INTRODUCTION 



Federal leadership for managing wildlife 

 damage to America's agricultural, industrial, 

 and natural resources has been centralized 

 since 1985 in the U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health 

 Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS' Wildlife 

 Services (WS) program works with State and 

 other Federal agencies, branches of the 

 military, and the public to minimize negative 

 impacts caused by wildlife on crops and 

 livestock, human health and safety, property, 

 and natural resources including threatened 

 and endangered wildlife and other native fauna 

 and flora. 



This report highlights the accomplishments of 

 WS during fiscal year (FY) 1999. Making this 

 report available is one way WS is working to 

 keep the public and our State and local 

 customers better informed about the many 

 diverse activities conducted by WS. Although 

 WS research activities are highlighted in this 

 report, you are encouraged to request a copy 

 of the National Wildlife Research Center 

 (NWRC) Highlights Report, Fiscal Year 1999 

 (USDA Miscellaneous Publication 1565) to 

 learn more about our research activities. Write 

 to USDA-APHIS-NWRC, 4101 LaPorte 



Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521-2154. For 

 details about the overall WS program, please 

 write to: 



USDA-APHIS-WS 

 Operational Support Staff 

 4700 River Road, Unit 87 

 Riverdale, MD 20737-1234 



You may also visit the WS home page at 

 www.aphis.usda.gov/ws on the World Wide 

 Web. 



Program Development Activities 



During FY 1999, total funding that WS 

 received from cooperators increased by 

 approximately $2.6 million. The FY Federal 

 appropriation included $1.5 million for rabies 

 control, $3.5 million for construction of a 

 support structure for the National Wildlife 

 Research Center (NWRC) Animal Research 

 Building in Fort Collins, CO, $450,000 to 

 continue the national trap testing program, and 

 $115,000 for managing coyote damage in 

 West Virginia. 



WS expanded services to aquaculture 

 producers in Arkansas using $162,500 in new 

 funding provided by the Arkansas Game and 

 Fish Commission. Two wildlife specialists 

 were hired to establish programs in east- 

 central and southeastern Arkansas to assist 

 catfish, bait fish, and ornamental fish 

 producers in managing losses caused by fish- 

 eating birds. The programs include onsite 

 technical assistance and emphasize nonlethal 

 management strategies. Efforts were also 

 initiated to increase producer awareness of 

 Federal depredation permit requirements and 



the new double-crested cormorant depredation 

 order, which allows commercial aquaculture 

 facilities to take cormorants without a Federal 

 permit when they are committing or about to 

 commit depredations. 



The Oklahoma State legislature appropriated 

 $120,000 for WS to begin a pilot program to 

 assist Oklahoma pecan and peanut producers 

 with managing crop damage caused by crows. 



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