(Fwd) "1-800-327-BAND" TO REPORT BIRD BAND RECOVERIES
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Fri, 12 Jun 1998 19:07:44 -0500
And yet more from F&WS! Also applies to non-hunters....sigh.
June 10, 1998 Hugh Vickery 202-208-5634
HUNTERS CAN CALL "1-800-327-BAND" TO REPORT BIRD BAND
RECOVERIES
Have you ever experienced the excitement of harvesting a banded
game bird? Hunters who take a banded bird may wonder where the
bird originated, how old it is, or whom to contact to report the
information on the band. In the past, many hunters found it
difficult to report their band recovery, while others simply
didn't feel it was necessary.
To make life simpler and to improve the reporting rate of band
recoveries, the U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding Laboratory,
in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, recently
placed a toll-free number on bird bands. Hunters can now call
1-800-327-BAND, or 1-800-327-2263, to report their recovery of a
banded bird.
Hunters are welcome to keep the bands they report. When they
make the call, they can find out where and when the bird was
banded. In addition, each hunter who reports a band recovery
will receive a certificate of appreciation that tells when,
where, and who banded the bird.
The Service is responsible for establishing waterfowl hunting
regulations. The banding program helps provide information about
waterfowl movements, survival rates, and harvest rates that is
critical to population management and setting of hunting
regulations. The information provided by hunters is essential to
this effort.
The banding of waterfowl is done under the auspices of the North
American Waterfowl Banding Program, a cooperative effort among
Federal, provincial, and state agencies, and private
organizations. Each year, approximately 380,000 waterfowl are
banded across the United States and Canada.
Research conducted in the mid-1980s indicated that only a third
of the bands on mallards were reported by hunters. This low rate
of return represents a tremendous loss of information.
By reporting your recovery of a banded bird, you will not only
assist the Service in managing the resource but also you could
learn some interesting facts. For example, banding information
collected at the Bird Banding Laboratory indicates that the
oldest northern pintail ever recovered was 22 years old, the
oldest mallard 23 years old.
Beyond longevity records, the Bird Banding Lab also maintains
data on waterfowl movements, such as waterfowl banded in Russia
that are recovered in the Central Valley of California, or a
northern pintail banded in California that was recovered in
Arkansas.
The help of hunters is needed for the banding program to be
successful, and the Service encourages all waterfowlers to report
bands with the "1-800" number.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service's almostwildlife-related recreation in the United States.
Copies of the report, "1996 National and State Economic Impacts
of Wildlife Watching," and the "1996 National Survey of Fishing,
Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation" are available by
calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's publications unit at
304-876-7203.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service's almost 93 million acres include
514 national wildlife refuges, 78 ecological services field
stations, 65 national fish hatcheries, 50 wildlife coordination
areas, and 38 wetland management districts with waterfowl
production areas.
The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, manages migratory bird
populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves
and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, administers the
Endangered Species Act, and helps foreign governments with their
conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program
that distributes Federal excise taxes on fishing and hunting
equipment to state wildlife agencies. This program is a
cornerstone of the Nation's wildlife management efforts, funding
fish and wildlife restoration, boating access, hunter education,
shooting ranges, and related projects across America.
-FWS-
===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net