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FWC 411 Feb 2007

Capt Jeff

Well-known member
Welcome to the inaugural issue of FWC 4-1-1

Dear Conservationist,

Welcome to the inaugural issue of "FWC 4-1-1" an informative e-newsletter for stakeholders of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

This e-newsletter is just part of an overall effort to supply you important background information, and to provide ways for you to become more involved — commenting on proposed rule changes, completing opinion surveys, being part of a long-range residents’ panel, volunteering or attending meetings relevant to your concerns.

The FWC is led by seven Commissioners, appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate to represent Florida’s residents and visitors to fulfill the mission of: "Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people."

A highly professional staff of 2,000 scientists, law enforcement officers and support personnel endeavors to provide the best possible biological and social science on which Commissioners base their decisions. Staff then implements plans effectively and efficiently using available resources.

FWC’s mission is critical — we must balance nearly 54,000 square miles of land, 6,000 square miles of water, 572 species of wildlife, plus 700 species of fish — with the needs of nearly 18 million residents. The recreational aspects of these resources alone generate nearly $10 billion in economic impact for the state. An additional $576 million in economic impact comes from commercial fishing and $18.4 billion from boating.

A key component of our agency’s success is having a well-informed and proactive group of stakeholders willing to speak for the resource and make conservation stewardship an integral part of their lives. To achieve that goal, we realize we need to engage in a dialogue with you. So, expect to hear from us quarterly — and we’ll expect to hear from you too.

Sincerely,

Ken Haddad
Executive Director

This e-newsletter, (FWC 4-1-1) will be delivered quarterly in the future, to keep you informed about issues that may be of concern to you as a stakeholder in Florida's fish and wildlife conservation future. You can provide feedback on "FWC 4-1-1" by taking this survey, which is also listed in the right-side navigation menu below. You may pass this news letter on to your friends or colleagues, who can subscribe to this e-Newsletter by e-mailing ListServ with no subject line and "Subscribe FWCinfo-L" in the first line of the message body (no quotes). You may unsubscribe (leave the list) at any time by sending an e-mail to: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MYFWC.COM with "SIGNOFF FWCinfo-L" in the first line of the message body and nothing in the subject line.

Also, please sign up to participate in the FWC online panel. As a member we will be inviting you to respond to surveys from time to time, on a variety of subjects and issues. Your information is confidential and will not be shared with anyone for any reason. We only look at aggregate data totals, not individual responses.


WELCOME: This is the inaugural issue of "FWC 4-1-1," an e-newsletter for stakeholders of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC is lead by seven Commissioners, who are appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate to represent the citizens of Florida. The professional staff of the FWC comprises nearly 2,000 scientists, law enforcement officers and support staff who are dedicated to our mission: "Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people."


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Stakeholder input wanted for rulemaking
Rulemaking on a wide variety of issues is routine within the FWC. Public participation is an important part of the process.

“While FWC has a very open rulemaking process and provides adequate due process, we realize there is always room for improvement,� said David Arnold, rules administrator. “By using modern technology, we believe we can give interested parties more time to consider proposed rules and provide better notification of rules meetings.

“We want to invite anyone interested in getting regular e-mails from us about our rulemaking to subscribe to a new LISTSERV for FWC rules,� Arnold said.

“We will begin notifying our subscribers in February and will have a brand-new Web page to help anyone who wants to participate in our rulemaking process.�

To join the mailing list for rules: Send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.MyFWC.com with the keyword “subscribe FWCrules-L� in the body of the message; nothing is needed on the subject line. Then reply to the confirmation message with the keyword “OK.� Please note: this is a different list than the FWCInfo-L list that generated this "FWC 4-1-1" e-newsletter.

More details are available at: MyFWC.com/commission/2006/Sept/

Teen banned forever from hunting in Florida
An 18-year-old Pensacola man is the first person who found out how long the arm of the law is -- he was banned for life from having a hunting license and now cannot legally hunt in 23 other states.

The man pleaded guilty to illegally killing three small spotted fawns on Christmas Eve. He received a jail sentence, was fined, ordered to pay court costs and forfeit the shotgun he used, complete community service and had his hunting privileges revoked for life.

And, now that Florida is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, the man cannot legally hunt in 23 other states.

Florida recently joined the compact -- a consortium of 24 states electronically linked to share information about persons whose hunting or fishing privileges are suspended or revoked. Another 12 to 13 states are in the process of joining the compact.

“This just shows the serious attitude the criminal justice system takes with wildlife law violations,� said FWC Capt. Mary Sumner, who supervises officers in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. “In this case there were three small fawns that a number of locals had gotten used to seeing as they drove by the property every day.�

The compact honors license suspensions for like-violations in other participating states. In cases such as trespassing, however, (other states may suspend hunting licenses), Florida will not suspend the violator’s license privileges in this state because laws do not provide for license suspension for the same violation here.

FWC Law Enforcement Capt. Curtis Brown said the rule will make FWC officers more efficient by allowing more time for enforcement duties rather than processing procedures.

“It will make violators more accountable for their illegal activities,� Brown said.
“Wildlife lawbreakers no longer will be able to escape consequences just by crossing a state line.�

Other participating states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

There’s more bad news for repeat violators: jail time and mandatory fines grow stiffer with each violation under new enhanced-penalties laws already in effect in Florida.

For instance, a violation that carries a nominal fine for a first offense has not changed, but the same violation will carry a minimum mandatory fine of $250 for a second offense within three years and a minimum mandatory fine of $500 and a one-year suspension of all recreational licenses for a third offense within five years.

More details are available at: MyFWC.com/commission/2006/Sept/.


Do ivory-billed woodpeckers exist in Florida?

Researchers are seeking the final pieces needed to confirm the birds’ presence: photographic or videographic evidence.
Auburn University ornithologist Dr. Geoff Hill last year unveiled his findings of evidence in the Florida Panhandle of the once-thought-extinct bird.

“There is not enough evidence to confirm the birds’ presence yet,� said Ken Haddad, executive director of the FWC. But the indications are promising, and we will work closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Auburn University and the Northwest Florida Water Management District to see if we can confirm the reports.�

Hill’s research indicated ivory-bills might exist on land owned by the water management district. He produced audio recordings that appear similar to historical recordings of ivory-billed woodpeckers. However, he has not collected clear photographic or video evidence, which is the standard for scientific confirmation.

“The water management district owns, manages and protects more than 200,000 acres in Northwest Florida, the majority of which are along its major river systems,� said Douglas E. Barr, executive director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. “If the existence of these endangered/extinct birds is verified, then the acquisition, protection and management of these lands since the mid-1980s reflect the District’s intent and mission to preserve its water resources and habitats.�

FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said he and the six other Commissioners are bracing for potentially good news in coming months.

“This will be fantastic if we can confirm the woodpeckers are there,� Barreto said. “Many experts believe the ivory-bill is extinct, but experts have searches under way in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas. Florida is the only state besides Arkansas to come close to confirmation in roughly 40 years.�

More details are available at: MyFWC.com/viewing/ibw.htm.

Surgin’ sturgeon
To a fisheries biologist, every fish species has a unique appeal, but the sturgeon’s prehistoric attributes create a fascination for almost every outdoor enthusiast.

The Gulf sturgeon, a subspecies of Atlantic sturgeon, is native to Florida. Gulf sturgeon have again made headlines for their antics – which are millions of years old – of jumping out of the water. During the spring and summer of 2006 at least eight boaters were injured by incidental collisions with these amazing fish.

As a result, the FWC has posted advisory signs warning boaters to travel slowly in areas where Gulf sturgeon are known to congregate and jump. And, the season for the jumping fish is approaching.

Gulf sturgeon, a threatened species since 1991, can live for 40 years, weigh more than 200 pounds and exceed 8 feet in length. Effects on their habitat caused by damming, water flow changes and commercial and recreational harvest (now strictly prohibited) led to their listing.

Sturgeon can’t be mistaken for any other family of fish with their bony scutes, cartilaginous skeleton, whisker-like barbels, extensible under-slung sucking mouth, and shark-like tail. Females don’t mature until they are at least seven years old. Fortunately the number of eggs they lay (caviar when sold to connoisseurs) can easily exceed a million per female. They spawn once every 3 to 5 years.

FWC freshwater fisheries biologist and Suwannee River expert Jerry Krummrich recently accompanied National Geographic photographer Stefan Lovgren and FWC Law Enforcement Officer Rodney Boone on a trip to photograph the jumping behavior of the sturgeon. The 200-mile long Suwannee River is the home to the majority of Gulf sturgeon for nearly eight months each year. When Thanksgiving rolls around and spawning activities are completed, sturgeon move off shore to go on a feeding binge.

More details are available at: MyFWC.com/Fishing/updates/fb10-sturgeon.pdf.

Apalachicola Paddling Trail receives national recognition

The American Canoe Association has named the Apalachicola Paddling Trail System in Franklin County one of the 12 most recommended water trails in the United States for 2006.

The Apalachicola Paddling Trails, in the Apalachicola Wildlife and Environmental Area, were developed by the FWC Office of Recreation Services.

“I think it’s definitely well-deserved,� said Jeanni McMillan, co-owner of Journeys at St. George Island, who uses the trail on a regular basis. “The trail is very pristine, very easy for beginners. You see North Florida habitat at its finest.�

The system offers 12 paddling trails, accessible for canoeists and kayakers with all levels of abilities. The shortest trails are 2 miles long, while others are 4 to 12 miles and offer pleasant half- or full-day paddling trips. Paddlers can explore the quiet, calm creeks meandering through cypress-tupelo swamps or enjoy vistas of the open bay and salt marsh.

Longer, overnight options are available, and primitive camping is allowed throughout the management area with no fees or permits required.

For a free copy of the Apalachicola Paddling Trail System map, call (850) 488-5520 or go to: MyFWC.com/recreation/Apalachicola_river/paddling.asp.
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Record number of manatees die in 2006
Preliminary data show an increase in manatee deaths for 2006, but, the numbers shed some light on measures the FWC can take to help reduce human-related and other threats to the animals.
A preliminary report shows 416 manatees died in state waters in 2006, compared to 396 in 2005.

Scientists are unsure whether the increase reflects manatee population growth, increased mortality or better detection of carcasses. However, the best available science indicates Florida’s manatee population is stable or growing in all regions of the state except the Southwest, which may contain more than a third of the statewide population.

The FWC report indicates watercraft-related mortalities and red tide contributed to more than half of the total deaths in 2006 in instances where scientists could determine the cause of death.

“It is always sad to see such high numbers, especially in watercraft-caused mortality, but these numbers shed some light on the measures we can take in our commitment to reducing human-related threats to manatees and possibly other threats,� FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said. “With continued human population growth and enjoyment of the outdoors, we all must be diligent in the conservation and protection of this gentle animal.

“The FWC’s seizing every option in helping manatees continue to recover,� Barreto said. “We’ll be exploring other options to ensure recovery stays on track.�

For instance, manatee mortality figures provide useful information on why manatees die and the risks they face. Information from necropsies (non-human autopsies) help FWC scientists develop conservation measures to reduce risks to manatees. One such measure is development of the state’s first manatee management plan. The comment period on the plan ended Jan. 11 and the final proposed plan is to go before the Commission in June.

“Every year a substantial portion of deaths cannot be attributed to a specific cause because of the advanced decomposition of the carcasses,� said FWC research scientist, Leslie Ward.

Scientists use population models to estimate manatee population growth. Although the most recent analysis indicates manatee numbers have been stable or growing in many parts of the state, some areas may require more attention.

“The FWC is aware of that,� Barreto said. “But the bottom line is the FWC and other parties are taking steps that have moved manatees away from the threat of imminent extinction, and will continue to nurture them along the road to full recovery and use whatever tools it takes.�

More details are available at: MyFWC.com/manatee/

Red-cockaded woodpecker future brighter in Florida

The federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker will have a brighter future in Florida, thanks to private landowners, the FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

Officials signed Florida’s Safe Harbor Agreement for red-cockaded woodpeckers last year at Tall Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee. Landowners from across the state announced their intention to participate.

The new agreement launches Florida’s Safe Harbor Program, giving the FWC and FWS flexibility to protect landowners from some Endangered Species Act requirements when they voluntarily agree to help conserve red-cockaded woodpeckers.

“Red-cockaded woodpecker populations have declined drastically, and one of the main reasons they are beginning to recover is because of techniques like translocation,� Tall Timbers biologist Jim Cox said. “The ability to do this on private lands will give new hope for their recovery.�

FWS Southeast Regional Deputy Director Cynthia Dohner says: “This broad partnership provides a unique opportunity to conserve a rare species and promote the health of its ecosystem. It grants important assurances to enrolled private landowners, enabling them to develop long-range land-use plans and management practices.�

One-half of all endangered species rely on private lands for their habitat, making landowners instrumental in their recovery.

“We look forward to developing long-term partnerships with landowners to continue the recovery of this endangered species,� said Ken Haddad, FWC executive director.

More details are available at: MyFWC.com/Safe Harbor.
 
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