|
November 2015
CONTENTS
Wine, wildlife and art: November 7
Oregon Conservation Strategy and Nearshore Strategy update
Grassland birds make the big screen
Invasive crayfish found in Willamette Basin
Click on images to enlarge
WINE, WILDLIFE AND ART: NOVEMBER 7
 |
| The 2015 winning artwork of Tufted Puffins by Don Meinders of Otto, North Carolina is featured on the label of Conservation Cuvee – Lot 3. |
Enjoy wildlife, wine and jazz at the third annual Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Art Show and Duck Pond Cellars’ Conservation Cuvee – Lot 3 wine release party. This free event is Saturday, Nov. 7 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Duck Pond Cellars, 23145 Hwy 99W, Dundee.
The art show features 56 entries submitted by artists as part of ODFW’s 2016 Habitat Conservation, Upland Game Bird, and Waterfowl Stamp art contests. The winning entry from each contest is then used to produce collector stamps and other promotional items with proceeds benefitting Oregon’s native wildlife.
Visitors can vote on their favorite artwork for the People’s Choice Award, enjoy live music by jazz quartet Whetsell Adams, and sample complimentary tastings of Conservation Cuvee Lot 2 and Lot 3. Please dress warmly as the event will be held in the winery’s production cellar. More information on Duck Pond’s conservation efforts.
Conservation Cuvee – Lot 3 is the third in a series of Duck Pond Cellars’ specialty wines that benefit Oregon’s wildlife featuring the 2015 winning artwork of Tufted Puffins by Don Meinders. The winery has been partnering with ODFW for several years by crafting unique blends of Pinot Noir and donating $5 for each bottle sold to ODFW’s Conservation Program. To date, more than $14,000 has been donated to this program.
Conservation Cuvee – Lot 2 and Lot 3 can be purchased at Duck Pond Cellars, and at select restaurants and wine shops. Conservation Cuvee – Lot 2 features the artwork of Western Painted Turtles by Timothy Turenne.
More information
Purchase collector stamps and art prints online.
OREGON CONSERVATION STRATEGY AND NEARSHORE UPDATE
After a year and a half of work by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the 10-year revision of the Oregon Conservation Strategy, including the Oregon Nearshore Strategy component was completed. Drafts were approved in September by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission and submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on October 1. The expected approval date by the USFWS is unknown but likely will be early in 2016.
“We could not have done this without the commitment and input from our partners around the state,” said Andrea Hanson, ODFW Conservation Strategy Coordinator. “More than 200 technical experts, tribal biologists, other agency representatives and more than 100 ODFW biologists gave us updated information on Oregon’s native species and habitats of conservation concern.”
Hanson also thanked an advisory committee that reviewed the updated content and gave guidance to keep that content and format relevant to all Oregonians. The committee included representatives from outdoor interest groups, agriculture and forestry, conservation organizations, the travel industry, governments and professional societies.
ODFW’s Marine Resources Program updated the Oregon Nearshore Strategy with input from technical experts, agency partners, tribes, and the public. Nearshore Project Leader Greg Krutzikowsky led this effort, noting there were several changes.
 |
| The Western Snowy Plover is a Strategy Species in the Oregon Conservation Strategy and the Nearshore Component. |
“Estuaries were included in the Nearshore Strategy, and species lists and habitats were modified. We now have accurate mapping of more than half of Oregon’s territorial sea, so we’ve dramatically improved our understanding of seafloor habitats in nearshore waters,” Krutzikowsky said. “This was a great team effort that resulted in better integration of the Nearshore component in the statewide Strategy.”
Both documents will soon be available in a new web application upon USFWS approval. Stay tuned!
GRASSLAND BIRDS MAKE THE BIG SCREEN
Plight of the Grassland Birds is a new documentary focusing on the spiraling loss of North American grassland birds and their habitats from Canada to Mexico. Grassland birds are declining faster than any other group of birds.
Contact your local PBS station and ask them to air it, or watch the full program online here.
INVASIVE CRAYFISH FOUND IN WILLAMETTE BASIN
The recent discovery of Ringed crayfish in the Willamette River drainage is a good reminder that keeping invasive species out of Oregon really is an effort on the part of so many.
While on a recreational dive in late September, a U.S. Forest Service employee discovered two Ringed crayfish below the falls at Wildwood Falls Park on the Row River. With help from the USFS, the Coast Fork Watershed Council and student volunteers, ODFW biologists conducted a presence/absence survey below and above the initial discovery site and some tributaries of the Row River down into Dorena Reservoir. Adult Ringed crayfish were found below the falls between the park and reservoir. Only native Signal crayfish were found in the Row River below Dorena Dam and in sampled tributaries including Mosby, Brice and Sharps creeks.
“To find Ringed crayfish in the upper end of the Willamette Basin is very alarming to us,” said Jeff Ziller, South Willamette Watershed District Fish Biologist. “Ringed crayfish have been found to outcompete our native Signal crayfish for habitat and food. The non-native ringed crayfish dominate the crayfish populations in the Rogue, Chetco and Umpqua rivers, so this is bad news for Signal crayfish here in the Willamette system.”
Staff with ODFW’s Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention program also found zebra mussels on boats coming into Oregon from Lake Erie (Ohio), Lake Michigan (Michigan), Lake Mead (Nevada) and Lake Havasu (Arizona). Staff checked 12,794 at five inspections station located in southern and eastern Oregon from March through October 29, finding 12 boats contaminated with zebra or Quagga mussels and 268 boats with other type of aquatic invasive species such as Eurasian Milfoil and False Conrad Brown mussel.
Keeping invasive animals and plants out of Oregon takes vigilance on the part of many. The Oregon Invasive Species Council leads Oregon’s fight against the threat of invasives by spearheading initiatives to increase citizen understanding and involvement in protecting Oregon from the harms of invasive species. The OISC is a group of representatives from state and public agencies, scientists, educators and members of the public.
Please report findings of any non-native fish, wildlife or plants to 1-866-INVADER.
ABOUT THE OREGON CONSERVATION STRATEGY
The Oregon Conservation Strategy provides a blueprint and action plan for the long-term conservation of Oregon’s native fish and wildlife and their habitats through a voluntary, statewide approach to conservation. It was developed by ODFW with the help of a diverse coalition of Oregonians including scientists, conservation groups, landowners, extension services, anglers, hunters, and representatives from agriculture, forestry and rangelands.
PAST ISSUES OF THE NEWSLETTER
Newsletter archives
EDITOR
Meghan Dugan
Oregon Conservation Strategy Communications Coordinator
541-440-3353
meghan.c.dugan@odfw.oregon.gov
Join Oregon Wildlife Viewing on Facebook
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please e-mail the editor.
Note: The use of trade, firm or corporation names and links in this publication is for the information of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. |
