Category Archives: Conservation

Fish & Wildlife Board to Administration: Pay our managers

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When F&W Board Chairman George (Gige) Darey,of Lenox, began the July Board Public Meeting, he was “loaded for bear (pardon the pun). “I am beyond ticked off.” said Darey.

His anger was caused by the recent news that Assistant Director of Wildlife Dr. Thomas O’Shea resigned to take a higher paying job with the Trustees of Reservation. This news was not taken well by the other Board members nor the public that was in attendance, especially Massachusetts Sportsmen’ Council President Mike Moss, who made some audible remarks.

Dr. O’Shea was a highly regarded wildlife biologist who was well known across the state including here in the Berkshires. He oversaw habitat projects, game populations, the new licensing and game check systems, and pheasant stocking programs, among other things. He came out to the Berkshires to make several presentations over the years. He was a bright young biologist, one that the F&W Board invested heavily in training. Quite possibly, he could have become a future director of the Division some day.

According to Darey, “The medium raise in the last 10 years for management positions has been the cost of living raises. This for the best science based fish and wildlife expertise in the country.” The Board hires the staff but does not have the power to adjust their salaries. “This Board is extremely frustrated and ashamed that it has to spend so much time on salaries just to maintain the quality of staff instead of dealing with other important issues.

Board member Dr. Joseph Larson also weighed in by saying that such matters have to be handled at a higher level. “The F&W Board does not have the power to change or to adjust salaries. That comes down from above. The (Fish and Game) Commissioner and Secretary (Environmental and Energy) need to be putting full time on issues like this. This agency has a serious problem, this has got to be handled by higher levels of the Administration.”

According to DFW Director Wayne MacCallum, “Massachusetts is the 3rd most expensive state to live in and the DFW headquarters is located in the eastern part. On top of that the DFW is not competitive with its sister agencies. The DFW managers have been stuck in the same positions since 2003 and all step increases were eliminated. The union employees; however, did get raises every year as well as cost of living (COL) raises. The average raise to a manager in the DFW has been equal to the COL. Managers not only have not kept up with the COL, but in those years with no raises at all, they have fallen below.

He went on and said, “The Assistant Director position deals with a lot of people: sportsmen, non-profits and citizens throughout the state. Nobody is looking to get rich (in DFW) because they won’t, but wildlife conservation is a huge motivation. The F&W Board has always supported the scientists and biologists. We have the best science based program in the country for deer.”

Until the position is filled, O’Shea’s workload will be handled by Division Director MacCallum and Rob Deblinger, Deputy Director of field operations.

Fish & Game Commissioner Mary Griffin (who was present at the Board Meeting) agreed with the characterization of the “huge loss” of Tom. “At first I became very angry and then very sad, not toward Tom but because we have basically been trying for the last 4 years to have his salary adjusted or a salary reclassification of his job”. She said that she was “incredibly frustrated” losing Tom who attended Harvard and Yale and who was very well liked. “We are facing compression issues, she said, and I am glad the Board is looking at it, for it needs to be addressed.”

There is a new campaign to inform the public about the importance of hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and boating to our economy. Sportsmen and women, environmentalists and conservationists are spending over $2 billion annually in Massachusetts. That’s a significant contribution to its economy.

Also over the last 7 years some 40,000 acres of land has been acquired and more placed under conservation easements, all managed by the same number of people. One would think that those biologists, scientists and managers who oversee our natural resources would be better treated. It’s about time the administration woke up, don’t you think? *****

Tom Tyning, naturalist, author, and professor at Berkshire Community College, has developed a great news website, Western Mass Naturalist. Tom is an expert on snakes and the new site has lots of information about all the snakes found in western Massachusetts, including: how to identify species of snakes, what they eat and how they eat it, common myths about snakes, etc. You are encouraged to check the website often and watch it grow to include other groups besides snakes.*****

The Berkshire Beagle Club in Richmond held field trials last weekend. A couple of our local dogs did very well. Applewynd Mash-Po-Tater finished 3rd at the bench show for 15″ male dogs beating out 17 other entries. He finished 2nd on Sunday’s small pack option (SPO) trial (15″ all age combined) and was awarded the 15″ high scoring all age hound. Bob and Kim Jones of Lee are his owners. Chika finished 2nd in the bench show (15″ female class) beating out 11 other entries and 3rd in the 15″ all age SPO trial which drew 23 entries. She is owned by James Larimore of Pittsfield.

Congratulations to these owners whose dogs were up against some of the best dogs in the Northeast. The field trial drew 133 entrants from most New England states, Pennsylvania and New York.

Potential land acquisitions in Housatonic watershed to be discussed

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The Massachusetts Sub-Council of the Housatonic River Natural Resource Trustees, comprising the Executive Office of Environmental and Energy Affairs (EEA), MassDEP, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), will host an information session on Monday, August 5, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Lenox Library, 18 Main Street. The session will discuss potential land acquisition projects before the Housatonic River NRD Land Protection for Habitat Conservation.
“The Housatonic River watershed is one of the most diverse and natural areas in the Commonwealth,” said EEA Secretary Rick Sullivan. “This next round of funding for land protection and habitat conservation will add to the more than 100,000 acres already conserved by the Patrick-Murray Administration.”
“As we work to preserve, protect and rehabilitate the damaged Housatonic River and its watershed, a key component will be the projects that focus directly on repairing and restoring the natural resources throughout the waterway,” said Mass DEP Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell.
“This funding allows us to focus on protecting water, land and habitat in Massachusetts, all of which will benefit the future of a healthy Housatonic River,” said USFWS New England Field Office Supervisor Tom Chapman. “From its headwaters in the Berkshires south to Connecticut, the Housatonic supports an abundant amount of wildlife and many special species and this settlement funds the work of residents and officials to ensure that for our future.”
The final Round 3 Restoration Plan outlines the Massachusetts SubCouncil’s approach for the third round of the restoration program to restore, rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources or the services provided by those resources. The projects could include compensatory restoration through land acquisition or land protection measures.
At the public meeting, the SubCouncil will present the final plan and the approach for soliciting, evaluating and selecting Round 3 projects. Round 3 of the Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program will distribute about $2 million for land acquisition and habitat conservation projects from $7.75 million received as part of the settlement. As the Commonwealth’s procurement rules prohibit MassDEP or any other RFR issuer from consulting with potential applicants to develop project ideas, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting to refine project ideas and obtain feedback.
In Round 1, the SubCouncil awarded $4 million for restoration projects ranging from invasive species control and restoring river flow to implementing an environmental literacy program. In Round 2, the SubCouncil awarded $1.3 million to five projects addressing habitat continuity restoration, wildlife resources protection, riparian buffer and floodplain forest restoration, invasive species control, and educational programming.
Information about the Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program in Massachusetts is available online at: www.ma-housatonicrestoration.org. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Robin MacEwan of Stantec Consulting Inc., at robin.macewan@stantec.com or by calling 413-584-4776. ******
Last week I wrote about a friendly wild visitor (deer) to a local home. Thanks to the several people who sent me pictures of tame deer and related articles following that piece. Today, I am mentioning another wild visitor, this one not friendly at all. I am referring to the fisher. (Some prefer to call it a fisher cat, but it is not a feline at all). The fisher is a medium-sized mammal which is a member of the weasel family. The fisher is closely related to but larger than the American Marten. It is one mean critter and if you have a cat or small dog in your household, better keep an eye on it.

George Chasse, of Lenox, related an event that happened to one of his neighbors on July 4. A fisher almost snatched a little fufu dog right in front of the owners. Fishers have been known to walk right up to people who are walking their dogs and grab them. If you walk a small dog, you might want to bring something with you to fend them off. You are allowed to take measures to protect your property. George keeps a garden hoe on his front porch just in case one comes after his dog.

If you let your dog out before retiring for the evening, you might want to stay outside with it until it is ready to come back in. Perhaps you should keep your cats indoors at night, too.

Although fairly common in the Berkshires, it is illegal to hunt these animals as they are protected in the Commonwealth. There is a trapping season though which runs from November 1 through November 22. ****
The DFW’s Becoming an Outdoorswoman Program will be partnering with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to offer families new to camping some opportunities to try this family-friendly outdoor activity. New this year, instead of one weekend, several Outdoors Family Camping Weekends will be offered in several parts of the state. Registration materials are posted online on the Outdoorswoman Events calendar at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/education-events/outdoorswoman-events.html. Registration preference will be given for those families new to this program.
These weekend experiences are designed for families who are beginning campers. Depending on the location, activities may include: Camping Fundamentals, Nature Walks & Plant Identification, Fishing, Archery, Nature Center Exploration, Live Animal Program, Outdoor Cooking and an Evening Campfire Program. The DCR will be handling the registration for these events. The Outdoors Family Camping Weekend in our area will be at the Tolland State Forest on August 10 and 11.

Hope springs eternal for the American Chestnut tree

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While leaving downtown Stockbridge, heading south on Rte 7, on the left there you will see a wooden sign the shape and color of an American Chestnut tree leaf. It was designed by Craig Moffatt of Stockbridge. If you pull into the nearby driveway, you will see a commemorative rock honoring the late Peter Berle of Great Barrington who had a lot to do with the acquisition of the land. Then you will come upon a kiosk made of chestnut wood and which contains samples of chestnut branches and bark. Eventually, there will be a bench there which will also be made out of chestnut.

While at the kiosk, pick up a flyer developed by The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) and read about how the chestnut was one of the most important trees in the forests of Eastern US. The trees grew up to 100 feet tall and were a major source of lumber and food for wildlife and families. In the 19th century, loaded wagons of chestnuts were sent to major cities to sell at Christmastime.

Then the blight struck in the early 1900s. The blight is a fungus to which our native chestnuts have very little resistance. By 1950, approximately 4 billion trees had been destroyed, encompassing 188 million acres of forestland (twice the size of Montana). It was known as the largest ecological disaster of the 20th century.

Moffatt feels that one reason we lost the turkey population in the early 20th century was because we lost the American chestnut trees which provided food for them. Once the chestnuts died out, there was a lot of dead space and a void remained until the oaks and cherries eventually moved in.

Amazingly, after all these years, American Chestnut saplings are still sprouting in our woods . They grow to about 50 feet; inevitably get the blight and die, only to have suckers shoot up from the stumps and seeds again. Its leaf looks like a beech leaf but different in the sense that it has a scalloped edge.

In 1983, TACF was founded with the mission to restore the American Chestnut to its historic range. State chapters developed a sophisticated set of more than 300 chestnut breeding orchards which incorporate blight resistance with a broad range of local genetic diversity from surviving chestnuts to develop trees adapted for reintroduction into local woodlands. You are parked in such an orchard and Craig Moffatt is in charge of it.

Back in the early 1970’s the 9 acre parcel went on the market and the Laurel Hill Society and Stockbridge Land Trust bought it. The title is owned by Laurel Hill Society, and the Land Trust owns the conservation easement. It is public property. The land slopes down to Kampoosa Swamp where Moffatt has made a picnic table and plans to make another. Agawam Brook, which flows out of Agawam Pond, crosses the property near the table and it is a good canoe/ kayak launch area. Paddlers can go downstream, portage over a beaver dam and go upstream on Konkapot Brook to almost behind Monument Mountain Regional High School or go downstream to the Housatonic River.

Moffatt, with the help of local contractors and volunteers, has been clearing off some of the land with the intent of making it a park. They have planted two hybrid Valley Forge Elms (American Elm) at each entrance. He has done a lot of work already but needs much more help and funding to complete the project.

Perhaps the most exciting part is the chestnut tree orchard which he has established. Some 480 nuts were planted, each with a computer number. There were 4 different types planted; a control group which was a pure American nut, a pure Chinese nut which is what they crossed with, and the first cross (American Chestnuts can cross with Chinese Chestnuts which don’t get the blight). All the rest of the nuts were the hybrid of 15/16 American and 1/16 Chinese. (When the initial American-Chinese cross had grown, it was back crossed to the mother American Chestnut. That produced a nut which grew and was again back crossed to the mother American Chestnut. This process happened repeatedly until they had the 15/16 American-Chinese tree.)

When they get big enough, TACF will infect all of the trees in the nursery with the blight and wait a couple of years. The 2 or 3 trees that have the least amount of blight damage will be the ones they save and cross with two of the 15/16 hybrid trees to get a higher percentage of American Chestnut. The rest will be cut down and burned. After crossing them and they start producing nuts, the site will be turned into a seed orchard.

The Stockbridge Land Trust signed a germ plasm agreement with TACF who owns the trees. The land trust is just the care taker of the trees and cannot gain any monetary benefits from proceeds from them. Eventually there will be a whole other program to gradually get the trees into climax forests in our area.

Incidentally, according to Moffatt, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem about the spreading chestnut tree under which the Village Smithy stood was probably a Horse Chestnut which was planted as a town tree and does not look like the American. The American Chestnut was a woodland tree.

Someday, perhaps there will be another memorial rock there honoring Moffatt for all of the work that he has done on this project over the years. *****

This Saturday from 9:30 to 11:00 AM, the Berkshire Hatchery Foundation will have a kid’s fishing derby at the Lower Pond. Call 413-528-9761 to reserve a spot.

Exciting engineering concepts for the Hoosic River revival are aired

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Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to join 75 others in attending a community conversation in St. Elizabeth’s Parish in North Adams regarding the Hoosic River as it flows through the city. The purpose of the conversation was to gather community input on the vision of transforming the river’s current flood-control chutes into a modernized system that maintains current flood protection while increasing accessibility and connection with the river, along with spurring economic development.
Even though I don’t reside in that city, I am interested in hearing about any concepts for restoring the Hoosic River. Being a fisherman, I was especially interested in any conversation regarding aquatic habitat restoration in the flood chutes.
Some of the engineering concepts included flood-control chutes with stepped sides and a narrower channel which would allow the public to go down to the water’s edge to sit and enjoy the river; providing abundant green space constructed around the chutes, possibly with hiking and or bike paths which could also be interchanged with development opportunities; and channels that would periodically leave the chute system so residents could interact with the river before it returned to the chute, where floodwaters would continue to be restrained.

If you missed the meeting, I suggest going to http://hoosicriverrevival.org to view the Options Assessment Report. These are exciting options which, if implemented, would indeed reconnect the people with the river and give them an increased sense of pride in it. The engineering concepts of the chutes and a good trail system should be a good economic driver for the city of North Adams.

Personally, I was hoping to engage in a conversation about the North Branch of the river; how it enters the city cool, but due to the concrete chutes absorbing heat, it merges with the South Branch much warmer. These were concerns expressed by the State too, for they consider it ‘impaired’, too warm in the summer and totally lacking in habitat for fish and wildlife.

I was hoping something could be done about that, but was informed by an engineer that there are no plans for aquatic habitat restoration in that stretch of the North Branch of the river. He said it would be difficult there with the exception of upstream above the dam or downstream below the confluence with the South Branch. *****

Staying in the Northern Berkshires area, dog owners take note. In a recent press release, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ Division of Animal Health are alerting dog owners of two significant Canine Parvovirus outbreaks – one in northern Berkshire County and the other in Worcester County.

According to the release, dozens of dogs have been affected in these two areas, and several have died or had to be euthanized due to severe illness caused by the virus. There are effective vaccines available and animal health officials are urging dog owners to check with their veterinarian to confirm that their pets are protected.

Puppies generally require a series of vaccinations and adult dogs may need a yearly booster. All of the dogs that have been infected during these outbreaks had either never been vaccinated, or had only received one vaccine.
Parvovirus primarily infects puppies, but any unvaccinated dog can be susceptible. Dogs usually exhibit symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Although dogs can recover from the disease if it is detected early and treated aggressively, it can be fatal. The virus is typically spread directly from dog to dog, but it can persist in the environment for several months. Dogs that have been infected and recover can remain infectious for several months.
Canine parvovirus does not affect humans or other domestic animals. *****
According to Steve Bateman, the weather for the 20TH Annual Harry A. Bateman Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby, which was held on June 1 at Onota Lake, could not have been better. Some 216 people were in attendance, 89 of them were children. Some nice fish were caught, including carp which had not been caught in the last two derbies.
The Sportsman Award, a tackle box with over $100 of fishing tackle donated by David & Karen Konde, was awarded to Alexander “Zander” Tardibuono.
The derby winners were as follows: CHILDREN HEAVIEST GAME FISH CATEGORY: 1ST. Place went to Joseph Hoiser, Jr. with a smallmouth bass – 3 lbs 8 oz, 2ND Place – Dylan Lambert – tiger trout – 2 lbs 11 oz, 3RD Place – Cody Phillips – largemouth bass – 2 lb 7oz.
CHILDREN’S HEAVIEST NON-GAME FISH CATEGORY: 1st Place went to Spenser Davis with a 1 lb crappie, 2nd place – Sebastian Noel – bullhead 13 oz and 3rd Place – Jordie Hamilton – bullhead 12 oz.
ADULT HEAVIEST GAME FISH CATEGORY- 1ST Place went to Dave Goodrich with a pike weighing 4 lbs 8 oz, 2ND Place – Eric Moser – largemouth bass – 3 lbs 7 oz, 3RD Place – Tim Golley – largemouth bass – 3 lbs.
SPECIAL HEAVIEST FISH 1ST PLACE AWARDS: Bass – Olivia LaFond – largemouth bass 6 lbs 2 oz., Perch/Crappie – Jacob Gladu – crappie – 1 lbs 4 oz, Carp – Matt Clark – common carp – 12 lbs 12oz, Trout Adult – John Deane – Rainbow 1 lbs 10 oz. and Trout Child – Tim Lambert – tiger trout 3 lbs 1 oz. *****
Deer hunters wishing to apply for an antlerless deer permit must apply by July 16. Remember, due to the MassFishHunt electronic system there is no public permit drawing based on the last digit of the hunting/sporting license number and the DFW does not mail any information to deer hunters. Procedures for applying for a permit and subsequent follow-up to see if you won one are listed on the MassWildlife web site.

Becket Washington School students release salmon fry for the last time

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On May 30, the students released salmon fry for the last time into the Yokum Brook branch of the Westfield River. The Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Program (ASERP) has come to an end after eight years because the US Fish and Wildlife Service and MassWildlife will no longer support it.

“Elvis Has Left the Building” said 3rd grade teacher MaryKay McCloskey to the school library full of excited schoolchildren and adults. One of McCloskey’s students had named his salmon fry “Elvis” and that is what prompted the statement. Visitors were impressed with the enthusiasm the children showed for their salmon and how knowledgeable they were about the species and the project.
Karen Karlberg of Becket, the ASERP Liaison from the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited, had been assisting the teachers and students in this program from the beginning. “I am so proud to hear about the great test scores the Becket Washington students receive in Earth Sciences because of this hands on project”, said Karlberg. “We were helping to create the future stewards of our water, earth and wildlife with this important program.”
Nineteen fourth graders in Patricia Robie’s class and the thirteen in McCloskey’s all took turns scooping out a cup full of the salmon fry into the big bucket that was then carried down to the outdoor classroom area next to Yokum Brook.
The 300 salmon eggs which were delivered in mid February had been nurtured and observed by not only the 3rd and 4th graders but also the other students and parents. Even visitors would stop in and check on the progress of the school’s salmon. The eggs were watched carefully as they developed to consume their egg sacks and then were ready to feed on brine shrimp. That helped them to acclimate to feeding on their own in the new river environment upon their release.
With luck, they will continue to mature for another couple of years, migrate to the Atlantic Ocean and return again in 3 years to Yokum Brook in Becket, next to the school ground to spawn.
Thanks goes to Karen Karlberg for providing the above information. *****
Kudos go to the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) staff. On May 31, they took Lanesborough School fifth graders out to Town Brook to find some creepy crawlers. Here are some quotes of the kids who went: “It was really amazing to go from living in our big world to exploring their little environment.” “I cannot believe that I caught giant stonefly larvae, caddis fly larvae, damselfly nymph, clams, and leeches, too. I will definitely do this again all by myself.” “My favorite ones to find were the salamanders, the baby catfish, and crane flies.” (We) saw a caddis fly larva, stone fly larva, mayfly larva, crane fly larva, aquatic worms, and midge larva”, “Thank you so much. Hope we can do that again next year. I want to work at HVA someday.” *****
Some of us gray haired anglers remember when June 15 was an important date. It used to be the opening date of the bass fishing season in Massachusetts. The season was delayed because Mass. DFW wanted to wait until the end of the bass spawning season. They didn’t want people pulling the parent bass off of their nests while they were protecting their eggs/young. However; the season was changed years ago and now bass can be caught year round.

Bass fishermen have been out since early May and the Greylock Bass Club has had several tournaments. Their first tournament was on Cheshire Lake on May 5. In that event there was a tie for 1st place between Bob Olinski and Chip McCann. 3rd place went to Dave Benham, Jr and Jim Underhill took 4th.

On May 18 they fished Richmond Pond and Bill Gates took 1st, Jim Underhill took 2nd, Dave Benham took 3rd and Joe Chague took 4th. They fished Ashmere Lake on May 19 and Dave Benham took 1st, Joe Chague took 2nd, Chip McCann took 3rd and Bill Gates took 4th.

On June 2 they fished Goose Pond and Dave Benham took 1st, Mark Lane took 2nd, Josh Colligan took 3rd and Bill Gates took 4th. The lunker so far this season was a largemouth bass weighing 4 lbs 9 ½ oz., caught by Bill Gates. *****
On June 19, Russ Cohen of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, Division of Ecological Restoration will share river ecology information on an HVA paddle from Lee ending behind HVA’s office. A potluck dinner will follow. The paddle trip is free but registration is required. For more information and to register for the paddle trip, visit hvatoday.org, or call 413-394-9796 or email dregan@hvatoday.org or adixon@hvatoday.org.
Incidentally, the HVA and the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) are having a Housatonic River Clean-up in Pittsfield next Saturday. Contact HVA at the above addresses or BEAT at www.thebeatnews.org for more information. *****
In his June report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District Manager Andrew Madden reported that the Division website has a new look. It is part of an ongoing statewide effort that results in a standard “look and feel” among all state government agency websites. New and useful features for the new format include wider pages, enhanced navigation, and mobile phone/tablet viewing readiness. The DFW main web page address remains the same, www.mass.gov/masswildlife, and the information from the old address has been moved to the new website. You will need to update any favorites, bookmarked, or saved searches on specific DFW web pages as those links will no longer work. ****

More local open spaces are being protected

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In a March 13 press release, the Patrick-Murray Administration announced the awarding of two grants under a new Landscape Partnership Program.  The grant in our area is called the Long Mountain Conservation Project.  That program will allow the Department of Fish and Game to permanently protect a 906 acre parcel from Lyme Northern Timber Fund as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA).  The property was highly threatened by development but it will now remain a productive forest.  In addition, an abutting private landowner is donating a conservation easement on a 597 acre parcel to the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC).  Collectively, approximately 1,500 acres will be protected, which has important significance for landscape conservation, wildlife habitat, public access and climate change protection.

Then in his April report to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, DFW Western District   Manager Andrew Madden reported that the Division recently completed projects in Berkshire, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties as follows:  Windsor – 190-acres connecting the Moran WMA and the Savoy WMA.  This property includes wetlands, forests, and shrubland with extensive road frontage.  Chesterfield – 369-acres along the East Branch of the Westfield River.  This property protects one of the larger remaining parcels along the river and connects two previously protected areas in the lower Pork Barrel area.  Access can be gained from Wilkin Rd.  He also reported a 26-acre acquisition in Chester, which contains wetlands and access abutting the Hiram Fox WMA.

Lastly, in a recent town meeting, Lenox residents voted to grant a conservation easement giving an additional layer of protection on some 948 acres of land on Lenox Mountain that comprises the Town watershed area surrounding its reservoirs.  The CR will be held jointly by the Lenox Conservation Committee and the BNRC.  The purpose of the CR is to preserve the scenic and natural resources of the land while allowing for any future expansion of the town waterworks.  That means the entire Yokun Ridge will now be protected from possible development.  Other lands on that mountain are owned by the BNRC, Mass Audubon and Lenox Kennedy Park.  With the exception of the BNRC owned lands, no hunting or fishing will be allowed on that ridge but that’s ok, it never has been allowed.    At least future generations are assured of having Yokun Ridge for its scenic and natural resources value. *****

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club (SSC) will be holding its annual Spring Fishing Derby next Saturday from dawn until 3:00 PM at the Stockbridge Bowl boat ramp.  There will be $100 prizes for the heaviest trout or salmon, pickerel, bass and bullhead.  Free lures for all kids 12 and under.  Pre-registration fee is $10 and post registration fee is $15.  Tickets are available at the Minkler Insurance Agency in Stockbridge (413)298-3741 or from any club member.

The Onota Fishing Club will be holding it’s annual trout derby next Sunday from 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Onota Lake.  Sign up will be at the Controy Pavillion.  Cash prizes will be awarded for heaviest trout and salmon and trophies will be awarded for children’s prizes.  There will be food and raffles.  There will also be a $10 all-you-can eat fish fry after the derby.  The fish fry is free with paid entry.  $10 for adults, $5 for children. 

This year the Onota Fishing Club will also be holding a tag sale at its derby event.  Anyone interested in donating any old fishing/camping/hunting equipment (no guns or ammo) can contact Chris Porter at 413-496-0105.  All proceeds from this raffle and derby benefit Pittsfield Little League.  A separate table will be set up for those that would like to sell their own items, with a small donation made to the events. 

Also next Sunday the SSC will be holding a firearms safety course 8:30 AM in its main hall.  The 5 hour classroom course meets requirements for FID/LTC.  The fee is $75 and is due at the course.  To register, call 413-232-7700 or e-mail robmcdermott@verizon.net.  Provide your legal name, middle initial and date of birth.

 Also next Saturday, the Lee IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Assn) will be holding matches at, the LSA.  New shooter orientation is at 11:30 AM, sign-in and stage review at 11:45 and start time is noon. The cost is $15.  Cold Range rules apply, 50 rounds, 3 magazines, holster, eyes & ears protection, concealment vest.  For scheduling information, click onto http://www.berkshireidpa.us.

 The Lee Sportsmen’s Association is starting up a new youth shotgun team formed through the SCTP (scholastic clay target program) for youth development through the shooting sports. Currently it has 5 athletes and 4 coaches.  The LSA Buckshots are training in trap, skeet, and soon, sporting clays.  Their first competition is Trap on June 8 in Burlington, MA.   If you know an athlete that would like to join, check out their website at http://www leesportsmen.com.  *****

 The following waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week:  Hoosic River in Clarksburg, Cheshire and Adams, Green River in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Green River in Williamstown,  Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Williams River in West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, Housatonic River in Pittsfield (S/W), Lee and Stockbridge; Hop Brook in Lee and Tyringham, Hudson Brook in Clarksburg and North Adams, Buck and Clam Rivers in Sandisfield, Potash Brook in Blandford, Town Brook in Lanesborough, Westfield River in Russell, Greenwater Pond, Littleville Lake, Norwich Lake, Laurel Lake, York Lake, Windsor Lake, Windsor Pond, Onota Lake, Richmond Pond and Stockbridge Bowl.  The Deerfield, Littleville Lake and Laurel Lake stockings also included tiger trout.