Governor Charlie Baker has named Robert A. Durand, president of Durand & Anastas Environmental Strategies, an environmental consulting and lobbying firm, to the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito conducted the swearing-in ceremony for the five-year term last Wednesday at the State House. Chairman of Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Smitty Pignatelli was one of about 10 Reps and Senators who attended the swearing in. Smitty said some nice words and reminded everyone of how close Bob was to the late George (Gige) Darey.
“I am so pleased and honored to receive this nomination to the board, which has been a part of my life in one way or another for most of my life,” Durand said. “I’m thankful to Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito for their confidence in me to carry out this vital mission to protect many critical aspects of our natural world, and with it, our quality of life in Massachusetts.”

As one of the seven-member board, Durand will represent the Northeast Region, Middlesex and Essex counties, and replaces Fred Winthrop, who resigned from the board last fall. The board has various duties, including writing and overseeing all hunting and fishing regulations, Natural Resources and Endangered Species Act regulations, and is the appointing authority for the director of MassWildlife.
I would bet that most Massachusetts outdoor sportsmen and conservationists are extremely happy with the Governor’s choice to appoint Durand. Why? Read on.
Durand has been an avid outdoorsman and conservationist his entire life, and in 2011 was recognized as such by the Board when it awarded him the Francis W. Sargent Conservation Award. Prior to forming Durand & Anastas Environmental Strategies, he served four terms as state representative for Berlin and Marlborough, where he lives. He followed that with four terms as a state senator for the Middlesex and Worcester District, during which he chaired the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee, and four years as Secretary of Environmental Affairs, under former governors the late Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift.
During his career as a public servant, Durand forged new bonds between the outdoor and sporting communities and environmentalists, bringing these advocates together to support initiatives that strengthened both. As a legislator, he wrote the Rivers Protection Act and the Community Preservation Act. As Secretary, he protected 150,000 acres of open space, including major bioreserves open to hunting and fishing, helped usher in the nation’s first state regulations on coal burning power plant emissions and oversaw a vigorous campaign to reduce mercury emissions that bioaccumulate in wildlife and people. He also created Biodiversity Days, an annual event that saw tens of thousands of school children from more than 500 schools fan out across the state to learn about and catalogue plant and animal species, and championed environmental justice and environmental education
Bob has served as the President of the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation and served on the Board of Trustees for both The Nature Conservancy/Massachusetts Chapter and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust.
He has received many wildlife and conservation related awards from various organizations, including Mahar Fish ‘N Game Club, Massachusetts Bowhunters Association, Essex and Middlesex County Leagues of Sportsmen, Massachusetts Wildlife Federation, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Gun Owner’s Action League and the Nature Conservancy.
Durand is no stranger to the Berkshires. For many years he has come out here to hunt. Ron Smith taught him how to turkey hunt back in the day and Bob frequently hunted turkeys with Gige. He also hunted woodcock, grouse and whitetail with Phil Hiser, Gige and Ginny Akabani and did some carp fishing and trout fishing on the Housatonic with Jay Baver.
Trout stocking

The following local waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week:

Rivers and brooks: Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Westfield River (East Branch) in Cummington and Chesterfield, Westfield River (Mainstem) in Huntington and Russell, Housatonic River (C&R) in Lee and Stockbridge, and Windsor Brook in Hinsdale.

Lakes and Ponds: Greenwater Pond in Becket, Littleville Reservoir in Chester and Huntington, Pontoosuc Lake, Laurel Lake, Garfield Lake in Monterey, Windsor Lake in North Adams, Onota Lake and Richmond Pond.

Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Spring Fishing Derby

Seventy anglers entered the SSC Spring Fishing Derby last Sunday, which ran from dawn until 3:00 pm at Stockbridge Bowl. For a change, it was rain free with the temperatures near 80 degrees. The results are as follows:

Adults

Largest Trout: Lee Soules, of Lenox, caught a trout that was 16 1/2” long and weighed 2-lbs, 2 oz.

Largest Bass: George Hess Jr. of Washington MA caught a 19 1/2” Bass that weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz.

Largest Pickerel: Travis Santolin of Lee caught a 23” Pickerel that weighed 2 lbs. 15 oz.

Largest Bullhead: James Trumps of South Lee caught a 12 1/2” Bullhead that weighed 1-lb 1 oz.

Age 12 and under Winners:

Largest Bass: Mason Chamberlain (age 6) of Lee caught a 12” Bass which weighed 13oz

Largest Trout: Trentonn Santolin (age 5) of Lee caught a 16 1/2” trout that weighed 2 lbs., 2 oz

Interestingly, for the first time ever they had a tie for the largest trout.

Annual Harry A Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby

The 27th annual Harry A. Bateman Memorial Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby will take place next Saturday at the Frank Controy Pavilion at Onota Lake in Pittsfield from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. No fishing license is required because it is Free Fishing Weekend for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The fishing derby is open to the public and its purpose is to raise money for the Jimmy Fund – Dana Farber Cancer Institute for Children. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Jimmy Fund in memory of Harry A. Bateman, a former member of Central Berkshire Bowman and I.U.E. Local 255 who was well known throughout Berkshire County and who became a victim of cancer in 1992.

Fifteen trophies and prizes will be awarded to the winners of the fishing derby, eight trophies for the Children, four trophies for Adults and three trophies that can be won by adults or children. There is even a special category for those fishing with a bow and arrow. All fish must be weighed in by 12:00 noon and must be caught at Onota Lake from a boat or the shore. Don’t be late! The scales will be removed immediately after 12:00 noon.

Fishing tackle is given with the trophy prizes with two prizes for heaviest trout. A sportsman award will be given out to a child which includes a tackle box with over $100 of tackle. The entrance fee is $10 for adults and $5 for Children 14 years and younger. The fee includes food and beverages. All children receive a free gift and a children 5-14 years old will have a chance at winning a mountain bike.

Food tickets will be given for hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages. No alcohol is served at this event. Advanced tickets may be purchased at Avid Sports, Dave’s Sporting Goods, and Onota Boat Livery. Everyone needs to register before fish can be weighed in. Individuals must be wearing wrist bands provided at the registration desk in order to receive food and to weigh in the fish.

Remembering Thomas King

Thomas Michael King passed away on May 16 at the age of 72. He had been a director of the Berkshire Beagle Club, a longtime member of the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club, the Adams Outdoor for Youth and the Night Stalkers Bass Club He was the Beagle Club’s delegate to the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) and was the 2009 recipient of its Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award. He was also a volunteer for the Mass Anglers Education Program.

He was an avid volunteer for the annual turkey shoots, work bees, pheasant and rabbit stocking programs, annual youth fishing events and game dinners. He was always performing Beagle Club tasks such as repairing fences, trimming brush and building boxes. Tom was an avid, ethical sportsman whose goal was always to promote youth interest in hunting and fishing sports. He will be missed.

Memorial Day Weekend

Here’s hoping you have an enjoyable holiday weekend. Whether you are spending it with your friends and loved ones barbecuing burgers and dogs, watching a downtown parade, decorating graves or spending it in solitude fishing a remote trout stream, you might want to take a moment to remember and thank those who gave so much to protect our democracy and ensure our freedoms.

Dennis Regan took the job in 1999 because he had a strong interest in the management of water resources and loved to kayak. That was 20 years ago and he didn’t think he would be here that long. Now, he is glad he did, for he worked with some great people and was involved with some wonderful projects.
One of those wonderful projects was the Stream Team project, where HVA goes to various communities to get people involved in protecting the river. After some training volunteers then go to specific sections of the river and document what they see…. the good, bad and ugly. With the information obtained, they meet and report on what they saw and make recommendations on what they would like to see happen. “That’s the challenge”, said Regan, “getting all of that information and compiling it down with specific concrete recommendations”.
“People get excited about the environment when they know more about it,” he said, “In providing people an opportunity to know more about the Housatonic River, they get actively involved in it”. They begin by collecting data on river conditions and use, that may not be known about, and hopefully, doing something with it. He said that volunteers have been collecting data continually for 20 years and have followed up on a lot of recommendations.
Originally, five stream teams compiled a list of existing conditions, on the river. Ten years after these original assessments they went back and reassessed those sections with other stream teams and different people. The findings were then compared with what was recommended 10 years prior to see what had happened. They were very happy to see that most of their recommendations were followed up by them or other organizations. Even the State and EPA used some of that information. Data collection is still ongoing and now the stream teams are assessing the tributaries.
“When the stream team reports of the health and use of the rivers were given to the communities, they generated local interest, more people wanted to know more about the river” said Regan.
He feels that the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972 was the beginning of restoring our rivers. A main focus was getting the communities to realize that the Housatonic River was an asset and that we should be able to utilize the river to stimulate local economics, community development and recreation. HVA feels that the best way to get people to care and get involved in protecting the river is to get them on or near it. This way they can see for themselves that it is not a negative thing and they don’t have to fear it.
“Many people knew that there was a Housatonic River out there somewhere” said Regan, “but they didn’t quite know where it was and whether or not they could go paddling on it. And if they wished to go paddling on it, where do they put in or take out. People didn’t know anything about the river”.
HVA saw that as a great opportunity for them to fill that niche. They updated a paddle guide and created new access spots. They were fortunate with the Natural Resources Damage (NRD) Trustees. Through a grant with them, they were able to get four new river access points in Pittsfield, Lenox, Lee and Sheffield. Since then two more were added in Stockbridge at the Glendale Dam, and a floating dock was installed in Stockbridge. They are presently developing 3 new sites on Division St in Great Barrington, on the Westside Riverway Park project in Pittsfield, and on Maple Avenue in Sheffield.
Dennis is quite proud of the Churchill Brook Culvert Replacement Project in Pittsfield where they utilized another NRD grant and, working with the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), replaced an ineffective culvert on Churchill Road with a much improved one which allows fish to travel upstream to spawn.
He feels that perhaps one of his proudest projects was the creation of the Old Mill Trail where volunteers and a professional trail crew developed a mile and a half trail along the East Branch connecting Hinsdale and Dalton. “It was one of our biggest projects and we are very happy to see that it is well used. It took 10 years, involving the towns, state, volunteers and Peter Jensen’s trail crew”, he said.
Dennis remembers that when he first got here, he usually didn’t see anybody on the river. People had left it alone. “Because of that,” he said, “when you paddled the river, you felt that you were in upstate Maine, NH or VT. It was fairly isolated”. People were missing an opportunity then, but now it is different. It’s good to see so many fishermen, boaters, kayakers, ice fishermen and others are enjoying the river. Now there are even fishing and paddling guides.
He feels that people are much more knowledgeable about the river now than before. There seems to be much more respect for the river and there are many efforts to protect the river now and not to do anything to harm it. If paddlers see blowdown, yes, they take some stuff out but not everything. They clear the middle of the river to allow passage, but leave the sides alone. They know that fish require such structure
Dennis also feels that he was very lucky to be involved in two source-to-sound paddle trips on the Housatonic River. These trips put in at the Hinsdale Flats in Washington’s Mud Pond and 10 days later take out at Long Island Sound with salt water, salt air and sea gulls. On this trip you see the river gradually change from the start by pushing your kayak or canoe through bramble. The vegetation and the land use changes, and all of a sudden you are in a wide river with eagles and the smell of salt in the air and you are paddling in waves ending in Long Island Sound.
Dennis was the recipient of the 2014 Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s “Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award”. In addition to the above mentioned accomplishments, he was also acknowledged for his involvement in the FERC re-licensing of the Glendale Dam, the RIFLS Program dealing with observed and/or measured flow alterations in streams, for working with the grade schools focusing on biodiversity, both chemical and biological, water quality monitoring, mapping, storm drain awareness and understanding the PCB situation and cleanup.
He led macro-invertebrate studies on streams throughout the entire watershed, bank stabilization programs (planting native trees and shrubbery), dam removals, canoe rides, river clean-ups, oversight of ACEC’s, and was an active member of the CCC (Citizen’s Coordinating Council) dealing with the PCB clean up on the river.
Dennis plans to retire on April 30. His parting advice? You need to take some time to go out and attach yourselves to the river somehow. Either to paddle, walk along or sit by the river, relax and let yourselves subconsciously focus and you will see life everywhere in/on the river. “Go on the river”, he says, “and you will become a naturalist if you stay long enough. Appreciate the river!”
There is retirement party scheduled for him on Thursday, April 25. Contact Alison Dixon at the HVA office(adixon@hvatoday.org) for more information.
Spring Trout Stockings
The following was the anticipated stocking list for the week of April 8 through April 12. As always, the schedule was subject to change due to weather, river conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.
Rivers: Green River in Alford, Egremont and Great Barrington; Deerfield River in Florida, Buckland and Charlemont, Housatonic River in Hinsdale and Dalton, Konkapot River in Monterey and New Marlborough, Westfield River (Mainstem) in Huntington, Russell, Westfield and Montgomery; Westfield River (Middle Branch) in Worthington, Middlefield, Chester and Huntington. Lakes and Ponds: Ashfield Pond in Ashfield, Littleville Reservoir in Chester, Upper Highland Lake in Goshen, Mansfield Lake in Great Barrington, Littleville Reservoir and Norwich Pond in Huntington and Windsor Pond in Windsor.
Venison/Italian Buffet dinner
The Pittsfield Sportsmen’s Club will be having a Venison/Italian Buffet dinner on Saturday, April 20 at the American Legion Post 155 in Dalton. This dinner will benefit its Land Development efforts. Cocktails at 5:00 pm and Dinner at 6:00 pm. There will be a black powder gun raffle, 50/50 and kid’s raffle. Donation is $20 and children under 12 free. To reserve tickets, call Ed B. at (413)443-9371 or Stan B. at (413)841-8345.

School is out, help stock trout!
This Thursday, the public is invited to help MassWildlife stock trout during school vacation week. This is a chance to meet MassWildlife fisheries staff, view trout up close, and learn about places to fish near you. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Stockbridge Bowl Boat Ramp off Route 183 in Stockbridge. Bring some kids along.

During the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen meeting in May, 2018, Fish &Wildlife Board Member from the Western District Steve Sears reported that the Board had received a great presentation on whip-poor-will birds. They appear to be showing a very slight recovery in Massachusetts.
Whip-poor-wills, wow! I haven’t heard that bird since I was a youngster, probably in the 1940’s, when my father pointed out the call at dusk. According to MassWildlife, they pretty much disappeared from the Berkshires in the early 1970’s. Currently, there are only a few populations in Ma, mainly in the eastern part.
Until now, I had always assumed that the widespread use of DDT pretty much did them in, similar to what happened to the bald eagle, peregrine falcon and other birds. (DDT caused the birds to lay eggs with soft shells). DFW WD Supervisor Andrew Madden felt that there was more to it than DDT. If that was the main reason for their demise, then why aren’t they recovering quicker now that DDT is banned, like the raptors? He felt that it probably had more to do with their loss of habitat. He and Steve felt that possibly the prescribed burning that the Division is doing had something to do with their slow but gradual recovery.
They may be right. According to MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program biologists, whip-poor-wills seek dry, open woodlands with little understory adjacent to meadows and shrublands. The open woodlands are used for nesting and the adjacent meadows and shrublands are used for foraging. That probably explains why they were around my neighborhood back then as there were several 100+ acre farms. The cows probably kept the understory in the nearby woods down. Cows weren’t necessarily fenced out of those woods so that they could get into the shade on hot days.

According to MassWildlife, prescribed fire is an essential tool for managing wildlife habitats and natural communities throughout MA. Despite early spring rain and snow this year, they had a record season, burning over 415 acres!

For many decades total fire exclusion from all natural lands was general policy throughout Massachusetts and the entire United States. But, fire exclusion has resulted in the decline of numerous species and degradation of entire ecosystems.
Historically, fire played a fundamental role in shaping certain portions of the Massachusetts landscape. In particular, glacial deposits of excessively well drained sand and gravel soils tend to be associated with relatively short fire intervals. These soil types occur primarily in coastal areas and in association with major river valleys. Lightning-caused fires and/or fires set by Native people in these areas historically maintained highly productive wildlife habitats including heath lands, pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, and open canopy oak-pine woodlands.
Decades of fire exclusion following European settlement resulted in the decline of numerous species and degradation of entire fire-associated ecosystems. In Massachusetts, some vegetation and habitats have evolved with fire and are best maintained with periodic burning, including some areas that are home to state and federally listed rare, endangered, or threatened species. Prescribed fire is used to restore and maintain these habitats.
The primary concerns for all prescribed burns involve human safety and protection of built infrastructure. Planning is critical for every burn. Fire behavior and weather are monitored throughout the burn, and if the prescription parameters are exceeded the fire is “shut down”. Permits are required from the town fire chief and the air quality staff at DEP’s regional offices. The local fire chief can of course stop the fire at any time. There is a public meeting in most areas before prescribed burning is introduced. Abutting landowners are notified of fire dates, reasons, and expectations
Approximately 30% of the MESA-listed (endangered) plant and animal species in Massachusetts benefit from the conditions created and maintained by fire. Natural Communities that benefit from prescribed burning include Sandplain Grassland, Sandplain Heathland, Scrub Oak Shrubland, Pitch pine-scrub oak, Ridgetop pitch pine-scrub oak, Calcareous fen, and Oak woodland.

In follow-up to last week’s Deerfield River article
MassWildlife has launched a project to study brown trout in the upper Deerfield River. This spring, all 1,000 hatchery-raised brown trout stocked in the upper Deerfield were marked by clipping their adipose fins. The adipose fin is a small fatty fin on the dorsal surface (back) of the trout. Research has shown that the removal of this fin is the least intrusive, detrimental, or painful compared to all other fins on the body, and this work is performed by trained biologists with a specific research need.
These marked fish were stocked in their usual locations from Buckland to the Fife Brook Dam. This is the first phase of the project that will eventually mark all hatchery-raised fish in that section of the river. Marking of hatchery fish, together with other elements of the Deerfield River Brown Trout Study, will continue for several years. Anglers should note that for the next few years, there may be holdover hatchery-raised browns in the system that have not been marked.
This project to learn more about both the hatchery-raised and wild brown trout populations took shape through a collaborative process involving MassWildlife and Trout Unlimited. It included input and assistance from a number of other interested parties and individuals from UMass Amherst, US Geological Survey, local Deerfield River fishing guides, and local watershed groups. The study will yield important population metrics including abundance, mortality, and growth rates of individual fish. MassWildlife will use this information to better manage the upper Deerfield River brown trout fishery.
So long Bill Byrne, thanks for the pictures
For over four decades, the spectacular photographs taken by MassWildlife Senior Photographer Bill Byrne have brought sportsmen and women and other conservationists up close and personal with countless wildlife species from across the Commonwealth. Bill’s stunning images ranging from breaching humpback whales, foraging black bears, and secretive piping plovers to urban peregrine falcons, majestic Quabbin moose, and elusive timber rattlesnakes.
Sadly, Bill’s life ended suddenly and unexpectedly in May while spending his last moments doing what he loved: being outdoors, honing his skills as a photographer, and talking photography and wildlife with colleagues and friends.
He is best known for his striking images of bald eagles, moose, black bears, shorebirds, waterfowl, deer, wild turkeys, and many other species, thousands of which have appeared on the cover of Massachusetts Wildlife magazine and other agency publications
He will be missed.
Back home
With luck my wife Jan and I returned home yesterday after a couple of weeks cruising around the British Isles (Ireland, Scotland, and England) and Normandy. There is some good fishing for brown trout and Atlantic Salmon over there but we were on a cruise with a tight schedule and there was no time for fishing. Plus, the possibility of getting a permit to fish there was probably rare and expensive.
One day, we sailed on Loch Ness. I seriously thought about trolling a flatfish off the stern of the cruise ship and catching the fabled monster, Nessie, thus putting to rest once and for all the speculation as to whether or not it exists. But I didn’t have a large enough net, and they probably wouldn’t let me keep it to mount anyway.