustees used the Shoreline Deposition Model investigation and many others to estimate the effect of the spill on birds.

Operation Warfighter Success – SPC Reeves Joins the Mississippi Field OfficeBy Connie Dickard, Mississippi Field Office, Jackson

Dean “Michael” Reeves hired on full time as a biological technician with the Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office in November 2015. But, a year earlier, Michael came to the Fish and Wildlife Service as a part-time intern by way of a Department of Defense initiative called Operation Warfighter, when he was still a specialist with the United States Army.

Operation Warfighter is a federal internship program matching convalescing armed-service members with federal agencies and utilizing their military and non-military skills on job assignments that benefit both the intern and the employer. During his Operation Warfighter internship, and since his full-time hire, Michael has been busy assisting field office staff, and other Service programs, with a

They had actual counts, but they knew those counts would underestimate the true effect. Accordingly, during the spill more than 8,500 dead and impaired birds were collected, and more than 3,000 live birds were taken to rehabilitation centers (where only half survived). With these numbers serving as the starting point of the injury models, the Trustees final injury assessment estimated that between 65,000 and 102,000 birds across 93 species were killed by the spill. These findings played a key role in determining the amount of damages BP was eventually required to pay when the case was settled in May 2016. As mandated under the Oil Pollution Act, these damages will be used to restore and replace these lost birds.

Editor’s note: If you are interested in

learning more about the other injury

assessment studies, including how a

wind tunnel was used to understand the

effect of oiling on bird flight, please look

for additional articles in future issues of

E-Grits.

variety of projects that support recovery efforts for the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, and various aquatic species.Michael said, “It is an honor to work for

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I am grateful for both Operation Warfighter and the Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office for the leadership and friendship I have witnessed. It is a true pleasure to come to work every day. I am excited to take on what the Service has to offer, and I’m hopeful for the future.” In the fall of 2015, at about the same time that Michael completed his 12-month Operation Warfighter internship, he retired from the military. Michael proudly served our country for nearly eight years in the Army, including a deployment to Kuwait in 2013. Michael said he, “… loved wearing the uniform and wanted to make a career out of the military …” until a chronic health condition changed his direction. Once Michael was medically discharged, he began the civilian chapter of his life and now he “… wants to progress professionally … and be an important asset to the Fish and Wildlife Service.”

Stephen Ricks, Mississippi Field Office supervisor said, “As a veteran, Michael has a unique set of skills including a work ethic that believes everything is possible

Michael Reeves helps band red-cockaded woodpeckers at Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, photo: USFWS

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with hard work and dedication. When you combine these elements with his passion, it’s a winning formula for success! We are very fortunate to have him on staff and we look forward to watching Michael develop as a biologist as he continues to serve our nation in a different capacity.”

Michael is a Southern boy, born in Florida and raised in Louisiana and Mississippi. He also is getting his higher education in the Magnolia State as Michael attends Mississippi College full time, studying to be a biologist. Michael has been married to his wife, Alyssa for five years. She is a registered nurse at a local Jackson hospital. Together, Alyssa and Michael enjoy target shooting and spending time with their lovable dog pack of three mixed-breed canines and one German shepherd.

RDT In the FieldJames Harris, Kevin Reynolds and Glenn Constant hold an alligator gar, photo: USFWS

Catching a living fossil at Delta National Wildlife RefugeBy Kevin Reynolds, RDT, and Jennifer Strickland, External Affairs

When RDT member Kevin Reynolds found out he would have the opportunity to capture, tag, and release alligator gar with Delta National Wildlife Refuge and Baton Rouge Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office staff, Fish and Aquatic Conservation ARD Allan Brown offered him one piece of advice: “Stay away from the pointy end.”

Refuges Chief David Viker offered him chuckles.

“The first thing I did was go to my computer and Google ‘alligator gar,’” Reynolds says. “I’m not exactly a world-class fisherman, and my colleagues know it. I said ‘yes’ to helping out on this project before I even knew what an alligator gar was!” The alligator gar project is a collaborative effort sponsored by both the Refuge Inventory and Monitoring program and Fish and Aquatic Conservation. Located at the end of the Mississippi River, the unique configuration of habitats on Delta National Wildlife Refuge offer freshwater, brackish, and salt marsh areas where these fish can thrive. These different habitats are important for gar at various life stages, like during spawning when gar are known to target low salinity areas.

“We have many questions about how important this unique refuge habitat is to coastal gar populations,” explains Kayla Kimmel of the Baton Rouge Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. “The amount of suitable spawning habitat can be very limited in some years depending on the amount of water flowing down the Mississippi River.”

To help answer some of these questions, Refuge and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office staff members are working this year to capture and tag spawning alligator gar with acoustic transmitters in the hopes of learning important information about habitat use, seasonal movement, and other important

life history traits. So far this spring, they have tagged 33 gar.

Reynolds was lucky enough to catch up with the team in late April, just as gar were beginning to spawn. “For a while there it was slow fishing,” he says, “but James Harris knows all the ins and outs of that refuge, and eventually the fish ran out of places to hide from our team.”

Like other RDT in the Field trips, Reynolds appreciates the broadened perspective these trips provide. “I’m very impressed by the work these folks are doing, and I’m grateful I’ve had the opportunity to contribute,” he says. “Bring on the next one!”v

Submit a request to have a member of the RDT participate in field work with you by visiting https://inside.fws.gov/index.cfm/go/post/r4-pulse#jobswap on your networked computer.

Discovery of Miami Blues within Great White Heron National Wildlife RefugeBy Kate Watts, Florida Keys NWR Complex

Two adult Miami blue butterflies were detected fluttering on host plants, one of them ovipositing, or laying eggs, as they were spotted at Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge! Eggs were also found on host plants along the beach berm of several additional islands during the search, documenting the first time that this rare butterfly has been detected within the refuge.

Until recently, the Miami Blue butterfly, one of the rarest butterflies in the world, was found on just a handful of offshore islands within Key West National Wildlife Refuge on sandy beach berm habitats. This butterfly, historically distributed all along the coastline of Florida, has declined drastically over the last 100 years, primarily due to habitat loss along

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the coastlines of Florida, as well as the application of broad-spectrum insecticides for mosquito control.

The two adult Miami blues were found in April when Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex biology staff and research partners from the University of Florida and North Carolina State University were monitoring islands for butterfly activity within the neighboring Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge. This discovery occurred while the adult densities of Miami blues were at their highest levels on their core islands within Key West National Wildlife Refuge. This sighting may expand the range of this butterfly beyond the few isolated islands found west of Key West, and will likely renew the search efforts of this species across the Florida Keys and select areas of south Florida. Recovery efforts aim toward restoring a network of these small and potentially connected populations, as a way of increasing their resilience in the face of future habitat losses due to sea level rise and major storm events.

A successful partnership between Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex and the University of Florida’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History has allowed for increased monitoring of this rare population, and to learn more about the ecology of this species. Jaret Daniels, director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, was the recipient of a Disney Conservation Fund grant to study and help recover imperiled butterfly species in Florida and California. Efforts to research, captive breed, and establish new populations of imperiled butterfly species are currently underway. Miami blue butterfly, photo: Sarah Steele Cabrera, University of Floridav

Snappy single syncs discovered in our yardBy Paul Hartfield, Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office

In the late 1990s, synchronization of light flashing was recognized in a southern species of firefly. My wife, Libby, retired Director of Mississippi State Parks, and I were surprised and delighted to find this species in our own backyard! We first observed this firefly’s remarkable display in the woodlot by our house in Hinds County, Mississippi, on Mother’s Day, 2015. This species flies about two feet above the forest floor and flashes about two times a Libby Hartfield (far left) and Paul Hartfield (behind white table) draw a crowd to their firefly

presentation, photo courtesy of Elizabeth Barber.

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second in synchrony, so it’s like a floating carpet of light. When asked of her first thoughts upon seeing the display, one of our guests that night – an eight-year old girl visiting for the weekend – responded, “We thought Mr. Paul and Miss Libby were fooling us and had strung Christmas lights through the woods, but then … we saw them moving!”

Due to their fast and synchronous display, Lynn Faust, author of the soon to be released Glow-worms and Lightning Bugs! Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada (University of Georgia Press, early 2017), has given this species the common name of “snappy single syncs.” Lynn Faust is also the naturalist who “discovered” the popular synchronous firefly display of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, and who first alerted the scientific community of the presence of synchronous fireflies in the Western Hemisphere.

Amazed that we failed to notice this remarkable display over the 38 years we have lived on our place, Libby and I decided to document the abundance and distribution of the species in Mississippi. In order to speed things up, we began a citizen science project, facilitated by

Creature Comforts, a weekly state-wide Mississippi Public Radio broadcast co-hosted by Libby. According to the limited scientific literature, the snappy sync completes its adult life cycle in only two weeks, so on the first radio show following the “discovery,” Libby and I appealed to listeners of the program to go into the woods over the next few nights, look for synchronous displays, and report by e-mail the location, behavior, habitat, and any other observations. During the two weeks that followed, we received 10 reports appropriately describing habitat and behavior from seven counties in Mississippi (encompassing the northern half of the state), and one county in western Alabama. One listener, who is also a reporter, was so intrigued that he checked his population every hour throughout the night and observed that the fireflies ceased blinking after about 2 a.m.

Most reports also included comments such as: “How could we have lived here for so many years and not noticed this?” Libby and I have thought long and hard about that same question and attribute it to the timing, habitat, season, and duration of the event. The display only begins after dusk and in deep darkness. The habitat is mature hardwoods with

ground cover (often poison ivy); the firefly adults emerge during mid-spring when ticks, chiggers, snakes, and poison ivy discourage folks from strolling in the dark woods; and the display only lasts for two to three weeks. This year, Libby and I got an early start alerting folks around Mississippi to get out and look for additional populations. Following a more comprehensive discussion of the species and its habitat, as well as fireflies in general, on Creature Comforts two additional locations observed last year were reported by callers, extending the range into the southern portion of the state. The distribution of fireflies includes Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and North and South Carolina. All fireflies in Mississippi appear to be emerging late this year, so the entire month of May, and possibly early June may provide a good opportunity to observe synchronous fireflies in Mississippi, and possibly across the Southeast Region. So, if it’s not too late, and you have a woodlot or a public forest nearby, get out there and see it for yourself! And, if you do, I’d love to hear from you – please e-mail me at: paul_hartfield@fws.gov v

By Katherine Taylor, External Affairs

Apps: Tides Near Me is a free app that provides up-to-date information on tides and currents near you. This is especially handy for those summer beach trips!

#MostSharedStory: In early May we shared the news release of the first Florida grasshopper sparrow chicks born in captivity. The story was shared over 300 times on Facebook, received 92 retweets, and the link to the news release was clicked 187 times! For more photos see Flickr photo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast/26685331040

What’s Trending

The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is one of the world’s most endangered birds. One of the first females of the species to be reared in captivity welcomed four tiny hatchlings. Scientists are calling it a historic moment in an effort to save the species, photo: news.fie.edu

Culture: Since implementing additional "like" options (love, haha, wow, sad, angry) Facebook followers are now able to elaborate feelings towards a story without having to comment.

WorkIn

Progress

Social Media: Twitter is undergoing a makeover, which will make it easier to stay within the 140 character count.

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Bragging Rights

The first cast at the opening ceremony in the new section of Hatchery Creek, photo: Moria Painter

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Archery is fun!By Kevin Lowry, Visitor Services

On Saturday, April 2, Division of Visitor Services staff members Garry Tucker, Sallie Gentry, Kevin Lowry, and Stephanie Bruner offered an Intro. to Archery educational program to families at West Atlanta Watershed Alliance’s 10th Annual Urban Forest Festival at the Outdoor Activity Center. The Outdoor Activity Center is a 26-acre urban nature preserve located about five miles from downtown Atlanta. This is the third year Visitor Services has attended and offered educational programs to local families.

They delivered an educational message to youth and adults about the history of archery and opportunities for archery hunting on national wildlife refuges while discussing the importance of hunter safety. Participants enjoyed the challenge of trying to knock off a small ball hovering above a cone that blew out air. Some participants were slightly intimidated to pick up a bow and shoot an arrow at first. However, Participants learn archery, photo: USFWS

they quickly gained confidence and kept returning to the archery unit numerous times throughout the day. An employee with the U.S. Forest Service smiled and said “Your educational archery booth is the highlight of the festival today.

Wolf Creek’s new trout streamBy Moria Painter, Wolf Creek NFH

On April 29, the newly reconstructed Hatchery Creek opened to the public. More than 200 federal, state and local officials, as well as many members of the public, attended this momentous event.

The dedication ceremony opened with remarks from Ron Brooks, director of Fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). Dave Dreves, KDFWR’s assistant director of Fisheries, led an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Remarks followed from Gregory Johnson, commissioner KDFWR, Lt. Col. Stephen Murphy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hon. Max Wise, Kentucky Senate, and James Gray, project Leader of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.

The ceremony concluded with a first cast by a group of eager fishermen and women. The new extension of Hatchery Creek extends the total length of the creek to over a mile but it also provides much needed habitat for

trout to spawn in. In addition to the habitat provided for trout at all stages of development, the new creek created wetlands that are home to many species of aquatic life, as well as mammals and birds.

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Fourth-graders go wild at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge By Patricia Midgett, Cape Romain NWR

In March, about 400 Lowcountry fourth grade students saw the beauty and wildlife found at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge for the first time. The students traveled by ferry through the saltmarsh estuary to Bulls Island. They saw pods of dolphins, American oystercatchers, pelicans, and other birds and learned about the building blocks of the saltmarsh enroute to the island.

Their adventure continued after they arrived on the south beach of Bulls Island. The students become scavengers, scouting the beach for seashells, birds, and plants before regrouping with educators to learn about the treasures they discovered. Participating in a simulated loggerhead sea turtle hatchling exercise, students found out just how difficult it is for the small hatchings to survive in their race to the sea. They also learned about the program that Cape Romain has in place to protect the Loggerhead nests and hatchlings. “This hands-on experience was the most valuable part of the day that the children will never forget” said Courtney Beauregard, teacher at Minnie Hughes Elementary.Students returned to Garris Landing and boarded the buses, clutching Junior Ranger Wilderness Explorer activity booklets that, when completed, will earn them Certificates of Achievement.

Cape Romain staff members collaborated with Friends of Coastal South Carolina educators and Coastal Expeditions naturalists to lead the Bulls Island outing

Students participate in sea turtle hatching exercise, photo: Katy Nelligan

for students from Minnie Hughes, Sullivan’s Island, Stono Park, St. James Santee, and Jennie Moore Elementary Schools. The program was made available through the White House’s Every Kid In A Park youth initiative. Cape Romain was one of 186 federal sites selected to receive a 2015 field trip grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks.

National Park Foundation grants have made it possible for more than 400,000 students to visit federal public lands and waters during the 2015-2016 school year. v

Kentucky’s FWS offices work together for another successful Junior Duck Stamp ContestBy Stacey Hayden, Clarks River NWR

On March 31, a panel of judges chose artwork of a Northern Shoveler by Grace Sparrow, a 15-year-old high school student from Union, as the Best of Show from Kentucky. They also chose "Treat nature like you want to be treated," by Caleigh Robertson an elementary school student from Mayfield, as the best conservation message.

This year’s judging was held at the recently-opened Children’s Art Center in Benton. The panel of judges included a representative from Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin’s office, a representative from U.S. Congressman Ed Whitfield’s (R-KY-01) office, the District Chairman of Kentucky’s Ducks Unlimited Chapter, a representative from Corporate Headquarters of Community Financial Services Bank, who enjoys wildlife photography as a hobby, and a long-time judge who has been involved with the program for more than 12 years.

Since 2010, The Service’s Kentucky Offices, including Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, The Frankfort Ecological Services Field Office, and Office of Law Enforcement’s Louisville Port, have each promoted the Junior Duck Stamp program in their region of Kentucky. Each office focuses on their local schools and helps their area’s teachers incorporate the contest into their curriculum. Since utilizing this approach, the number of student participants in the contest has significantly increased.

Kentucky FWS staff members with the Kentucky Junior Duck Stamp Best of Show art piece by Grace Sparrow, photo: S. Wooten, USFWS

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Early career trainingBy Connie Dickard, Mississippi Ecological Services Office

Randy Browning, private lands biologist for the Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office, assisted the Lauderdale County Soil and Water Conservation District with its inaugural Conservation and Natural Resource Camp for fourth-grade students. Randy staffed one of 10 stations set up at Camp Binachi, which is located near Meridian, Mississippi. Various local and regional professionals like Randy taught the middle schoolers, through hands-on activities, about how to be good stewards of the land. Randy’s focus was wildlife and forestry, while topics at other stations included fisheries, soils, watersheds, air quality, and facts about Mississippi. Some teachers at the event indicated that their students would know more about conservation and preservation of their state, and better understand the importance of keeping the environment healthy, after their Camp Binachi experience. Other educators took it a step further and considered the day as early career training, hoping that some of the fourth graders might become so interested in what they learned that they would pursue a future in natural resources.

Randy Browning teaches fourth-graders about wildlife and forestry, photo: Judith Craddock, NRCS

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Fourth Annual Kid’s Fishing RodeoBy Dove Barnes, Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex

More than 600 people participated in the Fourth Annual Kid’s Fishing Rodeo at Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Saturday, May 14, 2016. The popularity of this event continues to grow each year. Three hundred and seventy children, aged 15 and younger, participated in fishing for catfish along with BB gun and bow shoot activities. Puddles the Goose visited with the crowd, and many captured a photo opt with him. Nature was beaming, as there was plenty sunshine and a light breeze. Lunch consisting of hot dogs, chips, and a drink was provided. The children were given goodie bags and their choice of a tackle box or a rod-n-reel. Although the refuge is easily accessible by the public, many of these children and their families had never been to a national wildlife refuge.

We plan to continue hosting events such as this one and expand our outreach efforts to other refuges within Theodore Roosevelt Complex. This event would not have been possible without the support of our partners including the U S Forest Service, Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery, Yazoo County Wildlife Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Humphreys and Yazoo Counties, Mississippi Lower Delta Partnership, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and numerous local individuals, businesses, and volunteers.

A net filled with fish, photo: USFWS

Volunteers plant trees at Wolf Creek By Moria Painter, Wolf Creek NWR

Hatchery Creek contractors EcoGro, members of the Bluegrass and Louisville chapters of Trout Unlimited, and members of Trail Life USA from Danville, Kentucky, planted more than 150 hardwood trees along Hatchery Creek.

"The work of all of these groups made a big improvement to the public fishing area,” said Russ Turpin from EcoGro. “The trees will provide flowers to attract pollinators and leaf litter to protect the soil. The shade that will develop in the years to come will help keep the water cool for the trout and may also provide a refuge for the fishermen. They also will inspire other folks to adopt the conservation and stewardship principles demonstrated by the Kentucky members of Trout Unlimited, Trail Life USA, and EcoGro."

Volunteers plant trees along Hatchery Creek, photo: Moria Painter, USFWSv

Novice campers enjoy Camp Charlie

By Debra Harris, Georgia Ecological Services

Friday morning, April 22, was dark and rainy at Georgia Wildlife Federation’s Alcove Conservation Center (ACC) in Covington Georgia. It was supposed to storm later in the evening, and we were expecting six families who had never camped before showing up at 5 p.m. to put up their tents, a potential disaster for our aim of getting the families to love the outdoors! Thanks to the resourcefulness of our tent team, we got the tents erected before the rain, and then borrowed and purchased tarps to make rain flies for each tent. Our family campers, consisting of six families totaling 12 adults and 14 children, did not seem worried about the weather. Each family was assigned a camping mentor to personally make them feel welcome and assist with any camping challenges throughout the weekend. We spent the first hour getting to know each other, eating a dinner cooked by our fabulous volunteer cooks, and playing an ice-breaker game about animals likely to be seen at the ACC. After the game, we

enjoyed a campfire with songs, skits, and S’mores. Later, we led the campers on a night hike to listen for owls and look for deer and other night critters. Saturday was a bright sunny morning, and the kids emerged from their tents ready for adventure. Tamara Johnson of the Georgia Ecological Services Office led them down the boardwalk through the gum swamp to set out her crayfish traps. She baited them with a banana stating, “Crayfish are attracted to fragrant bait.”

Tamara Johnson taught campers how to trap crayfish, Photo: USFWS

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After breakfast, we drove to Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. We toured the museum and visitor center, and then we were entertained by the education raptor show with live owls and hawks. The adventure really started after everyone got a chance to fish for bream and catfish, row a kayak and a canoe, and shoot with a bow and arrow at the archery center. One of the objectives of Camp Charlie is to introduce students and children to different environmental occupations and opportunities for employment throughout camp and at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. The children were able to meet and discuss many exciting career opportunities with wildlife biologists, environmental educators, conservationists, and other outdoor professionals. One of our young adult volunteers who led the campfire program every night, actually got a job at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center this summer as a result of his work at Camp Charlie.

We returned to the ACC later Saturday afternoon and enjoyed free time with an array of optional activities. Most campers wanted to do everything, hike the Alcove river swamp, play outdoor games, make a nature journal, and build their own birdhouses. After another great dinner and dessert cooked over the campfire, all the kids wanted to participate in the songs and skits during the second night at the campfire. Everyone was pretty tired after the active day outside; but, many still went on the night hike where we learned our constellations and finally got to hear that loud ‘ol barred owl.

Early Sunday morning, Deborah Harris of the Georgia Ecological Services Office led a bird walk. We saw and heard 15 bird species and watched three deer feeding in an open field. Later that morning, each family cooked together on a camp stove making their own version of eggs and sausage. After breakfast, everyone walked to the creek to check our crayfish traps. The kids and adults were delighted that we had caught more than 10 crayfish. That banana did the trick. After showing them the “little lobsters” and letting everyone hold them, we released the critters back into the creek. When camp ended, we gave each family a fishing pole and fact sheets about other natural areas where they could go in their own communities.

Originally funded by the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Youth in the Great Outdoors initiative in 2011 with matching funds from Plum Creek Foundation, Camp Charlie focuses on family learning and fostering respect for the environment through positive experiences in the outdoors. It is designed for families who would like to experience the outdoors, but who may lack the knowledge, skill, equipment, or self-confidence necessary to go-it-alone. The project has continued, and this weekend was our fourth Camp Charlie event.

“Camp Charlie opens up the natural world for people that traditionally wouldn’t see it” said Georgia Wildlife Federation Director Mike Worley. “The camp gives kids a chance to share their first outdoors experiences with their family, which makes wonderful memories.”

Dale Hollow plants mussel crop By Andrew Currie, Dale Hollow NFH

Tyler Hern, Paul Hughe, and Jessica Radich transported gravid, female black sandshell and pink mucket mussels from White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery in West Virginia to Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery in Tennessee on April 28. Walleye and largemouth bass host fish were infested with glochidia removed from these mussels at the hatchery, and the host fish were then transported to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ boat house, located in Dale Hollow Lake, and placed in suspended cages. All of the cages were retrofitted with false bottoms about four inches above the substrate on the bottom of the cages to prevent the host fish from flashing on the substrate to rid themselves of the parasitic mussel glochidia during this culture trial.

Placing cage with host fish into stationary rack, photo: Andrew Currie, USFWS

This flashing activity removes a lot of the sand substrate and juvenile mussels from the grow-out cages. One remaining cage is being reserved for transformed pink mucket mussels to see how they do in water that is more productive than that currently being supplied in grow-out systems in place at White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery.

Tony Brady of Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery in Louisiana assisted with the glochidia infestation and cage placement. Dale Hollow’s entire crew has been involved in the project from collection and maintenance of host fish to the placement of cages into the lake. All of the mussels produced are being used to help meet recovery and restoration goals for a Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) for the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The crop has been planted. Stay tuned for September 2016 harvest results.

Wolf Creek raising endangered mussels By Moria Painter, Wolf Creek NFH

The end of April marked the beginning of another year of mussel culture using suspended cages in Lake Cumberland. Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery staff and volunteers, along with Adam Shepard and Travis Bailey from the Kentucky Department of Fish And Wildlife Resources Center for Mollusk Conservation in Frankfort, Kentucky and Tony Brady from the Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery in Louisiana joined forces to get this project underway.

One hundred and forty six infested common logperch were put into four cages containing sediment and suspended in the lake. One-third of the fish were infested

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Installing cages in rack on Lake Cumberland, photo: Moria Painter, USFWS

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with glochidia of the endangered Cumberland combshell and the other two-thirds were infested with glochidia of the endangered Fanshell freshwater mussel. After transformed juveniles drop from the host fish, the fish will be released. The cages will be left suspended in the lake where conditions have proven to be conducive to growth and survival of juvenile mussels. Encouraged by last year’s success, all partners have high expectations of a good harvest this fall when the cages are removed from the lake.v

Eglin Air Force Base gets pollinator gardenBy Lorraine Ketzler, USFWS

Eglin Air Force Base's Natural Resources Office in Niceville, Florida, is a partner of the Panama City Ecological Services Field Office. To celebrate Public Lands Day, the base’s Natural Resources Office joined with the Service’s field office, community members, and Air Force volunteers to plant a garden in front of the Natural Resources Office with Florida native plants that are attractive to pollinators. Florida Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners helped select the plants. A display was installed in the garden to educate the public about the importance of native pollinators. Volunteers and employees will contribute to the upkeep of the garden as a shared resource. Pat Williams, now the Natural/Cultural Resources Program Manager at Hurlburt Field, led the project to design and plant the garden.

Friends and Volunteers

Eglin’s pollinator garden in front of its Natural Resources Office, photo: Lorraine Ketzler, USFWS

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Vietnam Veteran Larry King is pictured with his catch of Rainbow and Brook trout, photo: Kelly Taylor, USFWS

Veterans catch rainbow and brook trout at Chattahoochee Forest NFHBy Crystal Thomas, Chattahoochee Forest NFH

On Friday, May 6, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery near Suches, Georgia, held its fourth annual Veterans Appreciation Fishing Rodeo. More than 150 U.S. military veterans and active duty service men and women and family members attended the free event. About

3,200 beautiful Rainbow and Brook trout were stocked into Rock Creek for the event, including a number of fish each averaging three pounds or more. Friends of the Hatchery, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Georgia Department of Veterans Services, Project Healing Waters, Americorp, Fannin County EMS, and Trout Unlimited Chapters of Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Dahlonega, and Clarkesville assisted with the event. A barbeque lunch was served to veterans by Friends of the Hatchery.

Leadership Quote: “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” — William Jennings Bryan 11

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Earth Day celebrations in Southern KentuckyBy Moria Painter, Wolf Creek NFH

April brings warm sunny days and a chance to show appreciation to our planet earth. In mid-April, Wolf Creek staff members and volunteers participated in the Annual Somerset Community College Earth Day event. Volunteer Makenzie Back and Moria Painter welcomed more than 1,300 people to the Wolf Creek booth where they learned about the many activities available at the hatchery, along with a hands-on demonstration of what pollinators do for people. The event in Somerset opened the door to many new partners for the annual Earth Day celebration at Wolf Creek on April 23.

This year, Wolf Creek’s Earth Day event was bigger and better than ever with 14 different activities and stations. More than 700 visitors attended. Through a PRIDE grant to the Friends of Wolf Creek National

Fish Hatchery, a free rain barrel workshop was offered to 14 participants. More than 25 people participated in the third addition of our Shiitake Mushroom workshop. We also offered several activities including a soils education class, fishing at Hatchery Creek, a wetland exploration, casting contests, pollinator seed balls, nature scavenger hunts, recycle arts and crafts, and a recycle relay. Many partners helped with the event including the Kentucky Division of Water, United Trappers of Kentucky, fiber fur arts (with live angora bunnies and baby goats), and the local bee-keepers association. The Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery distributed more than 400 free Flowering Dogwood, Chestnut Oak, and White Pine trees. Attendees who participated in our annual recycling push were rewarded with free CFL bulbs and recycle bins. More than 200 pounds of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and other recyclables were collected at this event.

Danny Woolums from Bluegrass Greensource demonstrates how to construct a rain barrel, photo: Moria Painter, USFWS

Clarks River promotes monarchs at arts festivalBy Stacey Hayden, Clarks River NWR

The City of Paducah, Kentucky, held its sixth annual Lower Town Art and Music Festival on May 13th and 14th. The festival covers six city blocks in downtown Paducah known as the Arts District.During the festival local artists, musicians, and performers gather to demonstrate the cultural richness of the area, and this year the festival committee also wanted to promote sustainability. As part of that effort, Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, The Friends of Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, and Jackson Purchase Foundation teamed up to promote monarch butterflies. The goal was to gain public involvement in conserving this iconic species.

Refuge staff members and volunteers manned a booth for the two-day event that included information about the importance of monarchs, the milkweed habitat critical

vto their survival, and the challenges the monarch faces. The highlight of the weekend was the large-scale monarch release conducted on the second day of the festival.

Local schools were contacted prior to the festival and asked to select students who had shown high moral character and school pride throughout the school year. The 85 student attendees were each given a monarch followed by a group release, making a beautiful sight. Milkweed seed packets were distributed to students and festival attendees to help increase butterfly habitat throughout the community.

A student enjoys watching a monarch butterfly, photo: Judy Miller, USFWS

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Kids enjoy fishing rodeo at Chattahoochee Forest National Fish HatcheryBy Crystal Thomas, Chattahoochee Forest NFH

A free, invitational fishing rodeo for children and adults with special needs was held at Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery on May 11. More than 250 participants with staff members and parents from Mineral Springs Center in Blue Ridge, Avita in Blairsville, and Fannin, Union, Lumpkin, and Towns County School Systems, came out to enjoy the fun-filled morning of fishing. More than 70 volunteers from the local community, Friends of the Hatchery, Employees of Appalachian Judicial Court System, Fannin County EMS Fire and Rescue, Georgia Forestry Commission, USDA Forest Service, House of Prayer, Americorp, and Trout Unlimited Chapters of Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Dahlonega, and Clarkesville helped participants catch some trout. Many fish were taken home for future fish fries or as trophies to present to Mom and Dad. Backpacks were provided to participants courtesy of Friends of the Hatchery. The Friends Group also provided free lunch to volunteers.

Volunteer Carl Riggs is pictured demonstrating to first-year volunteer Meghan Radman how to use a rod and reel to help kids fish, photo: Kelly Taylor, USFWS v

Running in the rain at the Hatchery Creek Trout Trot 5KBy Moria Painter, Wolf Creek NFH

On April 30, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery commemorated the opening of a new catch and release section of Hatchery Creek with the Hatchery Creek Trout Trot 5K. Even in the cold April rain, 24 die-hard runners participated. The route began with a jaunt through the hatchery raceways and ended along a meandering trail that follows the new section of Hatchery Creek and winds around to the origin of Hatchery Creek. Participants commented that this was one of the best routes they had run, and they would love to do more race events

at the hatchery. This event allowed us to step out of our traditional box of fishing and nature related events and offer something to a new audience. With the addition of the section of creek also came several miles of improved trails. These trails offer a plethora of running and biking opportunities. The Trout Trot 5K was made possible by the generous support of several sponsors including EcoGro and Stantec, the contractors who constructed

Races begin the Hatchery Creek Trout Trot 5K, Photo: Moria Painter

the stream, along with the Russell County Health Coalition and the Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.

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Southwest Florida tarpon tournamentBy Toni Westland, “Ding Darling” Refuge

The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society - Friends of the Refuge staged another amazing Tarpon Tournament in Southwest Florida! The fifth annual Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament was held on Saturday May 7, 2016. About 240 anglers divided into 50 teams participated on a beautiful day for fishing.

Although only two tarpon were caught, more than $50,000 was raised for the refuge through sponsorships, donations, and a silent auction. The winning team, Chasin’ Poon, captured their 100-pound fish at 10:30 a.m. This tournament promotes ethical fishing practices, and an awareness of water quality. v

Second place tarpon captured by Team Teaser, photo: Team Teaser

In the GardenIn Kent Ozment’s Garden:By Kent Ozment, Lower Mississippi River Refuge Complex

Here in Louisiana, something is growing in the garden year round. Given the small space of my garden, I tend to use a lot of companion and succession plantings to make sure I'm using the space efficiently. I grow mostly heirloom varieties, which allow me to collect and save seed from year to year. In the photos, you can see spring-planted pole beans growing up last year's kale. You can also see that the remnants of last year's mustard and beets have been interplanted with basil, onion, sunflower, and tomato. Garden waste is typically taken to the chickens; but, occasionally, the chickens get supervised visits in the garden. They do an excellent job of cleaning up weeds, seeds, and insects, as well as preparing the beds for planting by loosening the soil and incorporating a little fertilizer along the way. The two buff orpingtons are the newest additions to the flock; this is their first time in the garden.

Mustard, beets, basil, onion, sunflower and tomato, Photo: Kent Ozment, USFWS

Kentucky wonder and dinosaur kale, Photo: Kent Ozment, USFWS

In Jonathan Wardell’s GardenBy Jonathan Wardell, Orangeburg National Fish Hatchery

Growing a vegetable garden is one of my favorite pastimes. Since the growing season in South Carolina is fairly long and has a reasonably mild climate, it’s easy for most folks down here to grow lots of delicious vegetables. My organic garden is 12 X 24 feet in size, and it features an automated irrigation system that waters the plants twice daily. The original garden soil was derived from the bottom of the fish production ponds by use of a tractor. All recently-added soil is from our household

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kitchen waste, which gets composted and then added to the garden continuously. Only organic fertilizers are used for the vegetables. Besides the nutrients added from the kitchen compost, fish fertilizer (5-1-1) is also added throughout the growing season as well. For pest control, I have introduced a bacterium for minimizing leaf damage from moth caterpillars, and planted lemon grass and mosquito plant for deterring mosquitoes. The garden contains a variety of vegetables, herbs, and surrounding pollinators. Vegetables include: cherry and heirloom tomatoes, yellow and red potatoes, yellow onions, chives, beets, collards, beans,

peppers, and lettuce. Herbs include: rosemary, mint, oregano, lavender, and basil. There are also a variety of pollinator plants that surround the garden, which are all watered using greywater routed from the kitchen drain. Pollinators include: butterfly bush, bee balm, black-eyed susan, lanceleaf coreopsis, California poppy, crimson clover, and purple coneflower. There also is a garden gnome (Woody Jr.) on site who watches over the area while I’m away.

Jonathan Wardell’s garden, photo: Jonathan Wardell, USFWS

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In Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWR's VisitorCenter gardensBy Steve Henry, Loxahatchee NWR

Refuge volunteers, Roger and Janice Brooks, designed, planted, and tend Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWR's Visitor Center Gardens. Firebush, Wild plumbago, beach verbena, and dune sunflowers are among the plants featured in these gardens.

Front of Loxachatchee’s Visitor Center: photo: John Siegel

Dune sunflower, photo: Janice BrooksBeach verbena, photo: Janice Brooks

Back of Loxahatchee’s Visitor Center: photo: John Siegel