No abstract

American black ducks (Anas rubripes) are a harvested, international migratory waterfowl species in eastern North America. Despite an extended period of restrictive harvest regulations, the black duck population is still below the population goal identified in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). It has been hypothesized that density‐dependent factors restrict population growth in the black duck population and that habitat management (increases, improvements, etc.) may be a key component of growing black duck populations and reaching the prescribed NAWMP population goal. Using banding data from 1951 to 2011 and breeding population survey data from 1990 to 2014, we developed a full annual cycle population model for the American black duck. This model uses the seven management units as set by the Black Duck Joint Venture, allows movement into and out of each unit during each season, and models survival and fecundity for each region separately. We compare model population trajectories with observed population data and abundance estimates from the breeding season counts to show the accuracy of this full annual cycle model. With this model, we then show how to simulate the effects of habitat management on the continental black duck population.

Bonytail Gila elegans, a large‐bodied cyprinid that is endemic to the Colorado River basin of the American Southwest, was historically widespread and abundant in large warmwater streams but is now critically endangered. To increase recovery prospects, over 500,000 Bonytails have been stocked in the upper Colorado River basin since 2000, but adult survival has been low and reproduction has not been detected. We provide the first documented evidence of successful reproduction by stocked Bonytails in the upper Colorado River basin. Adult Bonytails were stocked in the Green River and accessed Stewart Lake and Johnson Bottom (managed floodplain wetlands in the middle Green River, Utah) during high flows in May 2015 (Stewart Lake only) and 2016. Draining of Stewart Lake in September 2015 revealed 19 age‐0 individuals of Gila sp. (37–64 mm TL) among over 405,000 fish. Four preserved specimens (41–48 mm TL) were verified as Bonytails by using morphological and molecular techniques. Otolith daily increment analysis confirmed reproduction by Bonytails in Stewart Lake. Bonytail reproduction was also noted during 2016 in Stewart Lake (probable) and Johnson Bottom. Young Bonytails survived despite the presence of abundant nonnative fish predators. Use of floodplain wetlands for reproduction may enhance the recovery of critically endangered Bonytail in the upper Colorado River basin. Received September 1, 2016; accepted January 2, 2017 Published online March 15, 2017

Describes a personal experience of the Management Charter Initiative and the Accreditation of Prior Learning course. Notes what benefits accrued, how difficult it was and the help available. Concludes that the MCI meets the needs of managers who have experience without qualification.

Continued gizzard shad ( Continued gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum Dorosoma cepedianum) range ) range expansion in the Colorado River basin expansion in the Colorado River basin P. Aaron Webber U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vernal, UT, aaron_webber@fws.gov M. Tildon Jones U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vernal, UT, tildon_jones@fws.gov Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan Part of the Anatomy Commons, Botany Commons, Physiology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Webber, P. Aaron and Jones, M. Tildon (2013) "Continued gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) range expansion in the