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12/16/2008

Some of you may know that the ICWDM is launching a newsletter next year.

We are wanting this newsletter to fill the gap between the standard trade publications and the academic literature. But we would like to get some feedback from you as to what you would like to see in the newsletter.

What topics would you like covered? Here is a list of categories that we have come up with. Tell us how we are doing and where we can improve.

1. Business news--info on individual people and companies.

2. Industry happenings--Business economic climate, regulatory issues.

3. Product spotlight--details on new products or new ways to use old ones.

4. Resource reviews--Reviews of books, videos, podcasts, websites related to wildlife damage management and related businesses.

5. Photos: mystery photos, photos of events, happenings, weird wildlife control jobs.

Have we missed anything?

We would welcome contributors, ideas, writers, etc.

Sponsors will also be welcomed.

svantassel2@unl.edu

Posted at 4:04 PM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: WCO Business Topics | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

12/12/2008

Deer Damage Management Workshop

As conflicts with deer continue to mount, so does the need for individuals trained in effective deer damage management techniques. The ICWDM, with sponsorship by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources and the Wildlife Damage Management Working Group, have created a workshop to provide individuals with the training necessary to begin meeting that growing need. Due to the hands-on nature of the program, the Workshop is limited to 40 participants. Instruction will cover shooting, fencing, repellents, trapping and public relations. Our instructors are among the leading experts in white-tailed deer damage management. To learn more about the program visit http://icwdm.org and click the banner. We also welcome inquiries from sponsors and exhibitors.

Posted at 4:22 PM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: Wildlife Control Methods | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

12/4/2008

Identifying Droppings and Feces

The ICWDM.org has been getting a lot of requests to identify feces. Here are a few tips to help you resolve the question yourself and if that fails, to help you help us identify the culprit.

First, whenever you have a mystery dropping, think habitat. Animals are tied to habitat. This will help you develop a list of suspects. Next, visit http://icwdm.org/Inspection/droppingfeces.asp Carefully read the information there. Yes, I know its boring and tedious. But feces identification is an art as much as a science. Ignore the science, though, and you have little more than wild guesses. Click the links at the page as there is more to learn. Avoid the siren call of just relying on images. Ferraro's word descriptions, in many cases, will give you help in the "science" portion of scat identification.

When all that fails to satisfy your inquiring mind, then you can contact us. Here is what we need from you to properly help you.

town and state
time of day the scat was likely placed
habitat where it was found, describe the plants and moisture level.
length and diameter (BE CAREFUL) read our information on the site above about being safe around feces as they can carry dangerous diseases.
can you identify any pieces of material inside the dropping
photos can help. Make sure the photos are high resolution 3 mg or higher, in focus, and are made in macro mode (close ups) and distance shots to show the habitat.
take photos with standard objects in the image. coins, dollar bills, rulers are great as they help with size. A photo without scale is useless. So save your time.

Hope this helps. I know that following these suggestions will certainly help us.

Stephen Vantassel, CWCP, ACP

Posted at 8:20 AM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: Wildlife Control Methods | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/26/2008

ICWDM's Image Library New URL

We have been busy at the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, so our neglect of the Blog has been an unfortunate side effect. But before the short week ended, I was glad to be able to announce that the ICWDM Wildlife Damage Management Digital Library has a brand new URL. ICWDM Image Library Let me explain why this is so exciting for us. At the old URL, the image database required users to have port 200 open on their browsers. The problem was that with so many concerns (and appropriately so) about internet security, most computer firewalls closed port 200. So when people tried to browse or search the database, nothing happened. It was also a hassle for them to get their tech people to open the port. With the new URL, it is now on a new server and uses the traditional port for the internet, port 80. The long and short of it is, people should now have no trouble accessing the wonderful database, particularly those surfing from government sites. Please update your favorites.

Posted at 10:43 AM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/7/2008

8th Eastern Wildlife Damage Management Proceedings

It has been a while since my last post because I was in the United Kingdom on vacation for three weeks. But I am back now.

I thought I would announce that the Eighth Eastern Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings (1997) have finally been published. In case you haven't heard of these proceedings, let me give you a little history.

In the 1980 and 1990's, the Eastern Wildlife Damage Management Conference and the Great Plains Wildlife Damage Workshop met on alternating years. But since these meetings were small and would conflict with the biannual Vertebrate Pest Conference, it was decided to merge the two into the Wildlife Damage Management Conference. This way, the Vertebrate Pest Conference and the Wildlife Damage Management Conference would meet on alternating years.

The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage is pleased to announce that the proceedings from the 8th Eastern Wildlife Damage Management Conference have been added to our Digital Commons. You can locate these articles at Digital Commons

Additionally, you should know that our Digital Commons has achieved another milestone. We now have over 4200 articles in our searchable database. And yes, we continue to grow.

Posted at 11:56 AM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: WCO Business Topics | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/9/2008

Winter Bird Roosts

Cold weather marks the time when birds of a feather flock together. Starlings and crows are perhaps the most notorious because their winter roosts can be incredibly large, involving hundreds of birds. It is important to note that roosting refers to sleeping. The birds may congregate for other reasons during various times of the year, such as for mating. But in the winter, they congregate to keep warm. The problem for residents living nearby usually centers on the incredible volume of noise and excrement created by the birds.

If you find yourself in such a predicament, what can you do?

We'll unfortunately, there are no "easy" solutions. Fortunately, however, you do have options. Of course, before implementing any of these suggestions, be sure to consult with local, state, and federal regulations. Pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows are exempt from Federal guidelines but there may be state and local restrictions. Some of the techniques listed below are noisy and dangerous. So even if the techniques are legal in your area, it doesn't mean that they are "wise" to use in your circumstances.

Note that the best results come from employment of as many of the options simultaneously as legally and practically possible.

Option 1. Hazing the birds. This involves the use of frightening devices to scare the birds away. Pyrotechnics are very effective. But the noise and fire concerns may prohibit their use. Also they require repeated applications. Hazing works best when done before the birds become "attached to the site." So don't delay any longer than legally and practically necessary.

Option 2. Trimming the tree branches. Reduce branches by 30 percent to "open" up the canopy. By providing fewer places for birds to roost, the birds lose the necessary concentrations needed to gain sufficient warmth.

Option 3. Repellents. Methyl anthranilate is a grape extract that when aerosolized is noxious to birds. To us, it smells like grapes. Check state laws as you may need a pesticide applicators license to administer the product. Like hazing, it may require repeated application in order to convince the birds to move on.

Option 4. Lethal Control. This option is controversial and a potential public relations nightmare even if you follow all the necessary legal requirements. Getting permission to kill some birds will be easier than others, such as house sparrows, pigeons, and starlings. Other birds will usually require a federal depredation permit.

For further details on bird control can be found at http://icwdm.org

Stephen Vantassel, CWCP, ACP

Posted at 2:58 PM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: Species | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

9/22/2008

Anti NWCO California Pest Control Reg Struck Down

Alan Merrifield is a California NWCO who in Merrifeid v. Lockyer argued that the State of California Pest Control licensing requirements unfairly discriminated against him because it compelled him to obtain a pesticide license even though he does not use pesticides.

After losing his case in state court, Merrifield appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He argued that he should be exempt from pesticide license requirements because The California requirement violated 1. the privileges or immunities clause of the 14th Amendment, 2. the Due Process of the 14th Amendment and 3. the Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment.

Interestingly, only the third argument persuaded the court to side with Merrifield. The judges concluded that the state's decision to single out three types of vertebrate pests whose control required a license constituted an irrational decision designed to favor economically certain constituents at the expense of of others. p. 12941. A full record of the court's ruling can be obtained at the Digital Commons. The Pacific Legal Foundation litigated on behalf of Mr. Merrifield.

In layman's terms, since the state exempted the requirement of pesticide licensing for those controlling vertebrates other except for birds, rats, and mice, their argument that Merrifield needed the license because of his potential exposure to pesticides (even though he personally doesn't use pesticides) entails a contradiction. For those who control squirrels in a building would be just as likely to be exposed to pesticides, if not more so, than Merrifield who performs bird exclusions. Thus the state cannot argue simultaneously that one group needs a license while another group doing similar work doesn't the court struck down the California requirement.

So what can we say about all this? First, a victory is a victory. Merrifield should be commended for his win. He is correct that the work of NWCOs is now part of the Federal legal vocabulary. That is a good thing. Second, he gets some respite from the state's restriction.

On the other hand the victory may be a short one. For all the state needs to do to correct the contradiction in its regs is to require that everyone doing pest control needs a license. If the state takes this route, another court case will have to be brought. The state can also appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. But it may not since the Supreme Court is decidedly pro-business.

Time will tell about how much this ruling will help the industry. But for the time being, we should celebrate the victories as they come.

Stephen Vantassel, CWCP, ACP

Posted at 3:31 PM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: WCO Business Topics | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

9/10/2008

Is it Moles or Pocket Gophers?

With fall approaching, some homeowners are beginning to see dirt mounds "appearing" in their lawns. Everyone knows that proper damage control begins with correct identification. For if you don't know what is causing the problem you will have difficulty resolving it.

Distinguishing between pocket gopher damage and mole damage is one such problem. The following will provide you some tips to help you distinguish between damage by pocket gophers and damage by moles.

Tip #1. Pocket Gophers only create mounds of dirt. If you see runs in your grass that collapse when you step on them then that is a sign of moles. Pocket gophers never make runs.

Tip #2. Mole mounds tend to be conical and 6-8 inches wide. Pocket gopher mounds tend to be kidney or fan shaped and reaching widths of 8-14 inches.

Tip #3. Location can also help to distinguish between mole and pocket gopher damage. For example, pocket gophers don't reside in New England but moles do. The rest of the country is pretty much an overlap of both species.

Tip #4. Habitat is the last tip. Moles tend to be near wooded areas with loamy soil. Pocket gophers can handle dryer conditions typical of grasslands. Neither species will live in swamps or deserts. With so many irrigated lawns, however, gophers and moles can be found in locations previously never found. So keep an open mind.

Information on control techniques can be found below. Further information

Images distinguishing mole and pocket gopher damage

Mole Control

Pocket gopher Control

Posted at 10:35 AM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: Species | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

8/28/2008

Turkeys and Damage

Turkey populations are growing substantially around many parts of the country. Responsible wildlife management coupled with changes in land use have allowed turkey numbers to dramatically increase. Of course, whenever, numbers of anything increase, there are bound to be conflicts.

Turkeys are no different. Farmers have complained that turkeys damaged their crops. Homeowners have claimed that turkeys have ruined their grass searching for insects.

Recent research, however, raises doubts about these claims. In a two year study, Purdue University Extension educator Brian MacGowan and his co-authors have found that turkeys are frequently blamed for damage that was actually caused by other animals. Their publication "Truths and Myths about Wild Turkey (Publication # FNR-264-W) says that turkeys are accused of causing the problems because landowners can see them. They found that turkeys do feed on grain and corn but typically are just gleaning the left-overs of deer, raccoon and other species. The same goes for turf damage. The authors said, it is rare for turkeys to scratch undisturbed turf. Typically they work grass that has already been assaulted by skunks and raccoons.

It is important to note that turkeys can impact human interests. Their roosts in suburban areas can leave a great deal of unsightly excrement beneath them. The ICWDM has received one complaint about turkey pecking has broken the side-mirrors of cars. Turkeys damage vehicle paint by pecking also. Information on the management of these problems can be found at Turkey Damage Management

Posted at 10:42 AM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: Species | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

8/20/2008

Black-Footed Ferrets and Plague

If one just thought of the title of the U.S. Geological Service (USGS), it would be understandable if you thought that the Federal agency just handled rocks and maps. However, that would be quite wrong.

The USGS also does a great deal of work in the area of animal diseases including those potentially dangerous to humans. A recent press release discusses their work in protecting the endangered Black-Footed ferret. Ferrets are highly susceptible to sylvatic plague which is a bacteria disease transmitted by fleas. From time to time, plague outbreaks occur in the prairie dog towns used by ferrets to both live and hunt in.

Recently, researchers have developed a vaccine capable of protecting ferrets against the plague. They even can inoculate the ferrets by treating bait that would be eaten by the ferrets. Although the drug isn't quite ready for prime time yet, it is encouraging to see that it is another tool in the fight to protect ferrets from extinction.

Readers can learn more about this program, including photos of ferret trapping at Ferret Vaccine

Ferret Photos

Posted at 1:12 PM by SENECA\svantassel2 | Category: Species | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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