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ABSTRACT Live‐trapping is important for studying wildlife. In 2016 at Ordway‐Swisher Biological Station in Melrose, Florida, USA, we tested the efficacy of a modified pitfall trap designed to safely and effectively capture southeastern pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis). When compared with the commonly used Hart trap, the new design captured 92% of all live captures of southeastern pocket gophers. The novel trap has a simple, passive design that eliminates dependence on trigger mechanisms, allows for safe overnight trapping, and reduces on‐site hours by researchers. The new trap adds to the few live traps available to study ecologically important and understudied fossorial species. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

ABSTRACT Mist nets are commonly used to capture free‐flying bats; however, some bat species are very difficult to capture because of their flight behavior, habitat preferences, and ability to avoid nets. High‐flying, open‐space foragers are especially underrepresented by mist‐net surveys. Few studies have investigated the effectiveness of using acoustic lures (playbacks of conspecific vocalizations) to increase capture success of bats in mist nets. We tested the efficacy of an acoustic lure to capture a high‐flying rare molossid, the endangered Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus), which had been captured only once away from a known roost prior to our research. We used a crossover experimental design with 2 lure treatments (nets with lures playing social call recordings from 2 different roosts) and 2 control nets (no lures) in 6 sites for 2 nights each. We captured 15 Florida bonneted bats in our treatment nets and 0 in our control nets. One lure had greater capture success (n = 13) than the other (n = 2), with a trend for greater captures of males (n = 11) than females (n = 4). We suggest that these differences were due to the social context in which the calls used in the lures were recorded. Our study demonstrated the utility of acoustic lures to capture Florida bonneted bats and expands research opportunities critical to the species’ conservation, such as the ability to use radio telemetry to track captured bats to unknown roosting and foraging areas. Our study also lays the foundation for future research into social call playbacks as a technique to lure other high‐flying and elusive bat species into mist nets. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

ABSTRACT Fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in the southeastern United States have been difficult to survey because of their sparse distribution, large home ranges, and low capture success. Remote cameras have proven to be an effective tool for surveying larger mammals, including identifying individual animals using their unique markings. To test whether cameras can be used to identify individual fox squirrels in the southeastern United States, we 1) inspected digital photographs of fox squirrels; 2) identified variable pelage features for individual identification; 3) tested the ability of wildlife students and professionals to identify individuals; and 4) evaluated whether training improved participants' ability to identify individuals. We found that fox squirrels could be individually identified using a combination of sex and 10 variable pelage features, including the color morph, presence of an eye ring, distribution of white on the rostrum, and facial markings. In total, we developed ≥25,920 possible combinations of features to identify southeastern fox squirrels. We found survey participants were capable of identifying fox squirrels without training, but their average ability to do so increased significantly from 73.6% to 80.3% after training (t[df = 106] = 5.068, P

ABSTRACT Camera traps have increased our knowledge of animal distribution, activity, and behavior, but they are rarely used for small mammal research. This is likely because there are few techniques to that allow for species identification, reduce disturbance of bait from non‐target animals (e.g., raccoon [Procyon lotor]), and that can be used in all environments. In this paper we present a small mammal camera‐trapping methodology, the Hunt trap, which was designed to 1) work in tidal environments, 2) eliminate capture myopathy, 3) allow for successful identification of small mammal species, and 4) allow for continued trapping after disturbance by non‐target species. We tested the Hunt trap in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, USA, during February 2012 to February 2013. Live traps are still the best option when individuals must be physically captured for marking, radiotagging, demographic studies, or physiological assessments. However, if such data are not required, the Hunt trap design is an excellent technique to monitor species diversity, community composition, habitat selection, and distribution with efficiency and minimal effort. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Human dimension research published regarding public attitudes about wildlife or natural resource management often reflects an inadequate understanding on the part of the authors regarding attitudes, their social psychological frameworks, and their relationship to behaviors. In this paper we define attitudes, examine their relationship to behaviors, and examine some theoretical frameworks for attitudes. Additionally, we examine some shortcomings we believe are common in wildlife attitudinal research and make suggestions to improve the quality and consistency of the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunities for wildlife undergraduates to engage in land conservation planning can bridge the gap between formal academic training and professional wildlife experiences. Land conservation plans are an important component in managing wildlife habitat. In 1995 state legislation offered Texas landowners the opportunity to remain under agricultural valuation (Texas House Bill 1358, Proposition 11, 1-d-1) by designating wildlife management activities as qualifying agricultural practices. To obtain a wildlife management tax valuation, a landowner must have an active, written wildlife management plan. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists often provide technical guidance to landowners in this process. Allowing wildlife undergraduates to have an active role in this process offers a unique opportunity for them to gain practical "hands-on" experiences while improving their writing skills. Students enrolled in Wildlife Habitat Management and Conservation (WFSC 406) work in groups (3-4 students) to develop a management plan for 3 local landowners. In addition to writing an actual management plan, students gain experience in land surveying, vegetation sampling, GIS/GPS technology, and public speaking. Landowners receive 3 peer-reviewed management plans they can select from to implement on their property. Students assist TPWD biologists and Texas Cooperative Extension staff in providing technical guidance to local landowners. Wildlife education can be enhanced by integrating land conservation planning in the classroom via partnerships with natural resource agencies and landowners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that creating on-campus wildlife research projects propelled by undergraduate students and interns is a simple way to improve the quality of wildlife education and research. Wildlife educators and natural resource agencies alike have called for wildlife undergraduates to acquire more experience and technical and critical thinking skills before entering the work force. The benefits, especially in the aforementioned skills, from learning by experiencing are well documented. One way to increase learning experience opportunities and to include undergraduates in the research process is through the use of on-campus wildlife research projects. We used 2 on-campus research projects to illustrate the versatility and benefits of this approach. On the urban Texas A&M University (TAMU) campus (≈45,000 students, College Station), we established a fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) research project, and on the rural Sul Ross State University (SRSU) campus (≈2,400 students, Alpine, Texas), we established a scaled quail (Callipepla squamat) research project. We have incorporated on-campus wildlife research projects into the lesson plans of 4 broad categories of wildlife courses at SRSU and TAMU: wildlife ecology, population dynamics, habitat management, and wildlife management techniques. We have used the projects to provide "hands-on" wildlife experiences, which included capture and handling techniques, radio telemetry, habitat measurements, population estimation, Geographic information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, and data analysis and presentation. Student workers, interns, and volunteers are the driving force behind the research projects that have proven to be an excellent source of long-term data. Other benefits of on-campus wildlife research projects include a common research theme throughout the wildlife curriculum and less travel time commonly associated with traditional field labs. Additionally, research projects have boosted the profile of both departments on their respective campuses. We believe similar projects on raccoons (Procyon lotor), opossums (Didelphis virginianus), and feral cats (Felis catus) could provide other excellent on-campus research opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]