The National Wildlife Federation has worked with hunters and anglers since 1936 to tackle the biggest natural resource challenges. The NWF Outdoors Podcast explores the most important conservation issues and the people who do the hard work to safeguard our fish, wildlife, lands, and waters. Hosted by Aaron Kindle, director of sporting advocacy at NWF.
Episodes
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Aaron and Ashley talk interstate borders, barriers to management, and the financial and emotional toll that CWD can take on state wildlife agencies. Kelly speaks poignantly on the issue of chronic wasting disease and offers a unique perspective informed by her background as a wildlife veterinarian and manager of an entire state wildlife section. We even ask her about the “E” word!
Links:
MN DNR CWD Response Plan
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/cwd/cwd-response-plan.html
AFWA CWD Best Management Practices
Show notes:
2:51 – Introduction on Dr. Kelly Straka, Wildlife Section Manager for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
4:10 – Kelly talks about her career path to working with CWD.
7:10 – Kelly frames the issue with CWD from the perspective of state agencies. “CWD might be the most pressing issue facing cervid populations across the country right now.”
10:40 - The barriers to effective management of CWD.
17:11 - How hunters can help or hinder efforts to manage CWD.
23:29 - The Federal – State intersection of CWD. The regulatory and jurisdiction issues that have a bearing on how we deal with CWD.
33:15 - Minnesota’s approach and how it got us to where we are today.
39:07 - Minnesota’s response plan, management applications in different zones and various strategies.
43:10 – The “E” word!
48:21 - If we cannot eradicate CWD, how do we live with it in the future?
52:57 - The challenges around CWD surveillance and how hard it is to detect the disease when it is present in low numbers.
58:13 - What do the agencies wish the public knew about CWD management?
1:00:44 - What is one thing that could have been done differently?
1:03:33 - Closing statements. Stay engaged, stay aware, stay involved.
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Thursday Feb 24, 2022
How Hunters are Impacted by CWD and Actions They can Take.
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Ashley and Aaron talk with Kip Adams about how hunting traditions can impact chronic wasting disease. Kip is the Chief Conservation Officer for the National Deer Association and very well-versed in both the science and culture of deer hunting. He lends a unique and optimistic perspective on what sportswomen and men can do to in their backyards and at a state level to slow the spread.
Links:
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Resource Center - A comprehensive guide from NDA (deerassociation.com)
https://www.deerassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CWD-BMPs-Revised-2022.pdf
Show notes:
2:54 – Introduction of Kip Adams.
3:50 - The short and sweet of the National Deer Association, “The Guardians of the Deer” who are they and what do they do?
5:18 - It’s important to serve both sides of the coin, both hunters and deer.
6:23 - Kips professional opinion regarding CWD. “The biggest thing impacting the future of deer herds right now.”
7:54 - Words of wisdom for folks who hunt and live in states who have yet to test positive. “Do everything possible to keep it out.”
9:03 - What are the most important steps we can take to stop the spread of CWD?
10:43 – NDA’s specific approach in the fight against the spread of CWD.
12:47 - If only 4% of the population purchases a hunting license, how do we activate the other 96%?
15:50 - Bringing the hunter knowledge of the landscape to other conservation issues.
17:32 - The cost of testing, staff time to collect samples, outreach, etc. is a hidden cost that we don’t talk about a lot. It costs an average of $250,000 bill when they discover CWD in a state!
19:28 - How to inform hunters tactfully as to how they might want to change their behaviors in order to stop the spread. Changing our routine is hard but we have to do it in order to stop the spread of CWD.
23:02 - Deer hunting has changed a lot over the past two hundred years. There’s room for new traditions to be made, it’s not impossible to change.
25:14 - What should we be doing regarding traditions such as feed stations, salt licks and other forms of baiting deer.
27:50 - Should we have a widespread ban on feeding and other forms of baiting deer?
30:02 - Reflecting on the concept that we should be all hands on deck in fighting to prevent the spread.
Finding balance with sporting traditions and age structures when it comes to older bucks. “Older bucks are twice as likely to have CWD.”
38:56 - Targeted removals and how various hunters might process this concept depending on their background and experience regarding CWD.
41:53 - NDA’s thoughts on captive cervids and interstate travel of cervids. “We should stop all movement of live animals.”
44:37 - What are the road blocks to making this happen.
47:10 - What can average Joe/Jane do regarding CWD?
48:48 - What is the single biggest thing that NDA has done to prevent CWD?
50:58 - What’s the one thing that should have been done different and what can we learn from this.
52:17 - There are a lot of resources out there where you can learn more about CWD. Be sure to educate yourself and get engaged. Kip is a firm believer that we are going to beat this.
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
For this episode we sit down with the President and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Howard Vincent. We talk pheasant and quail season outlooks and the issues the birds are facing, then we move on to several conservation topics including the upcoming Farm bill and the Conservation Reserve Program – what it does, it’s benefits and why it’s so important for conservation. We also cover the recently formed grasslands sporting coalition and their hopes and dreams for restoring America’s grasslands. We touch on the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, climate change impacts on wildlife, and why it’s so critical average sportsmen and women engage in conservation.
Links: https://www.quailforever.org/; https://www.pheasantsforever.org/ ; https://www.actfrograsslands.org
Show notes:
1:05 - Howard Vincent introduction.
3:00 - What has Howard been doing outside recently?
5:05 - General outlook on on this year. How are the pheasants and quail doing overall?
7:54 - What is the state of pheasants and quail? What is the conservation outlook?
13:14 - The Farm Bill 101 and CRP. What they do, what they are designed to do and why we need them.
15:40 - What does a typical CRP acre look like?
20:40 - Precision agriculture.
23:20 - Unpacking the new Farm Bill.
39:50 - A message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen.
42:10 - The Grasslands Act. What it is and what it's designed to do.
47:34 - How an average Joe/Jane get engaged in the Grasslands Act?
70% of grasslands are gone. The time to act is NOW.
54:27 - Recovering America's Wildlife Act and its importance for the sporting community.
1:02:45 - Closing statement from Howard Vincent. Get fired up! Your voice makes a difference!