Monthly Activity Report

Monthly Activity Report

Wildlife Division: November, 2012

Alan Peoples, Chief

Bill Dinkines, Assistant Chief

Wildlife & Lands Management

F12AF00617: Central Region – Jeff Pennington

F12AF00617- Area personnel placed emphasis this month on conducting controlled hunts and monitoring hunter usage during the waterfowl and deer seasons. Specific activities for the month include: 100 tons of rock were spotted on WMA access roads. Nine access control gates were repaired. Eleven mandays were spent clearing right of way, removing old fence, and constructing corners for fencing operations on Grady County and Cross Timbers WMAs. Sixty two parking areas were maintained. Fifteen heavy use sites were maintained. Twenty eight boundary signs were installed. One mile of fence was repaired. Thirteen miles of firebreak were maintained. Forty one acres of food plots and dove fields were planted. Twenty clover plots were sprayed for winter grass control. Ten man days were spent working in wetland development units (WDU) manipulating water levels, pumping Cottonwood Creek WDU, and repairing structures. Waterfowl surveys were conducted on Texoma, Kaw, and Keystone. Fifteen mandays were spent monitoring WMAs during deer and waterfowl seasons. Fifty three mandays were spent conducting controlled hunts. Meetings were attended with: USFWS-coordination, Candy Creek WMA-adjacent landowner issues, Corps of Engineers-water levels. Three mandays were spent assisting SW region in the collection of 760 cottonwood poles from Kaw WMA for planting at Packsaddle WMA. Two mandays were spent on trespass livestock situations. Considerable time was spent on routine maintenance and repairs to equipment.

STATE- One day was spent on WMA oilfield activities. SEAFWA meeting was attended.

F12AF00622- Six man days were expended maintaining shooting ranges.

F12AF00945- Two man days were spent assisting DMAP properties.

F12AF00615- Six and a half man days were spent on deer check stations.

F12AF00616: Northeast Region - Craig Endicott

F12AF00616 - Management activities included: pumping 9 wetland units (664.4 acres), assessing 2 wildfire burns (460 acres) and mowing habitat (275 acres). Personnel also maintained 124 miles of roads, 6 miles of fire guards, 37 signs, 15 parking areas, 11 camping areas, 1 boat ramp and 8 gates. Personnel also picked up area trash, cleaned and maintained area shops, headquarters and compounds and maintained and repaired area equipment. Administrative and other area duties included: quarterly safety training, submitting wetland status reports, conducting 19 controlled deer hunts (4 youth gun, 4 muzzleloader, 8 gun, 2 disabled, 1 archery), conducting 10 area hunter surveys and 12 area waterfowl surveys, handling duck blind disputes, writing burn plans, assessing lake habitat/millet success, preparing PMP results lists, working on match grants (NWTF, RMEF, QF), attending meeting with multiple agencies concerning lake levels and waterfowl habitat (ODWC, COE, SWP, FWS) and meeting with COE concerning ODOT bridge project near WMA and unauthorized road on WMA.

F12AF00615- Visited/monitored/tallied 57 deer check stations, took supplies to stations as needed and compiled and sent regional post-ML harvest tallies.

F12AF00945- Provided WHIP technical assistance to 1 landowner (100 acres).

STATE- Monitored oil and gas activities, inspected 6 new well locations, handled agriculture and grazing lease administration and activities, inspected/monitored 10 agricultural leases (1,947.4 acres), submitted weekly area mallard migration reports, assisted motorist with flat tire, prepared area “Rut Reports” for I&E, worked on LDP project report, patrolled area, worked with wardens on patrol, attended SEAFWA planning meeting, scored 2 deer racks, signed lifetime license applications, met with COE concerning non-ambulatory controlled hunt and Huntmaster blind, investigated report of dead black bear and cleaned and maintained area vehicles.

F12AF00618: Southeast Region- Joe Hemphill

F12AF00618 - Conducted 9 controlled hunts,graded 18 miles of access roads, picked up and disposed of 23bags of trash, mowed 10 acres at headquarters and facilities, monitored reclamation work on 6 abandoned well sites, removed brush along 2 miles of road sides, assisted the Forest Service in flagging 9 pond sites, replaced 10 information signs, conducted 3 area tours, completed 5 waterfowl surveys, made prescribed burn plans, maintained 1 mile of fire breaks, removed 8 beaver dams and 5 feral hogs, and attended 1 regional and safety meeting.

F10AP00552 - Prepared RCW transfer forms for the 10 birds moved from the Sam Houston NF and continued cavity checking and maintenance at active clusters.

F10AP00564 - Continued thinning the block of 207 acres along North Linson Creek and completed end of employment forms for 2 workers.

F12AF00615 - Edited deer check station books and tallied harvest to end of the Primitive season.

F12AF00622 - Mowed 4 acres and picked up 6 bags of trash at shooting range.

F12AF00944 - Pumped water into 140 acres of wetland units at FoucheMaline and opened 2 water control structures at Joe Johnson to flood 80 acres.

NRCS-12 - Assisted with surveys, gave 3 area tours, dug out 8 beaver dams, checked fire guards, and picked up 1 bag of litter , and attended monthly meeting with the NRCS and Forest Service.

M78 - Inspected boundary and west gate fencing, picked up 1 sack of trash, conducted 1 controlled hunt. and hauled dumpster to Atoka area for vendor pickup.

State - Patrolled WMA’s and assisted in confiscating 3 illegal deer.

M74M/M75M - Checked 472 boundary signs, 58 gates, and 2 pipe barriers, reinstalled 1 vandalized Three Rivers entrance sign, completed 133 hunter surveys, checked activity around clear cuts for night hunting, recorded interview of hunter for I&E, patrolled areas for deer and bear seasons and made 320 contacts with hunters, completed ride-along with local wardens and assisted with decoy on WMA's (19 citations and 2 warnings), attended Regional and safety meeting, tallied post primitive check station books, assisted with career day at Broken Bow High School, recorded 7 trespass horses, and attended meetings with Weyerhaeuser, Molpus, Rayonier, Campbell Group and Hancock Forest Management as needed.

F12AF00588: Northwest Region Steve Conrady

F12AF00588-Activities this month included the following: personnel mowed 40 acres in strips, removed trash from 5 campsites and 12 parking areas, bladed 7 miles of road, serviced 9 windmills, repaired 1 solar pump, installed 5 informational signs, hunter use surveys were conducted opening weekend of fall turkey, quail, and deer gun seasons, LPDV samples were collected during opening weekend of quail season, personnel conducted 3 quail whistle counts, and 4 waterfowl surveys, hosted 1 controlled hunt on Canton WMA, and assisted with 9 controlled hunts at Salt Plains Wildlife Refuge, completed 1 wetland status report on Drummond Flat, made interior renovations to 1 WMA residence, attended NW Region meeting in Woodward, and assisted with assorted Oklahoma State University quail research projects on Beaver WMA.

F12AF00615-Personnel maintained area deer check stations, and compiled post primitive harvest results.

F12AF00622-Personnel picked up trash at 1 shooting range.

F11AF00071-Personnel installed 2 OID signs

F03AP00007 - Personnel responded to 2 Landowner Incentive Program requests, 1 request regarding lesser prairie chicken habitat conservation and improvement, and prepared 1 invoice for a project in Cimarron County.

F04AP00011- Personnel submitted invoices for payment.

BTP13-Personnel prepared county maps for the prairie dog population surveys, reviewed survey maps prepared by Wardens, and surveyed a portion of eastern Harper County.

LEPCHCP- Personnel attended NW Region meeting in Woodward, OPBA meeting at Roman Nose State Park, viewed smoke management and burn law webinar, gave 1 presentation of the OLEPCCP to OACD District 1 in Guymon, worked on GIS mapping, management plans, and land cover types for core areas, prepared spread sheets and GIS maps for project reporting.

STATE – Personnel monitored oilfield activity, monitored the repair of 2.5 miles of WMA road by oil companies on Cooper, cleaned 2 parking areas at Shultz WMA, attended NW Region safety meeting, worked on “Bobwhite Quail in Oklahoma” handbook revisions, wrote 1 management plan for school land at Drummond Flat, worked on grazing lease revisions for Canton, issued DCAP tags to 1 landowner, met with East Canadian Co. Conservation District regarding control of prairie dogs, prepared prairie dog control request for the City of Lawton, secured bids and received materials for Great Plains Trail kiosks, developed landowner contact lists for LEPC Core Areas 10 & 11, met with one landowner regarding possible participation in a CCAA, attended High Plains RC & D council meeting, checked WMA deer gun hunters, assisted Wardens, issued 2 administrative fines, 1 temporary license, and 2 written warnings.

F12AF00689: Southwest Region-Rod Smith

F12AF00689 - Hunter use surveys on WMAs were conducted for deer, quail and waterfowl seasons. Waterfowl population surveys were conducted at 4 region sites. Five controlled deer hunts were held. Forty-two acres of feeding fields were cultivated and 57 acres were planted. Five parking/camping areas were maintained. Six miles of road and 5 miles of fireguard were maintained. Preparations were made and equipment was repaired for controlled hunts. Wetland unit flooding was done on 2 WMAs and 50 acres were flooded. One wetland unit structure was repaired. Cottonwoods were harvested at Kaw WMA for a riparian restoration project at Packsaddle WMA. Supplies were selected and ordered for the quail research building. Vegetation was cleared from water distribution canals and dikes. A birding blind was repaired and bird feeding stations were constructed. Pipeline rectifiers were maintained. Signs were installed on region WMAs. Several building and equipment maintenance and repair projects were completed. Trespass cattle issues were addressed. Sites for water well drilling were surveyed. Coordination meetings were held with the US Forest Service and Dept. of Corrections for WMA coordination; NRCS and FSA about WMA drought conditions, State Forestry for WMA habitat work; and contractors for wetland unit restoration.

F12AF00614-Sandhill cranes were monitored for presence of whooping cranes.

F12AF00615-Deer check stations were visited because of operational problems. Deer harvest data were collected at all region check stations and summarized.

STATE- Oil & gas stipulations were prepared and several oil well drilling operations were monitored on 2 areas. Several new wells were staked. WMA roads were patrolled for off-road driving and vandalism. Region office secretary interviews were conducted. BLM files were reviewed to identify lands within the region. Falconry program activities were accomplished.

Private Lands and Wildlife Diversity-Russ Horton

NRCS-13, 03, 001-Compliance Review for one State WHIP contract and one Partner’s Program were conducted. Two days of assistance with LPCI monitoring in northwest Oklahoma was given. Two NRCS Field Office visits were made for Kingfisher and Logan counties. One Zone 2 Team 4 meeting was attended and a presentation given over WHIP and monitoring reports. Two wildlife habitat management plans were worked on for landowners.

NRCSLPC-12, 03, 001- Completed LPCI monitoring for FY12 in Texas, Beaver, and Woods counties. Traveled extensively through Texas, Harper, Ellis, Woods, and Woodward counties to observe LEPC and vegetation characteristics.Reviewed LEPC articles and scientific literature. Traveled and met with NRCS personnel in Beaver, Woodward, Harper, and Woods county offices. Assisted ODWC personnel with management plan for Core Area #11 as a part of the OK LEPC Management Plan.

094,082,F12AF00689,001,01 : Welcomed visitors to Hackberry Flat and met with potential vendor for a cleaning contract. Worked on interpretive panels for Hackberry Flat nature trail in preparation for meeting with graphic design artist.

Prepared for Christmas Outdoor Store at Center.

STATE-Provided update to Steve Conrady about the denial from PLJV to OK Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance to submit a capacity grant proposal. Presented information to Restoration Ecology class at OSU on how the restoration of Hackberry Flat was evaluated. Attended Post-Expo Steering Committee meeting.Made revisions to the hummingbird survey form on website. Input hummingbird survey data. Met with the interpretive sub-committee of the Great Plains Trail. Worked at Nature Center and nature trail at Byron Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area. Revised winter bird feeder survey website. Set up the Great Plains Trail BaseCamp. Prepared for and hosted the annual ESA Section 6 coordination meeting between ODWC and the Tulsa Field Office of the USFWS. Prepared a newsletter article on the Cedar Waxwing, and prepared and submitted report forms for three migrating Whooping Cranes including a pair that was documented and confirmed at Lake Hefner on Thanksgiving. Gave a series of presentations on the wildlife biology career at a high school career day in Moore. Coordinated with Keith Martin on the renewal of the ESA Section 6 cave gating grant. Prepared response letters for two cell tower and one pipeline project and provided information on six threatened and endangered species requests. Participated in a meeting with a local NGO called Wilderness Matters that is proposing to fund the construction of ADA compliant trails at Martin Park Nature Center in OKC; the discussion centered on methods for maintaining habitat quality and reducing disturbance during and after construction. I participated in the monthly conference call of the Central Flyway Nongame Technical Committee during which we discussed modifications of the blackbird depredation order under the MBTA and revision of the Flyway’s cormorant management plan/position paper.

State Wildlife Grants

T-2-P-2: (F06AF00006) State Wildlife Grant Coordination and Data Management: Compiled the monthly grant summaries and coordinated with Dr. Ron Bonett at the University of Tulsa regarding field progress on the Oklahoma Salamander and Grotto Salamander surveys. Drafted a Request for Proposals for the FY 2012 State Wildlife Grant allocation and researched the distribution and habitat associations of six species of greatest conservation need that have been petitioned for possible federal listing under the ESA. Each of these species will be a priority area in the next RFP to obtain ecological data this is more complete.

T-33-P: (F06AF00008): Development of the Shortgrass Prairie Region Species of Greatest Conservation Need Conservation Assessment and Conservation Strategy: Created .pdf maps for 14 of the townships in Texas County and printed off maps for all 30 townships that are part of the Swift Fox track survey. I traveled to Guymon and conducted timed searches for Swift Fox tracks in eleven townships. Swift Fox track lines were located in all eleven townships with an average time until first detection of approximately 36 minutes. Fourteen Black-tailed Prairie Dog colonies were found incidentally during the survey and mapped.

T-43-P: (F06AF00013) All-bird Conservation Planning in the Oaks and Prairies Bird Conservation Region: I worked on the completion of the Final Report for the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture planning grant and refined the current draft of the OPJV Grassland Bird Conservation Plan.

T-62: (F11AF00083) Revision and Update of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy: I reviewed a new SWAP publication entitled “Best Practices for Developing State Wildlife Action Plans” that was prepared by an ad hoc AFWA committee comprised of state wildlife agency biologists. Many of the recommended practices were used in the first iteration of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy or will be used in the on-going revision process. I researched information and recent publications on wetland and aquatic species of greatest conservation need as references for the CWCS revision. I coordinated with Wendy Connelly (TX) and Caly Coffey (FL) regarding their states CWCS revisions.

F10AF00236: Population Size Estimations of the Mexican Free-tailed Bat, Tadaridabrasiliensis, at Important Maternity Roosts in Oklahoma:(Dr. William Caire, University of Central Oklahoma and Dr. Raymond Matlack, West Texas A&M University.) No Activity on Grant.

F12AF00595, 001 Development and Implementation of a Program to Address Energy Related Wildlife and Habitat Impacts: GaveLEPCupdate at industry/agency working group meeting.Gave VOP update on OG&E Keenan and OU spirit windfarm money. Completed Swift fox surveys in Texas County. Provided comments on oil and gas draft CI for CCAA. Edited LEPC O&G BMPs and submitted for review. Read Copelins LEPC in OK paper.Read OG&E and Chermac MOU’s.Completed 6 consultant letters.Provided information on executive summary of VOP report to OG&E. Viewed prescribed burn video.

Section 6

E-21 (F10AP00552) Red-cockaded Woodpecker Recovery on the McCurtain County Wilderness Area: Prepared Red-cockaded Woodpecker transfer forms for the ten birds that were moved from the Sam Houston National Forest to the McCurtain County Wilderness Area and the Ouachita National Forest. We continued to check and clean cavities at active clusters.