Some good news!

Happy 4th!

Peggi

>Date: Tues, 24 June 1997 16:00:00 -0600 (MDT)
>From: Mitch Snow <mitch_snow at mail.fws.gov>
>To: fws-news at dataadmin.irm.r9.fws.gov
>Subject: Survey of Duck Populations
>Sender: owner-fws-news at dataadmin.irm.r9.fws.gov
>Reply-To: fws-news at dataadmin.irm.r9.fws.gov
>
>This message is from the fws-news listserver. Please DO NOT REPLY (it just
>confuses the computers).
>
>Subscribers can't reply or send their own messages to the fws-news
>listserver. This listserver is designed mainly as a "one way street" for
>the rapid dissemination of information concerning the Service and its
>activities, rather than for gathering feedback. To contact us, see the
>explanatory note at bottom of the message.
>============================================================
>
>ANNUAL SURVEY FINDS DUCK BREEDING
>POPULATIONS ROSE SHARPLY THIS SPRING
>
>
>The number of breeding ducks rose 13 percent to 42.6 million, according to
>the U.S. Fish
>and Wildlife Service's annual breeding duck survey of key nesting areas.
>This marks the highest
>level since the survey began in 1955.
>
>Breeding populations of mallards climbed 25 percent to 9.9 million, and two
>species that
>have been in decline in recent years, American wigeon and northern pintail,
>rebounded in 1997.
>Wigeon was up 37 percent to 3.1 million while pintail rose 30 percent to
>3.6 million. However,
>despite the improvements in pintail numbers, the 1997 level was still 19
>percent below the long-
>term average.
>
>"We continue to have favorable weather conditions that, combined with the
>millions of
>acres of wetlands restored in the past decade, have boosted duck
>populations," said the Service's
>Acting Director John Rogers. "We should, however, keep in mind that these
>numbers are coming
>after an unusually long stretch of favorable weather conditions, and that
>we need to press on in
>our conservation efforts in preparation for another dry cycle."
>
>"Most species are currently above the numerical goals of the North American
>Waterfowl
>Management Plan, but those goals are based upon average environmental
>conditions. The four to
>five years of above-average pond numbers in the survey area is
>unprecedented. We clearly are
>experiencing above average conditions," Rogers said.
>
>The breeding duck survey samples 1.3 million square miles across the
>north-central
>United States, western and northern Canada, and Alaska and estimates the
>approximate numbers
>of ducks in important breeding areas.
>
>Among other duck species, the breeding population of gadwalls rose 31
>percent to 3.9
>million and northern shovelers were up 19 percent to 4.1 million.
>
>The numbers of canvasback, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, redheads
>and scaup
>remained similar to last year. The Service is concerned about the continued
>lack of improvement
>in scaup, which are 25 percent below long-term averages.
>
>Results in the eastern survey area show that duck breeding populations were
>similar to
>1996. The recently developed survey includes the eastern provinces and
>northeastern states and is
>a part of the Service's efforts to expand the surveys outside the
>traditional area.
>
>"We shouldn't automatically assume that increases in duck populations will
>lead to more
>success in the field for hunters," Rogers said. "A lot of other factors
>influence hunting success
>including weather and the amount of available habitat."
>
>Harvest survey results show that 1996 was even better than 1995.
>Nationally, the number
>of ducks harvested was 13.9 million in 1996. This compares with 12.9
>million in 1995, a 7
>percent increase. For mallards, hunters harvested 4.9 million ducks
>compared with 4.4 million in
>1995.
>
>Goose harvest also was up. Last year, hunters took 2.9 million geese,
>compared with 2.4
>million in 1995.
>
>"We have come a long way since 1990 when drought, agricultural practices
>and predation
>reduced the breeding population to one of the lowest on record at 25.1
>million," Rogers said.
>"Since then, the breeding population has grown by nearly 70 percent."
>
>Hunting success has increased as well. In 1990, hunters harvested 6.2
>million ducks, or an
>average of 5.5 per hunter. Last year, hunters more than doubled that
>harvest to 13.9 million
>ducks, or 10 per hunter.
>
>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers or participates in a number
>of programs
>to conserve and restore waterfowl habitat. For example, the North American
>Waterfowl
>Management Plan, an international partnership effort, has protected,
>restored, or enhanced more
>than 2.5 million acres of wetland habitat since 1986.
>
>Provisions of the Farm Bill such as the Conservation Reserve Program and
>the Wetland
>Reserve Program have provided significant acreage of wildlife habitat in
>the United States in
>recent years The Swampbuster provision of the Farm Bill and the wetland
>protection provisions
>of the Clean Water Act also have helped conserve waterfowl habitat. And
>sportsmen and
>conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited have conserved and
>restored millions of
>acres of prime habitat.
>
>June 24, 1997 Hugh Vickery 202-208-1456
>
>
>============================================================
>News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at
>http://www.fws.gov/~r9extaff/pubaff.html They can be reviewed in
>chronological order or searched by keyword.
>
>Questions concerning a particular news release or item of information
>should be directed to the person listed as the contact. General comments or
>observations concerning the content of the information should be directed
>to Craig Rieben (craig_rieben at mail.fws.gov) in the Office of Public
>Affairs.
>
>============================================================
>To unsubscribe from the fws-news listserver, send e-mail to
>majordomo at www.fws.gov
>with "unsubscribe fws-news" (and omit the "quotes") in the **body** of the
>message.
>You should not include anything on the Subject: line.
>
>For additional information about listserver commands, send a message to
>majordomo at www.fws.gov
>with "info fws-news" (and no "quotes") in the body of the message.
>
>.-
>
>
Ben & Peggi Rodgers
Aptos, CA (near Santa Cruz 122 W, 37 N)
USA
woodduck at cruzio.com


"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
It sings because it has a song"