An article in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Mammalogy examines the number of vehicles, by make and model, that black bears broke into from 2001 to 2007 in California’s Yosemite National Park. In all years, minivans had the largest or second largest number of break-ins by bears.  When the number of break-ins was compared to the numbers of each type of vehicle visiting the park in 2004 – 2005, only minivans were broken into at a rate higher than expected based on their availability.  The study explores possible reasons why the bears actively preferred minivans.

An article in the current issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management reports on a study of helicopter net-gun capture of deer and pronghorn in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. The study found:
(1) a 58% decrease in the probability of post-release mortality when the transport distance after capture was reduced from 14.5 km to 0 km, and
(2) a 69% decrease in the probability of post-release mortality when helicopter pursuit time was reduced from nine minutes to less than one minute.

The authors of an article in the November/December 2009 issue of Weed Science discuss aspects of sampling design in an effort to help researchers develop the most efficient designs for population genetic analysis. The authors review research reported between 1997 and 2009 that used molecular techniques to analyze genetic diversity in multiple populations of weedy and invasive plants.

Integrated strategies, such as controlling seed sets, may reduce the frequency of glyphosate resistance in ryegrass, according to a new report in the most recent issue of Weed Science.