The Manitoba Chapter Wildlife Society Newsletter

The Manitoba Chapter is gearing up for a busy year. We will be hosting a telemetry workshop at Delta Marsh on November 5 and 6, 1999. We have spent almost two years struggling to organize this seminar and it is great to be in a position to offer the telemetry seminar to our members. The details for the seminar are printed later in the newsletter. Instead of hosting the fall beer bash at the Natural Resources Institute, we have also decided to host the annual social event and membership drive at Delta on the Friday evening. All members are invited to attend- so even if you cant participate in the telemetry workshop you are welcome to stop by.

The executive is hard at work planning for next summer’s CMPS 2000 conference. We have selected Falcon Lake Resort as the conference centre and we are hoping to get a strong turnout from our Membership. The theme for next year’s conference is "Advancing Wildlife Management into the next Millennium". A number of our members have indicated that they would like to participate in the organizing of the conference and their help is, and will be, very much appreciated. If anyone else would like to volunteer, feel free to contact me. In the past the CMPS conferences have had between 40 to 50 participants. This year’s CMPS conference was held in Kansas, and was attended by a few of our members.

For all of our members who have internet access The Manitoba Chapter of TWS has now has a web-site. Keep checking the web-site for Chapter updates.

I hope to see many of you out at the Telemetry Workshop! - Rhian Christie

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The ban on lead shot was put in place because thousands of migratory game birds die or suffer from lead poisoning each year in Canada. The ban is backed by a comprehensive scientific study that shows waterfowl are being poisoned by ingesting spent lead shot. Predators, such as bald eagles, also die from secondary lead poisoning because they feed on birds that contain lead shot.

The move to use non-toxic shot nationally, began several years ago when lead shot was prohibited in National Wildlife Areas and wetlands. In 1997, a public education program was launched to inform Canadians of the dangers to wildlife from lead ingestion. The national ban will reduce lead deposited into the environment by an estimated 800 tonnes annually, reducing the risk of lead poisoning in wildlife, and providing healthier habitats for wildlife populations.

Several non-toxic shot alternatives have been developed and approved for use in Canada, including: bismuth, steel, tin, tungsten-iron, tungsten-matrix, and tungsten-polymer.  For more information, visit the Canadian Wildlife Service website on the subject at http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/pub/hunting/nontoxic.html
 

On 1 January 2000 a new certification requirement will go into effect.  Applicants after 31 December 1999 will be required to complete the professional development/certification renewal requirements every five years to maintain their certification.  Applicants before 31 December will not be required to periodically complete certification renewal.

Copies of the program booklet and application materials for the Program for Certification of Professional Wildlife Biologists before the 1 January 2000 change are available on The Wildlife Society's web site at http://www.wildlife.org/certification.html.
 

In Don’s memory, The Manitoba Chapter has given a donation to the Donald. H. Rusch Memorial Foundation at the University of Wisconsin.
 

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When: Friday, November 5th, 1999, 7:00pm to 10:00pm
            Saturday, November 6th, 1999, 9:00am to 16:30pm

Program:  Topics covered during the workshop will include tracking systems (null-peak, omni-directional, various antenna arrays, aerial telemetry, etc.), transmitters (different types – traditional, GPS, satellite, PIT tags, etc., temperature sensing, mortality switches, aspects of radio weight and performance tradeoffs, etc.), telemetry applications, error calculations, future directions in telemetry, and more.  The workshop will be a combination of lectures and field exercises.

Workshop Leaders: Chris Kochanny and Larry Kuechle, Advanced Telemetry Systems, Isanti, MN

Cost:  $27.00, which includes Friday night accommodation at the Delta Marsh Field Station, snack on Friday night, breakfast and lunch on Saturday and workshop fee.

Registration:  Space is limited.  Workshop participants must register by October 22, 1999.  To register or for more information contact Bob Emery at 467-3238 or b_emery@ducks.ca

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The 45^th Annual Meeting of the Central Mountains and Plains Section (CMPS) of The Wildlife Society will be held August 9th through August 12th, 2000, at the Falcon Lake Resort Hotel in Falcon Lake, Manitoba.   Registration is $50.00 (regular) and $25.00 (students).

All contributed papers will be scheduled at 20 minute intervals.  Abstracts (300 words) should include a statement of objectives, a brief description of the methods used, results and a summary/conclusion.  If there are multiple authors, please underline the presenters name and include submitting author’s complete mailing address, telephone and fax number, and e-mail address. Please indicate audio-visual needs in your submission.  Abstracts should be submitted electronically, either as an e-mail attachment or via 3.5" floppy disc.  Abstract deadline is May 30, 2000.  Send abstracts to:

Falcon Lake Resort Hotel will hold rooms for this meeting until April 20, 2000.  Meeting participants should make reservations by calling the resort directly at (204) 349-8400.    Falcon Lake Resort Hotel offers rooms with double beds, queen size beds and a lodge complex with 7 rooms that have queen size beds.  Within the hotel there is an indoor swimming pool, sauna, hot tub, gift shop, laundry facilities, dining room and beverage room.  Also available in the Falcon Lake area is camping, swimming, biking, one of the best golf courses in Manitoba, fishing, tennis, boating, and horseback riding.  There are a number of other resorts in the immediate area and further information on these can be obtained from Travel Manitoba at 1-800-665-0040 (Ext. AB9).

If you need additional information please contact Rhian Christie at 204-945-1379 or rchristie@gs.gov.mb.ca, or Bob Emery at 204-467-3238 or b_emery@ducks.ca.

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The Wildlife Society will hold its 7^th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.  Proposals for symposia, workshops, and special poster sessions are due October 16, 1999. Symposia, workshops, and special poster sessions should be technical in nature and focus on topics od wildlife science, management, education, or policy within the theme of Excellence in Wildlife Stewardship through Science and Education. Further information can be found at TWS' website http://www.wildlife.org.
 
 

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