Southern Wings is celebrating its 15-year anniversary in 2024. In those fifteen years, forty-one states have contributed over $4.2 million to the conservation of shared migratory birds through strategic investment on the stopover and nonbreeding grounds, leveraging over $9M in total partner funding. These contributions have been used to conserve, restore, or manage over 1.5M acres of habitat for birds while also supporting clean air, clean water, healthy habitat, and human well-being. Thank you and congratulations to IN, IA, KS, KY, AR, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, SD, and WI for their support of and leadership for full annual cycle conservation of priority migratory birds through Southern Wings.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2024 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a Department-wide effort to support connectivity of wildlife habitat on working landscapes through the management of National Forests and voluntary conservation assistance on private agricultural lands. In a memorandum released this week, Vilsack detailed plans of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to drive coordination and action within the Department to improve terrestrial wildlife habitat connectivity and corridors in a way that recognizes and leverages state and Tribal authorities, capitalizes on public land management and respects private property rights through voluntary, locally-led conservation.
In this memorandum, Vilsack directs USDA to marshal a network of programs across USDA, including those of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Forest Service (FS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported September 6 that a person in Missouri had tested positive for avian influenza A (H5) (“H5 bird flu”). This is the 14th human case of H5 reported in the United States during 2024 and the first case of H5 without a known occupational exposure to sick or infected animals. H5 outbreaks in cattle have not been reported in Missouri, but outbreaks of H5 have been reported in commercial and backyard poultry flocks in 2024. H5N1 bird flu has been detected in wild birds in that state in the past. No ongoing transmission among close contacts or otherwise has been identified.
While other novel flu cases have been detected through the country’s national flu surveillance system, this is the first time that system has detected a case of H5. In this case, the specimen from the patient originally tested positive for flu A, but negative for seasonal flu A virus subtypes. That finding triggered additional testing.
Without a known exposure to sick or infected animals, further sequencing may help determine if the virus is linked to the B3.13 genotype circulating in cows, if there are links to other human cases, or if there are ties to other animals, which could include birds or even cats, mice, or other wildlife.
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Silver carp, an invasive species that officials are trying to keep out of the Great Lakes, jumping in the Fox River in Illinois. | Ryan Hagerty/Fish and Wildlife Service
Illinois and Michigan signed an agreement with the Biden administration Monday to kick off a long-awaited $1 billion project that will help prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes.
The agreement will allow for the construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project to block and deter the invasive fish that are now widespread in the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
A carp invasion in the Great Lakes could have devastating consequences for the health of the waterbodies as well as for recreational opportunities and the U.S. economy. The Army Corps of Engineers has identified the Brandon Road project, which has been in the works since the early 2000s, as the best way to prevent the fish from reaching the lakes.
The agreement unleashes $274 million in federal funds for the project, which would cost as an estimated $1.15 billion in total.
“Today’s agreement will help us get shovels in the ground as soon as possible on the critical Brandon Road project,” Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “The Great Lakes are the beating heart of Michigan’s economy, and Brandon Road will help us protect local communities and key industries, including fishing and boating, that support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.”
Since their introduction in the southern U.S. in the 1970s, Asian carp have made their way northward. Although a recent study found carp DNA in Lake Michigan, the species are not thought to be in the lakes at any significant levels, said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The Brandon Road project consists of electric and other technological deterrents to be installed at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. Ninety percent of the project is federally funded, with the remaining 10 percent coming from Michigan and Illinois.
Environmental advocates raised concerns earlier this year about the future of the project after reports of a dispute between Illinois and the Army Corps over project costs. Last spring, the Army Corps had released an updated cost estimate, which was nearly 13 percent higher than the project cost as estimated in 2019.
“The good news is the state of Illinois, the state of Michigan and the Army Corps of Engineers are moving forward together to take the serious action steps needed to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes,” Learner said.
Construction on the project could begin early next year, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
“The signing of the Brandon Road Project Agreement is historic and will help protect our fishery, our economy and quality of life,” Marc Smith, policy director for the group, said in a statement. “Keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes is a national priority.”
PUBLISHED: June 9, 2024 at 5:05 a.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2024 at 11:18 a.m.
One of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ top leadership positions is turning over in July when Dave Olfelt, the agency’s Fish and Wildlife Division director, will retire after 37 years of service.
Member Dave Olfelt,Minnesota Director
Olfelt started with DNR in 1987 in the agency’s Nongame and Natural Heritage Program and has worked as a field biologist, in state park programs and as regional wildlife official, among other positions. He’s been the leader of the Fish and Wildlife Division for the past five years.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Division Director Dave Olfelt will retire in July 2024. (Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen on Monday said that Kelly Straka, who has headed the DNR’s wildlife section for the past four years, will take over Olfelt’s position heading the Fish and Wildlife Division.
The Fish and Wildlife Division’s budget is about $276 million annually and the division has 561 employees across the state dealing with every aspect of wildlife and fisheries management and research. That includes everything from wildlife diseases to invasive carp, from doe permits to trout stamps — and trying to keep hunters and anglers happy about walleyes, whitetails and waterfowl.
