National

Idaho's air-dropped beavers, muskrat pens and ear-tagged marten

In 1948, game warden and pilot Elmo Heter executed a plan years in the making to reintroduce beavers into the mountainous wilds of Idaho. The project gained international fame in 2015, when a local historian discovered lost footage of the program. As seen in the video, the reintroduction efforts didn’t stop at parachuting beavers.

Muskrats: A canary for the wetlands coal mine?

The Wildlife Ecology Institute has recently announced new research being conducted to dive into the ‘rat’s potential role as an indicator species for wetland quality in the Great Lakes Basin. Researchers are reviewing multiple sources pertaining to muskrat population data, such as state trapper reports and counts of muskrat huts, and comparing those data sets with that of wetland quality, and additional sensitive wetland-wildlife species.

Staten Island's deer: Another modern wildlife management Petri dish

To date, Staten Island has invested $4.1 million into their sterilization project, according to reports released Friday. The city hired wildlife contractors White Buffalo to carry out the project in 2016. It would be the world’s first attempt to curb deer by sterilizing only males, according to media reports. The borough’s herd reached approximately 2,053 individuals in 2017 which amounted to an 8,454% increase in less than a decade.

NYC Fur Ban: The hornet's nest that needed a good kicking

Its not just backwoods fur trappers supporting the fur industry. As the NYC fur ban really started to heat up last month, folks from all walks of American life came out to fight the proposal.

Cat Fight: Colorado bobcat hunting ban rejected by state officials

Yet another state has been the lucky recipient of the “traveling bobcat circus” that seems to be making its North American Tour. “Cat fights” over bobcat hunting have recently bubbled to the surface in New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana - just to name a few. It now appears we’re on the “West Coast leg” of the show - with California and Colorado facing demands for restrictions from similar players.