Category Archives: Conservation

What Does Ducks Unlimited Do In Georgia?

Last Saturday I met a couple at Lake Eufaula to get information for a Georgia Outdoor News article. One of the places we fished is a popular creek called “The Witches Ditch.” Near the mouth of the creek is a riprap levee with a diesel water pump on it.

The levee and pump are there to pump water out of a big area behind the levee. In the spring it is drained and food sources for waterfowl is planted. Then in the late summer the area is allowed to flood, offering ducks and geese perfect feeding areas.

This project is part of the National Wildlife Refuge located in Georgia and Alabama on Lake Eufaula. There are several other similar places around the lake where this is done the same way, with levees and pumps.

These wildlife areas benefit waterfowl and many other species of wildlife, from deer to alligators. Such improvements in natural areas are critical for survival of some species and help others thrive. Much of the work on these kinds of conservation projects is funded by Ducks, Unlimited.

Ducks, Unlimited is a worldwide organization of sportsmen and conversationalists that work to fund such projects. Almost all of them are hunters and they know waterfowl and wildlife needs special help since so much habitat is being destroyed.

The organization has completed over 20,000 projects involving more than 12 million acres. Each year many of these projects are in Georgia. Duck hunters here in Griffin benefit from these projects, but all wildlife and anyone valuing conservation of natural resources also benefit.

One of the levee and pump areas on Eufaula was funded by Ducks, Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was completed in 1995. It restored 450 acres of moist soil habitat by installation of a 24 inch pump station and rehabilitation of existing levees. The goal of this project was to enhance habitat for mallards, wood ducks, gadwall and green winged teal. It also provides for hunting opportunities.

Closer to us, a project at Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area near Forsyth included the installation of a water control structure and dike around an area. The field is planted with millet and corn to provide winter food for wildlife. The project was in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

At Lake Oconee 150 acres of habitat has been conserved with the installation of six water control structures and the renovation of some dikes there. This project is also managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and provides forage for migrating waterfowl near Lake Oconee.

There are many other Georgia projects. Over the years more than 20,000 acres have been conserved through projects in Georgia. Since Georgia is part of the Atlantic Flyway, it provides winter habitat for waterfowl that migrates through the area and is very important for their survival.

Money for all these projects is raised through local banquets and other events. Members pay dues and volunteer their time, but the local events are critical for continuing to conserve the environment. And the money is used for projects, not administration of the organization. More than 80 precent of money raised goes to conservation projects, making Ducks, Unlimited number 115 on a list of almost one million non profit organizations in the US in terms of efficient use of money raised.

Young people are the future of hunting and conservation and Ducks, Unlimited works hard to educate them and help them become involved. Greenwing membership for $15 per year is available to those 17 years old or younger and includes four issues of Puddler Magazine, a magazine just for youth, as well as six annual issues of Ducks, Unlimited Magazine.

Adult membership is $35 per year and includes the Ducks, Unlimited magazine and members only web access. They are also offering a free gift to new members right now. Various levels of membership and sponsorship is also available for varying amounts.

If you value conservation and wildlife, and want to help, visit the Ducks, Unlimited website at www.ducks.org to find out more. Join an organization that works to further your goals of conservation, whether you are a hunter or not.

How Is A Florida Team Saving Dolphins Tangled In Fishing Line?

Florida Team Saves Dolphin from Tangled Fishing Gear
from The Fishing Line

Dolphin Team

Dolphin Team

A team of 10 organizations, including Mote Marine Laboratory and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, helped to free a dolphin calf from fishing gear that was entangled around its tail. Without this help, the dolphin’s tail likely would have been severed.
Photo by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Today, an 11-month-old female bottlenose dolphin calf is swimming free and clear of fishing gear that could have severed her tail after 10 groups – including Mote Marine Laboratory – mounted a life-saving rescue in Little Marco Pass in Collier County.

The dolphin, a dependent calf nicknamed Skipper, was first spotted by members of the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project, who documented the entanglement and reported it to state and federal authorities in August. After the dolphin was spotted several times over several weeks still entangled in fishing gear, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) – which oversees the protection of marine mammals in the U.S. – asked the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), a partnership between Mote Marine Laboratory and the Chicago Zoological Society, to try to free the dolphin of the gear.

An initial effort by SDRP and Mote to remove the gear with a long-handled disentanglement tool on Aug. 28 was not successful.

Dolphin Tangling Fishing Gear

Dolphin Tangling Fishing Gear

This is the gear that was tangled around the tail of “Skipper,” an 11-month-old bottlenose dolphin calf. Photo by the Chicago Zoological Society.

NMFS and SDRP contacted members of the Southeast Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network to help with a rescue. The team included Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and FWC Law Enforcement, NMFS, the Chicago Zoological Society, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sea World, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, University of Florida, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project.

Early on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, a team of 39 people and six boats gathered at the Collier Boulevard boat ramp near Marco Island. Members of the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project and a team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium had already been on the water looking for the calf and her mother, Halfway, and had found them.

The SDRP orchestrated the rescue: One boat set a net to encircle the dolphins, then the net corral was moved to shallower water and team members got into the water around the net and briefly restrained the animals. In the water, veterinarians found that about a foot of metal fishing leader, probably from a trolling rig, was wrapped around the base of Skipper’s tail peduncle and flukes. Left unchecked, the stiff metal wire would have cut deeper into the dolphin and eventually severed her tail.

“We are seeing situations like this all too often along Florida’s coasts,” said Dr. Randy Wells, director of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and the rescue’s coordinator. “This otherwise healthy dolphin calf likely would have died had we not been able to remove the gear. Her entanglement is a prime example of why we humans need to be careful with our fishing gear and watch out for wildlife that lives in our coastal waters.”

This year alone, Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program and animal hospitals have responded to more than 80 stranded sea turtles and 40 stranded marine mammals within Sarasota and Manatee counties and throughout the wider region covered by the Stranding Network.

Skipper is the 22nd live animal that Mote has helped to rescue this year, said Gretchen Lovewell, manager of Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program. The team also recently helped to rescue “Speedy,” a dolphin that was trapped in a lake in the Everglades in July. In addition to responding to stranded dolphins and sea turtles, Mote’s team also supports FWC’s response to stranded manatees in Southwest Florida.

“This rescue was really rewarding,” Lovewell said. “Not only was it a demonstration of how well the Stranding Network comes together to respond to animals in distress, but it was also an opportunity to give this individual dolphin a better chance at survival and to show what can be accomplished when all of us work together.”

Learn how you can help dolphins.

The rescue was possible in-part to grants from the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program. This federal program supports the costs for teams to help dolphins and whales – like Skipper – that face life-threatening situations.

“This was a great team effort for a successful dolphin calf disentanglement,” said Denise Boyd, FWC Research Associate who coordinates stranding responses in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties. “We hope that the dolphin will go on to lead a healthy life from here on in.”

Injured Dolphin Tail

Injured Dolphin Tail

This image shows the injury to Skipper’s tail. Photo by the Chicago Zoological Society.

Rescuing stranded marine mammals takes a group effort – from members of the public who report sick or injured animals and the management agencies that authorize such rescues to take place to the “boots-on-the-ground” teams at nonprofit institutions and organizations that conduct many such rescues. Nonprofit organizations rely on public donations to fund such work. Please consider making a donation to Mote Marine Laboratory or another participating agency to help. Online at mote.org/donate.