Building duck nests for Minnesota wetland habitat conservation

¶ … Waterfowl Preservation

Improvements in wetland habitat will increase duck and goose populations over the long-term"

Reports of Duck Nesting Success ¶ 7).

Wetland Dependent Wildlife

Over the long-term, in time, Dave Schad, the director of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fish and Wildlife Division, stresses, efforts from the management of waterfowl will contributing to increasing the duck population. Managing waterful constitutes a considerable component of DNR's conservation mission. "We're building a new future for duck hunters with our many partners," Shad states, however, "there's no quick fix" (Schad quoted in "Reports of Duck..." ¶ 8). The goal to restore two million acres of wetland and grassland habitat proves challenging, as it, at the same time requires a long-term commitment. Currently, the DNR has partnered with a number of conservation groups and other agencies to boost the breeding duck population to one million birds.

As a public service to complement this thesis, the researcher, who concurs with Shad regarding the need to better manage waterfowl, built four duck nests and positioned them at a local refuge. Components in this thesis, which constitutes a senior project, included an account of the process the researcher used to build the duck nests, considerations regarding the wetlands, and the significance of hunting to ensure the duck population remains in check. Building duck nests and protecting wetlands for waterfowl preservation, the researcher asserts, will help increase the number of wetland dependent wildlife.

Ducks Unlimited. 2008 3 Mar. 2009. Ducks Unlimited, Inc. 3 Mar. 2009 http://www.ducks.org/.

Southern Great Plains

Frahm, Randy. Duck Hunting. Capstone Press. 2007 http://books.google.com/books?id=4xI4KKus6KQC&pg=PA30&dq=protecting+duckwetlands&ei=bmitSenpAoXAMqDUmZIF#PPA30,M1.

Initial Appraisal

The researcher's initial response to the Google Book's sponsored promotion of Duck Hunting was to anticipate a positive experience when investigating the book further. Instead, however, the researcher immediately experienced a feeling of being let down, almost to the point of feeling a victim to the "bait and switch" some companies utilize to sell their products. The cover of the book looked enticing, however, the information the author presents appears too juvenile, the researcher suggests. Figure 2 portrays the cover on the Web site by Google.

Figure 2: Cover of Duck Hunting (copied from Frahm About this Book section).

Content Analysis

Wetlands, Randy Frahm explains in Duck Hunting, provide a place where ducks may nest. Wetlands, areas of shallow water with numerous plants growing in and around them, are located alongside "rivers, near lakes, in coastal areas, and in large areas of grass called prairies. Ducks use the plants to hide their nests from predators such as foxes, racocoons, and coyotes "(Frahm 30) animals which eat duck eggs.(30). The Web site per se appears fresh and inviting, however, the language inside the inviting cover almost insulted the researcher. For example, the sentence that refers to the duck's predators smiley states: "These animals eat duck eggs." The researcher wanted to tell the author he needed to give more details. This Google Book site, as common to other sites for books Google sponsors does not relate any specific contact information on this particular site. The site does, however, relate a number of links to attempt to entice the browser to "Buy this book," including Amazon.com; Barnes&Noble.com; Borders.com etc. To this offer, the researcher wholeheartedly responds, particularly as the price is "only" $23.95 for the book without pictures or any significant, relevant information about the author: "Thanks, but - No, thanks." www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5015011085

Larson, Christina. "The Emerging Environmental Majority: There's a Thaw in Relations between Greens and Hunters. It Could Heat Up Big-Time over Global Warming." Washington Monthly May 2006: 21+. Questia. 3 Mar. 2009 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5015011085.

Initial Appraisal

The researcher's initial response to Questia's Website which relates Christiana Larson's

2006) article, "The Emerging Environmental Majority...."combined a touch of uneasiness and a sense of confusion. Questia, reportedly the world's largest online library offers a "free trial" for those not sure they are ready to invest in paying to subscribe for research information.

After learning to manipulate the site, which offers contact information, along with an email address and live chat opportunities, albeit, any researcher could feel at ease.

Content Analysis

Larson recounts consideration relating to a number of environmental policies; stressing the popularity and significance of this contemporary issue. Larson reports that "Seventy-five percent of Americans in a 2005 Harris poll agreed with the statement, 'Protecting the environment is so important that requirements and standards cannot be too high, and continuing environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost'" (21). Larson also plugs a bit of information regarding the concern of Global Warming in this article, stating: "The Waterfowlers' Guide to Global Warming, published last summer by NWF, explains how climate change could produce droughts across the Midwest and evaporate the region's "prairie pothole" wetlands -- vital duck-breeding grounds." Potential solutions, presented toward the end of this article, the researcher notes, embellish a bit of negativism. As Larson serves as the managing editor of The Washington Monthly, the researcher notes this article to be credible, although facts appear to be tinged with a bit of personal bias at time.

Ultimately, the researcher found much more information than the book, Duck Hunting, presented. In addition, no pop-ups or links hovered on this site attempting to part the visitor with his/her money. But wait, there's more, a not so blatant ad for the free subscriber to subscribe does hover on Questia's home page.

Fielder, Paul C.. Guidelines for Managing Wood Duck Nest Boxes in Washington State. 2000, Feb. 3 Mar. 2009 http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/woodduck.pdf.

Initial Appraisal

Figure 3 best pictures the researcher's appraisal and response to the online version of Guidelines for Managing Wood Duck Nest Boxes in Washington State (Fielder)

Figure 3: One of the Reasons for Building and Managing Duck Nests (Fielder 12)

The researcher noted this site, as well as, the information the book presents, to be positive. Photos and line drawings throughout the publication provide the reader with just the right amount of information. Fielder provides instructions for building and maintaining duck nest boxes, along with educating the reader in an interesting, informative, imaginative manner. The researcher especially appreciated the "Rights, Wrongs, and Why" (Fielder 31-35) section relating to managing duck nests.

Content Analysis

Information about Paul C. Fielder, an avid outdoorsman, who has been a practicing wildlife biologist in Washington State for twenty-three years is plainly positioned to inform the reader. The reader learns that Fielder "manages a Wood Duck Nest Box program in the Wenatchee vicinity of the Columbia River which involves over 100 nest boxes." Fielder's efforts in this program reportedly significantly increased the presence of Wood Duck populations in North Central Washington (Fielder 2)

Fielder explains that the individual wood duck hens in Washington lays approximately 6 to 12 eggs per nest; with the average totalling 10 to 11 eggs. "The eggs are pale brown to tannish white and are generally 2 inches by 1-1/2 inches in size" (Fielder 12). The ducklings hatch 28 to 32 days after the female duck lays them, unless predators eat them. Figure 4 portrays a sampling of various kinds of duck eggs; including (from left to right) eggs of the "Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Western Screech Owl, American Kestrel, European Starling, and Northern Flicker " (Fielder 12). Incubation periods differ with the amount of heat the eggs receive

Figure 4: Eggs from Various Fowl (photo by Steve Simmons, published in Fielder 12).

Conclusion

From this study, the researcher.