Combining Old School and High Tech

[Cara J]

Powerful Tracking Tools to Help Reduce Raptor Conflicts After the devastating effects of DDT and other organopesticides on birds across the United States, the extraordinary comeback of many birds of prey in recent decades — most notably bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) — is an indisputable story of conservation success. This major accomplishment represents the hard work and persistence of countless wildlife professionals. Today, in areas of the upper Midwest and along the Atlantic seaboard, bald eagle populations are increasing exponentially and osprey numbers have returned to or even exceeded historic levels in northeast states and within the Chesapeake Bay. Although highly abundant raptor populations create many positive ecological and social impacts, human-wildlife conflicts also can result from conservation successes such as this one. Over the past decade, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s APHIS Wildlife Services has relocated more than 13,000 raptors while also examining technologies to reduce aircraft strikes — an effort that earned the agency the 2014 Federal Migratory Bird Stewardship Award from the Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds. Combining traditional methods with new technologies — along with scientist-public partnerships and research — can guide methods to reduce conflicts while [...]

 

Read more: http://wildlife.org/combining-old-school-and-high-tech/