The Bonefish and Tarpon Conservation Research crew from the University of Miami tag fish caught in a 2005 tarpon tournament in Veracruz, Mexico. An understanding of tarpon migration patterns and feeding habits is crucial to the fishery's offshore management. The group attached a Pop-up Archival Transmitting Tag to each fish behind its head. Dr. Jerald S. Ault
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Sensors and memory chips inside the 6-¿ tags record temperature, depth, and geographic location for a pre-determined time, and then pop off. When the tag floats to the surface, it transmits its stored information via satellite to the researchers’ computers. Dr. Jerald S. AultVolunteers from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation lay a rubber apron to catch precipitation for a guzzler that will provide a water source for wildlife on Valley Mountain near Elko, Nevada. www.rmef.orgField & Stream Online EditorsIn 2004, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation discovered a serious problem on the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Montana: A 2.6-mile former irrigation ditch had become a quicksand-like bog, and when elk and other wildlife attempted to cross, the animals became stuck, sinking deeper and deeper the more they struggled. Volunteers began construction on a fence around the ditch to keep wildlife out of the ditch (See next slide). This bull was rescued by refuge worker John Ringham; he tied a rope around the elk’s head and pulled it free with a pickup truck. www.rmef.orgField & Stream Online EditorsIn 2004, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation discovered a serious problem on the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Montana: A 2.6-mile former irrigation ditch had become a quicksand-like bog, and when elk and other wildlife attempted to cross, the animals became stuck, sinking deeper and deeper the more they struggled. Volunteers began construction on a fence around the ditch to keep wildlife out of the ditch (above). This bull was rescued by refuge worker John Ringham; he tied a rope around the elk’s head and pulled it free with a pickup truck. www.rmef.orgField & Stream Online EditorsAs farming methods have changed in the last 30 years, “clean-¿ cropfields have replaced a patchwork landscape, resulting in a gradual disappearance of pheasant and quail habitat. Across the country, Pheasants Forever volunteers work with local landowners to develop buffer zones, where tall, wild grasses provide cover for birds. pheasantsforever.orgField & Stream Online EditorsGrass fires were once a common occurrence across the prairies. These days, Pheasants Forever members mimic their effect with prescribed burns. Fire consumes unwanted woody vegetation, as well as the dead vegetation that accumulates in grasslands, thereby releasing nutrients to stimulate new growth. In turn, the growth of grasses, forbs, and legumes fosters an increase in the insect population, a critical food source for young birds. pheasantsforever.orgField & Stream Online EditorsPheasants Forever’s unique approach to grassroots conservation means all funds raised by local chapters remain at the local level for projects like this one. pheasantsforever.orgRoger HillEvery winter, when the water in Alabama’s Bear Creek Reservoir is drawn down 12 feet, the Millennium Group installs hundreds of 4×4 pallets on the lake’s bare floor. Then they cover the pallets with cedar trees (see next slide), so that when the water level rises come spring, bass will have a place to hide. Field & Stream Online EditorsOver time, the trees’ needles drop to the soil, providing nutrients and fostering the return of native vegetation. The fishermen have put in 8,000-man hours, and all fish populations are rising. Field & Stream Online EditorsMike Perkinson helped design and build this hydraulic puller from scratch. He and volunteers from the Arizona Wildlife Federation use it to pull fence posts from the arid soil on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. The barbed Wire fences that crisscross the former cattle ranch are a death trap for pronghorns. As the antelope flee cougars, they become entangled in the lowest strand. So far, the group has removed 25 miles of fence. azwildlife.orgField & Stream Online Editors
