Lone Star Healthy Streams--Linking Feral Hogs and Water Quality

Over the last few years, there has been quite a bit of discussion about the health of our inland waterways. Water is becoming a big topic everywhere, and Texas is no different. I used to listen to my grandpa talk about the times when you could drink water right out of Possum Creek, near my boyhood home. Nowadays, you simply can't do that due to degraded water quality.

Here at Wild Wonderings, you know we look for every opportunity to promote wildlife-related issues. This is no different, since there are a number of factors influencing the health of our streams and rivers. Most of these are non-point source. That means simply that, unlike a factory dumping directly into a stream--which is an easy source to point out--these cannot be identified as just one source of pollution.

Notable among the current problems facing Texas' Streams are the effects of Feral Hogs. This is a problem our friends over at the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership are working hard to address. Much of this is due to the rooting behavior of hogs which increases erosion and sedimentation, but also health concerns related to hog excrement and E. coli.

A new website, Lone Star Healthy Streams, has been produced by our friends in the Texas AgriLife Extension Service's Soil and Crop Sciences Unit, in partnership with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Texas Water Resources Institute. This website highlights not only the effects of Feral Hogs, but also management practices, health concerns, and general life histories. The Lone Star Healthy Streams goes a step further, out of the realm of wildlife, to discuss effects of various livestock animals on water quality.

Feral Hogs Negatively Affect Native Plant Communities

Feral hogs cause a great deal of damage to the Texas landscape. One damage that may not be as obvious is their impact on native plant communities. Researchers at Rice University and Texas A&M University conducted a study in the Big Thicket National Preserve excluding feral hogs from study plots to determine if feral hogs impacted vegetation. There were several interesting findings, one being that large seeded tree species such as oaks were less abundant in unfenced areas due to consumption by feral hogs. Additionally unfenced plots had more bare ground and less plant diversity, most likely due to rooting by feral hogs. For more findings from this research and management recommendations in ecologically sensitive areas see this new publication titled: "Feral Hogs Negatively Affect Native Plant Communities" available below or at the Texas AgriLife Extension bookstore.

Feral Hogs Negatively Affect Native Plant Communities

Conservation Leaders For Tomorrow

Over the last four days, I played the roles of a Certified Wildlife Biologist, hunter, instructor, and mentor, while interacting with high achieving college students participating in a nationwide program called Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow. This program is sponsored by the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and the Wildlife Management Institute.

The goal of the CLfT is to identify future and current leaders of the natural resource profession who do not hunt and provide them with an understanding of the diverse values and important roles of hunting and its contribution to conservation.

More than 40 universities and 20 government agencies have been involved in CLfT. As a whole, the program holds 12 workshops at 7 different facilities across the nation. This was the first time to conduct the program in Texas, which was hosted by the Welder Wildlife Foundation.

Fourteen students from Texas A&M University, Texas State University, Sul Ross State University and Texas A&M University - Kingsville were selected among their peers to attend this interactive workshop. CLfT is not intended to recruit or train the participants to be hunters. Instead, the objective is to provide participant with insights into why hunting is important from biological, social, cultural, economic and recreational standpoints— and its role in conservation.

Plans are already underway for next year’s Texas workshop. To learn more about these trainings and to hear from students and instructors, please see the CLfT videos. Spending time with these outstanding students and interacting with my friends and colleagues from around Texas and other states was very rewarding and time well spent.

Texas Land Trends Puts Changing Texas Lands into Perspective

Map Courtesy of Texas Land Trends

I often find myself describing how the area around where I grew up has changed since I was a kid. Folks find it hard to believe that what is now a booming city known as Pflugerville was once thousands of acres of farmland with a sleepy town in the middle . Population 4000 became population 40,000 in the blink of an eye, and a lot of land changed along with it. In my Father's time, it was mostly large farms, covering hundreds, if not thousands of acres. Now, it's mostly neat suburbs and small lots. With the influx of new folks to Texas, it can be hard to see just what has changed, and how much.

The folks over at the Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR) and the American Farmland Trust have developed a new tool, Texas Land Trends to help Texans understand the changing dynamic of land use in the state.

The website showcases various changes, ranging from land use, property size (in acres), land type (such as native grasses, forest, etc), and loss of agricultural lands over a variety of searchable areas, sorted by county, watershed, ecoregion, metro area, or statewide. Clear graphs and maps make changes easy to understand, but ample data is also provided. These can be viewed as overall, general trends by region, such as the I-35 Corridor or the Rio Grande Valley (briefings), or as detailed graphs, maps and charts, based on more local interests.

This information is a helpful resource for landowners and conservation professionals, but probably is most helpful to general public in helping to convey information about our changing state to everyone. Even if you think you know how your area sits on all these topics, take a look and you may be surprised. I certainly was!

Now is best time of year to aggressively control feral hogs

From now until the spring green-up is one of the best times of the year to control feral hogs, says a AgriLife Extension Wildlife Specialist in a recent article in AgriLife Today. One reason for this is the lack of food. As the acorn supply dwindles and hunters stop broadcasting deer corn, hogs move around more in search of food so that landowners have greater success baiting. Another reason to remove feral hogs during this time is that there seems to be a reproductive peak this time of year.

Several options are available when it comes to reducing feral hog numbers. Trapping, snaring, hunting, and aerial shooting are options, with trapping being the most efficient. Using a corral trap, as pictured above, is the best method of trapping because it contains a larger area than box traps and other species, such as deer, can escape if they get inside the trap. Due to the trap-shy nature of hogs, it is best to use a game camera in conjunction with baiting to ensure greatest possible trapping success. Lock trap doors open to allow hogs free movement in and out of the trap and bait with corn or some other attractant. Use camera photos and/or videos to monitor feral hog behavior in and around trap. Once most or all hogs come and go into the trap without hesitance, set the trap before nightfall and check it as early as possible in the morning to reduce the hogs' time in the trap. More info on feral hogs can be found at http://www.feralhogs.tamu.edu/ and http://www.pcwp.tamu.edu/.

Time to Clean Purple Martin Houses!

Arriving Soon...Time to Clean Purple Martin Houses

Make sure you write, "clean the purple martin house" on your task list and then actually do it! It won't be long before scouts show up looking for suitable housing. Two years ago, scouts showed up on Valentines Day in College Station, TX. Last year they were a week later perhaps because of the colder winter. Either way, it is time to knock out this annual task.

I plan for the kids do this chore this coming weekend. I get out of the work and they have investment in the conservation of a very cool bird. Now that it is good parenting!

For the past several years, my yard has served as the nesting grounds for a dozen purple martins. Our family enjoys seeing martins go through the process of raising their broods. It is tough to determine, but it looks as if they are able to re-nest twice and sometimes thrice.

My wife says the martins wake up far too early and visit among themselves much to loudly, especially on weekends made for sleeping a bit longer. I tell her they are planning the day, which ends with many insects ingested during their aerial acrobatic show. I point out that there will be fewer insects to cause her grief and she is okay with that for about 7 days when they wake her once more.

Weigh the options yourself. Clean out the purple martin house now, or swat more insects later!

Feral Hog Management Workshop Feb. 14 in Luling

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service, in cooperation with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, will host a Feral Hog Management Workshop on February 14, 2012 at the Luling Civic Center in Luling. Registration for the event starts at 8:00 a.m. Five Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator continuing education units will be offered at the program (2 General, 2 IPM and 1 Laws and Regulations).

Texas has one of the largest feral hog populations of any state, and AgriLife Extension has estimated that the destructive habits of hogs cause about $52 million in damages annually to Texas farms, ranches and the agricultural industry. Feral hogs are also significant contributors of pollutants to creeks and rivers across the state.

As feral hogs congregate around water sources to drink and wallow, their fecal matter is deposited directly in streams, adding bacteria and nutrients to the water bodies. Extensive rooting by groups of feral hogs causes extreme erosion and soil loss.

Landowners and other stakeholders in the Plum Creek watershed have identified feral hogs as a contributor to elevated bacteria levels in the creek. Through the Plum Creek Watershed Protection Plan, landowners have identified management and control of this invasive species as a priority mechanism to restore and protect water quality in Plum Creek.

Topics at the workshop will be: Basic Biology of Feral Swine, Feral Hogs in the Plum Creek Watershed, Plum Creek Watershed Protection Plan Implementation, Population Dynamics, Update on Feral Hog Research, Laws and Regulations for Hunting Feral Hogs, Agricultural Regulations Regarding Feral Hogs, Feral Hog Control, and Feral Hog Safety and Disease Concerns.

Information about controlling feral hogs is available at both of these websites:

pcwp.tamu.edu/feralhogs

http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/

PLEASE pre-register with the Caldwell County Extension Office by February 10th to ensure an accurate count for the meal and handouts. Registration is FREE and includes lunch, refreshments, and handout materials. Individuals with disabilities should contact the Extension office at least two days prior to the event so accommodations can be made. For more information or to pre-register contact the Caldwell County Extension office at 1403 Blackjack St., Ste. B in Lockhart, (512)398-3122 or at caldwell@ag.tamu.edu.

This event is free of charge through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.