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Updated 1/28/10 -------------------------------------------------------- National park battling infestation of hogs The Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- National park biologists are trying to come to grips with a hog infestation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 2009, the park's hog team removed 620 wild hogs, the third highest since the hog control program started in the late 1950s. Biologists say the hog population spiked last year because of a bountiful mast crop that enabled the sows to produce more than one litter. Park biologist Bill Stiver told the Knoxville News-Sentinel the introduction of wild, semi-domesticated hogs into the park has made hog control even more difficult. "The speculation is that hunters are illegally releasing feral pigs that eventually make their way inside the park," Stiver said. "It's a major problem not just here, but all over North America." He said numerous hogs killed this year had spotted markings and curl...

Updated 1/22. Latest news is at the bottom of this week's blog. --------------------------------------------------------- PA looking for more ways to pay for wildlife services Saying hunters, anglers pay their share, state agencies seek new money to manage wildlife Sunday, January 17, 2010 By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Some people look out the window and see a natural world that could take care of itself if we would just leave it alone. But those more experienced in the outdoors and employees of the two agencies that manage the state's wildlife see something else: A man-made landscape of unnatural second growth teeming with thousands of species of plants and animals living in a constantly changing artificial environment. In short, they see the need for constant and costly stewardship of Pennsylvania's wildlife resources. But it's become increasingly hard to pay for it. Officials at the state's separate Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission said they...

Updated 1/15. New articles are at the bottom of this week's blog. --------------------------------------------------------- New Hampshire Lakes launches a new exotic weed control grant program Thanks to Senator Judd Gregg, NH LAKES has secured federal funding to help lake associations and municipalities manage their exotic infestations in 2010. Matching grant awards of up to $5,000 will be available to assist local groups in their efforts to purchase or construct Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting systems, hire Certified Weed Control divers to harvest infestations, and implement other forms of non-chemical control. For more information and to download a grant application, visit our website, email info@nhlakes.org, or call (603) 226-0299. Grant applications will be due in mid-February. --------------------------------------------------------- Reptile restrictions to be voted on by Senate by Laura Mandanas Reporter Online “All those snakes except for a boa constrictor can get huge. ...

Happy New Year! Blog updated 1/8. -------------------------------------------------------- Officials swap stories of battle against invasive species Social pressure, regulations discussed as tools to prevent spread of unwanted plants, animals By Rona Kobell Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Journal Spiny water fleas, furry mitten crabs, northern snakeheads, dead man's fingers-they all sound like something out of a horror movie. But unfortunately, the story of the invaders that took over the nation's seas is all too real. These marauders enter our waterways, either introduced accidentally or on purpose, and within a few short years, many establish breeding populations. They gobble up native fish and native habitats. With no natural predators, there's no stopping their growth. They breed like rabbits-or, as the case may be, nutria. With nature unable to control them, wildlife managers try their best-but often, they're simply too late and the results are devastating. Invade...