Category: Fish & Wildlife

Forests for Bats

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
“Almost all North American bats rely on forests for survival,” says Roger Perry, USDA Forest Service research wildlife biologist. Perry recently led the team that updated Forest Management and Bats, a booklet designed for private landowners and anyone managing forests. It was first published in 2006 by Bat Conservation International, and Daniel Taylor of BCI…  More 

Collaborative Research on the Future of Wild Turkeys

by David Lucas, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources  • 
For more than a decade, wild turkey populations across the southeastern United States have been in decline – in terms of both production/recruitment and overall numbers, all while the number of people hunting turkeys has been increasing. The Wild Turkey Reproductive Ecology research project is an effort to better understand the population dynamics of wild…  More 

Asian Clams and Native Mussel Growth

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Native freshwater mussels grew more slowly when invasive Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) were abundant. The study was led by Wendell Haag, a USDA Forest Service research fisheries biologist. It was published in the journal Freshwater Biology. Mussels live out of sight – buried in the river bottom, eating algae and other small particles of organic…  More 

New Resource on Invasive Species

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Eastern hemlock, American chestnut, sassafras, redbay, every member of the ash family, and many others are plagued by non-native invasive species. A new book synthesizes current science on species invading U.S. forests, grasslands, and waterways. The book was published by Springer, and the entire book is available to download. The book covers invasive species of…  More 

Top Ten of 2020

by Jennifer Moore Myers and Sarah Farmer  • 
As 2020 comes to an end, it is a good time to gather our most-read CompassLive stories from the past year. Each one highlights the work of USDA Forest Service scientists at the Southern Research Station. We hope you enjoy reading this collection, which includes the most popular of 2020 plus a few more that…  More 

Freshwater Fishes of North America, Volume 2

by Kim Crider, SRS Science Communications  • 
The highly anticipated second volume of Freshwater Fishes of North America was just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This volume was edited by USDA Forest Service fisheries research scientist Mel Warren and four other editors. Warren also contributed to seven of the book’s 35 chapters. “We are indebted to a large community of ichthyologists,…  More 

Dead Wood, Insects, and Fire

by Kim Crider, SRS Science Communications  • 
Dead wood is a secret harbor of biodiversity. About one-third of all insect species are saproxylic – or dependent upon dead wood – at some stage in their life cycle. The effects of common forest management practices on this important resource and the insects that use it are understudied, especially in subtropical climates. USDA Forest…  More 

Darter Conservation

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
Increasingly, recovery plans for imperiled fish species include raising them in captivity and releasing them in the wild. Crystal Ruble of Conservation Fisheries, Inc, with SRS researchers Ken Sterling and Melvin Warren published a protocol for captive propagation of the Yazoo Darter (Etheostoma raneyi). The researchers also summarize its early life-history. Compared to other darter…  More 

When Birds Attack Snakes

by Casey Conrad, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s … birds attacking a Jamaican boa? In a recent study by USDA Forest Service scientists Richard Schaefer and Craig Rudolph (retired), along with colleagues from Jamaica and Washington, DC, the previously undocumented mobbing of Jamaican boas is brought to scientific light. The act of multiple birds screeching…  More 

Impact of Fire Management on Breeding Birds in the Southern Appalachians

by Sydney Marie Jones, SRS Science Communications Intern  • 
To increase the prescribed “burn window” for reaching restoration goals, land managers are now burning during winter (the dormant season) as well as spring and summer (the growing season) and fall. Management goals often include fuel reduction, oak regeneration, habitat improvement for target wildlife species, and forest restoration to conditions once created by Native Americans…  More