National Parks Lifetime Pass Fee to Increase on Aug. 27, 2017

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

A stampede of seniors has descended upon America’s national parks, many of them hoping to buy a $10 lifetime pass before an act of Congress causes the cost to spike to $80 later this month.
“Many sites are running out of passes and there’s a high demand,” said Kathy Kupper, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service. “Online orders are generally 100 a day. Right now, it’s 11,000 a day.”
The senior pass, available to people 62 and older, allows the pass holder and a carload of companions to enter any of 2,000 sites throughout the country, including the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park in Woodstock.
Christina Marts, the deputy superintendent for the park and the Saint Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire, said “people are scurrying to get their passes” by Aug. 27, the last day the pass can be purchased at its current price.
“Annually, the two parks sell just over 1,200 senior passes a year,” she said. “This year, we’re already well over 2,000.”
The run caused both locations to temporarily run out of passes, Marts said, though a resupply had allowed them both to stock back up as of Thursday afternoon.
She recommended that people call Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller at 802-457-3368, ext. 222, to make sure they’re in stock before visiting specifically to get a pass.
But she said many people who come to buy a pass are taking a more full advantage of the visit.
“We are certainly seeing an increase in visitation, and we certainly hope that as people are coming to buy their passes that they take an opportunity to enjoy all the parks have to offer and make a day of it,” she said.
The increase, though dramatic, is the first hike in more than 20 years. When Congress first established the senior pass in 1974, they were free, and remained that way until 1994, when the $10 price tag was fixed.
Kupper said the national agency just printed 400,000 more passes to meet demand, and that she expects sales to hit 2.5 million passes, more than triple the usual annual total of about 800,000.
According to the Census Bureau, there are about 48 million people age 65 or older in the country, where the 417 national parks drew 320 million visitors last year.
Though the run, and the price bump, will increase revenue for the National Park Service as a whole, the Upper Valley’s two locations actually may take a loss, because the legislative change, which Congress approved in December, comes with a restructuring of how the money is allocated.
Admission revenues make up just a small percentage of each park’s budget, but they currently are retained within the park in which they were generated.
Under the change, Marts said, all admission revenues will instead go to a national endowment, with individual parks invited to apply for dollars for specific projects. She expressed confidence that the end result would benefit the local parks, but the specifics of the arrangement have yet to be worked out.
“We haven’t seen guidance of how the endowment fund is going to be managed,” Marts said. “We’ll certainly track the details as those develop.”
Kupper said the increase in revenues will help to close a chronic gap between the needs and revenues of the national parks.
“There is a big maintenance backlog,” she said. “So many have infrastructure you don’t think about, sewer systems and electric systems.”
The $80 new price tag on the senior pass will bring it into alignment with the “America the Beautiful” annual passes on sale to National Park-goers of all ages, but after the switchover, there will be a purchasing option that will lessen the impact of the cost increase.
Seniors also will be able to buy an annual senior pass for $20. If they accumulate four $20 passes, they can trade them in for a lifetime senior pass at no additional charge.
Kupper said that, because of the order backlogs, those who purchase a pass online might not get their pass in the mail for months, but will be able to use their receipt to gain admission during the interim.
Though federal law prohibits the National Park Service from recording demographic data on its visitors, the conventional wisdom is that seniors — who often have recreational time and an innate appreciation of nature — make up a majority of the visitors to the sites.
Marts said visitors can challenge themselves on rugged hikes, but the parks also work to include programming for people of different levels of physical ability.
“At Marsh Billings we offer a variety of tours that include the historic home of George Perkins Marsh and Frederick Billings, the mansion and a wonderful collection of artwork,” Marts said.
Source: VTDIGGER.

Connecticut Free Fishing Day

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has designated Saturday, August 12, “Free Fishing License Day” for all anglers in Connecticut.

To fish for free, anyone – resident or non-resident – 16 years of age or older can obtain a free one-day fishing license -- good for both the inland and saltwater fishing areas --through the DEEP online sportsmen licensing system (www.ct.gov/deep/fishing) or at any venue that sells fishing licenses. Those who are 15 or younger do not need a fishing license but can register using the same on-line system to obtain a “Youth Fishing Passport.” Visit www.ct.gov/deep/yfp for details on how to sign up.

Also on August 12 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Fort Trumbull State Park in New London, a special 6^th Annual Saltwater Fishing Day event will also take place. The event is sponsored by DEEP’s No Child Left Inside® program and the Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education (CARE) programs.

To celebrate Saltwater Fishing Day at Ft. Trumbull, there will be fishing and crabbing opportunities for the entire family and a variety of educational activities. State Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police will have a saltwater fish exhibit and be on hand to answer questions. CARE will feature a touch tank with live marine species. Staff from the Connecticut Department of

Agriculture/Bureau of Aquaculture will be doing an oyster shucking demonstration. CT Sea Grant will have information about shellfish and seaweed aquaculture. Mystic Seaport will have a table with information on cod fishing, artifacts related to cod fishery of the 19^th century and a paper dory boat craft activity.

“The designated ‘Free Fishing License Day’ combined with Saltwater Fishing Day, is a DEEP initiative designed to connect people with outdoor activities and Connecticut’s natural resources. This day reflects how fishing is much more than catching fish. For many, the quality time spent connecting with friends and family outdoors is priceless,” said Susan Whalen, DEEP Deputy Commissioner. “Many of those who took advantage of the previous ‘Free Fishing License Days’ have either fished as a youngster or have held a fishing license in past years. We know that once people come out and fish our many lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and Long Island Sound they will be amazed at how much they have been missing.”

“Connecticut has just about every type of fishing, convenient to residents, including trout, bass, pike, panfish, for inland fishing and saltwater species including striped bass, fluke, porgy or bluefish,” added Whalen.

DEEP’s listings of Lakes & Ponds, Rivers & Streams, Coastal Access points and fishing regulations are found in the 2017 Connecticut Angler’s Guide available online at www.ct.gov/deep/anglersguide. Print versions are available at more than 350 locations statewide, including many town halls, bait & tackle shops and other vendors selling outdoor equipment, DEEP facilities, and commercial marinas and campgrounds.

Vermont Bear Hunting Starts Sept. 1

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Over the last 25 years, Vermont's bear population has grown from less than 3,000 to 5,400 today.


MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Vermont's bear hunting season starts September 1, and hunters can improve their chances if they scout ahead of time to find fall foods such as wild apples, beechnuts, acorns, and berries -- where bears will be feeding.

"Fall foods for bears are more abundant than they were last year," said Vermont's bear biologist Forrest Hammond. "Bears will be feeding along power lines and in forest openings and old fields where berries and apples can be found as well as in forested beech and oak stands. They also are likely to be feeding on standing corn, ."
Vermont has two bear hunting seasons. The early bear hunting season, which requires a special bear tag, starts September 1 and continues through November 10. The late bear season begins November 11 and continues through November19. A hunter may only take one bear during the year.

Hammond says Vermont's regulated bear hunting seasons help in managing the state's population of about 5,400 bears.

"Twenty-five years ago Vermont had less than 3,000 bears, and they were found mostly in the mountains and northeastern quarter of the state," he said. "Although we have successfully increased bear numbers, the human population has also risen, resulting in more encounters between humans and bears. Carefully regulated hunting helps control the growth of the black bear population and allows for their sustainable use, while decreasing interactions with humans."

Photo by Jacob Zorn

"A regulation now requires hunters to collect and turn in a small pre-molar tooth from each harvested bear," Hammond added. "The collection of a premolar tooth is critical to the bear project as it provides important data on the age structure of the bear population and for making population estimates."

A video showing how to remove the tooth is on the Fish & Wildlife website and YouTube channel. (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n3i91OAXGc&feature=youtu.be)

Hunters took 697 bears last year in 193 Vermont towns.

Hammond asks hunters in southern Vermont to avoid shooting bears with yellow ear tags and GPS collars because they are valuable animals in the Deerfield Wind bear study.

A Guide to Bear Hunting in 2017 -- http://tinyurl.com/y7bun75c
is available on the Fish & Wildlife website.

Maine Pond Surveys Add Insights

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

IFW biologists in central and mid coast Maine depend on stocking programs to create trout fishing opportunities for our anglers. We regularly evaluate these programs to ensure that the stocked fish are providing a suitable recreational fishery, which typically means assessing trout survival and growth. These periodic surveys ensure the best possible use of our valuable and limited resources.

Summer pond surveys give us a snapshot of what's happening in a lake or pond. Our biologists assess water quality in the pond to determine if the water provides suitable habitat for trout (trout need cold water that's well oxygenated), and we collect a sample of the fish to assess their overall condition.

All fish collected are given a thorough examination to determine length, weight, age, and feeding habits. This information tells us whether fish are surviving during the hot summer months, how quickly they're growing, and if our stocking numbers need to be adjusted (more fish or less fish). Since we need to dissect the fish to determine what they're eating, the sampling is lethal to the fish. Rest assured that only a small sample of the fish population is caught during the survey, ensuring plenty of fish for anglers to enjoy.

The Region B fisheries staff recently surveyed Knickerbocker Pond in Boothbay. We found that rainbow trout are surviving to older ages and are growing to larger sizes, and brook trout are also surviving multiple years which is creating a great local fishery. Due to water temperatures and dissolved oxygen levels, water quality in Knickerbocker is on the edge for brook trout survival, so finding these older age brook trout was a pleasant surprise.

After conducting the survey, our biologists took some of the fish to the nearby YMCA camp, where they conducted a discussion about Maine's fisheries and fish biology with some eager campers. The kids were very excited to see the different types of fish that inhabit the pond, and they were amazed at the size of some of these fish! Source: Mark Latti

Phenology Calendar for August

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Second Week of August

Sulphur shelf mushrooms, or chicken of the woods, are often fruiting now. They may do this quite a bit earlier or quite a bit later.

Hermit thrushes are late nesters and might still be singing their beautiful songs. Most other birds have stopped singing by now.

Large white pine sawyer beetles can be seen at dusk following the smell of freshly cut wood.

Goldenrods are lighting up the landscape and providing both pollen and nectar to many species of bees. Source: Virginia Barlow

Peregrine Falcon Nesting Cliffs Reopened for Hikers

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Photo by C.P. Merrill

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Vermont Fish & Wildlife has reopened the cliffs closed to hiking and access earlier this spring to protect nesting peregrine falcons.

“The young peregrines have fledged, and nesting data suggest Vermont falcons had a good year,” said Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s migratory bird biologist John Buck.  “A final report will be issued later this year.  Peregrine nesting success is partly due to cooperation from hikers and rock climbers who observe a respectful distance from nesting falcons during this critical period.  This success would not be possible without the more than 40 volunteers who monitor nest sites statewide from March to the end of July.” 

According to Audubon biologist Margaret Fowle, who coordinates the monitoring effort on behalf of the Fish & Wildlife Department, biologists and volunteers monitored more than 50 peregrine pairs that occupied Vermont cliffs in early spring and summer, and more than 60 fledglings were produced. 

“We greatly appreciate the time and effort volunteers put into monitoring the population this year, and we thank landowners and recreationists for their cooperation in protecting nesting peregrines from human disturbance,” said Fowle.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife and Audubon Vermont partner to monitor and protect peregrine nesting sites in Vermont.  Peregrine falcons were removed from the state’s Threatened and Endangered Species List in 2005.  Ongoing cooperation from recreationists and continued monitoring efforts by Vermont Fish & Wildlife and Audubon Vermont will help ensure the peregrine’s remarkable recovery in future years.

Vermont Moose Hunting Permit Winners Are Drawn

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Vermont Moose Hunting Permit Winners Are Drawn

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- The winners of Vermont's 2017 moose hunting permits were determined Saturday, July 29, at a lottery drawing at the Barre Fish and Game Club in Barre.

Governor Phil Scott activated the computer-generated selection process that randomly picked 80 winners from 4,971 lottery applicants.

The drawing is done by a random sort of applications that were submitted by a July 3 deadline.

Massachusett's resident Douglas Oakes Jr. North Adams and Connecticut resident Joseph Campbell of Moosup, Ct. will participate and NO Rhode Island winners in 2017 out the 4,971 entries.

As part of the regular lottery drawing, a "special priority drawing" was held for five permits to go to applicants who are Vermont resident veterans. The unsuccessful applicants from the veteran drawing were included in the larger regular drawing that followed. All applicants for both drawings who did not receive a permit were awarded a bonus point to improve their chances in future moose permit lotteries.

The lottery was held for 17 moose permits to be used in the Vermont's October 1-7 archery moose hunting season and 63 moose permits for the October 21-26 regular moose season.

"Today's lottery drawing helps celebrate one of Vermont's successes in science-based wildlife management," said State Wildlife Biologist Cedric Alexander. "Vermont's first moose hunt was in 1993, when 25 moose were taken with 30 permits issued. We expect close to 34 moose will be taken this fall in a carefully regulated hunt."

Winners in this year's moose hunting lottery are posted in a searchable database on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department's website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com).

If your name wasn't drawn, you can still bid in Vermont's auction for five moose hunting permits, which is open until August 10. Sealed bids must be received by Vermont Fish & Wildlife by 4:30 p.m. that day. Contact the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department to receive a moose permit bid kit. Telephone 802-828-1190 or email (cheri.waters@state.vt.us).


Vermont has about 2,000 moose statewide with the greatest concentration in the Northeast Kingdom.