Subject: Duck Fall Flight may be one of the Highest on Record (fwd)
Date: Sep 04 11:17:25 1996
From: Peggi Rodgers - peggir at aragorn.ori.org


Though you all might be interested in this.

Peggi


>
>August 30, 1996 Mitch Snow 202-208-5634
>
> DUCK FALL FLIGHT MAY BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST ON RECORD
>
>Results from the summer waterfowl and habitat survey paint an
>even brighter picture for the fall flight of migratory ducks than
>earlier projections--the total fall flight may reach nearly 90
>million ducks.
>
>"The fall flight index is 16 percent higher than last year's
>index, and certainly one of the highest we've seen since breeding
>duck surveys were started in the 1950s," Acting Fish and
>Wildlife Service Director John Rogers said. "The index for the
>number of young ducks produced was the second highest recorded
>and was 25 percent higher than that of last year. The number of
>ponds in July increased 15 percent above the count for last year
>to a record high level." Although populations of most duck
>species are above average, northern pintails, scaup, and American
>wigeon are still below the goals identified in the North American
>Waterfowl Management Plan.
>
>Rogers explained that the fall flight index is only a rough
>estimate of the number of ducks that will fly south along the
>Nation's four major flyways this fall. "The estimate comes from
>a survey of the primary duck nesting areas, which stretch from
>South Dakota to Alaska. Biologists have long recognized that the
>estimate's accuracy isn't known but it does provide a ballpark
>comparison to prior years," he said. This year's fall flight of
>nearly 90 million compares to an average of 82 million during the
>1970s, a period with abundant waterfowl and good habitat
>conditions.
>
..........(snip).........
>
>"We've come a long way since the drought of the late 1980s when
>the fall flight fell to 56 million ducks," he said, "but we need
>to remember that the good duck production we've seen during the
>last few years is not solely the result of abundant wetlands.
>Many government and private agencies have worked hard to greatly
>improve upland habitats. The excellent nesting conditions we
>have will not last indefinitely. We must strive to ensure a
>healthy habitat base every year, regardless of how much snow and
>rain fall."
>
>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
>agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
>and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
>American people. The Service manages 511 national wildlife
>refuges encompassing 92 million acres, as well as 72 national
>fish hatcheries.
>
>The agency also enforces Federal wildlife laws, manages migratory
>bird populations, stocks recreational fisheries, conserves and
>restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, administers the
>Endangered Species Act, and helps foreign governments with their
>conservation efforts. It oversees the Federal Aid program that
>funnels Federal excise taxes on angling and hunting equipment to
>state wildlife agencies. This program is a cornerstone of the
>Nation's wildlife management efforts, funding fish and wildlife
>restoration, boating access, hunter education, shooting ranges,
>and related projects across America.
>
>
> -FWS-
>
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>



Peggi Rodgers
Oregon Research Institute
Eugene, OR
peggir at ori.org
prodgers at efn.org
"A bird does not sing because it has an
answer, It sings because it has a song"