Friday, October 25, 2013

FLORIDA LAND STEWARD UPDATE 10/25/13

FLORIDA BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold public meetings in west Florida to discuss management of Florida black bears.  Under the FWC’s Florida Black Bear Management Plan, seven bear management units (BMUs) will be established throughout the state. The West Panhandle BMU, encompassing the counties of Escambia, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton, will be the first to be created. The BMU approach will allow the FWC to manage bears based on the characteristics of bears, people and habitat in this part of Florida. Information about the Black Bear Management Plan is at:
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/bear/bmu/

Public meetings offer the public a chance to provide input on local bear issues:
Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Coastal Branch Library, 437 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach.

NEW THINNING VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
Florida's Forest Stewardship Program is excited to announce a new instructional video on YouTube, "Time to Thin". In just a little over two minutes, explains why thinning is important and how to get started, with a live link to more information. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBxGxeAagtE

2013 TIMBER TAX TIPS AVAILABLE
Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2013 Tax Year is now available. This annual bulletin provides federal income tax reporting tips to assist forest landowners and their advisors in filing their 2013 income tax returns. The information presented is current as of Sept. 15, 2013: http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/tax.shtml

FORESTRY TAXATION VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
The Forest Landowners Tax Council (The FLTC) has produced a couple educational programs about forestry related taxation. The latest is entitled “Taxation of Forestry Income.” These videos can be found at TheFLTC YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheFLTC

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES?
Do you have pests or a disease in your trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don’t know why? Sawdust falling out of your trees, and you don’t know how to save them? There is help: contact the new Forest Health Diagnostics service at the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forestinsects/index.shtml. We are a group of forest health specialists at the University of Florida/IFAS. We guarantee fast and the most accurate forest pest and disease diagnostics available in the State of Florida. For a fee of $8, we can help you save your stand that’s worth thousands.

EASTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKES
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service was recently petitioned to list the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, historically found in the lower Coastal Plain from North Carolina to Louisiana, as a threatened or endangered species.  As the Service reviews the status of the eastern diamondback, the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) is soliciting information about observations of the snake to improve understanding of its distribution and habitat associations.  If you encounter an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, we would greatly appreciate your completing a short online survey here:http://www.ncasi.org/snakesurvey.aspx
This webpage also contains links to photos and other information that will help survey respondents distinguish eastern diamondbacks from the timber rattlesnake.  NCASI will remove any information that would identify individual respondents and/or landowners, as well as precise locations, before providing results to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.  For more information, please contact Dr. Ben Wigley at (864) 656-0840 or  bwigley@ncasi.org 
      
PUBLIC INVITED TO REVIEW FWC IMPERILED SPECIES ACTION PLANS
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) invites your feedback on the Imperiled Species Management Plan, which will be the blueprint for conserving 60 species on Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species list. Be a part the process. See http://www.myfwc.com/Imperiled  to learn more and participate.

HELP STILL NEEDED - COYOTES VS BOBCATS: WHAT ARE THEY EATING?
The University of Florida is conducting a study of coyote dietary habits in Florida and needs YOU to donate your catch! We are especially interested in how coyotes are affecting white-tailed deer, turkeys, bobwhite quail, livestock, and pets! YOUR help is needed to obtain legally acquired coyote carcasses, with or without pelts. We will also accept coyote stomachs and intestines if you cannot store the whole carcass. Carcasses or stomachs and intestines should be frozen in a suitable bag or container, and include the name of contributor, animal weight/sex, date harvested/obtained, and location harvested/obtained. Arrangements can be made to get carcasses from you at the University or combine your animals with others in your area for a pickup. We have obtained a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for this project, and will keep information provided by you for this project anonymous to the extent possible by law. We greatly appreciate your help with this valuable study!

Lauren N. Watine & Bill Giuliano
E-mail: LNWATINE@UFL.EDU
Office: (352) 846-0575

FLORIDA RESIDENTS ASKED TO REPORT SIGHTINGS OF RARE SNAKES
Information on current distribution and abundance of the southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis extenuata), and Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus) is needed, and your observations can help FWC biologists evaluate their status. These snakes spend much of their time underground in dry, upland habitats and are difficult to survey. Participate here:
https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/raresnakes/UserHome.aspx?id=

FWC REQUESTS REPORTS OF PANTHER, CHIPMUNK, MINK AND BLACK BEAR SIGHTINGS

FWC WILDLIFE LEGACY INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER
See the latest news at: http://myfwc.com/conservation/special-initiatives/fwli/news/fall-2013/

UF/IFAS SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION EXTENSION PROGRAMS
See http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA CONTINUING FORESTRY EDUCATION CLASSES
See http://conted.warnell.uga.edu/ for the latest offerings.

ALABAMA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FORESTRY WEBINARS
See http://www.aces.edu/natural-resources/forestry/

FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES WEBINARS
For a calendar of upcoming webinars in a variety of land management topics see:
http://www.forestrywebinars.net/webinar-calendar/month#.T-zLkBhgZys.blogger
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