U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

#Milton is an extremely dangerous, life-threatening storm. LEAVE NOW if you are in an evacuation zone; there will not be time to leave on Wednesday. Get help evacuating: https://ow.ly/p9EE50THgNM FEMA

The latest episode of Nature's Infrastructure podcast just dropped! This month, we are focusing on the sagebrush ecosystem and the restoration work that is happening in Wyoming. The western United States’ sagebrush country encompasses over 175 million acres of public and private lands, and it serves as crucial habitat for a diversity of wildlife and is the largest contiguous ecotype in the continental United States. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Brian Mealor, a professor at the University of Wyoming and the Director of the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems, and Tim Kramer, who is the Wyoming State Coordinator for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners Program, to talk about the importance of leveraging existing partnerships to continue important sagebrush restoration efforts. 🔊 https://ow.ly/Al1M50TgNQn Photo of a greater sage-grouse in southwest Wyoming by Tom Koerner/USFWS

New NFL move: The praying mantis stutter step. This praying mantis is not playing slow-motion football, rather it is most likely using a subtle rocking movement to help gain depth perception. These insect predators have five eyes – yes, five – to help them hunt: two large eyes on the side of the head that provide overlapping vision in all directions; then three smaller eyes in the middle that only detect light and motion. Other purposes for the rocking movement include avoiding predation and courtship. USFWS video: Melisa Rodriguez

Dance like no one is watching, or like you're a sharp-tailed grouse at Refuge Week 2024! National Wildlife Refuge Week occurs October 13-19. The week-long celebration kicks off Saturday, October 12, on Urban Wildlife Conservation Day. At refuges that charge an entrance fee, those fees will be waived on Sunday, October 13. Make your dance plans now to stop by a refuge and celebrate these places that offer outstanding recreation as well as provides vital habitat for thousands of native species. Video footage filmed by USFWS at Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Video description: a sharp-tailed grouse taps its little feet quickly back and forth as it spins in circles. It raises its pointy tail and wings up in the air as it performs a mating dance.

Yesterday, Director Martha Williams spoke at the Yale School of the Environment BIOMES, emphasizing the critical link between nature & people. Her vision? A sustainable future that honors this connection. Photo by Joe Dwyer, Yale School of the Environment

🦉Hoo’s ready for the Virtual Youth Fish and Wildlife Club? Wednesday, October 23rd will be a hoot of a session and all about owls and how we can learn about what they eat from their pellets 👀… This session will include a hands-on activity with all materials provided. 📧 If you're interested in receiving owl pellet dissection materials, please contact Katrina_Liebich[at]fws[dot]gov. Materials are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so reach out as soon as possible to allow time for shipping! Materials request deadline: October 14th. Learn more about YFWC and upcoming hands-on sessions at the link in the comments.🔗⬇️ *Next week: October 16 – Explore the National Wildlife Refuge System* Photo: USFWS

In September, our Office of Law Enforcement Training and Development Unit hosted a Pacific Wildlife Trafficking Investigator Program (PWTIP) in Nadi, Fiji for 30 investigators and prosecutors from Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. The course was constructed to advance and emphasize the importance of developing and maintaining regional contacts in order to exchange wildlife crime intelligence between the participants and the United States. The course gave the participants a vehicle to gain insights into specific wildlife trafficking trends being faced by other participating countries regionally, while USFWS presenters offered techniques and methods used to pursue wildlife trafficking enterprises. Exchanging intelligence while sharing current and specialized investigative techniques was highlighted as a crucial combination in combating international wildlife trafficking and regional exploitation of wildlife resources. As a region rich in natural resources and rare and endangered endemic species that are highly sought for illegal trade globally, the Pacific is an attractive source for wildlife criminals and unscrupulous collectors. The PWTIP is a continuing program coordinated by the USFWS, in cooperation with the UNODC’s Global Program on Crimes that Affect the Environment, and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, U.S. Department of State. Photo of participants by USFWS

Do you like long walks on the beach and the feel of soft, fine sand underfoot? Cause horseshoe crabs don’t. These marine creatures have to lumber up on shore in the spring to lay eggs in the sand – 4,000 at a time. But they don’t hang around any longer than they have to before heading back into the water. And in the short time they’re on shore, they prefer coarse sand – it allows better airflow for their eggs, which must incubate for two to four weeks before hatching. That means shorebirds, like red knot and ruddy turnstones, also like coarse sand because they need to fuel up on protein-packed horseshoe crab eggs during their spring migrations. At Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, the beach along the Wildlife Drive recently got a makeover to make it more suitable for horseshoe crabs and birds. It’s not recommended for long walks, but if all goes as planned, next spring, you’ll be able to see more shorebirds from the side of the road. 📸USFWS https://ow.ly/iNPJ50TFRsP

There are about 6,400 mammals known worldwide. About 1,400 of those are bats! Did you know that bats are the only mammals capable of true flight? Learn more about some of the amazing bats we work to help protect. 🎥 USFWS in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation and US Army Corps of Engineers

Big News for sagebrush projects! We're announcing nearly $10 million in 2025 funds to support 41 on-the-ground habitat projects, 12 actionable science projects, and additional strategic capacity in Western states. Read More: https://ow.ly/LLF050THbu5 Video by USFWS Audio Described version available in bio.