Recently, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) presented the 2015 update to the Massachusetts SWAP as required by Congress. The Plan presents the 570 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Commonwealth, the 24 types of habitat that support these species, and the actions necessary to conserve them.

Upon releasing the plan, DFW Director Jack Buckley made the following comments:  “The citizens of Massachusetts have a long history of working together to conserve our state’s biodiversity. The state Fisheries Commission, the predecessor to the current Division, was permanently established almost 150 years ago, in 1886. The first land trust in the country was The Trustees of Reservations, still a highly successful force in Massachusetts conservation today. The Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, one of the strongest in the country, was enacted a quarter-century ago. Today, more than 25 % of the state’s acreage is protected from development, an astounding achievement in such a densely populated state.”

“With so much land protected, our focus going forward now moves to an equal emphasis on land acquisition and the management of these conserved lands. The Division itself has made a strong commitment to habitat management on our own 200,000 acres, particularly on the areas–the Key Sites–with the highest and best concentrations of rare species and other elements of biodiversity.

As well, we intend to assist our dedicated conservation partners in determining appropriate habitat management on their own lands.

It is the continued, strong dedication of the Commonwealth’s citizens to our natural resources that has made these accomplishments possible, and it is in concert with our many conservation partners that we intend to move forward with the goals of this plan.”

You can read this plan by clicking onto the MassWildlife web page.  Allow yourself some time for it is about 500 pages long.

Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Massachusetts

MassWildlife recently announced the release of the Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Massachusetts. This 94-page book includes vibrant, detailed photographs and descriptions of the frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, and turtles – including sea turtles – found in the Commonwealth. The field guide, the only guide of its kind specific to Massachusetts, features species accounts, images of common pattern and color variations, and information about reptile and amphibian conservation.

Lead author Peter Mirick, an avid herpetologist and recently retired editor of Massachusetts Wildlife magazine, combined and updated materials from magazine issues on reptiles and amphibians with additional contributions from MassWildlife’s Dr. Tom French and biologist Jacob Kubel. The majority of the photographs were taken by MassWildlife’s talented photographer Bill Byrne with supplemental images generously shared by agency staff, herpetologists, scientists, and photographers.

If you order your copy today you’ll be ready for spring outings and summertime hikes.  The field guide also makes a great Christmas gift for the wildlife lover on your list. Hopefully, its not too late to order it.

Youth Artists, take note

There is still time to enter the Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) contest,” advises MassWildlife’s Wildlife Education Specialist Pam Landry. “Any student, from kindergarten through grade 12, regardless of whether they attend public or private school or are home-schooled, can submit original artwork in this fun and educational competition. Even if students do not enter the art competition, the related information can serve as a valuable resource in art or science classrooms.” The entry deadline is February 15, 2017.

The JDS program links the study of wetlands and waterfowl conservation with the creation of original artwork. Students in grades K-12 learn about the habitat requirements of various kinds of ducks and geese and then express their knowledge of the beauty, diversity, and interdependence of these species artistically, by creating a drawing or painting which can be submitted to the JDS art contest. The art is judged in four age group categories in a statewide competition; the entry judged Best of Show moves on to represent Massachusetts in the national JDS competition. Art teachers, science teachers, and parents who home-school can visit the MassWildlife website for an information packet and entry information.

Primitive Deer Hunting

Primitive Firearms Deer Hunting season, also known as Black Powder season and Muzzleloader season opened last Monday and it is much too early to forecast how the season will go. As of this writing, the weather certainly is cooperating, save for the frigid temperatures.  There is a nice snow cover for tracking and if you hunt the mountains, there should be enough snow to strap on the snowshoes.  Primitive deer hunting and snowshoeing seems to go together.  Just don’t wear a coonskin cap.  Regulations require you to wear a blaze orange cap and vest.

Hunting on snowshoes can be very strenuous, especially if you are dragging a deer.  Take your time and enjoy the moment.

Incidentally, if you plan to hunt during this season, or if you know someone who does, DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden has a request.  If someone shoots a doe in Zone 2 or Zones 4N or 4S, please contact his office in Dalton.   DFW would like to look at the deer’s age in order to boost the numbers from these zones in their data base so that they can feed that into the population model.   During the muzzleloader season, successful hunters are allowed to check in their deer online and are not required to check them in at a station.  However; if hunters just want to drop off the deer head at his office or even call him, someone will pick it up if it is somewhere convenient.  Obviously, they would prefer a recently killed deer’s head and not one that is smelly and partially decayed.

Last Saturday morning, Nick Lentine of Pownal, VT (formerly of North Adams, MA) left his house at 4 AM and went bowhunting in North Adams.

At 10:20 AM a 4 point buck chased a doe only about 12 yards away from his tree stand.  About 20 minutes later a big 8-point buck came by and Nick made a perfect shot with his bow.  He sat in his stand about 5 minutes and was getting ready to get down to check on the buck when, to his astonishment, a 13-point buck came by.  He quickly grabbed another arrow and made a second perfect shot.   (Hunters are allowed to take two bucks in the same day in Massachusetts.)

He said that it took him and his friends 5 hours to get those two deer out of the woods. No wonder for the 8-point buck weighed 198 lbs dressed and the 13-pointer weighed in at 178 lbs.  He couldn’t thank his friends enough for dropping what they were doing to come and help and share this special moment with him

As Nick said,  “The joy they all shared together will be a memory forever. It was a once in a lifetime (occurrence)!   (It is) every hunter’s dream.”

He is getting both heads mounted by Rick LaBlue Taxidermy in North Adams. The Pope & Young “green scores” are:  8-pt – 138 7/8 and 13- pt – 158 3/8 which may put him into the record book.

Many thanks go to Nick’s wife Jocelyn for bringing this story to our attention. She is every bit as excited and proud as he is over his great feat.

Keep CWD away

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease that is fatal to deer, elk, and moose. It attacks the brains of infected animals, resulting in their becoming emaciated, exhibiting abnormal behavior, and eventually dying. Infected deer may spread the infectious agents through urine, feces, saliva, etc., for months before showing any clinical symptoms.

According to MA DFW Deer & Moose Project Leader David Stainbrook, no CWD infected deer have been found in Massachusetts.

In order to keep CWD from coming into MA, certain restrictions to the movement of deer and deer parts have been put in place. It is illegal to import deer parts from states or provinces where CWD has been detected in OH, MD, NY, PA, VA, WV, and at least 17 other states and two Canadian Provinces. It is legal to import deboned meat, clean skull caps, hides without the head, or a fixed taxidermy mount. No live deer of any species may be brought into Massachusetts for any purpose.

Recently the State of VT joined Arizona, Virginia, Ontario, and parts of Pennsylvania in banning the use of natural deer urine lures by hunters.  As previously noted, CWD is spread by deer urine and other bodily fluids. After infected fluid is deposited in soil, it can remain infectious for decades.  Deer are able to contract CWD and spread the disease for up to a year before they demonstrate any symptoms of the disease.

Deer can only be tested for CWD after they die. Therefore, facilities may be producing and selling deer urine lures from deer herds that show no symptoms of the disease but are actually infected with CWD.  According to the VT Fish & Wildlife, this happened in Pennsylvania – the first case of CWD was recorded in a captive deer facility that claimed to be “CWD-free” and was selling deer urine lures online.

It is impossible to track and recall bottles of lure that have been sold from an infected facility, so hunters could unknowingly continue to use urine that likely contains CWD prions and risk spreading the disease. Even if most captive deer herds are actually “CWD-free, ” urine lures from different sources are commonly mixed so all it would take is one infected herd to create a problem.

Once CWD is established in wild deer herds, no state has been able to control it despite considerable effort and expense. They urge hunters to destroy existing urine lures.  Synthetic lures and food-scented lures pose no threat to the herd and are still permitted for use by hunters in Vermont

Stainbrook agrees that the prions can remain infectious in the landscape for years and even be taken up by plants.  So adding urine to the landscape can certainly increase the risk of CWD being introduced to new areas and increase disease transmission.  There is no cheap or easy way to test for these prions (e.g., to make sure a bottle of urine is CWD free).   He suggests using the artificial replacements instead.  He said that to date, they do not have a proposal in Massachusetts to ban natural deer urine.

Incidentally, if you see a deer or moose in Massachusetts exhibiting any signs of this disease or any other disease, please contact MassWildlife at 508-389-6300.

An Up-Close Look at Wildlife

The Liebowitz Center for International Studies in Great Barrington will be hosting an event entitled, “An Up-Close Look at Wildlife” on Wednesday, November 30, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM.  The Center is located at the corner of Alford Road and Hurlburt Road in Great Barrington.

You are invited to join them for an evening of photographs and videos of wildlife found in Berkshire County.  While we’ve often had bear sightings, do you ever wonder about their behavior beyond the glimpses we get?  Dr. Richard Greene, a local outdoors enthusiast, will talk about a technique called “camera trapping,” discuss its use in conservation and science, and show photos and videos that he’s taken using this technique.

This free event is co-hosted by the Sustainability Committee and the Cool Sightings book project.  For more information contact Karen at (413)528-7247. Space is limited.

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