Patriot LWM on “Voice of Russia Radio” – Maryland Tackling Deer Overpopulation

Spotting a deer in nature is often an exciting thing. For many it’s a graceful creature that makes one think of Bambi and other gentile animals. But when deer populations grow too big they can be a safety hazard to human populations, as well as the ecology of an area. Currently, the city of Rockville, Maryland, is looking for ways to control its deer population, which has caught the attention of Bob Barker, the former host of the Price is Right and nationally known animal rights activist. He has written an open letter to Rockville, asking officials for other options than hunting the deer. Joe Brown, President of Patriot Land and Wildlife Management Services, Inc., who is also President and co-founder of Western Chesapeake Watershed Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association, and Jonathan Kays, a natural resource extension specialist with the University of Maryland Extension, talk about how to solve the problem of oversized deer populations.

Click HERE for Voice of Russia Website

Floating Island Partners Hard at Work in Midwest! Cool Videos from Minneapolis.

Here are 2 cool videos featuring our working partners in conservation Blue Wing Environmental Solutions & Technologies as they along with Midwest Floating Island and American Society of Landscape Architects show what impacts one group of regular citizens can have on their own water quality issues. These videos are of a Floating Island launch in Minneapolis as part of an effort to help solve a local lakes water quality issues. Contact Patriot LWM or CLICK HERE to learn more about Floating Island Technology!

http://www.kstp.com/article/12303/?vid=2764965&v=1


http://eplayer.clipsyndicate.com/cs_api/iframe?pl_id=16621&page_count=4&wpid=8700&windows=1&show_title=0&va_id=2764965&auto_start=0&auto_next=0

PATRIOT LWM INFORMATIVE VIDEO SERIES: BEAVER MANAGEMENT

In an effort to better educate our customers and let them see into our world, Patriot LWM will begin to release video blogs outlining projects we have been working on and things on the horizon.

Here is a short clip of a beaver management technique for a property where the owner decided to utilize trapping as a damage mitigation technique. Beaver damage was experienced on many trees in the property’s creek watershed area which allowed waters to rise into the neighboring agricultural fields.

 

Migration is for the “birds”…Resident Geese present new challenges for managers

The Canada Goose has long been a recognizable member of the waterfowl flotilla bobbing up and down on Maryland’s many lakes, rivers and ponds. From early childhood we are taught about the winter migration of waterfowl “flying South for the winter” and back North to lay and hatch their young.

As the years past and the occasional nesting pair became nesting flocks, one couldn’t help but wonder if the popular saying failed to make its way to the geese. Year round populations of geese have become a common occurrence in Maryland, going from neat to nuisance for many citizens.

 

The Resident Goose:

 

This new emergence of non-migrating geese have created a new term in the wildlife management community, the now infamous “Resident Goose”. These resident geese do just that, reside year round on area water bodies, lawns, golf courses and crop fields. If unharrased, they often roost in the same place night after night and utilize food sources in the immediate area day after day. With a mature goose defecating nearly a pound a day, the damage begins to mount in those areas. Problems including high nitrogen levels in water bodies, damage to crops, landscapes and ball fields from overgrazing, as well as the health hazards attributed to human interaction with their waste.

These geese begin nesting in late February and March with eggs hatching sometime in late April. Average clutch sizes range from 3-6 eggs with females reproducing after 2-3 years of age and sometimes getting very aggressive in defense of their nests during this time period. Sometime in late June to mid July these geese go through a 4-6 week molting period in which they lose their flight feathers and are stuck to the ground with the rest of us. This process goes on year after year with potential ages of resident geese reaching sometimes over 20 years.

These older resident geese have become very wise to the tricks of the hunting community, taking up residence often in uphuntable areas within the urban fringe. Golf course ponds, homeowners association stormwater management areas, local government water features and even tops of buildings often become preferred habitat; see attached video below.

 

Management Options:

 

There are a multitude of available management options that may be able to address your individual goose issues, not all of them work as advertised, but non-the-less some do work. Your basic goose control methods are broken down into the following:

• Harassment (dogs, people, sound cannons, etc.)
• Exclusion (Habitat modification, fence construction)
• Repellents
• Lethal (hunting, flightless round-up, egg addling)

Resident goose management can be a very complex and delicate issue, an issue which is just now beginning to make its way to the level currently experienced by suburban deer managers. An entire article can be written on each of the above methods, and we will most likely get into them more in the near future. If you would like more information on your goose management issues feel free to contact Patriot LWM at 240-687-7228 or visit us at www.patriotlwm.com/wildlife-control/.

THE REASON BEHIND THE NAME: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AN AMERICAN HERO, CPL. KIRK J. BOSSELMANN

Over the years, many have asked as to the origin of the name for “Patriot” Land and Wildlife Management Services, Inc. Most just assume that we are borderline “overly patriotic” and sometimes even go as far as to suggest it is a marketing strategy, ha. Truth be told, on this day, March 25th, in the year 1983, Kirk J. Bosselmann was born into this world. A lifelong friend of Patriot president Joe Brown, Kirk spent the majority of his young life in and around the woods and waters of Maryland. Together the two developed a mutual appreciation for nature and an everlasting love of the outdoors and what it has to offer. Often, Kirk and Joe would joke about how great it would be to get paid to do what they love, be outdoors.   

When senior year at Poolesville High School came to an end, the boys had a tough decision to make. Joe was being recruited for college level football and Kirk had his eyes set west to become a firefighting “Smoke Jumper”. Joe’s path took him to Shepherd University to play football and study Environmental Resource Management as Kirk found a smoke jumping team in California.

Several weeks into each adventure, Joe received a call from California. It was Kirk, and he had decided his life needed more direction, he decided to become a Marine. Unknown to his family or friends, Joe made plans to join up with his pal in San Diego and take that leap together. Showing qualities only possessed by a true friend, Kirk convinced his friend not to leave Shepherd, saying “you try college, I’ll try the Marines, and in 4 years we can switch”. And so it was.

Kirk and Joe stayed in touch throughout the journey, with letters and emails changing hands often, and even the occasional return home for a little outdoor related R&R. Each time they met the talk usually led to the same conversation…”how cool would it be if we got paid to be outside?”

For 3 1/2 years all went according to plan, with Kirk returning safely from his first deployment in Iraq and Joe staying relatively uninjured on the football field and even somewhat successful in the class room (to both their surprises).

On November 27th, 2004 the call came. Cpl. Kirk J. Bosselmann, 1st Battalion 8th Marines, Scout Sniper Platoon, had been killed in action while bravely defending his brothers inside the Iraqi city of Fallujah. 2 weeks later Kirk received a hero’s goodbye from friends, family and a grateful nation in the perfect setting for how he lived, the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.

In his final letter to Joe, Kirk stays true to his core, imploring Joe not to weep, but carry on completing the dreams and goals they had set together. To live life to the fullest without a single ounce of regret.

And so, Patriot Land & Wildlife Management Services, Inc. was born, and they are proud to say they are getting “paid to be outside”….    

Chronic Wasting Disease Makes its First Appearance in Maryland

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that a White-tailed Deer harvested in Maryland has tested positive in laboratory testing for Chronic Wasting Disease. A hunter in Allegany County reported taking the deer on November 27, 2010 in Green Ridge State Forest. Maryland is now one of 20 other states and Canadian provinces with CWD documented in deer, elk or moose.

Many details of the disease are unknown, but below our some links and a great video from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on CWD.

Chronic Wasting Disease Found In Maryland – MD QDMA Statement

Maryland DNR Wildlife and Heritage Office CWD Info Page

Maryland DNR 2011 CWD Response Plan

Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance Website

OE Podcast about CWD with MD-QDMA President E.W. Grimes

Chronic Wasting Disease from Barbara Brueggeman on Vimeo.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Not When it Comes to Water Quality

A little over a year ago, our fellow BioHaven Floating Treatment Wetlands professionals from Floating Islands Environmental Solutions began an experiment in water quality inside the city of Naples, Florida. The Louisiana crew made their way down and installed a series of Floating Treatment Wetlands in various nutrient loaded water bodies selected by the City. The following news report gives a small snapshot into the potential of this innovative technology. Although this video mainly highlights the habitat creation abilities of the islands, it’s hard to deny that something very positive is taking place in this water body. Enjoy!

Cool Video and Blog Entry from The National Aquarium Features Patriot LWM installed Floating Island

Back in August, Patriot LWM in partnership with Bluewing Environmental, The Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and The National Aquarium installed a 250 square foot BioHaven Floating Island in the Baltimore Harbor. The goal of the project is to study the nutrient processing potential of the islands and how they may one day be used to restore the health of the water body and the Chesapeake Bay. Check out the Aquarium blog article here at WATERlog.

Also check out this cool underwater video they put together in the waters near the island.