This Land, Your Land

Several organizations have combined to offer a reward of up to $10,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the deaths of two radio-collared red wolves that were found in Hyde County in April.

The red wolves, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, were found dead on April 23 near Englehard in the eastern part of Hyde County and on April 27 near Scranton in the western part of Hyde County.

The maximum criminal penalties for the unlawful taking of a red wolf are one year imprisonment and $100,000 fine per individual animal.

The red wolf (Canis rufus) was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. By 1987, enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and today more than 100 red wolves roam their native habitats in five northeastern North Carolina counties.

The Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, and Humane Society National Council member Cathy Kangas have contributed to the reward.

Anyone with information on the deaths of these red wolves or any other red wolves, past or future, should contact Special Agent Sandra Allred at (919) 856-4786, Wildlife Refuge Officer Chris Smith at (252) 926-4021 or North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Officer Robert Wayne at (252) 216-8225.

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge last week debuted an open-air tram equipped with a speaker system (below) it will use to take visitors on interpreted tours. A news release says tourists on the maiden voyage Saturday caught glimpses of a bear (below, right), a Northern Harrier eating a meal it had just caught, and several freshwater turtles - mostly yellow-bellied sliders.

The refuge will offer the tours this summer from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. each Thursday, the release says. They will usually begin at Creef Cut Wildlife Trail and follow along the Wildlife Drive, making one of several possible loops. The new tram will also be used for regularly scheduled Bear Necessities programs, which run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday during the summer.

"The general interpretive message for the tour includes all the basics (message of the USFWS, message of the NWRS, goals and objectives of the refuge, things to see and do on the refuge, etc.), plus an assortment of hands-on activities ranging from using telemetry to track red wolves to hunting for deer, bear and raccoon tracks, to finding the wet trails where bears crossed the road!," the release says. "We examine water control structures and learn how they work, identify some trees, birds and turtles, and talk about fire and how we use it on the refuge to make habitats better."

Other times of the year, at least one monthly Saturday tour will be conducted. During the Wings Over Water wildlife festival in November, there will be many special tram tours offered at Alligator River and a couple at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Red Wolf Coalition have released their Howling Safari schedule for summer 2010. The two-hour programs give participants the opportunity to hear the harmonious howls of the endangered red wolves, which are found only in the wilds of northeastern North Carolina.

The 7 p.m. guided trips via car into the refuge are set for Wednesdays from June 9 to August 4, and again on August 24 and September 1. They cost $7 per person, with children younger than 5 admitted for free.

The refuge and Coalition will also offer the program for free on four special "Howl-O-Days" - April 24 (Earth Day), October 16 (Wolf Awareness Week), October 30 (Howl-O-Ween) and December 11 (Holiday Howl). Times for these vary.

Each program has a limit of 70 people, so reservations are suggested. The group meets at Creef Cut Wildlife Trail at the intersection of Milltail Road and U.S. 64, approximately 15 minutes east of Manteo.

Register by telephone at (252) 796-5600. More details and a map are at the link above.

We read about it first at Refuge Watch, news and events from America's National Wildlife Refuges.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has awarded a $4.9 million contract for a 17,840-square-foot regional visitors center to be built on Roanoke Island, the Department of Interior said Wednesday.

The Gateway Visitor Center and Headquarters at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge will educate visitors about wildlife and conservation in the area and house the refuge’s 30-plus staff members.

Money for the project comes from $3 billion the Department of the Interior received in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, aka the Stimulus Bill. "This investment will also create jobs for the local community," the Fish & Wildlife Service's news release says.

MWH Constructors, Inc., of Broomfield, Colorado, will design and build the center.

The FWS said previously that it anticipates 200,000 visitors annually to the center, which will include a book store, exhibit space, an environmental education classroom, a multi-purpose room and exterior interpretive facilities.

The FWS operates 10 coastal National Wildlife Refuges in North Carolina to safeguard wildlife populations through habitat preservation, which offers prime opportunity to view or photograph birds and other wildlife. The refuges also offer hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and other recreational activities when they are considered compatible with the refuge's wildlife preservation mission.

Officials at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge are considering where and how to replace the Fish and Wildlife Service offices that have become too close to the sea as the island erodes, the Outer Banks Sentinel says.

Options include moving to FWS offices 30 minutes away at Manteo, sharing quarters with the National Park Service on Bodie Island or building new quarters on the western side of the island. New quarters could be built "in such a manner that the structure itself becomes a teaching tool," Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Manager Mike Bryant told the newspaper. "There are ways to build that create a minimal footprint, are not a threat to valued habitat and the structures could be a green teaching tool by using innovations such as a windmill for power."

The existing offices, which along with nearby shop, garage and intern residence were slated for replacement next year, wound up perilously close to the sea after Tropical Storm Ida caused severe erosion last month. Refuge staff and volunteers are now working from the living room in the nearby residence that houses interns.

"More than 1 million people drive through the refuge each year," the Sentinel says. "For some it is a destination for recreational activities such as birding, shelling or just enjoying a long walk on the beach. Others take advantage of the available nature programs that range from turtle talks to kayaking."

Visitors to Pea Island have a $145 million direct impact on the region and an indirect impact estimated at $280 million, according to the newspaper.

A news release from Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge shows the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service headquarters' newly precarious location next to the surf, but points out that programs for the public continue at the refuge.

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ida earlier this month, the refuge's headquarters building, which was built in 1965 when the site was hundreds of feet from the ocean, is now only feet from the high tide line. Also in the storm, "N.C. 12 was overwashed in a number of places. Sections of dunes were flattened in a few areas and severely eroded along most of the refuge length," the release says.

"While the refuge itself was never officially closed, there was no need to offer programs or a Visitor Center when the public could not access the refuge," Refuge Manager Mike Bryant said. "We'll be glad to see things get back to normal - though it will be a new and different normal from now on."

Regularly scheduled fall programs at Pea Island include bird walks on Thursday, Friday and Sunday mornings at 9. In addition, groups may contact the refuge to plan special programs or educational activities. A special bird walk into South Pond is scheduled for the Friday after Thanksgiving, leaving the Visitor Center at 11 a.m. Pea Island is open to the public during daylight hours, seven days a week.

Earlier, we picked up on the Refuge Watch report that storm erosion would require the Fish & Wildlife Service to abandon the office building rather that engage in futile repairs.

Casualties of Tropical Storm Ida include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Refuge Watch blog.

The storm also buckled about 800 feet of roadway along N.C. 12, requiring a detour through the refuge near Rodanthe.

"Because the ocean is so close, it would not be prudent to make repairs or to continue to have employee offices [at the Fish and Wildlife Services building], because the outcome is inevitable," Bonnie Strawser, visitor services manager for Alligator River/Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges, told the Outer Banks Sentinel. "It won’t take much of a wave at this point to take the building."

The nor'easter that accompanied Ida caused flooding and debris to be scattered throughout the Cape Hatteras National Seashore just south of Pea Island, the National Park Service said ealrier in the week.

The 2009-2010 season for controlled fires set to manage wildlife habitat and reduce natural fuels has begun at Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges, officials say.

Controlled or prescribed burns are intentionally ignited under specific conditions to achieve management objectives, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service news release says. Under normal circumstances, the prescribed fire season begins in the fall and runs through mid-spring. But, sometimes units may be burned outside this time period to accomplish particular objectives. Last season's fires at Alligator and Swanquarter began in February.

The FWS has posted a map of areas in Dare and Hyde counties to be burned, but it does not have dates.

Impact on the public is expected to be minimal, the FWS says; however, concerned individuals may contact the Refuge Office on any given day to ask about burning plans for that day. Hunters should be especially attentive if an area they plan to hunt is scheduled for burning this year.

Plans to build the Coastal North Carolina National Wildlife Refuges
Gateway Visitor Center and Headquarters on Roanoke Island have been deemed compatible with the environmental assessment for the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced.

The 17,840-square-foot center will include a book store, exhibit space, an environmental education classroom, a multi-purpose room and exterior interpretive facilities, the FWS says. Approximately 30 employees will share office space there as well, allowing the FWS to leave leased space costing more than $120,000 annually.

Money for design and construction will come from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, aka President Obama's stimulus package.

The FWS anticipates 200,000 visitors annually at the center. "As a result, the expectation is that the new facility will serve as a 'gateway' visitor center for all of the coastal North Carolina refuges and thus increase the visibility of and visitation to each of them," the FWS report says.

The FWS operates 10 coastal National Wildlife Refuges in North Carolina to safeguard wildlife populations through habitat preservation, which offers prime opportunity to view or photograph birds and other wildlife. The refuges also offer hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and other recreational activities when they are considered compatible with the refuge's wildlife preservation mission.

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is reporting that 41 puppies were born to 11 wild red wolf litters this spring, and that one male and three female pups from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago were fostered into two wild litters in eastern North Carolina. Twenty-four pups have been fostered into wild packs in northeastern North Carolina over 10 years.

In another facet of the Red Wolf Recovery Program, red wolves are bred on islands, such as St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge in Apalachicola, Florida, and brought to Alligator River. An adult female and four yearling males from St. Vincent have been released in eastern North Carolina this year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared red wolves extinct in the wild in 1980. But by 1987, enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program at Alligator River. Today, more than 100 red wolves roam their native habitats in five northeastern North Carolina counties, including three national wildlife refuges, a Department of Defense bombing range, state-owned lands and private property spanning a total of 1.5 million acres.

Below, biologist Michael Morse examines a male pup to be fostered into a pack south of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. (Lincoln Park Zoo photo)