April 10, 2009

Have you ever wanted a non-commercial resource that you can trust for information on wildlife damage management? A place where you could find out whether that animal control product advertised on TV actually works? Fortunately, there is such a place.

The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management is the portal site for research-based information on wildlife damage topics. The site was established by Scott Hygnstrom of UNL, Paul Curtis of Cornell University, Robert Schmidt of Utah State University, and Greg Yarrow of Clemson University with funding from USDA in 1995. Their vision was to create a site dedicated to serving the needs of biologists, nuisance wildlife control operators (NWCOs), homeowners, producers, government officials, and educators.

Resources for Producers

The site contains hundreds of pages, including three sections which might be particularly interesting to producers — How-to Guides, Solutions, and Publications.

In the Guides link, you can access information in the national Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage handbook. Published in 1994, it is still considered the central source for wildlife damage management. It addresses over 70 species, including coyotes, ground squirrels, and a variety of birds. If you know what species is causing damage to your property, start here for a quick overview of control options.

The Solutions section covers information not available in the guide. This section also includes a self-directed damage identification key. The fact is, if you don't know what you are dealing with, you can't properly resolve it.

The Publications section is self-explanatory. It connects you to technical information on a wide variety of wildlife topics. For example, having bird problems? The Digital Commons, UNL's online, searchable repository, contains research-based literature on resolving bird complaints. Presently the Digital Commons houses over 3400 documents which you can search using key words and clicking a mouse.

Of course, if you cannot find the information you need, you are always encouraged to contact me directly by e-mail (svantassel2@unl.edu), phone, or post. While I can't promise to give you the solution you want, I can provide information for a solution that works.

Stephen Vantassel
Extension Wildlife Damage Project Coordinator