Drones to fly in search of salmon, cormorants:

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to use drones to study fish and birds.

The state fish and wildlife commission signed off this month on a $50,000 project to purchase two drones and pay for related equipment and training, The Portland Tribune’s Hillary Borrud reports. The unmanned aircrafts will be used to survey spawning fall chinook and double-crested cormorant colonies, the black seabirds that the Army Corps of Engineers is considering killing to prevent them from eating salmon.

Oregon Wildlife is planning a talk Jan. 14 about the damaging effects of lead bullets, The Statesman Journal’s Henry Miller reports. The bullets have been outlawed for more than 20 years, but scientists still find lead poisoning in scavenger birds. During the talk, biologist John Goodell will discuss research findings about why the birds are still being poisoned.

Don’t want to trash your Christmas tree after the holidays? Consider donating it to fish restoration volunteers. Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Cassandra Profita reports the Tualatin Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited uses the trees to restore salmon habitat in coastal waterways. This will be the group’s third year collecting trees throughout January, then depositing them in the Necanicum River,
.... http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/12/drones_to_fly_in_search_of_sal.html