Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conferences

 

Date of this Version

October 1987

Abstract

This presentation provides a brief overview of wildlife damage-related research needs as they are perceived by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Animal Damage Control (ADC) State Directors in the Eastern ADC Region. There are 23 State Directors in the Eastern ADC Region who are responsible for managing operational and technical assistance animal damage programs in 31 states. Because of their collective experience with a variety of species and control techniques under various environmental circumstances, their input and insight should be valuable in helping those in the research community more clearly define wildlife damage-related research needs.

State Directors responded to a mail questionnaire developed with the assistance of Eastern Regional personnel. The questionnaire, which was developed with a "taxonomic" flavor, identified species (e.g. coyote), groups of species (e.g. blackbirds) or species interactions with human activities (e.g. aquatic birds/aquaculture) as research need headings. A few potential specific research needs were listed under each heading. For example, under the research need heading, coyote, were: 1) damage assessment and 2) need for control techniques that can be applied in the east. State Directors were requested to respond - yes - if they concurred or - no - if they did not feel there was a need. If the response was yes, they were requested to proceed by answering yes or no to the specific areas of need identified under a heading. Additions of headings and/or specific needs by each State Director were allowed. State Directors were also encouraged to be parochial in their response, thus limiting their perceptions of research needs to their geographic area of responsibility.

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