The drought is not over yet, nor are special memories

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Massachusetts is dealing with widespread wildfires and severe drought, both of which heighten the risk of additional fires. MassWildlife staff are assisting the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and local fire departments in the ongoing effort to contain wildfires across the state. MassWildlife recommends that when venturing into the woods, please take the following precautions to keep yourself and others safe:

 

  • Stay away from active fires. Some may appear out but could still have a fire burning underground. A map of active fires can be accessed at https://data.usatoday.com/fires/.   Call 911 to report new fires.
  • Extinguish and dispose of smoking materials such as cigarette butts appropriately.
  • When visiting wooded areas, park vehicles away from dry grass and leaves.
  • Avoid recently burned areas because of the risk of falling trees weakened by fire.
  • If you see or smell smoke, be safe and leave the woods. Fire can move quickly under windy conditions.
  • Refrain from any outdoor activity involving open flames. There is a ban on outdoor open burning statewide.

 

They further suggest that in addition to taking precautions while enjoying the outdoors, your actions at home can make a difference in preventing wildfires and conserving water. About 45 percent of Massachusetts homes are in or near areas at severe wildfire risk, meaning that any significant fire will put people and property in danger. To help reduce the risk, you can find tips on water conservation and fire prevention at:  https://www.mass.gov/conservewater, and https:www.mass.gov/news/Governor-Healey-thanks-firefighters-asks-public to-do-their-part-to contain-fire-risk.

In his latest report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, MassWildlife Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden reported that Western District staff, qualified in wildland firefighting, provided support for the Montgomery Fire Department and DCR Fire Control responding to a brush fire in Montgomery.  The fire occurred on land owned by the City of Westfield and conserved as the Westfield Watershed Wildlife Conservation Easement by MassWildlife. He also gave us some unsettling statistics.

 

According to figures provided by the Massachusetts DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry, the average occurrence of brush fires in MA in November is 21 a month.  As of November 13, there were 247 fires, burning nearly 700 acres of land.  For October, the average number of fires is 15 and there were 206.

 

As of last Tuesday, the state was tracking 15 fires across the state with four of them in western Massachusetts. In addition to the Montgomery fire, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) said fires were still burning in Northampton, Monson, and Northfield.

According to the DCR, almost all fire activity is human-caused, although drought conditions increase the risk. Some of the fires have been traced back to abandoned campfires that were not entirely put out.

This current drought harkens back memories of the fall of 1963 when the northeast was suffering a serious drought and Massachusetts was forced to shut down the woods to hunting.

 

I was home on furlough from the Air Force that fall and coincidentally my high school buddy Ken who was in the US Navy Reserves was also home on furlough.  We decided to do some small game hunting.  We didn’t have hunting licenses, but we had heard that people on active duty in the service during war time didn’t need to have one.  There was a war cranking up in some place called Viet Nam, so we figured it applied to us.

 

My father let me use his prized shotgun, something that he never did before.  Hey, his son was going off to war and he may never see him again.  Incidentally, he was offered $500 for it by the owner of Hyatt’s Hardware Store in Lee in 1950.  (About $6,500 today)

 

Just hours before we went hunting, we heard that the woods had been closed to hunting because of the drought.  Shame on us, we went anyways.  We decided to hunt the east side of the Housatonic River upstream from Woods Pond in Lenox, a place that was wet and swampy along a dirt road now called Roaring Brook Road.

 

We stopped at a good spot to hunt and started to go into the woods.  Knowing about the woods closures, I told Ken that if he saw me” take off like a deer”, there was a game warden nearby.  Don’t worry about me, I said, I’ll make it home.  At that time, we both had just completed basic training and were in tip top shape.

 

As I was loading my father’s shotgun and entering the woods, Ken said, “Well, you better start running.”  We frequently played jokes on one another back then, so I didn’t bother to look around.  Not until I heard a vehicle drive up, stop and two car doors slam.   When I looked back, there stood two game wardens. One was Officer Gordon Leeman and I don’t recall the name of the other officer.

 

They confiscated our guns and issued us citations to show up in the Lee District Court the next morning.

 

Ooh, this was not good, they confiscated my father’s prized shotgun!  Did I mention that he had once been a deputy game warden in the 1920’s (serving under Officer Bill Sargood, the person who “Old Bill” the famous moose on October Mountain was named after?)  I’ll never forget that evening when I told him what happened.  In a not too soft tone, I heard those words again, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse!”  I’m sure our neighbors and most of Lenox heard them that evening, too.

 

Later on, after his voice recovered, he called the judge about the matter.  Apparently, the judge owed my father a favor of some sorts.  He told my father to tell us to show up in court in our uniforms.

 

The next morning, my father, Ken and I were parked in front of the Lee Courthouse waiting for it to open.  Parked next to us were the game wardens.  When we got out of our cars and Officer Leeman saw me in my Air Force and Ken in his Navy uniforms, he groaned “Oh, bleep! The judge basically slapped us on the wrist, issued no fine and told us to go and stay out of further trouble.  My father got his gun back, too.

 

I had one more hurdle to overcome.  At the time, I was stationed at an outpost at Syracuse University and enrolled in its East European Language Program, specializing in Russian.  By the way, a program for which I did not volunteer. Because a top secret- codeword clearance was required to be in that program, agents had previously come to Lenox to interview 10 local people to vouch for me that I was in good standing, never got into trouble, wasn’t a communist, etc.  People like my priest, school principal, chief of police, selectmen and others.

 

When I got back to the post from furlough, I had to report to the post commander and explain what happened.

 

Fortunately, the commanding officer, a major, was from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.  While questioning me about the incident, he asked where I was from.   I told him that I was from the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, just south of the Green Mountains of Vt and a little east of the Adirondacks and Catskill Mountains of NY, and nowhere near Boston.  He didn’t demote me, make me become a cook, or anything.  Instead, he let me stay in the program.

 

Jump forward 20 years and I had just joined the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  Who do you suppose was one of its members who sat next to me?   Officer Gordon Leeman whom I hadn’t seen since the incident.  We became good friends over the years and traveled together to veteran’s events, our weekly ROMEO (Retired old men eating out) lunches, and other TU functions before his passing in 2013.

 

Neither of us ever raised the subject of our first encounter.

 

Three deer taken in the statewide paraplegic hunt, all in Berkshire County

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MassWildlife holds a special three-day deer hunting season for paraplegic hunters. Staff and volunteers place hunters in safe areas at several hunt locations in the state. When a hunter shoots a deer, volunteers assist the hunter by retrieving the deer, field dressing it, and getting it checked in on site.

Each year, about 12-20 paraplegic hunters sign up for the special hunt. For Some of these people, it’s the only opportunity they have to hunt. The hunt is typically held at 5 sites:

  • The Northern Berkshires on private properties
  • The Southern Berkshires at Mt. Washington
  • The Quabbin Reservation
  • Devens Reserve Forces Training Area in Lancaster
  • Otis/Edwards Military Reservation in Falmouth/Bourne

Frequently, hunters see deer and several get the opportunity to harvest a deer.

The dates of the 3-day hunt this year were October 31 through November 2.

The weather was, at times, downright balmy. Statewide this year some 18 hunters participated, which included 3 at the Northern Berkshires site and 4 at the Southern Berkshires site.

This year’s Paraplegic Hunt in Southern Berkshires, was an interesting one. For one thing, the weather was beautiful with temperatures well into the 70’s. For another thing, three of the four hunters successfully got deer, which were the only deer taken in the statewide paraplegic hunt this year. Two does were taken on Thursday.  Marc Tartaglia of Barkhamsted, CT got one. Readers may remember that last year was Marc’s first year participating in the hunt and he took two deer. Vyto Sablevicius of Norwood, MA took the second doe, a nice one weighing 125 lbs. dressed.  Dan Massaconi of Cheshire took a doe on Friday. Tim Davidson of Sturbridge MA hunted only Friday and Saturday afternoon. He saw deer but did not harvest any.

This year’s Southern Berkshire hunt was interesting for another reason, too. There was a surprise in store for volunteer Shaun Smith of Lee.  MassWildlife Assistant Director of Operations, Trina Moruzzi came out to the Berkshires and presented Shaun a plaque acknowledging his 50 years of involvement in the Paraplegic Hunt Program. The beautifully carved wooden plaque read, “MassWildlife thanks Shaun Smith for 50 years of dedication to Paraplegic Hunters.”

Shawn holding the plaque along with Trini Moruzzi

Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden commented that they really appreciated all that he has done to help in this hunt over those years.  Shawn replied that he couldn’t have lasted doing this for 50 years without the help of all of his fellow volunteers.  True, said Madden, “but you are the person who kept it all going.”

Then his fellow volunteers presented him with a golden Henry Boy .45-70 caliber rifle.  It was beautifully mounted by fellow volunteer Fred Lampro on a piece of box elder maple wood. The ceremony was a total surprise to him, but he should have been suspicious when his wife Mary showed up moments before the event.

Shawn and fellow volunteers at the presentation of the Henry Boy rifle.

Following the ceremony, the hunters, volunteers and guests settled down to a wonderful meal prepared by Wendy Lampro which included venison chili, scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese, etc. served up with grilled venison steaks.  She also provided a wonderful assortment of home-made desserts.  The night before, she prepared a wonderful venison stew for them.

Each morning the volunteers helped the hunters get to their deer stands, and around noon they brought them to the DCR Headquarters in Mount Washington and provided them with a warm, home cooked meal prepared by Wendy Lampro.

Southern Berkshire volunteers and their years of involvement are as follows: Shaun Smith – 50 years, Marc Portieri – 35, Gregg Arienti – 29, Matt Roche (DCR) – 17, Fred Lampro – 15, Thomas Dean – 13, Dan White – 3, Christel Massaconi –4,  James Dellea – 3, Wendy Lampro – 3, and Shamus Daley – 2.  Kudos to all!

MassWildlife Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden was there, as was Wildlife Biologist Nate Buckhout in case any deer needed tagging.  Also, Dan White from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) was there.

Special thanks go out to Cobb of Western Mass, Cobb of River Valley, Shaw Pond Club, Lee Fire Dept., AMVETS Post 77 and Osden’s Plumbing and Heating of Blandford. Special thanks also go to the DCR for providing the space to gather, eat, and warm up at Mt. Washington Reservation.

In the Northern Berkshires, Rick French was once again the main volunteer coordinator.  The hunters included Shawn Mei of Baldwinville, MA, Dale Bailey of Clarksburg, MA and Dave Alderman of Petersburg, NY. All of them saw deer but none were harvested.

Northern Berkshire volunteers and their years of involvement are as follows:  Rick French – 38 years, Stacy Sylvester – 36, J. Sylvester – 26, Jim Guiden, Alex Dargie and Joe Benoni.  Sorry, I don’t have the number of years for all of the volunteers. J. Sylvester came all the way from Maine to volunteer for the hunt.

Unfortunately, Shawn Mei’s father, Tony Mei, passed away since last year. Stacy Sylvester said that he was greatly missed. He had been a volunteer for 33 years. Shawn’s brother Tim Mei took his place volunteering.

The volunteers brought the hunters to a central point at lunchtime and provided them with a delicious meal of moose stew cooked up by Ruth French.

Special thanks go out to Jim Guiden for providing the headquarters space and to the Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown for permitted hunting on their property.

Western District MassWildlife staff covering the Northern site location were Eli Pease, Heather Sadler and Jacob Morris-Siegel.  EPO Officers Jonathan Kolis and Joshua Kelleher periodically stopped in.

According to Susan McCarthy, total statewide, there were 64 individuals aside from hunters and their family members supporting the program and assisting hunters.  That included some 14 MassWildlife employees, 6 DCR staff members, 5 private landowners, 4 military personnel, 16 hunter helpers and 16 other volunteers.

As noted in past columns, this story is not all about the hunters and their harvests.  There are other components which must occur to make the hunt a success.  One is the volunteering. Statewide there were 16 volunteers assisting the physically challenged hunters get to ideal hunting spots and helped them by getting the deer moving, retrieving the deer, field dressing them, and getting them checked in on site.

McCarthy noted that, “As always, this hunt would not be possible without our fantastic network of MassWildlife and DCR staff, private landowners in the Berkshires, and our amazing volunteers.”

Incidentally, paraplegic sportsmen and women interested in taking part in the hunt next year should contact Susan McCarthy at (508) 389-6326.

Good acorn year

MassWildlife asks, have you been dodging a constant barrage of falling acorns, startled by the thwack of nuts pelting your car’s roof, or raking up mounds of acorns in your yard?   Well, like many trees, oaks go through cycles where they produce more seeds in some years than in others. These times of high production, known as “mast years,” occur every 2-3 years. While an abundance of acorns may be an annoyance to some, it’s a welcome buffet for wildlife that are preparing for a long cold winter.

In my opinion, it appears that this is a good mast year for acorns in the Berkshires. You might want to keep this in mind when you scout out your hunting areas and plan your hunting strategy accordingly.

Its really dry out there

I’m sure local hunters have noticed how dry it is in our woods and fields these days.  Those little streams that we used to step over while hunting woodcock, pheasants and bunnies are now bone dry.  Our bird dogs and beagles are hard pressed to find water to lap up.  Please be careful, especially you smokers, that you don’t inadvertently start a fire.

Actually, I’m surprised that the State hasn’t closed the woods to hunting and hiking like they used to do years ago.

Last I heard is that rain is forecasted for Veterans Day.  I hope so.

For you brave souls who will be out archery hunting that day, sitting in a tree stand shivering in the much needed rain, it might behoove you to remember the veterans who made the sacrifices to ensure that we live in a free and democratic country.

Thank you vets.

A new high school varsity sport is “catching on”.

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That’s according to Jim Whitman of Dalton.  On October 5, from sunrise to 3:00 p.m., the seventh annual Vermont State High School Fishing Tournament took place in South Hero, VT.  Some 19 boats participated.   Along with all Vermont varsity sports programs, this event was overseen by the Vermont Principals Association.  Hundreds of students, coaches and fans came from all parts of Vermont to meet at the John Guilmette fishing access on the Inland Sea of Lake Champlain. This section of Champlain, which is east of South and North Hero, Vt, covers 90 square miles.

Abundant fishing opportunities such as weed and gravel beds are there along with depths ranging four to sixty feet hold largemouth and smallmouth bass.    Through the practice seasons, students were given safety guidelines before any lines hit the water.

Jim and Bunny Whitman made a trip to watch their son Patrick and their grandson, Hunter, coach Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) in Hinesburg, VT, compete.  Teammates for CVU were Carter Ashley a junior and Hunter’s younger brother, Harrison, a sophomore. 
Carter Ashley on left and Harrison Whitman on right holding their bass.,

Volunteer coaches taught students the basics in fishing techniques and accompanied them during tournaments.    Many students had little or no fishing experience but, at the end of the season they became proficient and loved the sport.     Coaches spend 15 to 20 hours with their students in preparation for tournaments. Part of the time is spent on the shore line of local lakes where casting techniques and lure selection are reviewed.   The balance of training is on a boat, searching for likely fish cover and trying their newly learned skills, making successful catches.

“During this tournament, many good things happened for high school competitors, for they all had good luck.” said Jim.  Some 114 bass were checked in at the 3:00 p.m. weigh in event which was officially organized by volunteers.    “There was lots of enthusiasm from fans who cheered each team as their catches were recorded. While talking with students, they shared information about the best lures for the day which were weighted rubber worms and jigs with tails.”

Some very large fish were registered as Mt Abe High School took lunker honors with a 5.3 lbs. largemouth bass.     Each high school team weighed 6 fish and Mt Abe took the state title with a total of 23.84 pounds.    CVU was state runner up with 20.95 pounds.     The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department was on hand to release all fish back alive into Lake Champlain.

“At the end of a magical day on Champlain, high school students offered many great fishing stories— and all were true.    Indeed, their live wells were full and the sport of high school fishing in Vermont is alive and well.” said Jim Whitman.

Hunter readily gives his dad Patrick, credit for showing him the love of fishing.    Although, the coaching season has ended for Hunter, his competition at the college level continues. He is a senior at the University of Vermont and has qualified to represent his college at the National Collegiate Abu Garcia Fishing Tournament.

Be alert for moose and deer while driving

Because fall is the breeding season for both moose and white-tailed deer, MassWildlife reminds motorists to be mindful of increased deer and moose activity, especially during early morning and evening hours. Moose, found in central and western parts of Massachusetts, breed in September and October. White-tailed deer breed from late October to early December.

Moose on the road are especially hazardous. The dark color and height of moose make them difficult to see in low light; moose eyes rarely shine like deer eyes because their eyes are above headlight level. In addition, long legs and heavy top bodies make moose very dangerous to motorists when struck. Observe road signs for moose and deer crossings and slow down. Do not swerve to avoid hitting a deer because it may lead to more risk and damage than hitting the deer. Moose are less likely to move from the road than deer, so stay alert and brake when you see a moose in or near the road.

Deer and moose/vehicle collisions should be reported to the Environmental Police at 1-800-632-8075. In the event of a deer/vehicle collision, the driver or passengers of the vehicle involved (MA residents only) may salvage the deer by bringing it to a MassWildlife Office to be officially tagged.

RIP Grizzly 399

Staying on the subject of animal collisions, did you hear about Grizzly 399?   She was a 28-year-old bear known to millions of people and who was an economic force, drawing countless tourists to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  She died on October 22 in a Snake River Canyon vehicle strike. She was identified through ear tags and a microchip, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At the time, the whereabouts of her single cub were unknown.  “There appears to be no evidence to suggest the yearling was also involved in the incident, but the service is monitoring the area,” the federal agency stated in a news release.

Unconfirmed reports state that vehicle involved in the collision was “totaled.” The speed limit along Highway 89 in the Snake River Canyon, which connects Jackson to Alpine, is 55 mph. There is no investigation into illegal activity relating to the accident

If you have ever visited the Grand Teton National Park, you may have seen her.  She first rose to prominence in 2006, when she began frequenting roadside areas in northern Grand Teton National Park with a three-cub litter. Over the next 18 years, she repeated the pattern every three springs, reemerging with a new batch of cubs. She once raised four cubs — an exceptional rarity — and in 2023, at age 27, emerged with a single cub, making her the oldest female grizzly alive with a cub in the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. All told, she gave birth to 18 known cubs in the years following her own birth in 1996, according to Justin Schwabedissen, a Grand Teton bear biologist.

“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in a statement. “Grizzly bear 399 has been perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species. She has inspired countless visitors into conservation stewardship around the world and will be missed.”

September 2024 bear harvest tally is up

There are no grizzlies in Massachusetts, only black bears.  According to figures released by MassWildlife, some 188 black bears were taken in the September 2024 bear hunting season, up from 118 taken in the September 2023 season.

The second season of black bear hunting opens on Monday, November 4 and runs through November 23.  A blaze orange hat is required on Wildlife Management Areas stocked with pheasants or quail during pheasant season (which is currently under way). Hunting implements allowed are rifles, muzzleloaders and archery only (no shotguns).

Zebra Mussel eDNA recently detected in Pontoosuc Lake

According to the City of Pittsfield, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) detected eDNA of the invasive species, Zebra Mussels, in the lake during routine monitoring. Environmental DNA, called eDNA, is cellular material that sheds from an organism and is used as an early detector of invasive or rare species.

Zebra Mussels are invasive freshwater mollusks that are the size of a fingernail and have a negative impact on the local environment. They can filter out algae that native species need for food in order to survive and can attach to native mussels. Their name comes from the zig-zagged stripes on their shells.

Currently, the detection of this species only impacts boating operations at Pontoosuc Lake and has no impact on other recreational uses of the lake. The community is asked to refrain from boating on Pontoosuc Lake until there is an ice-over. All docks and buoys should also be removed from the lake and wash all parts of your boats, paddles and other equipment that have been in contact with the water.

In my opinion, if Zebra Mussels can attach to things like boats and paddles, then they probably attach to the feathers of ducks and geese which fly from waterbody to waterbody.  Surely, they spread the mussels, too.

Incidentally, Zebra Mussels were also observed in Onota Lake this past August and have been known to exist in Laurel Lake and the Housatonic River in Lee since 2009.

Missions Accomplished on recent Catskill Fly Fishing Trip

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Last month, Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and I went to the Catskills for four days.  The purpose of the trip was 3-fold: to meet up with fishing friends that we met last year, to enable Paul to pick up a new bamboo flyrod that he ordered last September which was built specifically for him by excellent bamboo (cane) rod maker Brian Greer of Missouri and, oh yes, to do some flyfishing for trout in the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers in and around Roscoe, NY.

 

Within moments after arriving at the Roscoe Motel in Roscoe, NY we were feasting on a piece of delicious homemade apple/walnut pie.  While good friend Dwight Atkinson was driving up from Virginia, he stopped at a roadside pie shop run by Amish folks and ordered some pies, just like he did last June.

 

Shortly thereafter, Brian Greer presented Paul his new cane rod.  It’s an 8’ 4wt bamboo rod made specifically to Paul’s specifications. Paul ordered it during our September 2023 trip to the Catskills. (See Berkshire Eagle Woods and Waters Column of February 23/24, 2024 entitled You meet the most interesting people while fly fishing in the Catskills.

 

It was made from a bamboo grown only on approximately 48,000 acres up the Sui River in the Guangdong Province in China. The culm was split into strips, measured, planed, and glued to form a hexagonal shaped rod. (Kind of like if you look down at a pie that is cut into 6 even pieces).  The size of the rod at the butt is the approximate width of a pencil and it is tapered down to roughly the size of a toothpick at the tip.  The 6 strips that went into the tip section were comparable to the size of lead in a mechanical pencil.  The cork grip or handle of the rod had a reel seat of maple burl dyed red. The metal piece at the end of the reel seat was made by a friend of Brian’s who specializes in making them. It is a two-piece rod with a third (extra) tip.  Ferrules separate the two tips which had special line guides. Special glues were used and the fit was so precise that you couldn’t even see the glue lines.  There was a special procedure to varnish it too. Additionally, per Paul’s request, there were six discreet red silk rod wraps representing his two sons and 4 grandchildren.

Brian Greer on the left and Paul Knauth on the right holding his new rod.

It was truly a work of art.  Brian, in my opinion, is one great rod maker and you can tell that he puts his heart and soul into making his rods. The rod took him around 60 hours to build.  As mentioned in the previous article, close to 400 steps are required to build such a rod. After explaining all of the particulars of the rod and how to maintain it, Brian presented Paul with a piece of the bamboo culm and some bamboo strips.

Then he presented us a bottle of 7-year old Jim Beam bourbon with two glasses etched with our names on them. Along with Paul’s caprese hors d’oeuvres (skewered mozzarella cheese balls, cherry tomatoes, basil and drizzled with balsamic glaze) and pieces of Dwight’s peach melba pie, that bottle was emptied that evening when 8 of us sat around the campfire).

Paul’s caprese hors d’oeuvres

A beautiful bamboo rod is made to fish with, not to just cherish.  And Paul did just that the following day by catching 6 nice trout in a couple of hours.

On subsequent nights, due to chilliness in the air, Brian, Dwight and his fishing buddy Eric congregated in our motel room to talk trout, watch a ball game and munch on my wife Jan’s delicious chocolate chip squares and another one of Dwight’s peach pies.  It was at that time that we discovered that we had a celebrity amongst us. We learned that Dwight owned land in Scotland and that he was a Laird (Lord) there.  His estate lies in the western Highlands, near the Hebrides. (Actually, his daughter bought a one square foot plot of land there and gave the title to him for his birthday). We had fun kidding him as to whether he was going to plant potatoes on that plot next year.

 

Readers may remember Dwight from that February column where I described him as being “retired and seems to fish whenever and wherever he wants, places like the Balkans, Iceland, Scotland and Ireland.” After commissioning Brian to make another bamboo rod for himself (an 8’6”, two-piece 4/5 wt. in his Squire taper), he will be off to Oregon to fish the Owyhee River.  He has already booked a fishing trip to Wales for March, 2025, and then to Ireland and Iceland in May.  Being a laird, I guess he can afford such trips.

 

We also learned that he had the distinct honor of introducing a new word to the Oxford English Dictionary. He didn’t create the word, but he presented it to the OED, the definitive record of the English language. The word is exceedance, which means – an act or instance of exceeding, especially a limit or amount.  Hey! You never know who you’ll meet on these fishing trips, sipping a little bourbon and munching on goodies.

 

We accomplished two of our goals (Paul’s fly rod and meeting friends), and had wonderful culinary experiences, but what about the fishing?

 

We did well.  Both of us caught a dozen or more trout each, some of them quite large. Not bad fishing when you consider that we barely fished before 10:00 am in the mornings, fished until 2:00 p.m. or so, ate early dinners of overstuffed sandwiches (Dagwood Bumstead style) and went back fishing from 6:00 p.m. until dark.  On this trip, we enjoyed leisure breakfasts, chatted with our friends, visited fly fishing shops, and slowed the pace down a bit.  One morning, Paul and I didn’t even get fishing as we watched a MA Fish & Wildlife Board meeting by Zoom.  No, I didn’t see Iron Mike the fabled big brown trout that cleaned my clock a couple of times last year, but I caught a respectable rainbow trout in the area where he once resided.

 

We learned about some new places to fish in the Beaverkill River.  One place yielded one of the largest brown trout I have caught in many years. You should have been there to see that.

 

Picture if you will, this old angler out in the river with a wading staff in one hand (due to neuropathy in both feet and a serious balance problem, especially in moving water) and a flyrod in the other.  A large brown trout hammered my fly so I had to let go of the staff which was tethered to my vest, in order to fight the fish.  After finally getting it close, while keeping pressure on it with the fly rod in one hand I had to grab the tethered net which was attached to the back of my vest with the other. The interesting part was bending down to net that fish while maintaining my balance.  For a while it looked like I was doing the Watusi, with steps and antics that I had never done on the dance floor.

 

Normally, I release the fish in the water without using the net, thanks to the barbless hooks, but this was big and I wanted to show it off to my buddies who were fishing a little ways downstream.  Forget about trying to measure it or taking a photo with the cell phone which was buried somewhere under my chest waders. The trout just barely fit into the net when he spit the fly out.

 

I must have been quite a sight with the fly rod in one hand, showing off a big squiggly trout in the other hand and the attached wading staff and net hanging down in the water by my feet while struggling to maintain my balance.  The fish was released unharmed, but not too happy.

 

The size 12 AuSable Wulff and Usual dry flies, both created by the late Francis Betters up on the Ausable River near Lake Placid, NY, proved to be my most effective flies.   Paul had good luck with size 16 Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Parachute Adams dry flies.

 

What a great time we had.  We already reserved a room in the Roscoe Motel for next June, Good Lord willing and the creek doesn’t rise…..too much.

New Goose Pond accessible boat sidewalk and floating dock erected in honor of Evan “Cole” Colbert

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On Friday, October 4, state and local leaders, friends, family, and community members gathered at the Goose Pond Boat Ramp in Tyringham for the dedication of new accessible improvements there. The improvements include an accessible concrete sidewalk and floating dock to improve access for people of all abilities to fishing and boating. A granite stone and plaque were erected to honor the late Evan Scott Colbert and his passion for the outdoors, being on the water, and fishing and boating at Goose Pond.

These improvements were made possible through local community fundraising efforts from the Cole’s Memorial Hard Water Fishing Derby with the generous donations to Office of Fishing & Boating Access (OFBA) Trust Fund. In January, 2020, a new ice fishing derby was established dedicated in Evan’s memory who passed away in July, 2019 at the age of 29.

He loved the outdoors and spent his leisure time fishing and boating. He could often be seen enjoying the waters of Goose Pond casting his reel while watching the eagles fly above.

All proceeds of the ensuing derbies went towards a donation to the Goose Pond Boat Ramp in Evan’s name. Last year, they donated $5,000 to OFBA to help fund the improvements

Among those attending were MA Fish & Game Commissioner Thomas O’Shea, MA House Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli, State Senator Paul Mark, Tyringham Selectman James Consolati and Terrance W. Smith, Deputy Chief Engineer & Constructor.

“The dedication of this public access point to Evan Colbert is a fitting tribute to a young man whose great love of the outdoors and passion for fishing and boating has inspired his family and friends to give back,” said Tom O’Shea. “We greatly appreciate the support that has allowed us to increase access to Goose Pond, a cherished great pond in the Berkshires. The new accessible walkway and floating dock will greatly improve the experience for boaters and anglers like Evan who appreciate nothing more than a day out on the water.”

“The many years of successfully raising funds through events, donations, and visibility are now culminating with the dedication of the Goose Pond Boat Ramp in honor of Evan ‘Cole’ Colbert.  This is an amazing example of the sense of community that makes the Berkshires so special,” said Mark “The improvements that have been made and this dedication ceremony is a testament to how important Evan was to so many and that his memory continues to bring people together and bring out the very best in all of us.”

“Evan Colbert was an exceptional young man who loved to fish with friends and family on Goose Pond. He was taken too soon, leaving a void in all our hearts. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of recognition for this wonderful enhancement to the pond he loved to spend time on,” said Pignatelli.

“The construction and dedication of the Goose Pond Boat Ramp is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when the state, town and private citizens work together. We now have a great new facility, which makes boating on Goose Pond safer, much more convenient, and more enjoyable. At the same time, we have established a lasting memorial for Evan Colbert, who is loved and missed by all who knew him,” said Consolati.

Inscribed on the plaque were the following words, “Evan had a passion for the outdoors, fishing, boating, being on the water and making the most of his time with family and friends.”

Throughout the ceremony, people kept searching the sky for the bald eagle which frequently flies over Goose Pond.  It never showed up, at least not during the ceremony.  Perhaps it didn’t want to upstage the wonderful event honoring Cole which was going on down below.

A buck at the end of the rainbow

On Tuesday afternoon, October 13, Kevin Troiano of Housatonic was on the phone discussing the possibility of going out bow hunting for deer with his dad Andy.  Hail and rain was coming down where Kevin was but it was sunny where Andy was.  For a while, they didn’t think they would be going out.  But then, Andy saw a beautiful double rainbow came out and suggested that they go.  He felt that it was a good luck charm and there might be something nice at the end of that rainbow.

They did go out and from his tree stand in Housatonic, Kevin spotted two large bucks about the same size, one with a tall rack of antlers and the other with a wide rack.  They were about 30 yards away.  Kevin couldn’t take a shot at the buck with the tall rack as it was partially blocked by the other deer. So, he let his arrow fly at the one that provided a clear shot and hit it, but it ran off.  He called his father to help him track it down.  Because it was wet and rainy, there was not a good blood trail to follow.  It was getting late and they really didn’t want to leave the deer there over night to resume tracking the next morning as coyotes would surely find it and eat it up overnight.

They made one more circle and found it just before dark.  It took a total of 45 minutes of tracking to find that deer.  It was a 10-point buck. They had to drag it about 150 years to get it out of the woods.

The deer weighed 210 lbs. dressed according to Fishery & Wildlife scales. (Its live weight was estimated to be around 280 lbs.) They estimated the deer to be 4 ½ years old.

Kevin is going to have the head and shoulder mounted by Wild Arts Taxidermy out of Connecticut.

New gun law confusion persists

There still remains much confusion regarding the new gun law which took effect this month (Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024). What is understood to be the law this week could very well be changed or re-clarified the next.  At the October 5th Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s meeting, MassWildlife Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden distributed MassWildlife’s most recent information on this subject.  Hunters are encouraged to click onto the MassWildlife website entitled “Hunting with a firearm in Massachusetts”). https://www.mass.gov/info-details/hunting-with-a-firearm-in-massachusetts) for their most recent data.  He stressed that the website will more than likely be updated as they get new information.

He noted that his district office is getting a lot of calls from out of state hunters.

 

Incidentally, according to Toby Leary, leader of The Civil Rights Coalition, more than 90,000 people signed petitions to delay enactment of the law and request that it be brought up for statewide vote in 2026.  That was well above the 37,287 required to put a repeal question before voters. Leary said the group did not use paid signature-gatherers and relied entirely on volunteers.

Hunters and Anglers recognized

On September 1, 2024 Governor Maura Healey gave a proclamation recognizing September 28, 2024 as National Hunting and Fishing Day and urged all citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance. The proclamation stated:

  • To this day, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game is funded, in part, by sportsmen and women, through the American System of Conservation Funding. In 2023, Massachusetts’ sportsmen and women generated more than $24 million to support the Department’s conservation efforts.
  • More than 330,000 hunters and anglers support the state’s economy through their spending more than $600 million while engaged in their pursuits.
  • This spending supports over 9,000 jobs in Massachusetts and generates $70 million in state and local taxes.
  • Their license fees helped fund state efforts to provide for healthy and sustainable natural resources.
  • Sportsmen and women supported self-imposed excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, fishing tackle and motorboat fuels to raise additional conservation funds.

Old Mill Trail

 

On Wednesday, October 23, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., you are invited to  to celebrate the completion of accessibility improvements at the Old Mill Trail in Hinsdale. The improvements include a more accessible trailhead and parking lot, making this beautiful trail more inclusive for everyone, regardless of their mobility needs.

 

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but requested.

Angler input requested regarding cessation of stocking in the Upper Deerfield River

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MassWildlife has been approached to pause the stocking of trout in the Catch and Release area to give wild brown trout, which are not native in the proponent’s opinion, a better chance for survival. Others propose keeping the stocking as it has a major impact on the well being of many people who fish there and have businesses that depend on the success of the anglers. As a result, two public listening sessions regarding the management of trout in the Upper Deerfield River will be held via Zoom type platform on October 17, one at 1:00 p.m., the other at 6:00 p.m. It is important that all constituents participate so that the Fish & Wildlife Board gets as broad as possible opinions.

This subject was presented to the F&W Board back in March of this year.  Apparently, it feels it is warranted to have a further discussion.

I contacted Attorney Kevin Parsons, one of the presenters at the session, regarding his concerns about stocking over a significant wild trout population in the Upper Deerfield River (defined as from Route 2 bridge near Mohawk Park in Charlemont up to Fife Dam…..being about 7.5 miles of river).  His response was as follows:

“The compelling reason why the stocking needs to stop ASAP is to enable the gathering of additional science to support even better flow regime enhancements when the Great River license comes up for renewal in 2037… yet that process starts in 2031-2032.  At that time those who care about river ecology need to be prepared with science to demonstrate there is a need for additional studies which could be paid for by the license renewal applicant.” (Great River owns 4 facilities on the Deerfield upriver of Brookfield Power, and two below.)

“What I learned as a lead negotiator for the Deerfield River TU Chapter in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing of the Brookfield license over the last 10 years was unless you have science in hand to prove impact, FERC will thumb its nose at advocates request for more studies as there is no proven impact.”  (Brookfield Power owns the Fife Dam and Bear Swamp Pump Storage)

“In our case we proved the current Brookfield hydropeaking operations were having a substantial impact on the spawning effort.  This proved to be the deciding factor in our ability to secure winter flows we got from Brookfield from 125 cfs to 225 cfs.  (Cubic feet of water per second). Although Brookfield has limited ability to mitigate winter flow deficiencies, Great River on the other hand has plenty of water in the upper reservoirs to have an even greater impact on river ecology. However, we need to show how the minimum flow enhancements are having on the wild fishery….and then make the case for even better winter flows.  With the known impacts of stocked fish on the wild fish population, this science is impossible with so many stocked fish among the wild fishery.  It is common sense that the thousands of fish being dumped into the Upper River are eating wild fry and young of year fish.”

“Fish biologists have informed us at least three years assessment of the wild fishery (free of stocking) must be conducted prior to the anticipated increase in minimum winter flows.  Then 3-4 years after the enhanced flows.  Then we will know for sure what the wild fishery is and whether or not it will prove itself to be as substantial as we believe it will be…if the stocking stops and the flows are such that wild fish recruitment rebounds with the winter flows covering the redds.”

“The story is not whether pellet raised fish are good for anglers.  It is about whether we can gather the science over the next 7 years or so to demonstrate that we have a wild fishery warranting protection.  We believe without stocking the wild fishery will, even without the flow adjustments, take hold.  And then with the negotiated minimum flow enhancements it will even become what we believe is an amazing wild fishery that we all could be proud of having in our back yard. It already exists in the Dry Way just upriver of the Brookfield impoundment so why not in this 7-mile section?”

“A Trout Unlimited study review of over 110 international studies on stocking over wild and native fisheries was clear…. it is bad.  Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine anglers have resoundedly supported the enhancement of wild and native fisheries.  Massachusetts is the only New England state that does not have a wild fish management policy.  Vermont does and 75% of the anglers up there supported the cessation of stocking over known significant wild/native fisheries.  With Massachusetts biodiversity policy and mandate from MassWildlife recently adopted, this fits right in to that effort.  Stocking over wild fish does not.”

I reached out to MassWildlife to comment on this matter.  Their response was, “MassWildlife considers the Deerfield River to be one of the most important cold-water fisheries in the state. It is a premier destination for anglers throughout Massachusetts and New England. Trout fishing in the Deerfield has become a year-round activity supporting several guide services and bringing business to rural Franklin County communities.”

“The river and surrounding watershed also benefit from passionate advocacy from anglers and other conservationists who care deeply about the resource. MassWildlife’s current management of the upper Deerfield River includes the stocking of rainbow trout to supplement a low-density but sustainable wild brown trout fishery.”

Recognizing the importance of the Deerfield River fishery to the broader angling public, the F&W Board is seeking feedback on this request at the two above mentioned public listening sessions.

Currently, MassWildlife stocks 12–16” rainbow trout throughout the Deerfield River including in the upper reach below Fife Brook Dam. Stocked rainbow trout are incredibly popular with anglers in the Deerfield River, as volunteer angler surveys indicate that rainbow trout represent 69% of the catch in the upper Deerfield. These fish have long been a target of recreational anglers of all levels looking for a tailwater fishing experience. Eliminating rainbow stocking would have a significant impact on the quality of angling.”

“MassWildlife biologists have been closely studying the upper Deerfield since 2019, assessing the fish community, including stocked and wild reproducing brown trout. MassWildlife has seen no evidence to indicate predation or competition between stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout in the upper Deerfield. MassWildlife’s fisheries community assessments show ample food resources including invertebrates available for stocked rainbows to eat. This abundance of available prey and habitat makes direct competition for food or space with wild brown trout unlikely.”

“As a result, MassWildlife expects that halting the stocking of rainbow trout would offer minimal ecological advantages for wild brown trout while significantly reducing the quality of the fishing experience for many anglers.”

“MassWildlife is committed to continuing to use research and the best available science to inform its management decisions, including when, where, and how the Deerfield River is stocked in the future.”

So there you have it.  Instructions for joining the session can be found by visiting Mass.gov/dfw/calendar.

Fall Trout Stocking

The fall stocking of trout should be completed by this weekend.  The following waters should have been stocked: Stockbridge Bowl, Onota Lake, Pontoosuc Lake, Lake Buel, Goose Pond, Laurel Lake, North Pond, Windsor Lake, Windsor Pond, Otis Reservoir, Richmond Pond, Ashfield Lake, and the Deerfield River.  We still need some serious rain to raise the water level in the East Branch of the Westfield River, and if we don’t get it, then it is doubtful that it will be stocked this fall.

Hunting seasons opening this upcoming week

The regular goose hunting season in the Berkshires opens on October 14 and runs through November 16.  It shuts down through the shotgun deer hunting season and then reopens December 11 through December 14.

Pheasant hunting season opens on October 19 and runs to December 31.  Ruffed Grouse (partridge) season opens on October 19 and runs to November 30. Cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunting seasons open on October 19 and end on February 28, 2025.

F&W Board elections

The Fish & Wildlife Board conducted its annual officer elections at its October 2 Meeting. By unanimous vote the following were chosen:  Stephen Sears of Dalton, was re-elected Chairman, Emma Ellsworth of Orange was elected Vice Chair replacing Robert Durand of Marlborough, who decided to step down. Ernest Foster of Scituate was re-elected Secretary.

How will the new Massachusetts gun law affect hunters?

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Much of the following information has been obtained from the Massachusetts Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) and/or the Massachusetts Conservation Alliance.

On July 25, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed Chapter 135 of the Acts of 2024 into law. The new law brings new restrictions to every part of the Second Amendment community, including hunters with modern firearms and muzzleloaders alike.

GOAL has been fighting this bill since February of 2023. Sadly, the final language was kept secret for nearly three months. According to Jim Wallace, Executive Director of GOAL, the 116-page bill was released to the legislature and the public at 9:00 pm on a Wednesday and it was “rammed through” the voting process in less than 24 hours. They (legislators) have no idea what they have done and have no idea what’s coming our way.”

Since its release, GOAL has been constantly deciphering the document and was directly contacting stakeholder groups that would be adversely affected by the new law.

The following is some of what Massachusetts hunters and shooters need to know. For more detailed information, go to www.GOAL.org/gunban.

The effective date of the law was supposed to be October 23, 2024 (90 days after signed by the Governor) unless changed by action of the Governor. She could sign an emergency order which meant the law would take effect immediately. “If she does that” said Wallace “she is screwing her state agencies.  They have no clue as to how they can make this work.”  Well, Governor Healey did sign the emergency order on Wednesday, October 2.

According to GOAL, under the new law:

Junior Hunters  
Massachusetts resident junior hunters that hold only an Federal ID Card (FID), will be prohibited
from possessing any type of semi-auto handgun, rifle or shotgun in the field.

Card Holders of all ages:
Massachusetts resident hunters that hold only an FID Card, of all ages, will be prohibited from possessing any type of semi-auto handgun, rifle or shotgun in the field.

Muzzleloaders:

According to figures provided by MassWildlife, based on 2023 data, some 32,805 hunters purchased primitive firearms season stamps, and, based upon the hunter survey, MassWildlife estimates 30,469 hunted the primitive firearms season for deer. The deer harvest data, across all three seasons shows that 21% (3,189) of deer were harvested using a muzzleloader.

Now, the new law requires that anyone firing a muzzle loader for any purpose must now have an FID Card or License to Carry (LTC) to purchase and possess the ammunition components – black powder (or equivalent), percussion caps, round balls, etc.

Any muzzle loading firearm that does, or can take, modern ammunition components such as a shotgun primer is now considered to be a modern firearm. This will now require anyone in possession of such a muzzleloader to possess an FID Card or LTC. It also requires that the firearm be registered under the new mandates. This also includes any firearm that has been, or can be, converted to a muzzle loader. Any firearm that has a frame or receiver. Any firearm that can be readily converted to fire fixed ammunition by replacing the barrel, bolt, breechblock, or any combination thereof.

Non-resident Hunters:

  • Must now register their firearms with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prior to entering the state. (I wonder how many will know that or will go through the hassle).
  • The new law bans the possession of semi-automatic firearms (including rifles and shotguns).
  • It bans any non-resident under 18 from hunting in Massachusetts.

There is no question that some sort of action should be taken to curb the gun violence and mass shootings in our country.  People should not fear sending their kids to school or allowing them to attend an event for fear that they may never come back home.  Governor Healey and the legislature are to be commended for taking steps to try to eliminate or reduce the chances of such things happening in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the new law, in my opinion, goes way, way too far and adversely affects Massachusetts hunters.  Does anyone seriously think that banning a 3 or 5 shot semi-automatic shotgun or one-shot muzzleloader is going to resolve this problem?

I wonder if the Governor and legislators know what goes into preparing a muzzleloading gun to fire?  At the risk of using too much valuable column space I offer the following:

After putting the safety on, if the gun has one, put the gun powder into the muzzle (barrel) of the gun, making sure it reaches the breech, add a wad and bullet ensuing that it is tight against the powder, tamp it down with the ramrod to ensure there are no spaces, put a primer (percussion cap) at the touch hole (a small hole at the rear of the breech through which the charge is ignited), pull the hammer back or slide a bolt, release the safety, aim and fire.  You better make darn sure that the barrel/breech is cool enough before reloading the gun powder for the next shot. Not exactly the sort of gun that you would use to shoot up a place, wouldn’t you say?

There is no exemption for black powder ammunition.  You can have the gun, but not the black powder or round balls.  It affects re-enactors.  Non- residents must get a LTC to handle the ammo for muskets.

I wonder if there is enough time for agencies such as MassWildlife to implement changes into the 2025 excerpts?   For example, what is going to qualify for muzzleloader hunting season?  If considered a modern firearm, are you still eligible to use it for muzzleloader hunting season?   What changes will have to be made by basic hunting course instructors, etc., etc.?

According to figures provided by MassWildlife, some 6,321 non-resident hunters purchased hunting licenses in 2023.  What about those who have already purchased their 2024 non-resident license?  Will this new law make it illegal for them to come to Massachusetts and hunt?  If so, will they be able to get their license fees refunded?  Being surrounded by three other states, many non-residents hunt in the Berkshires and their absence will surely be felt by local businesses.

I suspect that there will be a sizable drop in the number of both non- resident and resident hunters in Massachusetts. What a shame for MassWildlife has been working so hard to bolster the numbers through its R3 program (an effort to increase participation in hunting and the shooting sports through Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation.)

I also suspect that such reductions will, in the long run, negatively affect Governor Healey’s initiative to increase forests acquisitions to fight climate change.  More deer hunters are needed especially in the eastern part of our state to control the deer population which is wreaking havoc in their forests already by over-browsing of the young tree shoots. A few years back, that problem was recognized in the Quabbin area which had previously banned hunting, and as a result, annual two-day controlled deer hunts were established.

 

Will the Massachusetts Environmental Police have enough time to adjust to the new laws?  Will they issue warnings, give out fines, or fines plus confiscate firearms?

How many times have we heard or read the words, “We are not going to come and take away your guns.” That may technically be true.  However; I agree with Jim Wallace’s assessment when he recently said, “The plan is to make it illegal for you to do or possess something.  If you are arrested for noncompliance with the law, you become a felon.”  There goes your guns.

There are tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents who have signed a petition to delay the law and to bring it up for statewide vote in 2026.  This would have allowed residents to read and comprehend the law before voting on it.  What’s wrong with that? Its all moot now.

Tom Nadolny, President of the Lenox Sportsmen’s Club recently said that sportsmen were about half way to the required 50,000 petition signature mark, but he felt that they would have to get another 50%.  (As of this writing, they were approaching 70,000). He felt that the state would disqualify signatures for almost any reason.  “He advised signers to be careful when signing the petition.  “If there is a smudge mark, if there is a coffee stain on the sheet, then everything that is on it is disqualified including the signatures of everyone else who signed that petition sheet.

Local folks who still wish to sign that petition and make a statement, in spite of the Governor’s action on October 2, should do so today or tomorrow, if possible.  They are available at Dave’s Sporting Goods, Cheshire Sporting Goods, South County Arms, Webster Electric in Lanesborough and most local sportsmen’s clubs.

What is the MA DER and what does it do?

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The Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) is a division of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. DER was created in 2009 with the merger of the Riverways and Wetlands Restoration Programs (formally within the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management). DER coordinates ecological restoration to improve ecological condition and to restore important ecosystem services that improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts citizens.

 

DER helps restore and protect rivers, wetlands, and watersheds in Massachusetts for the benefit of people and the environment.  DER works with partners from municipalities, nonprofits, government agencies, and other organizations to accomplish its restoration goals.  Some benefits and accomplishments in 2023, as detailed in its Annual Report, are as follows:

 

Storm Protection & Reduced Flood Risk

 

DER’s ecological restoration work protects communities by increasing climate resilience through storm protection and reduced flood risk. Along the coast, DER restores wetlands and salt marshes, which provide a natural barrier to storms by absorbing flood waters and decreasing wave energy, protecting nearby communities. In the western part of the state, Massachusetts experienced severe flooding in the summer and fall of 2023, which resulted in undersized culverts unfortunately contributing to road flooding and failures. DER’s Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance (CRMA) Grant Program helps municipalities replace undersized and deteriorated culverts with larger and more resilient structures. Installing culverts that meet the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards allows rivers to flow unrestricted and lowers the risk of flood damage.

 

 

Healthy Infrastructure & Public Safety

 

Many municipalities are confronted with aging and deteriorating culverts and dams, paired with increasing costs to maintain them. DER’s Dam Removal and Stream Continuity Programs work with partners to remove dams and replace undersized and deteriorating culverts with those that meet the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards. This work improves public safety and helps municipalities address rising maintenance costs. Although replacing culverts with structures that meet these standards involves more up-front cost, it is less expensive over the lifespan of the structure than inaction or in-kind replacements.

 

Biodiversity

 

Creating free-flowing, healthy rivers and wetlands not only benefits our communities, but also improves habitat to support diverse and rare species found throughout the Commonwealth. In 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration helped prioritize and bring awareness to this by signing an Executive Order to develop new biodiversity goals for a nature-positive future. Ecological restoration supports biodiversity by revitalizing habitats for a variety of wildlife, including many endangered and threatened plant, fish, and animal species.

Recreational Opportunities

 

DER’s restoration projects often result in new natural areas for the public to enjoy or improvements to existing conservation land. This work also improves public safety at many of these sites. Massachusetts has many beautiful natural spaces and continuing to restore rivers, wetlands, and watersheds will ensure future generations can enjoy them.

 

In 2023, they were involved in the following:

 

Projects:

  • 11 projects under construction
  • 3 projects completed
  • 66 Priority Projects in planning, design, permitting, or construction

Infrastructure:

  • 3 dams removed in Braintree and Bridgewater
  • 3 culverts upgraded in Ashfield, Plymouth, and Washington

Benefits

  • 2 river miles reconnected
  • 40 acres of freshwater wetlands restored
  • 594 acres of river herring spawning habitat now accessible

 

In the last five years, DER has doubled in size, and has rapidly expanded its restoration programs in response to the demand for assistance. Now, DER is restructuring its programs to better meet the restoration needs of municipalities, non-profit organizations, and landowners. As a young agency, DER is building a solid operational foundation that will serve the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and its partners for many years to come.

 

DER is excited for all that’s coming in 2024, including some of these anticipated activities:

  • It will issue its annual Request for Responses for municipalities that want to upgrade undersized or failing culverts through the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance (CRMA) Grant Program.
  • It will expand the Regional Restoration Partnerships Program by issuing a new request for responses to establish new Restoration Partnerships.
  • It will continue to oversee over 50 active projects as part of the Priority Projects Program. In addition, DER intends to issue a request for responses to award Priority Project status to new projects, making them eligible for support from DER in the form of grant eligibility, technical assistance, and contracted technical services.
  • It will complete preliminary design studies for seven potential dam removal projects. DER awarded $350,000 to support these studies in December 2023.
  • It will begin preliminary design studies to replace near-coastal waterway crossings (such as culverts or bridges) that are expected to be impacted by sea-level rise and increased storm surge due to climate change. Addressing this type of crossing presents a new set of challenges.
  • It issued a Request for Responses to identify potential project locations in need of preliminary studies in 2023 and anticipates selecting sites in 2024.
  • It anticipates completing construction on at least seven cranberry bog restoration, dam removal, wetland restoration, and culvert replacement projects.

 

Youth Outreach Derby

On June 1, some 25 youths and their families attended the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s (BCLS) Youth Outreach Fishing Event this year at Reynolds Pond in Cheshire.  This year’s group was from the Pediatric Palliative Care Program, part of Hospice Care in the Berkshires which is sponsored by the Department of Public Health.  It is a separate program from Hospice Care for kids who have life limiting health conditions.

The program is about giving the kids and their families a quality of life.  They provide nursing, social work, spiritual counselling, art therapy, music therapy and other therapies.  The siblings get to benefit from them as well because they do family events.  “Most of the kids get their medical care at Boston Children’s Hospital. They have  nurses who come to their homes and talk about what’s going on and discusses plans for doctor events. They have social workers who help connect the families to all of the resources that are available to them such as social security, mental disability services, fuel assistance, housing, anything to help the families.

Picture provided by Gene Chague

The kids, along with their parents and grandparents, were eager to attend and learn how to fish at Reynolds Pond.  Most never have been fishing before and it was a brand new experience for them.  It was such a great way for kids and families to connect outside of school.  These kids had a ball and were in their element.

The BCLS was more than happy to provide comfort to these kids that are medically challenged.  There was a wide variety of kids, some were in wheelchairs – and kids who look like any other kids but with conditions that may very well limit their lifespans.  Kids with seizure disorders, with cancer, and all kinds of different challenges.

Reynolds Pond was stocked and the kids were guaranteed that they would catch fish.  And boy did they!  For a change, the fish cooperated and they caught lots of good- sized brook trout, keeping the fish cleaning volunteers quite busy.

Youth hauling in an old shoe. Picture taken by Gene Chague

Each kid was given a fishing pole and equipment with which to fish and when the day was over, they were able to take them along with their trout home. Their equipment was all set up by volunteers by the time they arrived and they were provided with the necessary bait. Around noon time, a meal of burgers, dogs, chips, drinks and desert was provided.

The BCLS annually sponsors the event with significant grants from the local chapter of Whitetails Unlimited.  They provided the brook trout (which were raised in the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery), equipment, bait, and food. Volunteers from the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, East Mountain Sportsmen’s Club, Adams Outdoor for Youth, B.A.S.S., Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Berkshire Beagle Club and Pittsfield Sportsmen’s Club assisted.

God bless the kids, their families and many thanks to the sportsmen and women who provided them with such an enjoyable and memorable day.

Firearm course just for women

 

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club is offering a MA firearm license course for women only on Saturday, June 29. The course will run from 9:00 AM until 2:30 PM. The fee is $ 160.00 which includes eye and ear protection that they keep. Live fire is included.

 

For more information, email Robert at robmcdermott@verizon.net.

 

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@gmail.com.   Phone: (413) 637-1818

 

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Kudos to the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew

A crew of Massachusetts wildfire fighters recently returned from a 14-day assignment on the Flat Fire protecting values at risk in Pioneerville, Idaho.  The crew included 18 members from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and 3 members of the MassWildlife fire team. Two of the MassWildlife staff were from the Western District. Nate Buckhout (Western District Wildlife Biologist) and Heather Sadler (Western District Wildlife Technician) joined Benjamin Mazzei (Westboro Habitat Biologist) on the deployment.

They left on August 11 and returned home on August 27.  While there, they camped on a dirt airstrip in Idaho City (population of about 485), about 1 ½ hours north of Boise, Idaho.  They slept right on the dirt runway.

There weren’t that many firefighters when they first arrived, but the number eventually grew to 350+ firefighters.  The camp grew from a couple of tents to a point where there were caterers, a tractor trailer with 16 showers, a finance office, a medical logistics, etc.  The temperatures were very hot (mid 90’s) but it cooled a little toward the end of the assignment.

The workdays were around 16 hours.  They got up at 5:30 am, ate dinner around 10:00 pm and were in bed by 11:00 pm.  One day they had to stay longer because the fire jumped over the fire line and they ended up fighting it in the dark.

It usually took one to 1 ½ hours to get to the fire because they had to travel very slowly on winding logging roads. Fortunately, no one in their group got injured.  They had a good group of people who knew what they were dealing with and helped those that did not.

All the Massachusetts men and women firefighters worked as a Type 2 Initial Attack Team working with hand tools to build fire lines and contain active fires. The group broke into smaller squads to meet specific objectives depending on the day’s assignment.

“We got thrown into everything.”  Said Buckhout.  They were put into a spike camp (remote camp with less amenities).  There they set up their tents while others drove food up from down below.  At the spike camp, there was no cell service, no showers, and only a couple of bath rooms.

When they arrived the fire was less than 10% contained but when they left it was 60% controlled which was great because there were other big fires nearby blowing up.  Their fire wasn’t a relatively big fire compared to others, but because of the location as to communities and type of areas it was a concern.  It was maybe 3,800 acres at its largest, but there was a 40,000 acre fire north of them in an 80,000 acre wilderness area.

Other than the Massachusetts crew, there were no other firefighters there from the east.  Most of the assisting firefighters came from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah or California.  The Idaho warden who was in charge called them out and said that he would ask for them by name the next time. They left with a good impression with all the different divisions with whom they worked.

The smoke wasn’t great.  The worst part was the dust, because it was so dry, and the altitude, hiking those hills.  When you stepped anywhere, there was a cloud of dust.   When driving, there was so much dust from the vehicle in front,  they had to let it clear so that could see.

They felt like they were doing something that mattered.  As much as it was realy tough, it was a great experience and they would do it again.

Being able to work with DCR they saw a different perspective.  They were all just one, not DCR or DFW.  It was a very positive experience working with DCR and they made good friends.

The assignment was particularly arduous, said MassWildlife District Manager Andrew Madden, but the crew gained valuable experience which will be applied to MassWildlife’s prescribed fire program.

It was a good year for land protection in the Western District

That’s according to Andrew Madden.  He gave delegates the good news at the September meeting of the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen which was held on September 5 at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association..

During the period from July 2023 to June 2024 the following projects were completed:

Shales Brook Wildlife Management Area (WMA) – Becket – A 73-acre gift of land off Tyringham Road abutting the existing WMA.

Savoy WMA -Savoy – A 4-acre acquisition on Harrington Road surrounded by the existing WMA. The project improves access and prevents development which would reduce land available for hunting.

Green River WMA – Williamstown – 100 acres abutting the existing WMA. The property includes frontage along the green river and quality forest on the uplands.

Edge Hill Wildlife Conservation Easement (WCE) – Ashfield – This 132-acre Conservation Easement is held in partnership with the Franklin Land Trust. The property (a former golf course) is open to the public and available for hunting.

Hiram Fox WMA – A 50-acre forested inholding accessible from the existing WMA.

Karner Brook WMA – 18 acres with stream frontage that expands on the existing WMA.

Eugene Moran WMA – 42 acres on Cheshire Road that expands access to the existing WMA.

Assuming that all dwelling and road set back requirements and WMA regulations are complied with, all of the above WMA and WCE lands are open to hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor recreational activities.

For maps and locations visit https://www.mass.gov/how-to/masswildlife-lands viewer.

 

Huge trout caught at the Hatchery Kid’s Derby

According to Dave Ziegler, the Friends of the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery Board Chairman and official fish measurer, there were 18 entrants into the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery Kid’s Derby which was held in Hartsville/New Marlborough last Saturday morning. It was a derby for youths under 13 years of age.

Boy!  Did they catch some whoppers!  Vance LaBonte of Litchfield, CT took first prize with a 22-inch brook trout, estimated to weigh between 3 ½ to 4 lbs.   Jackson Broderick of Pittsfield took second place with a 21-inch rainbow trout. Trever Daley of Lee took third place with a 13-inch rainbow.

Vance LaBonte. Picture provided by Gene Chague

These derbies don’t normally yield such large trout, but the Hatchery folks decided to liberate some of their larger fish as they were getting old and nearing the end of their life spans.

Fall trout stocking should begin soon

MassWildlife will soon stock approximately 73,750 trout.  About 27,000 rainbow trout over 14 inches, just over 40,200 rainbow trout over 12 inches, and about 6,500 brown trout over 12 inches will be stocked across Massachusetts this fall. These fish, along with the 455,000 trout that were stocked in the spring, should provide for some great fall fishing. Fall stocking season will begin around the last full week in September depending on water temperatures and will conclude in mid-October.

Local fall trout stockings are usually conducted in Stockbridge Bowl, Onota Lake, Lake Buel, Goose Pond, Laurel Lake, North Pond, Windsor Lake, Windsor Pond, Otis Reservoir, Richmond Pond, Ashfield Lake, and the Deerfield River.  We’ll have to see if water conditions are sufficient to stock the East Branch of the Westfield River.  We need some rain to raise the water level.

Once stocking begins, visit mass.gov/Trout for a stocking report that is updated daily.

Habitat Management Grants Available

Private and municipal landowners of conserved lands can apply for grant funding to support active habitat management projects that benefit wildlife and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities. Grant applications are due by October 17, 2024. Visit the MHMGP webpage time to learn more about the application process and to see examples of funded projects. For general questions about the grant program, contact James Burnham, Program Coordinator.

Questions/comments:  Berkwoodsandwaters@gmail.com.   Phone: (413) 637-1818

 

 

 

Flyfishing in Iceland

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In July, a group of my fishing buddies flew to Iceland to do some Atlantic Salmon, Brown Trout and perhaps Arctic Char fishing.  Included in the group were Mike Shepard of Dalton, Mike Miller and Carlton Racie from Athol, MA, Darren Miller from Bedford, MA, Brandon Jones of Leominster, MA, Gary Hebert of Richmond, NH, Tim Racie from Acton, MA and Ken Griffin from Boston.

 

Their trip to Iceland started on July 21, flying out of Boston to Reykjavik, the largest city and capitol of Iceland.  Following an overnight stay there, they flew to Akureyri, a fishing village in northern Iceland.  There they were picked up by their outfitter, Iceland Fishing Guide, and drove to Myrarkvisl Lodge.

 

Before fishing Iceland’s waters, all of their fishing equipment including rods, reels, flies, fly lines, waders and boots had to be disinfected in order to protect the pristine Icelandic rivers from any risk of infection from bacteria or disease from foreign rivers that may be present on waders or other equipment.

 

The Mýrarkvísl River is one of the tributaries of Laxá River in Aðaldal, which flows north into the Atlantic Ocean near the Arctic Circle.  It is a relatively small river that holds a great stock of brown trout along with good runs of Atlantic Salmon throughout the summer. The river runs through plains on the Reykjaheiði plateau making it perfect for fly fishing. All of their fishing was done on private land owned by farmers which the guide rented for fishing beats.  They fished on this river for three days.

 

On the second day, Mike Shepard caught an 8 lbs female (hen) Atlantic salmon that was fresh from the ocean and “as silver as it could be.”  It took him about 30 minutes fighting it in heavy water.  As soon as he could get her to shore for the guide to net, she would line him. (make another powerful run).  She did this 4 – 5 times.  In the process, she jumped 5 times, straight out of the water.  Mike’s biggest issue was if she chose to leave the pool, there was no way he could follow her down the river for it was really rough walking.  However; he was using an Orvis Helos III  9 weight (heavy, strong rod) a Mirage Reel and 20 lbs test straight leader, and was able to turn her back to the pool easily.

Mike Shepard with 8 lbs Atlantic Salmon

 

For salmon, they normally use heavy tube flies or classic Atlantic salmon flies, size 10 with double hooks.  But Mike caught her on a dark colored dry fly.

 

They then switched to the Reykjadalsa Lodge, in a small village of Laugar in northern Iceland. There they fished the balance of the days in the Reykjadalsa River, a typical freestone river, renowned for salmon fishing and a wet fly angler’s paradise. It’s known as one of Iceland’s best wild Trout rivers, with high volumes of fish landed every season. In the morning, four of their group fished for Atlantic Salmon, and in the afternoon, they switched and fished for big Brown Trout in the Laxa River. They split the trip into two different lodges for the logistics of fishing different rivers and streams.

 

The Laxa River is about 3/4 of a mile wide and never deeper than one’s knees, so one could wade straight across it.  The river bottom was black, from volcanic ash and it is full of big Brown Trout. (Iceland is basically a volcanic island.  All the volcanic activity that is in the news these days is in the south about 200 miles from where they currently were staying).

 

The smallest Brown Trout caught on the trip was probably 3lbs and the largest 7lbs.  There is not an abundance of aquatic insects so a dry-fly fisherman had to work hard to catch them.  On the other hand, a wet-fly fisherman or person fishing with nymphs could kill them.  (Actually, everything was “catch & release).

 

According to Mike Shepard, they got their share of rainy, windy weather.  He wore Under Armour, a flannel shirt, and a wool sweater each day, and a raincoat, too, if needed.

 

They never got to see the Northern Lights and because of the long days up there, they fished until 10:00 pm, had an hour’s drive back to the lodge and didn’t eat until 11:30 pm.

 

According to Mike, all in all, the group caught a lot of big brown trout.  They caught 13 Atlantic Salmon   Most of the guys caught one or two, but Carl’s son Tim Racie is an accomplished wet-fly fisherman, and caught 4, one of which was a brute of probably 20 lbs. The guide said it was the biggest one caught in the river in the last 4-5 years. Gary Hebert managed to hit the mother lode on Browns and caught one of the largest Browns of the week.

Gary Hebert with a large Brown Trout

 

According to Gary, they have a tradition up there when you catch your first Atlantic Salmon of the season, you have to indulge in the curse of the fermented shark (a tradition of having to eat fermented shark (Hakari).  He described it as the nastiest rotten smelliest vile food in the world.

 

(Readers may remember Gary.  I mentioned him in an article that I did about fishing the Minipi River/Lake in Labrador some years back.  He and I were the early risers each morning and he would make our coffee, which was arguably the strongest cup of coffee in North America.  We called it napalm.  Both being vets, we got a chuckle out of that.)

 

They were in a small village of Laugar in northern Iceland.  The country is essentially run on geothermal power. According to Gary, a few of them indulged in one of the local geothermal pools while enjoying their favorite libations.

 

Mike Shepard feels that it is clearly a “bucket list” trip – the opportunity to catch an Atlantic Salmon is once in a lifetime.  Although he only caught one, he did have ten come after his fly – three with the intention of hitting it.  One, estimated to be 15 pounds came right out of the river and jumped over his fly.  Another big one hit it with his nose and knocked it straight up in the air.  The other salmon flashed at his fly, not making any effort to take the fly.  Atlantic Salmon don’t eat once they hit fresh water, so you are left to making them mad.

 

“The country is essentially treeless, mountains with enormous valleys of grass fields and outcropping of volcanic rock”, said Mike, “unique but beautiful in its own pristine way.  The Icelandic people are very friendly and helpful, the guides were excellent.  The food was traditional Icelandic meals focusing on lamb and fish. One of the cooks was a trained chef so dinner was gourmet.”

 

The trip took 10 days including travel days and an overnight stay in Reykjavik. The price was $6,400 USD per person for 6 1/2 days of fishing, which included meals, fishing license, guiding (1 guide for two anglers), accommodations, full catering, taxes and tips. Airfare was $860 with another approximately $650 for hotel, meals, libations, taxes and tips.

 

Incidentally, of the 8 anglers who went on that trip, 5 came back with Covid.  Fortunately for Mike Shepard, he was not one of them.

In case you are wondering why I didn’t join the guys on this trip, its because my wife Jan and I were in other waters – the Mediterranean Sea on a cruise ship.  While there, I was hoping to do a little trolling off of our stateroom balcony (on the 14th deck), but it just didn’t work out.  The handle of my net was a tad too short.

Fishing Derby

 

The Friends of the Berkshire Hatchery in Hartsville-New Marlborough is scheduled to have its last Youth Fishing Derby of this year next Saturday, September 14 from 9:00 to 10:30 am at its Lower Pond at the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, 240 Hatchery Road, Hartsville, MA.  Children aged 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.  No child goes away empty handed.

Wear your life jackets, it’s the law

 

MassWildlife cautions us that all canoe or kayak occupants must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD from September 15 to May 15, and that includes waterfowl hunters.