Wildlife Conservation Quiz PDF

Quiz #1: Intro & Mammals - Historical definition of wildlife: non-human life forms that humans consumed or otherwise used and that needed to be managed o Focus on fish/seafood (trout, salmon, cod, etc.) and “game” (deer, elk, turkeys, ducks, etc.) o Market (for profit...

Quiz #1: Intro & Mammals - Historical definition of wildlife: non-human life forms that humans consumed or otherwise used and that needed to be managed o Focus on fish/seafood (trout, salmon, cod, etc.) and “game” (deer, elk, turkeys, ducks, etc.) o Market (for profit) hunting vs sport hunting conflict resulted in new laws (Lacey Act & Migratory Bird Treaty Act) - Now wildlife biology includes conservation of all biodiversity o Bias towards charismatic megafauna (larger animals that the general public finds cute or fascinating, like lions, tigers, bears, whales, etc.) o Conservation for both the intrinsic value of life and ecosystem services (what nature provides for free) o “Forever Wild” clause in the NYS constitution protects/established the Adirondack and Catskills State Parks - Biodiversity loss o Current extinction rate is 100-1000x above the norm & accelerating o Biodiversity loss becomes ecosystem collapse at some unknown point (no oxygen, clean water or food for us) - Global threats o Habitat loss:  Agriculture- grazing land/crops for animal food  Urbanization- roads, cities, homes o Over-consumption:  Too much fishing, hunting, pet trade o Climate change:  Changes habitats, no room to migrate - Wildlife is resilient, it will rebound if we let it… how?  o Hugely increase land conservation o Accelerate sustainable production (food and other things)  Eat lower on the food chain o Rapidly reduce consumption (food and other things)  Reduce food waste & use more biodegradable stuff - Human population growth is a big driver of these threats o It is projected to peak soon and then slowly decrease o In wealthy countries, population drops to at or near replacement (2ish kids per couple) o Likely due to women’s access to education and birth control and modern medicine (low infant mortality) o Per capita consumption: how much we use per person - UN Convention for Biological Diversity (COP for Biological Biodiversity) o 2022 (COP 15): agreed on the 30x30 plan  Protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 o 2024 (COP 16): implementation and funding for COP15  Plan to charge companies for use of gene database from biodiversity - Area-based conservation o Increasing worldwide o Fastest progress is currently in the seas o 17% of land and 8% of seas are currently protected o Funding & enforcement is a big problem (Global South) - US wildlife funding comes from: o Federal government- National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, etc. o Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)- World Wildlife Fund, Audubon Society, etc. o Hunters & fishers through licenses and taxes on guns & ammunition - RAWA: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act o Proposed law, bipartisan o Passed House but never made it to Senate o Would add $1.3 billion per year to State wildlife agencies and $97.5 million to tribal agencies - 2022 Inflation Reduction Act o Helps provide clean energy o Reduce pollution & fight climate change o Tax incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles/other electric appliances o Could reduce US emissions by about 40% - US Farm Bill o Pays farmers to set aside land - In the US, much land conservation is done by each state, and New York is currently a leader o Much of land conservation is actually local (our case studies) - Town/Village of New Paltz o Wallkill River floodplains and forest o Historically large American chestnut & white oak forests; inhabited by natives who practiced subsistence agriculture, hunting & gathering o Explored and settled by the European Huguenots in the 1600s  New Paltz Patent: Huguenots bought 40,000 acres from the Lenape  Cleared most of the forest, grew & traded wheat/grains o History of human uses of the land:  Agriculture (subsistence to more commercial)  Trade along the Wallkill, then railroads, now Thruway (rt87)  Tourism (1800s Mountain Houses to today’s rock climbing)   Education (SUNY NP) o Current threat to land conservation in New Paltz: residential/housing development  Housing doesn’t mean we can’t have biodiversity, but a lot of the new housing here is big houses on big lots with manicured lawns  Size/how spread out and lawn vs native yards (yards and parks can be habitat!)  Corridors to connect habitats o Solution to suburban housing pressure: Conservation easement  Voluntary legal agreement to restrict development of land while retaining ownership (owner receives a tax deduction)  Maintenance of the land can be retained by owners or given to public agency (Federal/State Park), or a private entity (often a Land Trust)  Land Trust: private, non-profit organizations that manage land regulated by conservation easements  Wallkill Valley Land Trust is our local one - Mill Brook Preserve History o A developer donated 7.3 acres to the Village while building houses nearby o Open Space Plan written by New Paltz volunteers o Open Space Bond Act was passed in NP to buy property to conserve open space o Mill Brook Preserve Land Purchase  There was a proposed development of the land which sparked activists into action  The Town of NP bought 63 acres using the bond money   5 years later, the Village of NP bought another 64 acres using it’s own money o Mill Brook Preserve is a publicly owned Town/Village Nature Preserve  Managed by a volunteer Board of Directors  The Town and Village granted conservation easements to be managed by the Wallkill Valley Land Trust o Habitat:  50-70 year old forest (previously apple orchard and other farmed lands)  Transition from early succession red cedar (dying) to mixed hardwood dominated by beech, maple, and hemlock  Wetlands, centered on the “Mill Brook,” tributary 13 of the Wallkill River o The preserve is now safe from housing development, but requires management to balance the needs of wildlife and human recreation  How many trails? Where?  Bike path/multi-use?  Rules- Dogs? Bikes? Off trail hikers?  Invasive plants? Mammal behaviors? o What about funding for future habitat conservation?  2020 Real Estate Transfer Tax: proposed a 1.5% tax on new real estate sales go to a fund only for land conservation (only for homes above the median average price in NP) - Mill Brook Preserve mammals o Beavers  Large rodent; ecosystem engineer   Making a recent comeback because humans hunted them to near extinction for fur, but are now allowing them to repopulate (causing increased conflict with humans) o Deer  Large, hoofed browsers  Overpopulated because humans removed large predators (cougars, wolves) and we create many “edge” habitats that deer thrive in - What are mammals? o Deuterostomes o Vertebrates o Amniotic eggs, which evolved into placenta in eutherian mammals o Provide milk to young after birth o Generally have hair/fur o Endothermic (warm-blooded) - Major eutherian mammal orders: o Bats (Chiroptera) o Carnivores (Carnivora)  Bears, dogs, cats, weasels, seals o Hoofed animals (Certartiodactyla)  Camels, pigs, deer, sheep, cows, whales o Rodents (Rodentia) o Monkeys & Apes (Primates) - Beaver Research Paper Notes o Ecosystem engineers- physically change the land/plants, creating new habitats/niches o Does the presence of beavers as ecosystem engineers increase species richness of the landscape?  o Study conducted in the Adirondacks o 3 different riparian zone sites (near river/stream) - alder, meadow, & forest  Meadow and alder are beaver-modified, and forest is not o Surveyed plant species at each site to assess biodiversity o Found that beaver-modified patches increase total plant species richness - Deer Research Paper Notes o After a 15-year hunting program, how will the forest’s abundance be affected? o Camera surveillance, measured plants (stem density) and species richness o Found a decrease in deer population led to increase in plant regeneration o **Deer in the Mill Brook Preserve: we know that deer browse undergrowth along edge habitat… are they overpopulated and is that affecting the forest undergrowth? - Mammals we need to know: o Virginia Opossum  Shaggy gray fur with black legs, triangular white face, hairless pink nose, toes, & tail  Forests, suburbs, & cities  Nocturnal, tree-dwelling omnivores that eat insects and carrion o White-tailed Deer  Brown fur with white patch under tail, males grow antlers in the fall  Woodlands, scrubby fields  Eat undergrowth vegetation o New England Cottontail  Gray-brown fur, short white “cotton ball” tail   Forest edges, fields, suburbs  Herbivores  Most active at night o Gray Squirrel  Gray fur with tan highlights & white underside  Busy tail usually held over back  Forests, suburbs, cities  Cache nits and seeds which they return to later o Flying Squirrel  Gray-brown back, white underside  Extra membrane between front and hind legs outlined by a black stripe  Forests  Stretch their membrane to glide in the air and use tail to maneuver o Beaver  Stout body, dark brown fur  Long front teeth for chewing wood  Broad flat tail, webbed hind feet  Freshwater habitats  Build dams for shelter and food storage o White-footed Mouse  Dark brown back, lighter brown sides, white underside & feet  Thin, hairless tail & large ears  Forests, fields, suburbs  Highly abundant, major food source for predators o Porcupine  Brown or black with white highlights   Covered in striped quills which can be raised  Nocturnal herbivores o Eastern Coyote  Thick fur with gray, tan, & white patches  Wolf-like, but distinguishable by large ears and narrow snout  Woodlands, suburbs, cities  Highly adaptable hunting strategies and sociality depends on habitat o Red Fox  Reddish fur, black legs, white underside and tail  Pointed ears and bushy tail  Woodlands and forest edges  Omnivores, they hunt using ambush strategies o Black Bear  Black fur, long brown snout, tall ears, lacks a neck hump like other bears  Forests, may visit suburbs  Primarily eats insects and plants o Eastern Cougar  Tan fur, black tail tip, white muzzle with black stripes  Forests, mainly mountainous  Hunt large animals like deer o Striped Skunk  Long black fur with thick white stripes along sides, bushy tail  Woodlands, fields, suburbs  Spray fluid from their anal scent glands when threatened o Raccoon   Shaggy gray fur with black tail stripes, black “mask” around eyes, pointed snout and ears  Woodlands, suburbs, cities  Highly omnivorous, forage at night and spend the day in trees o Fisher  Dark brown fur  Long, stocky body with short legs  Triangular face and round ears  Forests  Hunt porcupines and hares, rarely eat vegetation o River Otter  Brown fur, lighter undersides, short legs with webbed feet, thick tail that narrows at the tip  Freshwater and marine habitats  Prey on small animals like fish & crustaceans o Northern Long-eared Bat  Brown fur with darker wing membranes  Exceptionally large ears, short nose  Roost in forests in spring/summer, migrate to caves in fall  Eat insects off trees and rocks o Indiana Bat  Similar to other bats, but distinguishable by pink lips  Forests in summer, winter in caves  Forage for flying insects at night o Eastern Chipmunk  Small with reddish brown fur on upper body, brown and white stripes down back  Climb trees and live in underground burrows   Carry food (seeds, fruits, insects, eggs) in check pouches o American Mink  Long, thin body and neck with short legs and bushy tail  Brown fur with white chin patch  Wetland habitats  Primarily nocturnal