[Image] The Manitoba Chapter Wildlife Society Newsletter [Image] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY Excellence in Wildlife Stewardship Through Science and Education ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fall 1999 October 1999 Inside This Issue President's Corner Lead Shot Chapter News Announcements 1999/2000 Executive [Image] PRESIDENTS CORNER As I am writing this, I realize how quickly this past summer has flown by. I hope everyone has had an excellent field season, (if you were lucky enough to be in the field! ). For those of us who were not, I hope at least that we have had the opportunity to live vicariously through our fellow field staff. 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 Back to Top... LEAD SHOT BAN IN EFFECT Effective September 1, 1999, the use of lead shot was prohibited for hunting most migratory game birds in all areas of Canada. The regulation does not apply to hunting of woodcock, band-tailed pigeons, and mourning doves outside of National Wildlife Areas. 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 REDUCED DUES FOR FIRST-YEAR PROFESSIONALS The Wildlife Society (parent chapter) recently announced a special, one-year program for reduced dues for first-year professionals. If you were a student member of the parent chapter of TWS this year and will graduate before the end of 1999, you are eligible for this reduced rate membership in 2000. 1st Year Professional dues are a saving of $14 off the regular membership dues. Under the one-year pilot program, dues for 2000 are $54 for regular members, $40 for the new 1st year professional members, and $27 for student members. All funds are in US dollars. CHAPTER NEWS Certification Reminder The program for certification of wildlife biologists is a service provided by The Wildlife Society for its members, as well as nonmembers and the public, who may desire a peer evaluation statement. Certification constitutes recognition by The Wildlife Society that, to its best knowledge, an applicant meets the minimum educational, experience, and ethical standards adopted by the Society for professional wildlife biologists. 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. Dr. Don Rusch It is on a very sad note that the Manitoba Chapter has to report the death of Dr. Donald Rusch. Don was a long-time member of The Wildlife Society and an Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was know throughout the biological community, and served on the Wildlife Society on a state, regional and national level. He will be sadly missed by any of us who are familiar with his work and contribution to grouse research on the Manitoba Prairies. Don was in fact on his way to do the Keynote address at the 23rd Prairie Grouse Technical Council Meeting, in Gimli . In Don’s memory, The Manitoba Chapter has given a donation to the Donald. H. Rusch Memorial Foundation at the University of Wisconsin. Back to Top... ANNOUNCEMENTS The Wildlife Society Manitoba Chapter Telemetry Workshop Where: University of Manitoba’s Delta Marsh Field Station 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 Back to Top... First Announcement and Call for Abstracts Central Mountains and Plains Section 45th Annual Meeting August 9–12, 2000, Falcon Lake, Manitoba "Advancing Wildlife Management into the new Millennium" The 45th 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). Meeting schedule: · evening registration and reception on Wednesday, August 9. · presentation of technical papers on August 10-12. · afternoon field trip on Friday August 11. Further information and meeting updates will be posted on the Manitoba Chapter of The Wildlife Society website. 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: Dr. Rick Baydack CMPS 2000 Technical Program Chair Natural Resources Institute University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Phone: 204-474-6776 Fax: 204-261-0038 E-mail: baydack@ms.umanitoba.ca Persons submitting abstracts will be notified of their receipt. 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. Dates to Remember in 2000!! April 20, 2000 - Book Your Room May 30, 2000 - Send Your Abstracts August 9 to 12, 2000 - CMPS Meeting Back to Top... TWS NASHVILLE 2000 7th Annual Conference of the Wildlife Society Nashville, Tennessee, September 12-16, 2000 The Wildlife Society will hold its 7th 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.tws.org. Our Newsletter Needs a Name! Still waiting for some more ideas... Get your entries in to the newsletter editor (Marc Schuster) at marc.schuster@ec.gc.ca, or Rhian Christie at rchristie@gs.gov.mb.ca 1999/2000 Chapter Executive President: President Elect Rhian Christie Cory Lindgren (W) 945-1379, e-mail: (W) 467-3269,e-mail: rchristie@gs.gov.mb.ca c_lindgren@ducks.ca Past President: Secretary/Treasurer: Bob Emery Tanys Uhmann (W) 467-3238, e-mail: (W) 474-8152, e-mail: b_emery@ducks.ca umuhmann@cc.manitoba.ca Members at Large: Student Representative: Dale Hutchison Shane Roersma (W) 983-2331, e-mail: (W) 474-8152, hutchisond@inac.gc.ca e-mail:umroersm@cc.umanitoba.ca Rich Davis (W) 738-2647, e-mail: ridavis@nr.gov.mb.ca Back to top of this document... Back to Newsletter Index...