 New England’s Snakes Are on the Move

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Fall marks the time when New England’s snakes may travel long distances to return to their den sites for the winter.  The New England Fish & Wildlife Department's are asking people to keep an eye out for snakes while driving to avoid running them over and also to report any snake they see while out and about. These sightings will help to document the distribution of different snake species in New England. 

 

According to Jim Andrews, coordinator of the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, roads can be great places to find snakes in the fall, but they can also be deadly for the reptiles. 

 

“To a snake, a road is essentially a warm and sunny ledge that serves as a perfect place to bask and raise its body temperature,” said Andrews, who is collaborating with the Department to document and conserve snakes in Vermont.  “Sadly, this often results in a fatal encounter with a car.  We’re asking people to please try to avoid hitting them on the road whenever safely possible.” 

 

Wildlife biologist Doug Blodgett works to conserve snakes for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.  According to Blodgett, snakes provide important services to people like eating disease-carrying rodents and garden pests.  He believes that while some people may fear snakes, the creatures are too often misunderstood. 

 

“Vermont’s snakes are generally harmless.  Even timber rattlesnakes, which live only in isolated pockets of western Rutland County, are extremely shy and nearly always try to hide or avoid an encounter with people,” said Blodgett.  “Despite their low profile, snakes are extremely important animals in the ecosystem.”

 

Blodgett and Andrews are asking the public to help efforts to conserve snakes by submitting sightings that document where different species are found.  Citizen reports will also be useful in indicating where important road crossings exist so that appropriate road crossing structures can be considered. These sightings might also raise early warning signs, such as if species seem to be absent where they used to be common, or other trends that indicate when additional conservation action may be needed.

 

“Our knowledge of the current range of snakes is largely dependent on photos provided by citizens who happen to find them during their day-to-day activities outdoors,” said Andrews.  “Keep your eyes open this fall and, if you do encounter a snake on the road or anywhere else, please snap a photo and send us a report.”

 

To send a report, go to vtherpatlas.org, or email Andrews directly at jandrews@middlebury.edu.

Introducing Cora - NH Fish and Game's newest K-9 Trainee

New Fish and Game Conservation K9 Trainee Makes Her Debut

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

CONCORD, NH -- The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s K-9 Conservation corps has a lively new recruit. "Cora" is a ten-week old black Labrador retriever donated by Wes and Belinda Reed of Rise and Shine Retrievers in Barnstead, NH.  The donation was made through the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire.

Cora was just two months old when she was first presented to her new partner, Fish and Game Conservation Officer James Benvenuti earlier in September.

"Cora has been going to work with me every day and has already been exposed to turkey and deer kill sites," said Benvenuti. "Time is spent working on basic obedience, tracking and exposure to both evidence and fish and wildlife daily."

Along with Fish and Game’s other canines and handlers, Cora and CO Benvenuti will be travelling for basic training at least once a month to the Vermont K9 Academy in Pittsford, Vermont, until next summer. In July, the pair hits "boot camp" -- the 36th basic canine patrol school, also in Vermont.  The school is 544 hours and runs from July until November.  Upon completion of the course, Cora and CO Benvenuti will receive certification in tracking, evidence detection (specifically gun powder and anything with human scent), and fish and wildlife detection (deer, turkey and fish).

Cora’s name refers to the acronym for the Conservation Officers Relief Association (CORA).

Learn more about Fish and Game Law Enforcement’s canine conservation teams at www.wildnh.com/law-enforcement/k9.html. A plan is in place to chronicle Cora’s progress on this page as she trains to become a full-fledged Fish and Game Conservation K9.

You can help support the NH Fish and Game Canine Conservation unit by sending a donation to the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH – Canine Fund, PO Box 3993, Concord, NH 03302, or donate online at nhwildlifeheritage.org/donate (specify Canine Fund).

Regenerating state forests takes planning, patience

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

You're driving on your favorite stretch of Michigan road. The sun is shining, the windows are rolled down, and you're singing along to that catchy song drifting out of the speakers. As you round a familiar curve in the road, you know you're approaching a special place, near the campground you

r family used to frequent when you were a kid.

You turn your gaze to the left to take in the sight of that beloved stand of trees you've admired for years. When you see it, your eyes go wide and your foot jerks away from the gas pedal to the brakes.

The space where your cherished gentle giants once stood is now bare. Branches, logs and other debris are strewn around an opening where aspen once grew tall. A few individual trees remain, looking small and sad amid the ruin.

Your treasured forest land has been clear-cut.

OK, maybe this is a slightly dramatic example, but if you ask Bill O'Neill – Michigan's state forester – about clear-cuts, the first thing he'll tell you is this: "They're ugly."

"There's no sugar-coating it, clear-cuts aren't pretty," said O'Neill, who also serves as chief of the Forest Resources Division in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

"We understand that folks don't like seeing harvesting, especially near the places that served as the backdrop for the camping trips and hunting seasons of their memories," he said. "But it's important to remember that any activity that takes place on state-managed forest land is driven by science and by what is, in the long term, best for the resource. Clear-cutting is an essential and proven forest management tool.

"We know it's hard to believe. Just because a recently harvested area is unsightly now, that it doesn't mean it will be ugly forever. In fact, that area grows back even faster than you'd probably believe," O'Neill said.
Forest regeneration is the practice of establishing young trees after the previous stand has been removed. It is part of a process that begins with planning and coordinating timber harvests, and is just another part of a DNR forester's day-to-day job – they're planning the makeup of the new forest long before a single tree is cut.

"We can plan the type of timber harvest so the harvest itself is the tool to regenerate. We use artificial regeneration as a supplement," said Jason Hartman, a DNR silviculturalist. A silviculturalist is responsible for the development and care of the trees in a forest.

Last of a kind.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Toughie, the last Rabb’s fringe-limbed tree frog known to exist in this world, has died and his species is now extinct. You may recognize him from the OPS documentary film Racing Extinction. I had the honor of meeting Toughie twice and I wrote this article about meeting him: The Loneliest Frog in the World: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/the-loneliest-frog-in-the_b… He was a small, brownish frog with hands that looked like Gollum’s - appropriate, because he too, was precious.... I know

 Toughie was not majestic in the way that elephants, polar bears, orcas, tigers and some other endangered creatures are. But to me, and to Mark Mandica (his caretaker), Toughie was as majestic as they come. Meeting him was like meeting a little unicorn - the last of his kind.

 My dear Toughie, I am so sorry we couldn’t save you and your kind. Your sad story will be a voice for the other frogs in danger of extinction. May the four winds blow you safely home where you will forever glide from treetop to treetop like the tiny little brown superman you are. Goodbye little frog prince.

IFA Kayak Tour Championship Set for Panama City, Florida

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Championship features increased payouts

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The IFA Kayak Tour Presented by Hobie Fishing will visit Panama City, Florida, for the 2016 championship event, Oct. 7-8. The two-day event will feature increased payouts and contingency prizes while bringing together the best inshore kayak anglers from Texas to the Carolinas.

"We are thrilled to have the most skilled kayak anglers competing together in our rich waters," said Jennifer Vigil, president and CEO of Panama City Community Development Council, Inc. "This season's IFA Redfish Open held here in April was a great success and we want to show the kayak anglers the same hospitality and let them experience all that Panama City offers."

The championship event will begin with registration on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 5-7 p.m. at The Shrimp Boat Restaurant (1201 Beck Ave., Panama City, Florida 32401) followed by the captain's meeting. Anglers will launch Friday and Saturday from the location of their choice with the weigh-ins set at Sunjammers St. Andrews (1129 Beck Ave., Panama City, Florida 32401) Check-in times will be announced at the captain's meeting on Thursday.

All anglers who entered at least two regular-season kayak events and competed in one event will qualify for the $50 entry-fee championship. First-place prize at the IFA Kayak Championship Presented by Hobie Fishing, regardless of field size, is a Hobie Mirage Pro Angler kayak valued at $2,549. Second and third place finishers will be awarded cash prizes of $1,500 and $750, respectively.

In addition, the Divisional Anglers of the Year will square off during the championship for the Overall Angler of the Year award. The winner will receive $1,000 and paid entry fees for 2017.

IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Hobie Fishing, Ranger Boats, Cabela's, Lucas Oil, Yamaha Outboards, RAM, Berkley Gulp!, Berkley Gulp! Alive!, PENN Reels, Spiderwire, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Power-Pole, BoatU.S., Amphibia, Arctic Ice, Protect the Harvest, General Tire, SuperClean, Valley Fashions, ENGEL Coolers, T-H Marine, ATLAS, G-Juice Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, The Shrimp Boat Restaurant, Sunjammers St. Andrews and the Panama City Community Development Council.

For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to www.ifatours.com. To discover more about kayaking and Hobie Fishing go to www.hobiefishing.com.

B.A.S.S. Raises Maximum Rod Length To 10 Feet In 2017

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 40-year-old rule that has limited Bassmaster tournament competitors to rods that were 8 feet or shorter will be changed for 2017, allowing competitors to use rods as long as 10 feet.

The new rule will apply to all B.A.S.S. trails, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens and all B.A.S.S. Nation and youth events.

"This is something that the anglers wanted," said B.A.S.S. Tournament Director Trip Weldon. "After discussing it during our annual rules committee meeting, we saw no reason not to expand to 10 feet."

The rule in question is tournament rule C8, which currently reads in part: "Only one casting, spin casting or spinning rod (8-foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time."

Bassmaster Elite Series angler Skeet Reese of California said during the ICAST trade show in Orlando, Fla., in July that he planned to suggest a change to the rule, believing it would help the sport grow. The change was formally proposed and discussed during last month's Elite Advisory Board meeting in Waldorf, Md.

"You can fish a 16-inch swimbait with a 400-pound-test leader if you wanted," Reese said. "There are no reel-speed restrictions. Having the length limit makes no sense. It's antiquated."

Some rod makers agreed with Reese about the rule change's impact on the industry.

"St. Croix is excited about the change B.A.S.S. is making to increase rod lengths," said Jesse Simpkins, marketing director for St. Croix Rod. "It grows the market and broadens product lines. It will be interesting to see what this opportunity does in the hands on the world's best bass anglers. Ultimately — as it has always been — it will be the anglers who drive the development process."

Restrictions on rod length began in the West, and they were the catalyst for the development of the popular and effective "flippin'" technique. Dee Thomas of California, the "Father of Flippin'," began winning tournaments in that state by "dipping" jigs in stands of tules with a 14-foot surf casting rod. When competitors complained, Thomas developed the flipping presentation, which delivered the lures to the same spots with a 7 1/2-foot rod.

The 8-foot maximum was added to B.A.S.S. rules by B.A.S.S. founder Ray Scott and Tournament Director Harold Sharp in 1976. Back then, competitors were paired by random draw and took turns controlling the boat. There were no pro anglers and co-anglers; everyone was fishing for the same prize, two to a boat.

Scott and Sharp believed a rod longer than 8 feet gave the angler operating the boat a distinct advantage over the other.

Today's Elite Series events pair one angler with a marshal or cameraman who is not fishing. Opens tournaments involve a pro angler or "boater" who is fishing for a larger prize and a co-angler or "non-boater" who is restricted to the back of the boat.

With the format changes, anglers like Reese have long wished for a change to the rule.
"It has bothered me for years," he said. "I've never understood it. I've always wanted an 8 1/2-foot spinning rod for fighting smallmouth in open water. With a longer crankbait rod, we could cast a lure longer distances and get the rod down further to help it dive. Think of what you could do with a longer punching rod — that kind of leverage over the fish would be amazing.

"I don't see any disadvantage, and it would give the industry new products and new techniques."

An article in the September 2016 B.A.S.S. Times Magazine — written well before the rule change was formally proposed — noted that some tournament circuits in the Western United States began allowing longer rods years ago to accommodate the growing popularity of large, heavy swimbaits. Elite Series anglers also like longer fishing rods for smallmouth bass techniques, including the float-and-fly method, which is impractical with a rod shorter than 9 or 10 feet.

The float-and-fly technique involves using a 1/8- or 1/16-ounce jig suspended 10 or more feet beneath a plastic bobber on line as light as 4-pound test, and it is particularly popular on smallmouth fisheries during the cold winter months. That means it could come into play early, as the Bassmaster Elite Series begins its 2017 regular season on Tennessee's Cherokee Lake, Feb. 9-12.

Weldon said he is pleased with the rules committee's decision regarding rod length.

"We always listen when anglers make suggestions or express concerns," he said. "Obviously, we can't accommodate all of the requests. But this was one that made sense, and we think it's a good change."