Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 18:22:31 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Jane E Fallon Subject: Mute Swan Symposium - June 7 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable I am posting this for Dr. Matthew Perry at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center who is not on this list. Phone inquiries about registration: 410-827-6694. Inquires about the program, contact: Dr. Matthew C. Perry, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center 301-497-5622= or email: Matt_Perry@usgs.gov I Jane Fallon MUTE SWANS AND THEIR CHESAPEAKE BAY HABITAT The Wildfowl Trust of North America located at Horsehead Wetlands Center in Grasonville, Maryland is sponsoring a one-day Symposium on "= Mute Swans and Their Chesapeake Bay Habitats" on Thursday June 7, 2001. The= Symposium is intended to provide an understanding of the complex issues= relating to the growing numbers of Mute Swan on the Chesapeake Bay. The symposium is cosponsored by the Wildfowl Trust, Chesapeake College, and the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and will be hel= d at Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, Maryland. A late-afternoon reception an= d poster session will be held at the Wildfowl Trust's Horsehead Wetlands Center. Continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, evening reception, and t= our of Horsehead Wetlands Center will be provided. The registration fee of= $40 ($30 for students) includes a copy of proceedings. Background on the Issue The exotic mute swan (Cygnus olor) has increased its population si= ze in Chesapeake Bay (MD and VA) to approximately 4500 since 1962 when 5 s= wans were released in the Bay. The Bay population of mute swans now repres= ents 30% of the total Atlantic Flyway population (12,600) and has had a phenomenal increase of 1200% from 1986 to 1999. Unlike tundra swans ( Cygnus columbianus) that migrate to the Bay for the winter, the mute sw= an is a year-long resident, and, therefore, reports of conflicts with nest= ing native waterbirds and the consumption of submerged aquatic vegetation (= SAV) have raised concerns among resource managers. Mute swans are classified as a wetland game bird in Maryland and a= re protected under current state law. They are not protected in Virginia.= In addition, mute swans are not protected by the federal government under = the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1916, as they are considered non-migratory= and exotic. Several years ago, Maryland initiated a limited program to con= trol mute swan numbers by addling eggs and some euthanasia of adult swans. These control methods were opposed by some residents of the Bay area an= d they successfully appealed to the Governor to stop all mute swan manage= ment in Maryland. In 2000, the Governor appointed a Mute Swan Task Force to advise Maryland Department of Natural Resources on viable management for mute swans in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. The Task Force Report= has been criticized by some who are opposed to any control of swan numbers.= A DNR Mute Swan Management Plan would be designed to alleviate existing conflicts, while not excessively diverting limited wildlife management resources. This Symposium is designed to provide an overview of the available information about the Mute Swan so that the public has a bett= er understanding of the complex issues concerning this species and its gro= wing presence on the Chesapeake Bay. = ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================