As 2019 winds down and a new decade creeps in, we figured this was a great time to reflect on the growth of the Furbearer Conservation project throughout 2019. The last three years have seen immense change and growth in the development of our outreach, interface and platform - with more robust and thought-provoking content. We made it a mission towards the later half of 2019 to broaden the project from merely an outreach platform to reference-able content as well, including a Resources tab and an Issues tab - both full of shareable content. The ultimate goal being a conservation-minded platform with peer-reviewed references/resources and focus on commentary surrounding the societal trends and changes of wildlife management. While we do focus on advocacy for regulated hunting and trapping activities, the broader focus is on the conservation of furbearer species (and to a larger degree, all North American wildlife) and how the activities of regulated hunting & trapping factor into this broader mission.
With all of this in mind, and thanks to a growing supporter-base for our mission, we wanted to look back at our top ten most popular posts and topics of 2019. This list was formulated using analytics from both this website, and our social media platforms, and averaged together to compile our most popular posts of the year in a countdown (with #1 being the most popular). Each listed post features a link to the original content. So without further ado, we say goodbye to 2019 with a look back at our year in review!
#10: A Biologist Perspective
We were honored to feature guest writer and certified NH wildlife biologist Eric Orff on the site in October. The post coencided with a video short from Eric’s journal featured on his own YouTube channel. Eric is very passionate about wildlife biology and ecology, and has a long history of working side by side with licensed trappers. From fisher and otter reintroduction to states like Pennsylvania and Connecticut, to testing mink for mercury exposure, Eric and the NH trapping community have a rich history of conservation endeavors. The relationship between hunters & trappers, and professional wildlife managers is integral to our overall mission, and we never hesitate to showcase these important symbiotic relationships when the opportunity arises. We are thankful for Eric’s willingness to publicly recognize his integral partnership with licensed trappers throughout his long and eventful career.
Read the full story: A Biologist's Perspective on Trappers: You Can Always Count On 'em
#09: Rabid Bears in North America?
Its not something we really think about often because, in the grand scheme of trends, its still rare; but cases of rabid bears do exist. We explored the notion of rabid bears, the trends of such an issue, and the impact on both bear density and human presence. Surprisingly, the popularity of this post from early January of this year remained constant, with regular web-based search engine results pointing curious users of the internet to our article. Clearly, interest in rabid bears remains fairly common, and our coverage of the topic remains one of the few. We should clarify that our reporting of rabid animal trends and conflict is not intended to “strike fear” into the hearts of readers, nor is it to create hype. The reality is that keeping an eye on these trends is an integral part of conservation - for those in the wildlife management, wildlife control, public safety, and scientific communities. An example of what we’re trying to convey lies with continued research on rabies virus conducted by USDA: APHIS.
Read the full report: America's Rabid Bears: cases rare - a concern nonetheless?
#08: You are what you eat
One of the most fascinating concepts focused-on by the Furbearer Conservation project is the duality of mankind and nature - and the ever-changing relationships between the two. The coyote is no exception to this rule. A wave of newly published studies (primarily on the west coast) further dissect the relationships between human civilization and this wild canid. States like California ironically have become the ideal petri dish for these concepts, in the wake of immense restrictions to historical wildlife management protocols. In the 21st century, conflict between humans and coyotes have evolved dramatically (and ironically) in the concrete and asphault mazes of southern California. We explored the findings of an urban coyote diet - and our readers were clearly enthralled.
Read the full report: The Sharks of Suburbia - An urban coyote diet
#07: Post Tie - The Governor’s Turkey Hunt & Massachusetts Contest Ban
Its not every day you have the opportunity to take a state Governor out on a turkey hunt. New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu obliged the local hunting community and lent his time to a good cause, with a fund-raising turkey hunt to benefit local families in need. While local animal rights activists seized the activity as a publicity and political stunt, the positive popularity in our report on the event clearly showcased citizen’s appreciation of political leaders taking the time to show interest in rural cultural activities such as regulated hunting.
View the post: Governor’s turkey hunt highlights New Hampshire’s rural culture
(Photo | NPS)
Also tied for the #7 slot was last week’s editorial post on Massachusetts’ decision to ban hunting contests statewide. The post speaks for itself, but its important to note our stance on this particular topic was the overall misuse of the term “contest” by those opposed to any/all hunting/trapping activities. The bottom line is that the term “contest” can mean many different things to different circles of the populous - to enact bans on hunting activities purely on political or emotional banter from a small cross-section of the public is a slippery slope. This post found its way to the top-ten charts mainly due to the engagement the post evoked on social media. There is no doubt that this subject remains a polarized one across many layers of society.
The full editorial: Popularity Contest: MA hunting contest ban is latest “societal” quagmire
#06: Local Fur handling legend
(Photo | Jerry Leibrandt)
New Hampshire lost a local legend this year in Harris Ilsley. Harris was known to folks throughout the region for his rugged and carefree yankee persona. Our tribute to Harris includes contributor experiences with Harris’ masterful fur handling craft. Our post was shared far and wide throughout the hunting, trapping, conservation law enforcement, and small-town communities in New England, boosting our tribute to the number 6 spot on the year-end countdown. A refined version of the article also made its way into the prestigious Northern Woodlands magazine - which reaches a broad audience of New England’s conservation community. 2020 will be far less charismatic without Harris’ clever wit.
Read the full article: Bidding farewell to New Hampshire's renowned "Skinner"
#05: A Response to “Responsive Reproduction”
Number five was a doozy. A growing trend of polarizing debate in wildlife management circles is that of predator management, and New Hampshire’s legislature was no exception as we ventured into 2019. Animal rights groups pushed hard to enact restrictions on the year-round coyote hunting seasons across the country, and New Hampshire’s currently open season was in the cross-hairs. House Bill 442 would seek to enact a closure to the coyote hunting season, for breeding seasons, and, what self-proclaimed “experts” assert is faulty management protocols (hunting).
The year-round hunting of coyotes raises some concerns, but our main contention with this legislation was less about the criticism for year-round hunting, and more about questionable assertions on coyote biology that were being flaunted to lawmakers and the public. Coyote reproduction has been a topic that has taken on a societal life of its own, with everyone claiming to be both an expert and holding rights to the perceived “sciences” behind the subject of coyote reproduction. The advent of social media and the reactionary dialog of such has opened a new floor for misinterpreted (or in many cases, completely wrong) information to proliferate like, well, a hunted coyote! We rendered the debate over House Bill 442 as an opportunity to dive deeper into the science behind coyote biology and present scientific data in its entirety, rather than as isolated snippets presented to further an agenda. Read up on the references we uncovered, see for yourself, and draw your own conclusions.
Read the full report: Northeast Coyote Management: NH H.B. 442 Revisited
#04: The Masked Bandit always gets its egg
The fourth most popular post of 2019 was somewhat of a surprise to us, but given the increased popularity in trail cameras and voyeuristic viewing of wildlife in their natural elements, it may not be as shocking as one would think. Thanks to the modern advancement of technology, the documentation of nature in action has never been more enhanced. Today, we’re able to document rare species, amazing battles between animals, and discover characteristics of the wild world who’s stories were once only to be told by the stillness of the forest. Of course, with new video and photo records of the amazing highs in nature, we’ve also gotten better about documenting the perceived lows.
One of the most adaptable and opportunistic furbearers in North America, the raccoon, made headlines in March when one of these charismatic bandits robbed an eagle’s nest of eggs live on an Eagle Cam feed. For many, the story served as an anecdotal commentary on American life (with the Bald Eagle serving as a symbol of patriotism and perseverance). For us, news of the activity served as another remainder of the duality between abundant mesopredators and their potentially less-abundant prey.
View the post and video: Raccoon raids DC bald eagle's nest live on Eagle Cam.
#03: California’s Ban-it-all Tour!
California’s politically charged mismanagement of its wildlife resources was a consistent topic on our blog page. Whether it was their extensive spending on Nutria eradication efforts, mental health issues of their citizens amid arbitrary fur bans, or consistent coyote conflict issues during coexistence campaigns, California has been a regular poster child for how “not” to let political leaders dictate wildlife policy.
One of our most popular topics (and number 3 overall most popular for the year) was California’s decision to fully ban the activity of fur trapping statewide. As we pointed out in a follow-up editorial, the announcement of the ban came as no surprise, nor was it the real heavy-hitter in snuffing out its citizens who take part in sustainable fur harvest. California politicians banned usage of the foothold trap in 1998, and, as our editorial points out, conflict with wildlife climbed in the years following the ban. 2019’s all-encompassing final blow was nothing short of political virtue signaling. California continues to be an example of future wildlife management case study for the rest of North America.
Read more: California becomes first state to outright ban regulated trapping
Read the follow-up piece: California's Trapping Ban: A closer look at the ramifications
#02: Vermont’s first rabid coyote case
Mark Scott, wildlife director for Vermont Fish & Wildlife, told news outlets that the April attack on a couple in Salisbury, Vermont would be the first confirmed report of a rabid coyote ever documented in the state if the results from the animal’s carcass were to confirm rabies. Those results later confirmed expectations that the coyote which attacked the Gilmans was in fact suffering from the rabies virus. A case of a rabid bobcat attack was also reported in Vermont this year.
Read the full report: Vermont's first rabid coyote attack confirmed by Health Department
#01: Coyote attack in Massachusetts stirs the societal pot
Its painfully clear, to our slight dismay, that wildlife conflict - especially involving predators like coyotes, really gets people’s juices flowing. We’re not sure if its due to the current climate of debate on predator management in America with an animal rights/environmental ideology pushing for closure to hunting from coast to coast, or the fact that this particular headline involved a teen; but our report on a 16-year-old who was attacked by a coyote in a small Massachusetts community won first place in popularity by-and-large. The post received over 75,000 page views and engagement between our website and social media platforms in its first 24 hours of posting alone. A cornerstone of the engagement popularity may lie with the Commonwealth’s consistent controversy over restricting both hunting and trapping practices, with the state being one of the highest coyote conflict areas in the Northeast US according to a wave of media reports throughout the 2000’s.
We should emphasize that while its clear conflict sells, it isn’t our primary objective to either demonize wild predators or capitalize on the misfortunes of others - rather, offer reference to topics that surround more than just the scientific realms of wildlife management.
Read the post: Teen attacked by coyote in Massachusetts neighborhood.
Thoughts Looking ahead:
So there you have it folks, our most popular posts of 2019 - generated, in part, by you!
Furbearer Conservation Founder/Editor-in-chief, Jeff Traynor, pictured with his tribute article to NH skinner Harris Ilsley featured in the Winter issue of Northern Woodlands magazine.
While we look at the “big hitters” of 2019, we also look ahead to broader advocacy and outreach in the new year. Wildlife management is a complex topic - one that bears consistent discussion and criticism from many facets of society. By their own admissions, various stakeholder groups in the conservation world have proclaimed that the topic of how we manage wildlife species is at a crossroads between scientific-based merit and social (and political) influence. Frankly, if we are going to subject wildlife management endeavors to a social coin-toss, we here at Furbearer Conservation feel it pertinent to inform the public at large on the ramifications of such. Further restrictions to how we currently manage wildlife (and furbearers) for the percieved betterment of “all” has its own unforeseen side-effects, and while credence towards coexistence should be emphasized, that concept of coexistence does, in some capacity, involve lethal management of some abundant game species. We assert that lethal management should remain regulated, and applied with the most unbiased and up-to-date science (rather than pseudoscience) available. Rest assured, this topic will continue to be a discussion point for the Furbearer Conservation project in 2020.
We also look to expand our horizons to the broader conservation community, and while much of our editorial input encompass regulated hunting and trapping practices, we must not lose sight of the broader picture of our motivations - the conservation of fur-bearing wildlife. We anticipate the new year will roll out broader concepts in line with this overall, and ever changing goal.
As poet and social critic Thomas Stearns Eliot eloquently wrote in Little Gidding, “For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
We wish all of our readers, supporters, and contributors a happy and prosperous New Year in 2020! Cheers!