WEED TREATMENT TO CONTROL INVASIVE SPECIES IN OLNEY POND SET FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is advising the public that Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park will receive a treatment to control infestations of invasive noxious weeds including variable water milfoil, Eurasian milfoil, curl-leaf pondweed and fanwort this week. The weed control treatment is specifically targeted for the weeds that infest the pond and do not harm fish or other aquatic species. 

 

Solitude Lakes Management LLC, a certified and licensed pesticide applicator, has been contracted for the weed control application using the herbicides Tribune, Clearcast, and Aquaneat. 

 

Residents are advised to avoid fishing, boating and other recreational activities in the pond on the day of treatment. Signs will be posted with information about the restriction of use and temporary water use restrictions, as follows:

• No use for irrigation for 5 days
• No direct drinking for 3 days
• 1-day restriction for livestock watering

 

 

Olney Pond is owned by DEM and is a popular recreation location with hikers, picnickers, swimmers, anglers and boaters. This lake is stocked with trout several times during the year. DEM will not stock additional trout until treatments are concluded for the year.

 

To prevent the spread of invasive weeds and other harmful aquatic “hitch hikers,” Rhode Island strictly prohibits the use of external felt soled or any natural or synthetic porous material capable of absorbing water in any freshwaters in the state. A new DEM regulation mandates that all boaters thoroughly clean their vessels, trailers, and equipment of attached weeds before and after using Rhode Island lakes, ponds, and rivers. This includes any waters shared with adjacent states in which Rhode Island fishing regulations apply.

 

Aquatic invasive species limit the ecological function of water bodies by outcompeting beneficial native species; decreasing biodiversity; decomposing slowly, thereby reducing oxygen levels and water quality; and degrading conditions for fish. In addition, they impede recreation by reducing aesthetics, visibility and open areas along lake shores; minimizing fishing opportunities; washing up on beaches; becoming entangled around boat motors; obstructing access to boat ramps and lanes; and snagging fishing lines.

 

Vermont’s ‘Operation Game Thief’ Helps Catch Poachers

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermont State Game Wardens are asking Vermonters with information about fish and wildlife crimes to submit them through the Operation Game Thief program. 

 

Operation Game Thief (OGT) is a joint nonprofit program sponsored by the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and administered by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. The program provides a way for people to help protect the state’s fish and wildlife by reporting law violators at 1-800-75ALERT (1-800-752-5378).  The toll-free hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to report violations.  Rewards are paid for information leading to arrests. 

 

Vermont is lucky to have dedicated wardens patrolling our fields, forests and waterways, but their numbers are limited,” said Col. Jason Batchelder.  “Operation Game Thief is a great way for Vermonters to assist in reducing fish and wildlife violations by providing tips and information.  We’re asking people to call with details such as names and descriptions of perpetrators, and descriptions and plate numbers of vehicles whenever possible.” 

 

“Poachers steal the opportunity for others to legally hunt and fish and may create an unfairly negative impression of hunting and fishing with the general public,” said Col. Batchelder. “They may also target threatened, endangered, or nongame species.  We appreciate this partnership with the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs to help us catch and prosecute poachers through Operation Game Thief.” 

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Commemorates 100 Years of Wildlife Management Area Conservation

 Posted by Wayne G, Barber & Photo by Wayne G. Barber 

MILTON, Vt. – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, along with a broad array of supporters, allies and partners, is commemorating a century of protecting and improving land in Vermont for wildlife species and those who care for them.

In 1920, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department purchased 1,000 acres of land at the estuary of the Lamoille River, creating the Sandbar Waterfowl Refuge, that ultimately became the state’s first wildlife management area (WMA). On Thursday, September 10, current and former department employees gathered there with partners representing other organizations around Vermont to commemorate the last century of protecting wild lands. The event featured speakers from Fish & Wildlife, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Vermont Audubon, and Tom Berry from Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office.

Department biologists led attendees on a guided walk through the WMA to discuss and observe active habitat improvement projects such as prescribed burns, timber harvests, grassland restoration, and waterfowl management. The gathering recognized the key partnerships and funding sources that have contributed to the conservation of approximately 135,000 acres across Vermont’s WMAs since 1920, concluding with the acquisition of the department’s 100th WMA in Shrewsbury on August 3, 2020.

“Owning and managing wildlife management areas are vitally important to meeting our mission, which is to protect and conserve the fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the people of Vermont,” said Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. “These areas represent some of the most unique habitats and natural communities in Vermont and exemplify a century’s worth of foresight and thoughtful management to conserve Vermont’s wildlife and natural heritage. Together with our partners, we take great pride in protecting the intrinsic value of these habitats and their wildlife and providing all Vermonters with access to public land and natural resources for hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife watching, and nature photography among other uses.”

Conservation and management of all WMAs is funded through sporting license sales, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Fund, and the Vermont Habitat Stamp. Private donations both directly and through conservation organizations, as well as the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Federal funding for wetland restoration and recreation as well as other sources have also contributed essential support to this effort.

Join the effort and help continue wildlife conservation with your own Vermont Habitat Stamp: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/vthabitatstamp

 

Maine Secures Public Access to Bald Mountain Pond

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photo by Wayne G. Barber 

Cold, clear Bald Mountain Pond in Northern Maine welcomes anglers, hunters, hikers, and paddlers from across the country. Anglers enjoy the remote fishing opportunity for wild brook trout that reach upwards of three pounds, and the Department now owns the boat launch that assures there will always be access to the pond.

Hikers on the Appalachian Trail skirt the far shore, threading through century-old forests, taking in views of Mount Katahdin, and bedding down for a night in the sturdy hikers’ shelter just a few steps from the pond’s banks. Many thru-hikers even call reaching this spot the highlight of their journey.

The timber companies that once owned the pond and the surrounding forest historically allowed recreational access to the area—but that arrangement was more of a tradition than a guarantee.

When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity emerged to protect this extraordinary place, we teamed up with more than a dozen partners to permanently open access to this spectacular stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Now, a locked gate will never stop future visitors. The 2,620 acres surrounding Bald Mountain Pond’s rugged shoreline, and an iconic stretch of the Appalachian Trail, will remain protected from development and open to the public forever.

First Roach Pond, Maine

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber 

First Roach Pond

First Roach Pond
Location	Piscataquis County, Maine
Coordinates	45°39′N 69°23′W[5]
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	6.5 mi (10.5 km)[2]
Max. width	1.1 mi (1.8 km)[2]
Surface area	3,320 acres (1,340 ha)[6]
Max. depth	123 feet (37 m)[7]
Water volume	176,410 acre⋅ft (217,600,000 m3)[6]
Surface elevation	1,227 ft (374 m)[5]

First Roach Pond is the largest of the Roach Ponds and extends across the north part of Frenchtown Township. Roach River enters the north side of the pond 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream of Second Roach Pond, and overflows a dam at the west end of First Roach Pond 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream of Moosehead Lake. Spawning tributaries Inlet Brook enters the east end of the pond, and Lagoon Brook enters the south shore of the pond near the dam. The pond offers good habitat for lake trout and land-locked Atlantic salmon. Lake whitefish disappeared from the pond in the 1970s, and brook trout populations have been declining since yellow perch became established in the 1990s. The outlet dam is intended to provide a barrier against migration of white perch and smallmouth bass from Moosehead Lake Water level was low today. Fred Spink caught his first Salmon right here a few years back.

Catamounts in New England ?

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photo by Wayne G. Barber 

This one I found at Moosehead Lake, Kamp-Kamp Indian Store Built 1893 Greenville, Maine.

Vermont’s last known cougar, also known as a mountain lion or catamount, was killed in 1881 in Barnard. In 2011, a cougar was hit by a car and killed on a Connecticut highway. Subsequent DNA testing found that the animal was from South Dakota. There is no question about it: cougars are not only being seen in eastern North America, some are attempting to recolonize their former habitats.

Where once it was flatly dismissed as impossible in the so-called “developed” East, scientists have now documented cougar dispersals and reoccupation of a growing list of eastern states and provinces.

Full Corn Moon 9-2-20

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

This week, for the first time in three years, the September full moon is in a unique situation: it's happening so early in the month — a timing that gives it an entirely different name, the Corn Moon, instead of the Harvest Moon — that it sets the stage for October to have two full moons, meaning a rare blue moon will shine this Halloween, on Oct. 31.

This full moon, named for the East Coast corn harvest, will reach peak fullness at 1:22 a.m. EDT (5:22 UTC) on Wednesday, Sept. 2, according to NASA. 

Usually, September's full moon is known as the harvest moon, as it's typically the full moon closest to the first day of fall, known as the fall equinox. But this year, the autumnal equinox falls on Sept. 22, making the Oct. 1 full moon the harvest moon, according to Wayne G. Barber Host of the Outdoor Scene radio program.