Conservation Tactics to Help Fish and Wildlife Thrive

More Ag News

Ag News

January 5, 2009 --View this report online, plus photos and related stories, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr ___________________________________________ As temperatures fall and snowdrifts deepen, wildlife seek food and shelter in parks, farms, forests and even spacious suburban backyards. It's a time of year when conservation measures, designed to make these environments more habitable for fish and wildlife, can greatly affect the animals' chance of survival. A new bibliography of publications about effects of conservation practices on dozens of different kinds of North American fish and wildlife is now available free of charge from the National Agricultural Library (NAL) in PDF and HTML formats at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/ceap/ceap07.shtml. The bibliography lists scientific journal articles, technical reports, and other documents published mostly from 2000 to 2007. Dozens of different kinds of wildlife--badger, bear, beaver, deer, ducks, grouse, songbirds and more--are included, as are many species of fish such as largemouth bass, walleye, salmon and trout. Though primarily intended for natural resource management professionals--particularly those involved in conservation and restoration of natural environments--the bibliography is also useful for everyone interested in conservation of fish and wildlife habitats. Titled "Effects of Agricultural Conservation Practices on Fish and Wildlife: A Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Bibliography," this resource features more than 2,000 citations, plus a search tool to help viewers nimbly navigate favorite topics. Many citations include helpful summaries, or a URL that takes them to the full document on the Web. Conservation practices covered range from creating structures in streams--to improve conditions for fish--to using fire, or prescribed burning, to benefit elk. Ecosystems addressed include croplands, grazinglands, forests, streams, rivers, wetlands, and mixed habitats such as pine-grasslands. Joseph Makuch of the NAL's Water Quality Information Center coordinated compilation of the bibliography, working with librarian Stuart Gagnon, former library staffer Cassandra Harper, and Charles Rewa of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The bibliography is the newest in the NAL's conservation-effects series, sponsored by the NRCS and described at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/ceap/ceapbrochure.pdf. The NAL, in Beltsville, Md., is part of the Agricultural Research Service, a scientific research agency in the USDA. _