Tag Archives: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This notice from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was recently brought to my attention: Nominate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lands in Need of Better Public Access The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed into law in 2019, includes a provision intended to increase recreation access to public lands. Section 4105 instructs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal land management agencies to develop and publish a priority list of public lands where public …

By Jerry Kane Nebraska Game and Parks Commission LINCOLN, Neb. — By quickly studying a duck’s wing, Randy Stutheit plays a role in determining waterfowl regulations and seasons in states throughout the central portion of the country. But he’s been doing it awhile – 35 years – and that experience means a lot in the Central Flyway, which stretches from Canada to Mexico. Stutheit, a longtime wildlife biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, is a “wing checker” on …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Estimated duck breeding populations are strong, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent 2018 waterfowl population status report. Although the numbers are down from 2017, the report shows abundance of most duck species above their long-term averages (1955-2017). In general, habitat conditions during the 2018 Waterfowl Breeding and Population Habitat Survey were slightly poorer relative to 2017, with a few exceptions. Habitat quality generally declined across the survey area compared to last year, except for …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska will have a statewide teal hunting season on a full-time basis beginning in 2018. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently approved a September teal season in the northern part of the state, ending a four-year experimental season. Since 2014, the USFWS has allowed Nebraska to have an experimental September teal season in northern Nebraska as long as hunters properly distinguished teal from other duck species. Hunters were monitored to determine the rate at which …

LINCOLN – Nebraska duck hunters will find good news in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent 2016 waterfowl population status report. The report shows mallard numbers are near record highs and the estimated green-winged teal population is the highest since estimates began in 1955. The estimated mallard population this year is 51 percent above the long-term (1955-2015) average, while the green-wing teal numbers are 104 percent higher than the long-term average. Other dabbling duck species varied in abundances from …