Black Bear Hunt in Connecticut is on hold....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

 Six e-mails the past two weeks on this subject and this is what I found out for you.

 Democrats killed legislation to allow the state's first bear hunt since 1840 by substituting it with an amendment banning the importing, possession and sale of trophies from five African big-game animals.
After nearly two hours of debate in the Senate on the merits of bear hunting, with Sen. Craig Miner, a Litchfield Republican and co-chair of the environment committee the bill's chief proponent, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman broke a 18-18 tie along party lines to pass the amendment.

Republicans said a bear hunt is needed to combat the state's increasing black bear population, particularly in Litchfield County. Interactions between bears and humans have become more and more common, they said, and though no injuries or deaths have been reported, a hunt would help to thin the population and reduce the risk.

"I don't want Connecticut to be the first place where we see the YouTube video of a bear dragging a young child or an elderly person off into the woods and mauling that person or causing harm to them," said Sen. Eric Berthel, a Watertown Republican who recalled recently seeing a bear at the edge of his property while his children played in the yard.
But Democrats questioned if now was the time to institute a bear hunt. Senate Democratic Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk said the ratio of bears to humans in Connecticut is much lower than other states that allow hunting, like Maine.
Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, represents towns with some of the most annual bear sightings including Farmington (425) Burlington (257) and West Hartford (220).
"My emails and phone calls still overwhelmingly oppose bear hunting," she said. "In some ways my constituents have come to know that bears are part of their surroundings."
Source: Courant News and DEEP Photo

Farewell from Dennis Schain

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Thank You, from the entire Outdoor Scene Nation on www.waynebarbersoutdoorscene.blogspot.com

Dear Friends,

When the sun sets today to start the celebration of Halloween eve, I will mysteriously vanish from DEEP and head off into retirement.

After more than 12 years as Communications Director the time has come for me to move on to new adventures.

Working here at DEEP has been the most exciting, interesting, and rewarding job of my career – by far.

Part of the reason for that is the opportunity I had to work with you and so many other great people in the world of the Connecticut media.  I leave here with profound respect and appreciation for the work you do to keep the people of this state informed about important issues and the workings of their government.

There is a succession plan for DEEP Communications and a new Director will be announced and in place very soon.  In the meantime, if you need assistance, please contact Rosalynn Grzywinski in the Commissioner’s office and she will make sure someone helps you.  You can reach her at Rosalynn.Grzywinski@ct.gov or at 860-424-3878.

And, as always, after hours, weekends, and holidays call our Dispatch Center at 860-424-3333 and ask them to have the on-call Communications person get back to you.

Thank you very much. I’ve enjoyed working with you all and wish you all the best.

Dennis

Thank You, for making my job of reporting all Nutmeg State outdoor news a whole lot of fun, Wayne G.Barber 

Three Barnet Men Arrested in Deer Poaching Incident

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Three Barnet Men Arrested in Deer Poaching Incident

One Man Previously Convicted of Two Dozen Fish and Wildlife Crimes

 

DANVILLE, Vt. – Three Barnet men were recently arrested and charged with multiple counts related to a nighttime deer poaching incident. 

 

Carl Sanborn, 47, and his son Jonathan Sanborn, 20, allegedly shot with a bow and arrow at a deer decoy on the night of Saturday, October 21.  The decoy was placed by Vermont State Game Wardens in an area in Danville with a strong history of poaching activity.  The vehicle, a convertible driven by a juvenile, aged 16, then led wardens on a high-speed pursuit.  Another 13-year-old juvenile was also in the vehicle and is not being charged. 

 

During the pursuit, a bow and rangefinder were thrown from the vehicle and recovered by wardens.  An official Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department emblem, owned by the State of Vermont, was found affixed to the front of the vehicle at the time it was stopped. 

 

Carl Sanborn is being charged with seven counts, including taking big game by illegal means, hunting while under revocation, failure to stop for a game warden, and contributing to juvenile delinquency.  He faces more than two years in prison and $14,000 in fines.  Sanborn has previously been convicted of 24 fish and wildlife crimes dating back to 1993, and was sentenced to 81 days and fined $6,800 because of the convictions. 

 

Jonathan Sanborn was charged with six counts and faces more than two years in prison and $8,000 in fines. 

 

The 16-year-old will be processed as a juvenile.  He was charged with eight counts, including a felony charge for attempting to elude police, and faces more than eight years in prison and $12,000 in fines.

 

The car, registered to Carl Sanborn, along with the bow, rangefinder, and light were all seized and stand to be forfeited to the state upon conviction.  All three men also stand to lose their hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for three years. 

 

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking anyone with information about any poaching activity to call their local warden through their nearest state police dispatch, or they may leave an anonymous tip to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-75ALERT (1-800-752-5378).  

 

Return for a fifth time, our special guest, Maine Guide Lorenda DayCoombs.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

News, Fish Stockings, Abstract Changes, Solunar Tables, Community and Event Calendar and interviews too !

Today taking a day off from guiding and her ever growing real estate business will be Lorenda DayCoombs of     www.southernmaineguideservice.com

Thank You, to our listeners and quality E-mails on todays program

Maine Fisherman Sentenced for Illegally Trafficking American Eels

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Richard D. Austin was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment yesterday for trafficking juvenile American eels (also called "elvers" or "glass eels") in violation of the Lacey Act, following a hearing in federal district court in Norfolk, Virginia. The sentence was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dana J. Boente.

In April 2017, Austin, who has several previous wildlife-related convictions, pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act by selling elvers in interstate commerce that he had harvested illegally in Virginia and Massachusetts. Court documents indicate that Austin trafficked at least 147 pounds of elvers, which is approximately 300,000 individual eels, and worth more than $162,000. Austin sold these eels to exporters, who then exported them from the United States to international markets.

"Illegal harvesting and trafficking of wildlife represents a dire threat to our critical ecosystems," said U.S. Attorney Boente. "This case reaffirms our commitment to protecting Virginia's natural resources for future generations."

"Today's sentencing sends a strong message to those who choose to exploit and illegally traffic our native wildlife," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Chief of Law Enforcement, Ed Grace. "We appreciate the dedication of the Department of Justice, and our partners involved in this case, and will continue to work with federal, state, and local conservation law enforcement officials to combat the illegal wildlife trade."

Eels are highly valued in east Asia for human consumption. Historically, Japanese and European eels were harvested to meet this demand; however, overfishing has led to a decline in these populations. As a result, harvesters have turned to the American eel to fill the void. American eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic Ocean bounded on all sides by ocean currents. They then travel as larvae from the Sargasso to the coastal waters of the eastern United States, where they enter a juvenile or elver stage, swim upriver and grow to adulthood in fresh water. Elvers are exported for aquaculture in East Asia, where they are raised to adult size and sold for food. Harvesters and exporters of American eels in the United States can sell elvers to East Asia for more than $2,000 per pound.

Because of the threat of overfishing, Atlantic Coast states have cooperatively prohibited elver harvesting in all but two states: Maine and South Carolina. Maine and South Carolina heavily regulate elver fisheries, requiring that individuals be licensed and report all quantities of harvested eels to state authorities. Other Atlantic coast states, including Virginia, have commercial fisheries for adult or "yellow" eels.

This case was the result of "Operation Broken Glass," a multi-jurisdiction U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation into the illegal trafficking of American eels. To date, the investigation has resulted in guilty pleas for 18 individuals whose combined conduct resulted in the illegal trafficking of more than $5 million worth of elvers.

"In this operation, we are actively partnering with state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to protect our nation's marine resources from further exploitation." said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wood.

Operation Broken Glass was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section in collaboration with the Maine Marine Patrol, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Bureau of Law Enforcement, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Conservation Police, Virginia Marine Resources Commission Police, USFWS Refuge Law Enforcement, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement, Massachusetts Environmental Police, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Law Enforcement, New York State Environmental Conservation Police, New Hampshire Fish and Game Division of Law Enforcement, Maryland Natural Resources Police, North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission Division of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Yarmouth, Massachusetts Division of Natural Resources, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Police Department and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Habitat Restoration Project Underway in Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

A multi-dam removal and habitat restoration project is underway at Hamant Brook in Sturbridge, MA.

Sturbridge — A multi-dam removal and habitat restoration project is underway at Hamant Brook in Sturbridge, MA. Hamant Brook is a coldwater stream running through 880 acres of protected municipal conservation land named the Leadmine Conservation Area. To restore ¾ of a mile of coldwater stream, three consecutive dams will be removed on Hamant Brook: the Upper and Middle Pond Dams, owned by the Town of Sturbridge, and the Lower Dam, owned by Old Sturbridge Village. The dam removals will eliminate a public safety hazard, improve water quality, reduce flooding risks, and restore habitat for native trout, endangered turtles, and other wildlife. Additionally, the project will improve parking and public access to a popular town conservation area with the installation of educational and trail kiosks. Public access to this site is prohibited while construction is underway.
 “Investments in projects like this not only enhances ecological and safety values but also recreational value,” said Ron Amidon, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Commissioner. “Restoring the coldwater habitat here will furnish an exceptional opportunity for anglers to catch native brook trout.”
"This habitat restoration project enhances ongoing habitat management efforts by MassWildlife and other conservation-minded public and private landowners," said Jack Buckley, MassWildlife Director. "It also complements the state's collaborative land protection efforts in the Sturbridge area."
In 2006, MassWildlife obtained a Conservation Restriction from the Town of Sturbridge on the Leadmine Mountain Conservation Area. This effort nearly doubled the size of protected open space adjacent to MassWildlife’s own Leadmine Wildlife Management Area. This land conservation collaborative contributed nearly 2,000 acres of protected land open to the public in the southern part of Sturbridge.
The Hamant Brook Project also affords opportunities for scientists to document the effects of dam removal on a coldwater stream. Following the completion of the project, MassWildlife fisheries biologists will conduct surveys on a periodic basis to monitor the fish communities living in this important habitat over time. “These dam removals will improve water quality within Hamant Brook, reduce stream temperatures and improve the resiliency of the stream to the impacts of climate change,” said Todd Richards, MassWildlife Assistant Director of Fisheries. “The broader goal of the work is to improve water quality and habitat in the Quinebaug River.”
“The Hamant Brook restoration project is a success thanks to the great efforts of many partners. With the removal of these three dams, we not only permanently reconnect the stream habitat, but also multiply the public land conservation efforts and restore the former impoundments to improve water quality and restore coldwater habitat within a protected conservation area,” said Amy Singler, Project Manager at American Rivers.
Funding for the Hamant Brook Restoration Project is provided by Millennium Power and many other project partners, including the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture.

Connecticut; DEEP Reports Small Die-off in Local White-tailed Deer Herd Hemorrhagic disease confirmed in Middletown deer

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

DEEP Reports Small Die-off in Local White-tailed Deer Herd
Hemorrhagic disease confirmed in Middletown deer.

Since early September, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Wildlife Division has documented in more than 50 white-tailed deer exhibiting symptoms associated with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHDV-6), primarily in the towns of Middletown and Portland, with a few in Chester, Haddam, and Lyme.

EHDV-6 is transmitted to deer by tiny biting flies (midges). Although the virus has also been detected in other mammals, including mule deer, elk, and domestic cattle, white-tailed deer represent 95% of the affected animals. Once infected, the disease progresses rapidly with deer exhibiting symptoms that include swollen head, neck, tongue, or eyelids with a bloody discharge from the nasal cavity; ulcers on the tongue; and hemorrhaging of the heart and lungs followed by death within three to five days. The virus also creates high feverish conditions, causing infected deer to sometimes be found in or near water sources.

Concern over hemorrhagic disease should not limit hunter willingness to harvest deer during the hunting season. The disease does not infect humans, and people are not at risk by eating venison from or handling infected deer, or by being bitten by infected midges. The disease rarely causes illness in domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, and cats. However, hunters are advised to exercise caution if they observe a deer that is behaving abnormally or appears sick and avoid shooting, handling, or consuming that animal. When field dressing deer, hunters should wear latex or rubber gloves and disinfect any instruments that come in contact with the animal.

The DEEP Wildlife Division first learned of several dead deer in the Portland/Middletown area from a concerned hunter. The reported deer were in various stages of decay with some lying along the river bank, while others were floating in the water. On October 15, 2017, the DEEP received confirmation from the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study group that a deer from Middletown tested positive for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 6 (EHDV-6).

Prior to 2004, only two subtypes of Hemorrhagic Disease were documented in North America (EHDV-1, 2). EHDV-6 was first detected in 2006 in Indiana and Illinois, and has since been reported throughout the Midwest, and from Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland.
Outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease routinely occur during late summer and early fall as the number of midges increase, and ceases with the onset of a hard frost, which kills the midges carrying the virus. Although temperatures have dipped into the upper 30’s along the Connecticut River in recent days, a hard frost has not occurred.

The DEEP is encouraging anyone who observes deer appearing emaciated, behaving strangely, or lying dead along the edge of waterbodies to report the information, along with the closest address, to the DEEP’s 24-hour Emergency Dispatch Center at 860-424-3333, the DEEP Wildlife Division at 860-418-5921, or send an email to Andrew.labonte@ct.gov.