Wintering populations of American black ducks (Anas rubripes) have declined throughout their range since the 1950s. Conservation for wintering black ducks is based largely on bioenergetic models of carrying capacity, and managers seek to provide wetlands with sufficient food energy to support target populations. Although the significance of salt marsh to wintering black ducks along the Atlantic Coast is well documented, forested wetlands are also used by wintering black ducks, and yet their foraging value and energetic potential is unknown. Therefore, quantifying the energetic value of forested wetlands is important for accurately estimating the carrying capacity of black ducks. We collected soil core samples from forested wetlands on Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, Delaware in 2014 (n ¼ 46) and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Galloway, New Jersey, USA in 2015 (n ¼ 41) to estimate food biomass and quantify the energetic capacity of forested wetlands representative of the mid-Atlantic region. We estimated the mean energetic value of forested wetlands as 84,667 AE 21,822 kcal/ha. Considering all forested wetlands that are potentially available to black ducks along the mid-Atlantic Coast, we estimated that forested wetlands within a 24.1-km distance from the coast provide between 103,696,524-192,678,224 duck-use days supporting 489,135-908,860 black ducks over the 212 days of winter. Forested wetlands may be an important foraging resource for wintering black ducks, and our estimates of energetic value will help to refine bioenergetic models for black ducks in the Atlantic Flyway. Ó 2017 The Wildlife Society.

Nest survival has been identified as one of the most influential vital rates causing population change in game birds, and depredation, often influenced by habitat loss and fragmentation, is the primary cause of nest failure of upland game birds. We were interested in quantifying and comparing the perspectives of landowners and biologists in South Dakota regarding complex predator‐prey interactions to improve communication and management efficacy. We developed a questionnaire regarding the following: 1) general attitude statements about game bird species; 2) perceived impacts of 9 factors (e.g., development, pollution, predators) and 13 potential predators on game bird abundances; and 3) attitude statements regarding use of lethal predator control and nesting habitat management practices. A cluster analysis using landowner attitude statements about predator management identified 3 landowner segments that had strong (most supportive; 37%), moderate (moderately supportive; 35%), or weak (least supportive; 28%) attitude statements about lethal predator control. Landowner segments most supportive and moderately supportive of predator control rated predators as the primary negative factor impacting game bird abundances and agreed that predators were the primary cause of game bird abundance declines, whereas the landowner segment least supportive of predator control rated habitat loss as the top factor and disagreed that predators were the primary cause of game bird declines. Biologists rated habitat loss as the top factor negatively impacting game bird abundances and disagreed that predators were the primary cause of game bird abundance declines. Thus, when considering the effectiveness of strategies to reduce nest depredation, most landowners focused on the direct cause of nest failures (predators), whereas biologists focused on an indirect cause (habitat loss). Perception differences among these groups emphasizes the need for better communication on proximate and ultimate factors affecting game bird populations and how these differences may impact management decisions.

Lyme disease is the most common infectious disease spread by black-legged ticks in the Northern Hemisphere. Lyme disease is a vector-borne zoonotic disease typically caused by bacterial spirochetes of the species Borrelia burgdorferi. The primary vector of Lyme disease in the Midwestern and eastern United States is Ixodes scapularis, the deer or black-legged tick. Although there are several preventative measures against ticks that carry Lyme disease, such as public education regarding personal protection (e.g., wearing light colored clothing, tucking pants into socks, wearing repellent, promptly inspecting oneself to remove ticks, getting pets vaccinated) and recommended control measures, it is important to understand how the disease is transmitted and which factors increase the potential risk of contracting the disease. Even with these preventative measures, which are not necessarily available worldwide, tick-borne diseases are increasing both in numbers and impact to the overall human population, and there are still several knowledge gaps and conflicting findings that need to be elucidated. For these reasons, there exists a need for further research on Lyme disease ecology to identify steps necessary to decrease disease prevalence and reduce human exposure. I conducted a field study on the Cantonment Area of Fort Drum Military Installation, New York, which is representative of a suburban community with multiple cover types. From May 2015-November 2016 I surveyed the Cantonment Area to evaluate the basic distributions of Ixodes scapularis and small mammal host species, their relationships with vegetative characteristics, and associated Lyme disease apparent Formatted for submission to Journal of Medical Entomology Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) Apparent Prevalence and Black-legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis) Temporal and Spatial Distributions on Fort Drum Military Installation, New York