Online at ... · John Gerwin’s day was made when he held this male long- ... lor’s degree at NC State, he completed advanced de - grees at at Louisiana State University (two M.S

INDEXStudy abroad in Nicaragua 3Purchase wildlife photos 5 Saul named Texas Fisheries director 5

Wildlife Conclave 6Graduate student abstracts 7-10Dean Brown receives alumnus award from Colorado State 12

Monarch migration 13Faculty in the news 16Aquatic Sciences Day Camp 17Publications/presentations 20-22

Photo by Dr. Chris DePernoThe Class of 2010: Left to right; Sarah Watts, Jesse Degnan, Miranda Wood, Justin Smith, Sydney Suwannarat, Heather Mills, Andy Lawrence, Colter Chitwood, Chris Etheridge, Dr. Chris Moorman, Greg Wilson.

Department and Program Information and Faculty AchievementsFisheries & Wildlife Sciences

Online at http://cnr.ncsu.edu/fer/fishwild/fwnews.html VOlume 7, issue 2 june 1, 2010

NC STATE UNIVERSITY

2010 graduateS18 stuDENts rEcEIvE bAchElor oF scIENcE DEgrEEs; 2 grADuAtE DEgrEEs AwArDED

A comPlEtE lIst oF grADuAtEs AND thE DEgrEEs AwArDED. page 2

2Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

2010 graduateS

Dr. Barry Goldfarb (left) and Dr. Chris Moorman (right) address graduates and their families at the Spring Commencement Dinner.

BachelOr Of science in fisheries and wildlife ► wildlife concentrationJesse M. DegnanMichael Obed FineBlake Robert MartinHeather Noelle MillsBenjamin Lee NoffsingerJustin Winterson SmithWesley Heath SpinksSydney SuwannaratGregory Austin Wilson (Cum Laude)

BachelOr Of science in fisheries and wildlife ► fisheries concentrationDerek Thomas AllardTaureen Reed BrownMichael Christopher EtheridgeJoshua Van LoftisPaul Bradley MobleyMatthew Zan PulliamSarah Elizabeth Watts (Summa Cum Laude)Amos H. WilliamsMiranda Jean Wood

master Of science in fisheries and wildlife sciencesMichael Colter Chitwood (Advisors Drs. DePerno and Lancia)Ben Wallace (Advisor Dr. Tom Kwak)

the graduates

Graduates, families, friends, faculty, and staff attend the graduate dinner.


During spring break 2010, eight students in Fisheries and Wild-life Sciences and one student

from Zoology traveled on a 9-day study abroad trip to Nicaragua to learn about the country’s people and culture, wild-life, ecotourism industry, and local cof-fee production. The unique opportunity was offered through a partnership be-tween NCSU and EcoQuest Travels. Trip leaders Chris Moorman, John Con-nors, and John Gerwin facilitated stu-dent learning, but the hands-on experi-ences did most of the teaching. For the first five nights, the group stayed at the Finca Esperanza Verde outside of San Ramon, Nicaragua. The Finca has rus-tic but beautiful accommodations and fantastic Nicaraguan food. Finca Espe-ranza Verde is a shade-coffee plantation and hosts eco-tourists from countries around the world. While at the Finca, the group learned about shade-grown coffee production, captured and banded birds using mist nets, saw other wildlife such as an eyelash viper and olingos,

and got to know the local Nicaraguan staff. The next two nights, students stayed in Granada, the oldest settlement in Central America. The group visited two volcanoes in the area – the active Volcan Masaya and Volcan Mombacho. On the first afternoon in Granada, stu-

dents took a sunset boat tour of Las Isle-tas, small islands in Lake Nicaragua that were created by a past eruption of Mom-bacho. The next day, the group visited Domitila Wildlife Reserve, the first pri-

STudy abroad in nicaragua

NCSU students learned how to make tortillas. Whose is the best?

Two keel-billed toucans eating fruit. The coffee flan at Finca Esperanza Verde was delicious.

PhoTos CourTesy of Dr. Chris MoorMan

Please see, nicaragua Page 4


vate reserve created in Nicaragua. Domitila offers one of the best examples of dry, tropical forest in Central America. The last night of the trip, everyone stayed at Montibelli Nature Preserve near Ma-nagua. Montibelli is another example of dry tropical forest but lies at a higher elevation than Domitila. While at Montibelli, students caught over six bats species in mist nets, saw two species of mouse opossums, and learned about pineapple production. The trip was a great success; the group saw or banded over 200 species of birds (over 70 individuals banded), saw or captured 23 species of mam-mals (heard or saw mantled howler monkeys at five different loca-tions), and saw or captured 25 species of reptiles and amphibians. Although most Nicaraguans are very poor, they are friendly and wel-coming. The students were excellent and each brought a unique per-spective to the experience. Plans are to offer the trip again during spring break 2012.

Excerpt from student journal – “… for the majority of the day, I wasn’t thinking about the travel or home. I had missed a few people, but the trip was still so vivid in my mind that it was hard to think of much else. If I had the money, I would have bought one of the Los Isletas islands and moved in permanently. The en-tire trip has just left my head swimming or that may be from the exhaustion of writing this at 1:00AM. Still, the trip has given me some sort of direction in my life. Whether for good or bad, I am no longer content to simply live my life. I used to see life as a sort of race where one tried to do their best till the end, but now I want to make my life meaningful, to have an impact. I don’t care if that impact is small or large, affecting one person or many, I just want to make a difference.”

Kevin Durso finally captured this vine snake after much persistence.

John Gerwin’s day was made when he held this male long-tailed manakin.

This female royal flycatcher was an incredible capture that did it’s cobra dance when in the hand.

nicaragua continued from page 3

Gary saul named Texas fisheries Director

Dr. Gary E. Saul, an NC State fisheries gradu-ate (B.S. 1972), has been named director of the Inland Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. After earning his Bache-

lor’s degree at NC State, he completed advanced de-grees at at Louisiana State University (two M.S. de-grees in 1974) and Virginia Tech (Ph.D. 1980). His un-dergraduate education at NCSU must have prepared him well for a successful career in fisheries science,

exemplified by the following quote from Ross Melinchuk, Deputy Executive Director for Nat-ural Resources: “Gary has demonstrated that he has the knowledge, experience, skills and vision to lead Inland Fisheries into the next decade. He has earned great respect over the years from his professional colleagues within and outside the agency, from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Com-mission and from Texas anglers for the work he’s done to assure that Texas will always be a great place to go fishing.”

The Texas Inland Fisheries Division, with 225 employees, manages and protects Texas’ freshwater fisheries -- a resource that in-cludes a diverse range of freshwater species found in some 800 public lakes covering 1.7 million acres and 191,000 miles of rivers and streams. Congratulations and best luck to Gary in his new position!


purchase wildlife prints You can purchase matted 8x10 wildlife prints to benefit the Leopold Wildlife Club. All photos are high-quality prints matted in white 11x14 photo mats suitable for framing. The images are taken by Fisheries & Wildlife students and faculty, donated to our online gallery to benefit the Leopold Wildlife Club. Also, you can send us your best photos to add to our online gallery. PriCes: each print is $20 for local pick-up. $25 for all mail orders. Contact Steve Allen at [email protected] for more information.

http://fisheriesandwildlifedesign.blogspot.com/

fW aluMni GoinG PlaCes

saVe the dateDr. Joel Berger, John J. Craighead Chair

and Professor of Wildlife Conservation at The University of Montana, will present the Fred and Joan Barkalow Distinguished Lecture at NCSU from 3:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29th.


Photo by Dr. Chris DePernoTyler Campbell, William Wood, Chris Etheridge, Jonathan Garrow, Miranda Wood, Justin Smith, Monika Burchette, Michael Nunnery, Stephen Poland, Mils Reagan, Kyle Meadows, Loren Tatum, and Sara Watts.

From March 18-20, The NCSU Leopold Wildlife Club attended the 2010 Southeast Wildlife Conclave at Frostburg State Universi-ty. The team finished 5th out of 22 schools in Quiz Bowl and had a strong showing in all ac-tivities. Miranda Wood won 1st place in the drawing competition for her black and white owl drawing (right).

wildlife conclave

More onlineRead more about the 2010 Southeast Wildlife Conclave at Frostburg State University athttp://organizations.frostburg.edu/wildlife/conclave.html


White-tailed deer (Odocoileus vir-ginianus) physiology has been studied across much of the species range. How-ever, few studies have been conducted in the Southeast and no studies have been conducted in North Carolina. Further, no physiological studies have been conducted in nutrient deficient pocosin habitat. Using blood serum chemistries and body condition indi-ces, we evaluated deer health in July 2008 and March 2009 at Hofmann Forest, a privately owned pocosin for-est managed intensively for timber pro-duction near Jacksonville, North Caro-lina. During both sampling periods, we head shot 30 female deer and per-formed complete field necropsies. Se-rum chemistries were within normal ranges with the exception of potassi-um, which was twice as high as ex-pected. Throughout the study, levels of kidney fat and femur marrow fat were within ranges reported in the literature and abomasal parasite counts did not indicate heavy parasite loads. Spleen and adrenal gland weights were similar between periods. Our results create baseline data for physiological condi-tion of white-tailed deer in coastal North Carolina and indicate that deer in nutrient deficient pocosin habitats are obtaining adequate nutrition.

Hofmann Forest provided a unique opportunity to study how hunting deer and black bear (Ursus ameri-canus) with dogs (i.e., dog hunting) contributes to identity. Hofmann For-est had 9 hunt clubs (~450 hunters) who hunted predominantly with dogs. Employing a qualitative approach, we

conducted semi-structured interviews and used participant-observation to immerse ourselves into the social con-text of dog hunting. From interview transcripts, field notes, and actual dog hunting experiences, we performed a narrative analysis using Paul Ri-coeur’s theory of narrative identity. The analysis revealed that dog hunt-er’s identified themselves (i.e., same-ness) through relationships with other people and dogs. Their sameness with people came from family relation-ships, friendships, integrating others into dog hunting, and coping with life events through dog hunting, and their sameness with dogs came from the connection to nature that dogs provid-ed. Also, dog hunter identity was shaped by contrasting themselves

with others (i.e., selfhood). Dog hunt-ers defined their selfhood using the value of dog hunting to their heritage and the well-being of dogs and wild-life. The differences between how dog hunters and others viewed heritage and animal well-being provided evidence of how conflicts with still-hunters and the non-hunting public arose. Further, dog hunters were concerned that con-flicts with still-hunters and non-hunt-ers would lead to dog hunting being re-stricted or banned. Our results contribute an understanding of how dog hunting plays a constitutive role in the narrative identity of this rural cul-ture and indicate that dog hunters might possess a willingness to compromise on regulatory issues that make dog hunting more socially legitimate.

Photo courtesy of colter chitwoodcolter chitwood draws blood from the heart of a white-tailed deer during his research project at hofmann Forest.

assesment of hunters and white-tailed deeraBstract: michael cOlter chitwOOd

(under the directiOn Of christOpher s. depernO and richard a. lancia).


Populations of many bird species as-sociated with shrubland habitats are declining in the eastern United States, but incentive programs that restore shrubland or early-successional forest habitat on privately-owned land may help to ameliorate these declines. The habitat patches created by these pro-grams are highly variable in size, shape, and surrounding habitat matrix, and it is unclear how these characteris-tics affect patch occupancy and nest survival of shrubland passerines. Our first objective was to determine how patch area, patch shape, and extent of forest cover in the surrounding land-scape affect shrubland bird species’ oc-cupancy of early-successional forest habitat patches and, for species that were area-sensitive, we sought to iden-tify minimum area requirements. Our second objective was to determine if nest predation was higher at habitat edges, and whether patch vegetation structure or the landscape surrounding a patch influenced nest predation rates.

To study patch occupancy, we sur-veyed 35 individual habitat patches in 2007 and 43 in 2008 for the presence of nine shrubland birds in North Caroli-na. We then modeled individual patch occupancy probability of five of these species relative to patch area, patch shape, and % forest cover within 1 km of the patch. We documented evidence of area-sensitivity for yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens) and prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor), and estimated minimum area requirements of 2.3 and 1.1 ha, respectively. Blue grosbeaks

(Passerina caerulea) also were area-sensitive in irregularly-shaped patches. Predicted individual patch occupancy probability was >0.9 in patches ≥5.5 ha for all area-sensitive species. Shape in-dex alone and proportion of forest cov-er were not important predictors of oc-cupancy for shrubland birds. Restored shrubland and early-successional for-est in agricultural landscapes can pro-vide habitat for many shrubland birds, but patches should be >5 ha to maxi-mize shrubland bird diversity.

To study nest predation, we collected data on nests of five shrubland passer-ine species during the 2007 and 2008 breeding seasons in 12 early succes-sional forest patches in North Carolina. We used model selection methods to assess the effect of distance to cropland and mature forest edge on nest preda-tion rates and accounted for other sources of variation, including tempo-ral trends, nest stage, vegetation struc-

ture, and landscape context. For nests of all species combined, nest predation decreased with increasing distance to cropland edge, by nearly 50% at 250 m from the cropland edge. Nest predation of all species combined also was high-er in patches with taller saplings and less understory vegetation, especially in the second year of our study when trees were 4-6 m tall. Predation of field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) nests was lower in landscapes with higher agri-cultural landcover. Nest predation risk for shrubland birds appears to be great-er near agricultural edges than mature forest edges, and natural forest succes-sion may drive patterns of local extinc-tion of shrubland birds in regenerating forest patches. Thus, we suggest that habitat patches managed for shrubland bird populations should be consider-ably large or wide (>250 m) when adja-cent to crop fields and maintained in structurally-diverse early seral stages.

Photo courtesy of corey shakecorey shake surveys one of 35 habitat patches looking for nine species of shrubland birds.

Bird conservation in agricultural landscapesaBstract: cOrey shake

(under the directiOn Of christOpher mOOrman).


Anadromous alosines are ecologi-cally, commercially, and recreation-ally valuable fishes. Some popula-tions of alosines are at historically low levels, as a result of overfishing, pollution and habitat change, includ-ing the presence of dams, which block access to historic spawning sites upstream and alter spawning habitat downstream. To aid in the restoration of alosine stocks, I evalu-ated several methods for spawning habitat identification and character-ization and evaluated trap and trans-port as a method to give American shad (Alosa sapidissima) access to additional spawning habitat above dams in the Roanoke River, North Carolina and Virginia. The Roanoke River has four anadromous alosines: American shad, hickory shad A. me-diocris, blueback herring A. aestiva-lis, and alewife A. pseudoharengus. For all four alosines, spawning sites river-wide were most efficiently iden-tified using plankton tows, which collect eggs of all species. Spawning habitat selection for hickory shad and river herring (blueback herring and alewife) could be evaluated using spawning pads, which collected their eggs in clumped distributions. Amer-ican shad eggs were not successfully sampled by spawning pads and spawning habitats could be best ex-amined by visual observations of spawning splashes. Unlike the other alosines in this study, little is known about spawning habitat for hickory shad. Hickory shad eggs were col-lected at water temperatures from 10

to 23 ºC, and peaked from 11 to 14 ºC. Spawning generally occurred in water velocities ≥ 0.1 m/sec, over substrates free from silt. A habitat suitability model for hickory shad was developed using a Bayesian be-lief network. Bayesian belief net-works are a relatively new method for modeling habitat suitability for fishes, but could prove very useful in the future, especially for species such as American shad which have been the focus of more study and are in need of restoration. I evaluated move-ment patterns and spawning of son-ic-tagged adult American shad trans-ported to habitats above dams on the

Roanoke River. Most transported fish spent relatively little time in the riverine habitat considered suitable for spawning, and no eggs were col-lected by plankton sampling. Ameri-can shad appeared to move more ef-fectively through a smaller, as compared to a larger, reservoir, but fish released directly into riverine habitat spent the longest amount of time in suitable spawning habitat. Although the mortality associated with moving downstream through a dam turbine was generally low, few adults completed the passage, and many were observed just upstream from a dam late in the season, sug-gesting that structures to increase downstream passage may be benefi-cial. I used data on behavior and out-migration of American shad adults and fry released above and below dams on the Roanoke River to devel-op a deterministic, density-depen-dent, stage-based matrix model to predict possible population-level ef-fects of transporting American shad to upper basin habitats. The Ameri-can shad population in the Roanoke River appears small compared to as-sumed values of carrying capacity in the lower river and would appear to benefit from transport only under optimal conditions of young survival and effective fecundity. The matrix model predicted that under present conditions, improvements to surviv-al rates of young or adults would likely lead to greater improvements in the stock size of American shad in the Roanoke River.

Photo courtesy of Julianne harrisJulianne harris sampled shad along the roanoke river in North carolina and virginia.

migration and spawning of anadromous shadsaBstract: julianne harris

(under the directiOn Of jOseph e. hightOwer).


Stream trout (Salmonidae) fisheries provide popular recreational fishing opportunities in North Carolina and nationwide. These fisheries are often managed under historical practices with limited information available to evaluate or plan management alterna-tives. The use of dynamic rates of pop-ulation functions can serve as a supe-rior method to quantify trout populations and provide a scientific ba-sis from which to guide management decisions. Three trout species, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, brown trout Salmo trutta, and rainbow trout Onco-rhynchus mykiss, inhabit streams un-der a variety of management regula-tions and stocking regimes in Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina. To investigate trout population and pro-duction dynamics in intensively uti-lized southern Appalachian Mountain streams, we studied six stream reaches to (1) intensively sample and quantify critical population parameters of stream trout in a State Park, (2) develop empirical estimates of stream trout production rate based on population parameters, (3) sample and quantify nongame fish assemblages associated with trout fisheries, (4) measure and quantify water quality and instream habitat characteristics associated with trout and nongame fish assemblages, and (5) present the results of this study in an applied context toward guiding management strategies for stream trout fisheries in North Carolina State Parks, as well as other coldwater streams across North America.

Of the three unstocked streams sam-pled, brook trout were present in two and brown trout were present in all

three. Wild trout are short-lived with a maximum age of two years among fish sampled in Stone Mountain State Park streams. Mean annual brook trout den-sity in unstocked waters ranged from 195 to 234 fish/ha and that for brown trout was 169 to 2,038 fish/ha. Annual brook trout production ranged from 5.91 to 8.81 kg/ha and annual brown trout production ranged from 14.07 to 64.16 kg/ha in unstocked waters. Age-0 and age-1 fish contributed the most production in the unstocked waters. Distributional sampling revealed brook trout in allopatry in the uppermost headwaters of two unstocked streams.

Brook trout, brown trout, and rain-bow trout were present in all three sam-pled reaches of the East Prong Roaring River. Trout densities in delayed har-vest managed waters fluctuated widely over time and could not be explained

by the frequency and density of stock-ing alone. Few trout remained in the sampling reaches for long periods of time after stocking into delayed har-vest waters. Trout density in hatchery supported waters declined rapidly after being opened to harvest.

Nongame fish were collected in four of the six sampling reaches, and spe-cies richness ranged from 2 to 13. Nongame fish density was highest in a portion of the East Prong Roaring River where instream and riparian habitat rehabilitation previously oc-curred. Instream habitat, stream gra-dient, and overhead cover were simi-lar within unstocked waters and within stocked waters but were differ-ent between the two stream groups. Stream temperatures in the East Prong Roaring River are marginally suitable for trout. Other water quality mea-surements were similar among all reaches that were studied.

Salmonid production can be used to monitor success of stream trout popula-tions and, in conjunction with the ecotrophic coefficient, guide manage-ment decisions in coldwater streams na-tionwide. Annual production to mean annual biomass ratios developed from our empirical estimates of production can be used to estimate production in the future with reduced sampling effort. Based on my findings, management op-tions for streams in Stone Mountain State Park are presented. My results, in addition to future research and monitor-ing, can improve understanding of trout population dynamics, native trout distri-bution, habitat modifications, and man-agement effects.

Photo courtesy of benjamin wallacebenjamin wallace sampled trout in six stream reaches in stone mountain state Park.

trout population and production dynamicsaBstract: Benjamin wallace

(under the directiOn Of thOmas j. kwak).


Aimee Rockhill Recipient of the 2010 Namkoong Family

Graduate Fellowship for Excellence in Conservation and Ethics

The Namkoong Family Graduate Fellowship is an endow-ment established by Gene and Carol Namkoong to promote scholarship and ethics in forestry and conservation. The Fellowship provides financial assistance to outstanding graduate students in the Department of Forestry and Envi-ronmental Resources.

Full-time graduate students in any degree program in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources who have been in residence for at least one year may be nomi-nated by their major professors for the Fellowship. The Fel-lowship carries prestige and a small cash award.

Amy Raybuck Recipient of the 2010. M.S. Forestry &

Environmental Resources Faculty Fellowship For Excellence in Graduate Education

In 2002, the FERFFEGE was initiated to promote and reward scholarship and service by graduate students in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. The scholarship can manifest itself in classroom teaching, discovery, or the process of applying knowledge. This award favors students that have dem-onstrated scholarship, and service in the Department, College, University, or professional society. Faculty members have donat-ed personal funds to create an endowment to recognize ability and potential for distinction in teaching, independent research, and/or extension by students. The Fellowship carries prestige and a small cash award.

Photo courtesy of Lisa SchabenbergerAmy Raybuck, Dr. Goldfarb, and Aimee Rockhill.

f&w students awarded fellowships

guest lecturer: dr. william r. clark

On Monday, March 22, Dr. Wil-liam R. Clark visited NCSU and gave a talk titled ‘Carnivores in space: understanding pattern by studying underlying processes’. Dr. Clark met with Fisheries and Wild-life Sciences graduate students/fac-ulty/staff for lunch, talked with grad students and lab groups throughout the day, and then joined faculty/stu-dents for dinner.

For over 20 years, Dr. Clark has studied population dynamics of vertebrates in response to large-scale landscape changes. He is a Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organis-mal Biology at Iowa State Univer-sity. His research experience in-

cludes bobcat ecology, Iowa Pleistocene snail population viabil-

ity, wetland ecology, and statistical surveillance of disease.

Photo by Dr. Chris DePernoDr. William R. Clark, Aimee Rockhill, and Will Fields.

NC State College of Natural Resources Dean Robert Brown was honored with the College of Agricultural Sci-ences Honor Alumnus Award from Colorado State Uni-versity. Dr. Brown accepted the award at a ceremony at CSU on April 17, 2010.

Dr. Brown graduated from Colorado State University in 1968 with a B.S. degree in Animal Nutrition. Following service with the Marines in Vietnam, Brown earned a Ph.D. from Penn State. Over the years his academic homes have included Texas A&I in Kingsville, the Kleburg Wildlife Re-search Institute, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M. He has been Dean of the College of Natural Resources at NC State University since 2006.

Dr. Brown has published more than 120 articles, edited 3 books, and presented 118 research reports at scientific meetings in the United States and abroad. He has served as president of The Wildlife Society and president of the National Association of University Fisheries and Wildlife Programs. For 18 years, he served as an assistant scoutmaster and venturing crew leader

for the Boy Scouts of America.Dr. Brown and his wife, Regan, have three sons and live

in Cary, North Carolina.

dean Brown receives alumnus award

Dean Robert Brown receives the College of Agricultural Sciences Honor Alumnus Award from Colorado State University.


underSTanding carnivore movemenT

By Clyde sorenson, entomology Department and fisheries and Wildlife sciences Program faculty

Ridiculously early on December 27, 2009, 11 students, faculty, and alumni of the NCSU Fisheries, Wildlife, and Con-servation Biology Program (hereafter program) boarded a plane to Houston and then on to Mexico City, in pursuit of the incredible migration of the monarch but-terfly. Accompanying yours truly (the faculty advisor for this NCSU Study Abroad Course and an alumni of the pro-gram) were Will Wood and Tanner Stan-field, undergrads in the program; Sally Taylor, Caitlin Jackson, and Sam Lazoff, undergrads in the Department of Biology; Jamie and Kristen Sasser, alumni of the program; and John Connors, program alumni, adjunct professor, and employee of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. My partner in setting up this course was Dave Davenport, president of EcoQuest Travel and an alumni of the program.

We arrived in Mexico City about mid-day and were met by Karel Beets, our Mexican guide and interpreter. Karel runs an excellent ecotourism business in Mexico and has worked with Dave for a number of years. We boarded our bus and headed three hours west of the capital to the eastern extremes of the state of Micho-acan, in the high mountains of the Central Volcanic Belt. The Central Volcanic Belt is a dramatic landscape of incredible beau-ty-high peaks, rolling hills, pinelands reminiscent of the Sandhills, agriculture, and forests of pine mixed with oaks, other hardwoods and Oyamel firs. The pres-ence of the Oyamel firs was an important part of what brought us to this region of Mexico because intact stands of this tree,

at the right elevations and in the right mi-croclimates, are the sole overwintering habitat of virtually all the monarch butter-flies in the eastern two thirds of North America.

The monarch’s migration is one of the wonders of the natural world. Starting in September of each year, monarchs east of the Rockies begin flying south and south-west, at a rate of 50 or so miles a day, weather allowing. By early December, most have reached the fir forests of the

Central Volcanic Belt, where they begin aggregating at altitudes of between 9,000 and 11,000 feet, give or take a few hun-dred feet. Over the next several weeks, the aggregations coalesce and stabilize, with concentrations exceeding several tens of millions per acre. There are usu-ally about a dozen major aggregations, and some are remarkably stable in loca-


mexican monarch migration phenomenonnc state students and faculty traVel tO mexicO tO study mOnarch migratiOn

Photo courtesy of clyde sorensonA cluster of moncarch butterflies.

Please see, monarch Page 14

tion from year to year. The monarchs hang in dense clusters on the branches and trunks of the trees; in exceptional cas-es, the weight of the aggregated insects can break small limbs off the trees. The butterflies remain in the groves, quiescent most of the time, until late February and March, when their gonads begin develop-ing and they engage in vigorous mating behavior. By late March, they are all pret-ty much gone, headed North, the females laying eggs on milkweeds, the host plants for the larvae. Most northward moving females do not make it more than a few hundred miles before running out of re-serves and dying; their offspring mature and continue the northward expansion. Interestingly, it takes three or four genera-tions for the monarchs to return to the summer range. Essentially, none of the insect that migrate south the following fall have ever been to the over-wintering groves; in fact, they are three generations removed from the last ones who occupied the Oyamel firs. This represents one of the enduring mysteries in natural history, and while we have come to understand a great deal about this phenomenon, there is still much yet to know.

Our first two nights, we stayed in the city of Zitacuaro at an extremely comfort-able inn with great grounds for birding and butterflying. Our next two nights were spent in another comfortable inn in the tiny, historically significant mining town of Angangueo. We visited three of the wintering groves over the course of our studies. The first was Cerro Pelon, the most pristine of the three sites we vis-ited, and certainly the most difficult to reach. After a 40 minute bus ride up the mountain, we mounted small, but very sturdy horses and rode another hour and a half more or less straight up the mountain through an incredible forest of pine, oak,

madrone, and, as we gained elevation, fir. At about 10,500 feet we found the butter-flies. The Cerro Pelon aggregation was the smallest of the three we visited, but there were still millions of butterflies draping the trees and swirling through the air.

Illegal logging of the fir forests poses a significant danger to the overwintering in-sects; Cerro Pelon appears to be much less

affected by this activity than other sites. Still we did see a few tiny patches of tim-bering activity, and the site clearly needs all the protection that can be mustered.

The second site we visited was Chincua, a site open to visitation for only about 8 years. Here, we actually drove to an alti-


Photos courtesy of clyde sorensonthe group stops for a photo in cerro Pelon. Front row: John connors, caitlin Jackson, sally taylor; back row: clyde sorenson , sam lazoff, Jamie sasser, Kristin sasser, tanner stanfield, Dave Davenport, will wood.

the view from cerro Pelon.

monarch continued from page 13

Please see, monarch Page 15


tude higher than the groves, and rode hors-es about 40 minutes down in to the butter-flies. This site has much higher visitation than Cerro Pelon, and the vast majority of the tourists visiting the groves are Mexican citizens. We were impressed by how solici-tous the rather large crowd of visitors were towards the butterflies; if one hit the ground in the midst of the gathering, a circle would open up around it until someone could gen-tly move it out harm’s way. This was, to me, an extremely moving sight, and one that gives me hope for the future. Also, we encountered a group of very courteous, but very serious, State Police, who were patrol-ling for illegal logging.

Our third visit took us to El Rosario, the largest aggregation we visited, and the site with the oldest ecotourism development and the heaviest visitation. We forsook horses (for very good medical reasons for most of us) and hiked about a mile and a quarter up to the butterflies (not an easy task for flatlanders). The number of but-terflies here was truly staggering, and, once the air began warming, a river of or-ange and black butterflies began descend-ing to springs and creeks below to drink (something they do all winter on warm enough days). We had the grove largely to ourselves early, but then the human crowds began to build. Again, the people were extremely considerate of the butterflies. We set up a spotting scope on a cluster of butterflies, and a long line of folks materi-alized to take an up-close look. By the time we left, it had warmed up enough that the low altitude river heading down-hill was joined by a higher altitude flood headed back up the hill to the roosting groves. The entire meadow below the grove teamed with butterflies. The ag-gregation covered at least an acre, and we could see the reddened trees, looking much like beetle-killed pines, from a mile

away as we left the site. Importantly, all the groves together ac-

tually covered by butterflies averages only about 15 acres, scattered over a re-gion of about 200,000 acres. The highest year on record had about 40 acres of oc-cupied groves; this year there were about 10 acres of occupied Oyamel fir, which supports an overwintering population (at the outset of the winter) of about 200,000,000 butterflies. While most mon-archs are well protected from predators by the cardiac glycosides they harvest from their host plants as caterpillars, there are birds (streaked-backed oriole and black-headed grosbeak) and a deer mouse that can eat them with relative impunity, and we saw abundant evidence of this preda-tion, particularly at Cerro Pelon. Howev-er, the biggest killer of overwintering monarchs is weather; cold and wet is very, very bad for them. Illegal logging con-tributes to mortality by opening the cano-py and changing the insulating microcli-mate of the fir groves.

In addition to millions of monarchs, we saw 108 species of birds, including many endemic to the Central Volcanic Belt, and numerous other animals, but remarkably few other butterflies. The vegetation is fascinating and one aspect of the experi-ence I intend to have a much better grip

on the next time the course is offered. We finished our trip with journey north-

east of Mexico City to the World Heritage site of Teotihuacan, where we investigat-ed the ancient ruins, climbed the Pyra-mids of the Sun and Moon, and continued our pursuit of birds and other critters. We returned to North Carolina on January 2, after an extremely interesting New Year’s Eve at the ruins.

Post-script: The area around Angangueo experienced historic levels of rainfall in early February (which is normally the heart of the dry season); the area received about 12 inches of rain in two days, trig-gering massive mudslides and floods in this rugged, mountainous area. Much of Angangueo was destroyed - a true trage-dy. The mudslides were exacerbated by the logging on the steep mountain-sides. It will take some time to determine how the communities in the area will respond. However, from all appearances, the mon-archs appeared to have escaped major mortality during this episode.

I will be offering this course again dur-ing winter break of the 2011-2012 aca-demic year. This is a incredible experi-ence – the butterflies, the birds, the food, and the people. If you may be interested in the next course offering, drop me a line.

Photo courtesy of clyde sorensonmonarch butterlies fill the sky.

monarch continued from page 14

The research conducted at the NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Re-search Unit at NC State is interesting and relevant, but the scientists have found themselves in the media for more tangential stories. Ted Simons (Professor and Assistant Unit Leader) is now known as a reliable expert wit-ness in homicide trials, and Tom Kwak (Professor and Unit Leader) has been debunking urban legends and describ-ing new species of monsters. If this piques your interest, read on for ex-amples of FW Faculty providing tech-nical assistance.

murderThe NC Attorney General solicited

Ted’s expertise to provide factual infor-mation to resolve an appeal of a high-profile homicide conviction. In 2003, Michael Peterson, a renowned novelist and newspaper columnist was convict-ed of murdering his wife in Durham, NC, and was sentenced to life in prison. Since then, he appealed his conviction three times unsuccessfully on various grounds. He filed a fourth appeal in 2009 asserting that his wife was at-tacked by an owl in front of their urban home, which caused her death. Ted was asked to provide information on three points. (1) Was such an attack possible? (2) Were the lacerations on the victim’s head consistent with those from owl tal-ons? And (3) was a feather found in her hair from an owl?

(1) Ted noted that human attacks by owls have occurred, especially during the nesting season, but these are usu-ally single glancing blows, rather than repeated attacks that would cause mul-tiple lacerations and blunt-force contu-sions, as reported in the autopsy. (2) The defense attorneys called attention to a three-pronged laceration on the

victim’s head they claimed to be from an owl talon. But Ted informed them that owls are zygodactyle, meaning that they have two claws forward and two back, so lacerations from an owl talon would be four-pronged. (3) After a feather expert concluded that the feather in the victim’s hair was from a bird, but could not speculate on the tax-on, Ted provided a micrograph from an owl feather (top figure) that showed a distinctive velvety nap pattern unlike that of the feather in question. The structure depicted in a second micro-graph Ted provided of a goose feather (bottom figure) was consistent with that found on the victim (probably from a pillow or clothing).

In March 2010, the defendant’s ap-peal motion was denied, supported by the facts that Ted provided — the truth was revealed by science! You can read more at <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Peterson_(author)>; see “Ar-guments for a New Trial.”

mOnstersMonsters: A YouTube video posted

last summer (2009, below figure) showed a living monster lurking in the sewer below Cameron Village Shop-ping Center in Raleigh and became a national controversy. Was it real, and if so, what was it? Tom was contacted by over 20 media reporters to help resolve the mystery. The footage appeared real, and it was learned that a contractor that monitors sewers sent an unmanned vid-eo camera into the sewer and recorded the footage of the pulsating creature. Without examining a specimen of the organism, Tom couldn’t identify it for sure, but his best guess was a colony of bryozoans (a diverse phylum of colo-nial, filter-feeding aquatic invertebrates). While, the urban legend of the Carolina Sewer Monster was debunked, the iden-tification is not unequivocally resolved. Another less-qualified “expert” identi-fied the monster as tubifex worms dur-ing the peak of the controversy. A spec-imen in hand would resolve the issue easily, as tubifex worms are segmented and bryozoans are not. However, none have been provided, and Tom has had no volunteers come forward willing to go sewer diving to retrieve a sample. To read one of the stories and view the vid-eo footage, see <www.wral.com/news/local/story/5483707>.


murder and monsters: faculty in the news

Scanning electron micrographs of an owl feather (top) and a goose feather (bottom).

Video image of the Carolina Sewer Monster.

On Saturday, March 27, the NCSU Fish-eries and Wildlife Sciences Program host-ed the first Aquatic Sciences Day Camp. The program was an invitation-only event for outstanding North Carolina high school students to explore research and career opportunities in aquatic sciences at NCSU. Twenty-seven students were in-vited to participate and spent the day learning about fisheries, aquaculture, and aquatic veterinary medicine. In the fish-eries section of the camp they worked with Dr. Joe Hightower, spending time on an electrofishing boat collecting fish, sein-ing for fish near shore, and collecting aquatic invertebrates. Also, they learned techniques for weighing, measuring, and aging fish. The students worked with Dr. Harry Daniels at the Fish Barn learning general aquaculture techniques and as-sisted with preparing and spawning carp. The students worked with Dr. Michael Stoskopf learning about aquatic veteri-nary medicine while conducting patho-logical exams on flounder. The students received a barbeque lunch and a fish-print t-shirt. The result was a fun camp that was (as indicated by student reviews and emails) a great experience for the partici-pants. Those that organized and partici-pated in the activities agreed that it was a great way to teach motivated students about interesting career opportunities for aquatic scientists and should serve as an excellent recruiting tool for the NCSU Program in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Con-servation Biology. Many thanks to Drs. Hightower, Daniels, Stoskopf, and Moor-man, to Bethany Galster and Marybeth Brey for helping plan and organize the event, and to the NCSU Student Fisheries Society students and graduate students that volunteered their time to make the camp a success.


2010 ncsu aquatic sciences day camp27 nOrth carOlina high schOOl students participate in first prOgram Offered By nc state

Photo courtesy of Dana sackett Graduate students and faculty wearing their fish print T-shirts during the first Aquatic Sciences Day Camp for outstanding North Carolina high school students.

Photo courtesy of lindsay glass Students used feathers to stir fertilized fish eggs.

Photo courtesy of Dana sackett High school students inspect the haul from the seine nets.

More photos onlineThe slideshow is online at http://www.cnr.ncsu.edu/fer/fishwild/aquaticscampgallery2010/index.html.


Emily Blackman won the Best Student Presentation at the NCTWS Annual Meeting.

Raybuck, A. L., C. Greenberg, C. DePerno, D. Simon, G. Warburton, and C. Moorman. 2010. Small mammal and herpetofauna response to silvicultural treatments for oak regeneration in the Southern Appalachians. 5th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, McKimmon Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Blackman, E. B., C. S. DePerno, C. E. Moorman, and M. N. Peterson. 2010. Wintering habitat as a limiting factor for American woodcock in the Southeast: 30 years of agroecosystem change. 5th Annual Graduate Student Re-search Symposium, McKimmon Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.


Bat BOxes and wOOd duck BOxes

enhance wildlife habitat

wildlife stickers show your support for the n.c. state leopold wildlife club by purchasing a sticker for all of your vehicles. stickers are $7.

If interested contact Dr. chris DePerno ([email protected])

$50

ProcEEDs bENEFIt thE lEoPolD wIlDlIFE clubif interested contact dr. chris deperno ([email protected])

$35

research publicationsAnderson, E. T., A. S. Davis, J. M. Law, G. A. Lewbart, L. S. Christian, and C. A. Harms. 2010. Gross and histo-

logical evaluation of five suture materials in the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the California sea hare (Aplysia californica). J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 49: 64-68.

Bacheler, N. M., J. E. Hightower, S. M. Burdick, L. M. Paramore, J. A. Buckel, and K. H. Pollock. 2010. Using generalized linear models to estimate selectivity from short-term recoveries of tagged red drum Sciaenops ocel-latus: effects of gear, fate, and regulation period. Fisheries Research 102:266–275.

Day, R. D., J. M. Keller, C. A. Harms, A. L. Segars, W. M. Cluse, M. H. Godfrey, A. M. Lee, M. Peden-Adams, K. Thorvalson, M. Dodd, and T. Norton. 2010. Comparison of mercury burdens in chronically debilitated and healthy loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). J Wild Dis 46: 111-117.

Harms, C. A., S. A. Eckert, T. T. Jones , W. E. Dow Piniak, and D. A. Mann. 2009. A technique for underwater anesthesia compared with manual restraint of sea turtles undergoing auditory evoked potential measurements. J Herp Med Surg 19: 8-12.

Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2010. Evaluation of methods for identifying spawning sites and habitat selection for alosines. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:386–399.

Kleist, A. M., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and R. E. Bardon. 2010. Opportunities for planned county-based wildlife programming. Journal of Extension 48:1-7.

Midway, S. R., D. D. Aday, T. J. Kwak, and K. Gross. 2010. Cover preference of the Carolina madtom (Noturus furiosus), an imperiled, endemic southeastern stream fish. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 25:151-154.

Peterson, M. N., J. L. Birckhead, K. Leong, M. J. Peterson, and T. R. Peterson. 2010. Rearticulating the myth of human-wildlife conflict. Conservation Letters 3: 74-82.


publications & presentations

research presentationsAnderson, E. T., J. A. Morris, M. Stoskopf, E. T. Clarke, and C. A. Harms. 2010. Hematological, biochemical, and

tissue enzyme activities of wild lionfish (Pterois volitans) off North Carolina. Proceedings of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, 8 – 12 May, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Blackman, E. B., C. S. DePerno, C. E. Moorman, and M. N. Peterson. 2010. Wintering habitat as a limiting factor for American woodcock in the Southeast: 30 years of agroecosystem change. 13th Annual Zoology Graduate Symposium, David Clark Labs, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Buttermore, E. N., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, P. B. Cooney, D. Shea, and P. R. Lazaro. 2010. Contaminants in stream ecosystems of Puerto Rico: implications for recreational and subsistence fisheries. Annual Meeting of the South-ern Division of the American Fisheries Society. February 25-28, Asheville, North Carolina.


Publications & Presentations

Chitwood, M. C., C. S. DePerno, and S. Kennedy-Stoskopf. 2010. Physiological analysis of white-tailed deer in coastal North Carolina. 5th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, McKimmon Center, North Caro-lina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Chitwood, M. C., C. S. DePerno, and S. Kennedy-Stoskopf. 2010. Physiological analysis of white-tailed deer in coastal North Carolina. 33rd Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group. The Menger Hotel, San An-tonio, Texas.

Cook M. A., M. N. Peterson, and C. S. DePerno. 2010. Practitioners’ Insights into Translocation and Reintroduction. In: Species introductions and Reintroductions: Opportunities and Challenges Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi.

Fisk, J. M., II, T. J. Kwak, and R. J. Heise. 2010. Effects of regulated flows on habitat use of the robust redhorse. Invited speaker to a symposium on the “Restoration of Nongame Species” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. February 25-28, Asheville, North Carolina.

Heise, R. J., W. G. Cope, T .J. Kwak, and C. B. Eads. 2010. Techniques for restoring imperiled aquatic species: as-sessing the effects of dam removal on a freshwater mussel assemblage. Invited speaker to a symposium on the “Restoration of Nongame Species” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. February 25-28, Asheville, North Carolina.

Grovenburg, T. W., C. N. Jacques, R. W. Klaver, C. S. DePerno, T. J. Brinkman, C. C. Swanson, and J. A. Jenks. 2010. Influence of landscape characteristics on migration strategies of white-tailed deer. Annual Meeting of the South Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Oacoma, South Dakota.

Klimstra, R., and C. E. Moorman. 2010. Small mammal use of native warm-season and exotic cool-season grass fields. Colloquium on Conservation of Mammals in the Southeastern United States, Asheville.

Kwak, T. J., W. G. Cope, and R. J. Heise. 2010. Habitat suitability of the endangered Cape Fear shiner: implications for species recovery. Invited speaker to a symposium on the “Restoration of Nongame Species” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. February 25-28, Asheville, North Carolina.

Moorman, C. E., C. H. Greenberg, and K. R. Russell. 2010. Herpetofaunal response to hardwood forest manage-ment. Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting, Asheville.

Raybuck, A. L., C. Greenberg, C. DePerno, D. Simon, G. Warburton, and C. Moorman. 2010. Small mammal and herpetofauna response to silvicultural treatments for oak regeneration in the Southern Appalachians. 13th Annual Zoology Graduate Symposium, David Clark Labs, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Raybuck, A. L., C. Greenberg, C. DePerno, D. Simon, G. Warburton, and C. Moorman. 2010. Small mammal and herpetofauna response to silvicultural treatments for oak regeneration in the southern Appalachians. The 5th Annual NC State University Graduate Student Research Symposium, McKimmon Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.


Publications & Presentations

Smith, W. E., and T. J. Kwak. 2010. Annual reproductive chronology of Puerto Rico native freshwater fish. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. February 25-28, Asheville, North Carolina. Poster presentation.

Townsend, F., C. Harms, S. Kasper, and C. Goertz. 2010. Use of electrocardiography for continuous monitoring of live captured bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Proceedings of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, 8 – 12 May, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Weaver, D. M. and T. J. Kwak. 2010. Effects of stocked trout on native nongame riverine fishes. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. February 25-28, Asheville, North Carolina.

extension and OutreachChitwood, M. C., B. Sherrill, and C. S. DePerno. 2010. A Day in the Life Of—Wildlife Research and Techniques.

30th Annual Dixie Deer Classic Youth Day, North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina. ( 3 seminars)

DePerno, C. S. Wildlife management and control in the garden. 2010. Presented to 40 individuals at the Master Gardner Training Meeting, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Moorman, C. E. Wildlife Management in the Urban-Rural Interface. NCDFR Urban and Community Forestry Webi-nar. (30 people)

Moorman, C. E. Managing Early-succession Habitats in the Farm Landscape. Edgecombe County Wildlife Meeting, Tarboro. (156 people)

Palamar, M. B., C. S. DePerno, M. Correa, N. Peterson, and M. Levi. 2010. Reducing the burden of zoonotic dis-eases associated with raccoons in urban environments: program development feasibility study. Presented to 35 individuals of the Guilford County Board of Health, Guilford County, North Carolina.

Rockhill, A. P., and C. S. DePerno. 2010. Monitoring mammalian populations and researching bobcat in coastal North Carolina. Presented to 10 individuals of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Becoming and Outdoor Woman Program, Columbia, North Carolina.

Christopher s. DePerno, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

the newsletter Compiled and edited by:

Department of forestryCollege of natural resourcesnorth Carolina state universityTurner House, Box 7646Raleigh, NC 27695-7646919-513-7559 (office)

919-334-8935 (cell)919-515-5110 (fax)[email protected]

steve allen Fisheries and Wildlife studentdesign and editing336-209-5093 (cell)[email protected]

got a story idea or a great photo?Send your article submissions or pictures of North Carolina’s native wildlife to [email protected].

schOlarships and OppOrtunitiesPlease see the NC State Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences website for ad-ditional scholarship opportunities. http:www.cnr.ncsu.edu/fer/fishwild/fwschol.html

Bull neck swamp schOlarship

The Bull Neck Swamp Scholarship will provide $2,000/semester ($4,000 an-nually) to a qualified Fisheries and Wildlife student. This scholarship will be awarded to students who have demonstrated strong academic achievement. For incoming freshmen, a high school grade point average of at least 3.5 and a total SAT score of 1150 are required. For transfer students and current students at NC State, a total grade point average of at least 3.2 is required. Applications are due 1 May 2010.

giVing Back

summer camp student endOwments

Please consider giving to our two Summer Camp student endowments. These endowments help undergraduate students attend the Fisheries and Wildlife Sum-mer Camp. For more information on how to contribute, contact Dr. Chris Moor-man at 919-515-5578 or [email protected]

phil dOerr endOwment fund

Also, you may consider giving to the Phil Doerr Endowment Fund. The en-dowment, established with the North Carolina Natural Resources Foundation, will be used to fund an annual award to assist undergraduate or graduate student(s) in gaining valuable field experience. For more information on how to contribute, contact Dr. Chris Moorman at 919-515-5578 or [email protected]

read Back issues OnlineIf you missed the last issue of the Fisheries and Wildlife newsletter you can catch up on back issues on the department’s Web site under the news tab.

http://www.cnr.ncsu.edu/fer/fishwild


Documents

Online at ... · John Gerwin’s day was made when he held this male long- ... lor’s degree at NC State, he completed advanced de - grees at at Louisiana State University (two M.S