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Stay current with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation Journal!

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation supports passage of S850 the Shark Conservation Act of 2009: legislation would curb wasteful practice of finning.

As top predators, sharks play key roles in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems. The effects of losing sharks are complex and often hard to quantify, but similar to land species, the loss or severe depletion of an apex predator can have far-reaching ecological and economic consequences throughout the ecosystem.

While finning is not the only threat to sharks, a ban on this wasteful practice is a critical step to curbing mortality and waste of these vital animals. Prohibiting the removal of shark fins (desired gourmet food source in Asia) at sea will also facilitate the collection of improved, species-specific data on shark catches, which is key to developing more accurate estimates of shark population size and safe levels of shark catch.

The Shark Conservation Act of 2009 bans finning at sea in all federally regulated fisheries. The Act passed the US House with overwhelming support and is currently under consideration in the US Senate. Passage without alteration is pivotal to protecting dwindling shark populations and sustaining the marine ecosystems we depend on. NCWF will continue its efforts with Senators Burr and Hagan on this wildlife conservation issue.

Click here for more information on this important legislation.

JOIN OUR ACTION ALERT NETWORK!!!

This electronic action alert system will alert you to important wildlife issues, news and actions to be taken to protect NC's wildlife and its habitat.

As an individual you have great power to influence political issues and make your voice heard. This system allows you to contact your local representative and hit key politicians to make sure your voice reaches the appropriate decision makers.

Click here to join and see important alerts already posted online. After you have joined you will get these alerts sent to your email.

We have already posted alerts on supporting the federal Teaming with Wildlife Act,No Child Left Inside Act and many more.

Here's a surprise: Wild crows can recognize individual people. They can pick a person out of a crowd, follow them, and remember them — apparently for years. But people — even people who love crows — usually can't tell them apart. Click here for two experiments that tell this story.

SEASONAL CALENDAR

Nov. 1: November is a good month to see a rich variety of waterfowl and other birds at many of our National Wildlife Refuges.
Nov. 16: Groundhogs, chipmunks, skunks, and jumping mice are hibernating.
Nov. 17: Bats, depending upon species, have either hibernated or migrated.
Nov. 20: Buck moths are flying. Unlike most of their nocturnal, summer-flying relatives, these large silk moths emerge and fly on sunny autumn days.
Nov. 21: Season opens for harvesting pheasant, quail and rabbit.
Nov. 22: Most reptiles are hibernating (though some may be active on warm days). Marbled salamanders eggs are hatching.
Nov. 23: Mourning Dove season thru the 28th.
Nov. 25: Juncos, kinglets, white-throated sparrows, and other winter resident songbirds have arrived for the winter in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
Nov. 30: Watch for unusual hummingbirds. Those seen in North Carolina during this time of year are often vagrant individuals of species other than the usual ruby-throated.