Recently the rules for the Duck Stamp competition were changed. In recent years, the competition has allow paintings of ducks and their habitats without emphasizing hunting, because many non-hunters purchase these stamps to support conservation. Reverting back to requiring a “hunting element” in all paintings ignores the non-hunting conservation community. In recent shorebird-related news, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is proposing to alter horseshoe crab harvest restrictions and include female horseshoe crabs in future harvests. Date: 29 September 2024 -Joe Francis Site: Great Cypress Swamp DOS President Joe Francis and Vice President Scott Northey joined the Delaware Master Naturalists in early March for a tour of Delaware’s Great Cypress Swamp, the largest continuous freshwater wetland in the state. The area is managed by Delaware Wild Lands, and the tour was led by their field ecologist, Andrew Martin, and Executive Director, Marcia Fox. Scott and Joe brought loaner binoculars and answered questions about local birdlife while Andrew pointed out the amazing work DWL has been doing to restore the natural hydrology and replant Bald Cypress and Atlantic White Cedar. DOS’ Bird-A-Thon supports conservation projects across the state and will be collaborating on more joint field trips like this with our conservation partners in the months ahead. More about “The Swamp” at https://dewildlands.org/our-work/great-cypress-swamp/Changes in Duck Stamp competition Rules
Horseshoe Crab ASMFC Letter
The DOS Conservation Committee has been tracking this issue closely and has significant concerns about the adoption of the ASMFC’s Revised Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) model to set harvest quotas for horseshoe crab harvest. DOS does not support the adoption of a model that would currently recommend harvest of female crabs at this point in the recovery trajectory of rufa Red Knots.
We have submitted a letter recommending that ASMFC should NOT adopt the Addendum to the HSC Fisheries Management Plan at this time. This detailed letter is available here.Swift Night Out Pop-up Trip Report
We had a successful Swift Night Out Sunday, with 20 attendees that included DOS members and folks from the community. It was a dynamic and dramatic evening, with swift “tornadoes” forming and dispersing over several different chimneys in the neighborhood. Several brief passes by two Peregrine Falcons undoubtedly contributed to the swifts’ state of unrest. The estimated count entering the three chimneys in view was around 200 swifts, with an additional 200-300 birds heading to other roost locations further away. We encourage folks to keep an eye on this or other local roosts as their migration period is far from over. Delaware Wild Lands Visit Report
