Category Archives: News

Become a Berkshire Wildlife Tracker

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Become a Berkshire Wildlife Tracker

We are invited to attend a presentation by acclaimed presenter and wildlife tracker, Susan Morse, to learn more about how climate change is affecting wildlife in the far north. It will be held on Thursday, December 5 at 6:30 PM in the Paterson Field House at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West St., Pittsfield, MA. Tickets are $5.00 at the door – students with ID free. There will also be an opportunity to sign up to become a Berkshire Wildlife Tracker.

Susan Morse of Keeping Track® will present: Animals of the North: What Will Global Climate Change Mean for Them? Canada lynx, moose, American marten, caribou, polar bears, arctic fox and arctic marine and waterfowl ecology are some of the species and subjects covered in this show.

According to Jane Winn of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), this program is not about climate change itself, or even how it will affect us; rather, it is designed to inform audiences about ways in which northern wildlife species are already being affected – and the serious challenges they will face in the future. Attendees will not be overwhelmed with bad news. Instead, this program will devote equal time sharing remarkable images of animals and their northern habitats—all in the spirit of Jane Goodall’s “reason for hope.” The intent is to inspire young and old alike, to join in the vital crusade to change our fossil fuel-burning ways, conserve natural resources, and share a healthy planet with all that lives.

After the presentation, BEAT is offering the opportunity for people who want to get out doors, have fun, and work hard to protect our wildlands by joining the Berkshire Wildlife Trackers program. Participants sign on for six full-day training workshops in the field plus two classroom sessions spread over one year.

During the training, the following issues are addressed: detection and interpretation of tracks and sign of agreed upon focal species for your region (bear, moose, bobcat, fisher, mink, and otter), conservation biology as it relates to data collection and resulting land protection, forest ecology and plant identification as they relate to mammal uses of habitat, ‘search imaging’ – Sue Morse’s technique for predictably looking in the right places and finding sign, and an introduction to science-based field studies. The Keeping Track Project and Data Management Protocol is distributed to all trackers, to serve as the manual for developing a monitoring program and provide standards for data collection.

“By engaging people in monitoring their local wildlife, Morse turns the notoriously abstract issues of biodiversity and habitat fragmentation into an earthy, firsthand relationship with wild animals on their home turf” says Audubon magazine.

The presentation is sponsored by Berkshire Community College Green Team, MCLA Department of Environmental Studies, Bard College at Simon’s Rock Sustainability Studies, BEAT, Berkshire Wildlife Trackers, Project Native, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Housatonic Valley Association, The Nature Conservancy, The Trustees of Reservations, Green Berkshires, Greenagers, the Climate Reality Project, and the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen.

A physician friend joined this program the last time Morse came to town and he is absolutely having a ball tracking, filming, etc. For the last couple of years he has been emailing me some remarkable pictures of the wild critters that share the Berkshires with us. Many thanks, Doc.

For more information contact Jane Winn at Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) at jane@thebeatnews.org, or phone 413-230-7321.*****

Hunting season is upon us and it may be a good time to refresh our memories on some statutes. Any landowner permitting use of his or her property for recreation without charging a fee is not liable for injuries to recreational users of the property except in cases of willful, wanton or reckless conduct by the owner. (MGL28, Section 17C).

Hunter harassment is against the state law. Remember, you paid for a legal permit to hunt; it is called a hunting license. Report violations to the MA Environmental Police (800)632-8075 or to state or local police. Be prepared to provide a description of violators and/or a description and license plate number of the vehicle. (If you have an I-phone and can safely do so, take a picture).

The archery deer hunting season ends this Saturday; however, if you insist on getting your deer with a bow, you can still do so during the shotgun season which opens on December 2. Sorry I can’t give an update on how the archery season is going. With the new on-line reporting system, such figures are not available. Guess we will have to wait until DFW releases them.

I should be able to get interim figures during the two week shotgun deer season. That is because shotgun deer hunters must check their deer in at an official check station for biological data collection and not on-line. A list of those stations and operating hours can be found on the MassWildlife web site. You will see that many check stations have different hours for the first week of shotgun deer season. Some have additional hours, whereas others are asked to not check deer so that deer can be funneled to nearby check stations to increase biological data collection. Special checking hours for the first week of shotgun season are listed on the website..

Also ending this Saturday are the pheasant and grouse hunting seasons. *****

Another reminder, you only have until December 6 to comment on the proposed new DCR regulations which determine what the public can/cannot do while visiting their parks and recreational facilities. If you do not like the proposals, don’t complain to your fellow sportsmen or to the DFW. You must contact Laura Dietz, DCR, 251 Causeway St., Suite 600 Boston, MA or email : regs.comments@state.ma.us. If you choose to do nothing, then don’t complain later.

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

PCB’s remain in Hoosic River, but it is in good health overall

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The Hoosic River Watershed Association’s (HOORWA) annual State of the River Conference which was held recently was quite interesting. There was a presentation addressing the current status of the river with regard to the PCB contamination levels. Williams College chemistry professors David Richardson and Jay Thoman and students from Williams College, MCLA and Bennington College reported on the results of their studies of PCB levels in crayfish taken from various sites in the river and feeder streams.
“Ground Zero”, the site near where the Sprague plant was located had levels from 8 to 15 ppm (parts per million). The EPA sets the maximum safe level as 2 ppm. This sounds bad until one considers that before remediation, the levels there were as high as 1,000 ppm. The research shows the PCB levels are not decreasing, but remain stable. The crayfish collected farther downstream appeared to fall within the safe level.

Although PCBs normally sink to the bottom of water and stick to tiny grains of dirt, some did move downstream, presumably with the sediment which got washed downstream. Crawfish eat organisms that live in the sediments which eat and break down the detritus. They are ideal for analysis because they live on the river bottom and don’t travel far. They contain high amounts of fat in their tails which store nutrients as well as contaminants, said Williams sophomore Austin Paul.
They would like to expand their studies to include critters higher up in the food chain, such as trout. They eat lots of crayfish and the concentration levels of PCB’s in their body fat should be higher. They need help in obtaining these sample fish and are calling out to local fishermen. (Now there’s an excuse for getting out of yard work ………must go fishing to help the scientific community….we have an obligation to help out.)

Incidentally, HOORWA is doing a lot of good things on the Hoosic River these days. Executive Director Stephen McMahon reported that thanks to a remediation settlement, they are one of the beneficiaries of funds which will allow them to fund river monitoring programs for the next two or three years. These funds are dedicated to maintaining the quality of the Hoosic River from Cheshire Reservoir through North Adams.

They have been working with the Green Mountain National Forest staff to take temperature readings of streams (some in Pownal, VT) that are tributaries to the north branch of the Hoosic River. They have had successful river clean-ups. They have been working with the Bennington Conservation district and the village of North Bennington VT to remove a dam/bridge which created a dangerous scouring pool. They have been working with the town of Bennington, VT trying to conserve a piece of land, where the South Stream and Jewett Fork come together to form the headwaters of the Walloomsac River. They have also had successful Riverfest events.
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In 2014 they plan to work on removing dams, especially those that are classified as significant threats, to increase fish passages. They plan to sustain the river monitoring program, and this data will determine whether there are certain streams in MA and VT that must be protected for fish habitat and to evaluate the aspects of rising temperatures due to climate change. *****

Conservation-minded citizens are invited to attend an event being offered to share information about resources for managing and protecting private land for wildlife. Staff from the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW), Department of Conservation and Recreation Service Forestry, and Natural Resources Conservation Service will be available to discuss some options. Topics will include the New England Cottontail Initiative, the benefits of woodland management, options for protecting private land, programs that offer financial assistance and opportunities for private landowners or land managers to become engaged in conservation efforts. The habitat tour will take place rain or shine. The dates are as follows:
Wednesday, November 20, Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM habitat management tour, from 5:00 to 6:00 presentation, and from 6:00 to 7:00 open house. Staff will be available for questions
Friday, November 22, Monterey United Church of Christ, Tyringham Rd. and Rt. 23, Monterey, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM presentation and from 6:00 to 7:00 open house – Staff available.
For more information, contact Marianne Piché, DFW Habitat Lands Biologist, at 508-389-6313 or email, marianne.piche@state.ma.us. *****
This year there were 5 participants in the Northern Berkshires paraplegic deer hunt, of which David Alderman of Petersburgh, NY got a button buck. There were 8 hunters in the Southern Berkshire hunt, of which Brigette Buzalsky of Lawrence, MA got a button buck on Thursday. ( I believe this was Brigette’s fifth buck bagged in paraplegic hunts). Sidney Eichstedt of Lee got a 130 lb buck also on Thursday. Elsewhere, 2 deer (one buck, one doe) were taken at the Quabbin site, and 1 doe was taken at the Devens site. *****

Paddy Sullivan, son of JoAnn and Shawn Sullivan of Lee and a 14 year old Freshman at Lee Middle School, is a member of the Lee Sportsmens’ Association and Holyoke Revolver Steel team. The team has won two recent Steel Challenge matches. The first match, held on October 5, was the Maine Scholastic Pistol Program Challenge held at Camp Hinds in Raymond, ME resulted in a gold medal in the Rimfire Senior division. The second match, held on November 2, was a Scholastic Steel Collegiate match, held at the Pioneer Sportsmen’s Club in Dunbarton, NH resulted in a first place win in the Center Fire Junior/Senior Division, and a first place win in the Rim Fire Junior/Senior division. Congratulations to Paddy who, according to his parents, was the top shooter in both matches. *****

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

Part 2Celebrating the protection of state’s open space

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Last week, I mentioned that there were five speakers at the Maple Hill Celebration which took place on October 29. In addition to Energy and Environmental Secretary Sullivan and Division of Fish & Game Commissioner Griffin the following people spoke:

Narain Schroeder, Director of Land Conservation for Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) spoke of its conservation partnership with DFW/DFG. To stress his point, he pointed to Mt Greylock and nearby FlatBrook WMA to the north, the Taconic Range to the west, the 900 acre Alford Springs Reserve and the Alford Valley with the state’s APR protection program further south and the Maple Hill WMA to the east. “ In our county there is a tradition of conservation that runs deep. We are lucky to have a governor and citizenry that values conservation. It is a privilege to work with and for these folks.”

To help explain how DFW/DFG reached the 200,000 acres of conserved land, DFW Director Wayne MacCallum spoke about the Division’s history of its land conservation program. In the 1950’s funds for land acquisition came out of license fees which were paid by the hunters, fishermen and trappers or through the excise fees collected and administered by the US Fish & Wildlife. They were to be used solely for conservation of state fisheries and wildlife. Back then approximately 13,000 acres had been acquired.

In 1968 sportsmen lobbied for a 25% increase in license fees with a dollar to be charged specifically for land acquisition. In doing that, the state was supposed to match those funds dollar for dollar. It never happened, but it did provided the ability for the state to take out a 20 year $5 million bond to purchase property.

In 1984 Governor Dukakis passed the first bond issue targeted for acquisition of wildlife conservation land. In 1988 there was another one.

In 1990 the sporting community advocated for a tax on themselves with a $5 fee (called the Wildlife Conservation Stamp), to be added to their hunting and fishing license fee. It was to provide a stable stream of monies for land acquisition. The State started bond issues which matched the monies coming in from the land stamp.

Also, a significant amount of money comes out of the Federal aid program. Also, the North American Conservation Act (excise tax monies) provides a significant amount of monies to MA for land protection. All of this comes out of the pockets of hunters, fishermen and trappers. In addition, funds come in through the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation which is managed by a separate board and is not part of DFW/DFG funds.

According to MacCallum, fishing and hunting generates $1.5 billion directly to the economy of MA, indirectly almost double that amount.

Fish & Wildlife Board Chairman George (Gige) Darey of Lenox. thanked the Patrick Administration for its conservation efforts. “I’ve been around a long time but never has there been an administration that put so much land into conservation”, he said. In addition to the various agencies, a lot of people were involved in the conservation movement: John Drummond Kennedy (Kennedy Park acquisition), George Wislocki former executive director of the BNRC (Post Farm acquisition). Green Berkshires and Eleanor Tillinghast (who led the way in getting the ACEC near Woods Pond on the Housatonic River, MassAudubon and others. He specifically mentioned Charles Liston of Lenoxdale., who was a surveyor for the state. It was him who tipped off Darey and Wislocki about land along the Housatonic River. He provided them with a map listing all of the pieces of property and who owned them. The State ultimately purchased it and it became the Housatonic Wildlife Management Area.

Darey also mentioned Attorney Sarah (Sally) Bell who did a lot of pro bono work for the DFW, HVA and the Town of Lenox. “People have no idea of the impact that she had – nobody ever knew about it”. He mentioned several others who also made significant contributions to land conservation. He mentioned the “Guns and Roses” coalition where sportsmen and conservationists united to help push for bond bills, river bills, etc. “Our natural beauty in Berkshire County is one of our greatest selling points” “We have just about everything we want here and this natural beauty is one of the things we have to preserve”. *****
A NRA Basic Pistol Course will be held on November 18 and 21 from 5:30 to 9:30 PM at the Lee Sportsmen’s Association. . It is an introduction to the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for owning and using a pistol safely. It gives information regarding pistol parts and operation, ammunition, gun safety, pistol shooting fundamentals, and pistol shooting activities. These are 2 mandatory sessions. Successful completion of the class qualifies one to apply for a MA LTC Class A or FID. Contact Larry Karlquist at 442-7807 or gramps@berkshire.rr.com. *****-
The MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has scheduled 5 public hearings statewide regarding the adoption of a new CMR which will regulate what the public can do while visiting DCR park and recreational facilities. The closest hearing location to us is The Notch Visitors Center, Mount Holyoke Range State Park, 1500 West Street (Rte. 116), Amherst. It will be held on Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 P.M.
The Berkshire County League of Sportsmen and GOAL urge sportsmen to attend this meeting or, at a minimum, submit a letter to DCR expressing their concerns.
Verbal and written testimony may be presented at the public hearing. Written comments will be accepted beginning November 4 until 5:00 PM on Friday, December 6. Submit written comments to Laura Dietz via mail to DCR, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA. 02114 or via e-mail: regs.comments@state.ma.us

200,000 acres and counting

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200,000 acres and counting

Some 85 sportsmen, hikers, bird watchers and conservationists gathered last Tuesday in West Stockbridge on top of Maple Hill, in a field across the road from the Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area. We were there to celebrate the State’s landmark achievement of acquisition and protection of 200,000 acres of open space for the benefit of the public and, fisheries and wildlife and natural communities of our state. All of it is open to the public for passive recreation.

There were 5 major speakers and I will cover their comments in this and next week’s column.

Department of Fish & Game (DFG) Commissioner Mary Griffin thanked Governor Patrick and Energy and Environment Secretary Rick Sullivan for their conservation leadership and commitment to land protection. Over the last 7 years more than $64million has been invested and 40,000 acres of open space was conserved. During that period the DFG and Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW) worked with 75 partners to preserve that land. Partners such as the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC), various land trusts, private landowners, etc. Support from the legislature in the form of passage of environmental bond bills was crucial.

EEO Secretary Sullivan said that we are celebrating the hard work of land owners and land trusts in putting the lands into conservation. “We are preserving a quality of life”. Referring to Governor Patrick’s conserved 40,000 acres, he said the administration will have left the Commonwealth in a much stronger position in terms of quality of life preservation than they found it.

These acquisitions were part of the State’s economic development, for every $1 invested in land conservation, $4 in natural goods and services were returned to our economy. It is part of an economic development strategy, especially in Berkshire County. He said that recreation generates some $10 billion in consumer spending and return some $739,000 in state and local revenues and produce 90,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. But it is time to do more, he said, time to double down on those investments. In the recently initiated Landscape Partnership Program, they are looking to create partnerships with land trusts, state and citizens to put together large tracts of land of 500 acres or more.

Comments from Narain Schroeder, Director of Land Conservation with the BNRC, DFW Director Wayne MacCallum and F&W Board Chairman George (Gige) Darey of Lenox will be covered in next week’s column. *****.

Congratulations to the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club skeet shooters. For the eighth time out of
the last nine years they won the annual Tri-Club Skeet Championship, defeating Sheffield and Lee clubs. According to the Club newsletter, top shooters were: Tom Gansowski who hit 146 out of 150 clay targets, followed by Joe Ary and Gary Johnston with 143, Gregg Charbonneau and Darren Coffey with 139, Gary Harrington with 138 and Bob Cameron with 131. *****

If Vicki and Cliff White of Pittsfield have their way, the Berkshires will continue to produce expert skeet shooters. With help from other members of the Lee Sportsmen’s Association, they are heading up a youth skeet shooting group called the LSA Buckshots.

They are affiliated with SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program) which includes 23,000 athletes in 43 states. SCTP provides youth development through the shooting sports. Girls and boys 5th-12th grade can participate in skeet, trap, & sporting clays with supportive, trained coaches while learning lifelong skills, such as goal setting, leadership, teamwork, self confidence, and safe firearm handling.

They currently have 5 students who this year competed at the Mass ATA Shoot in Billerica, MA, the Northeast SCTP Championships in Walpole, MA, the GOAL Crushing Clays in North Leominster, MA and at the Fall Addieville Sporting Clays in Mapleville, RI. The Buckshots had 4 medal winners at the MA ATA event, and in Addieville they beat many college groups.

Vicki White is the Head Coach and she is assisted by three assistant coaches Doug Frank, Ken Pixley and Cliff White. They had to be certified as a coach in order to work with the athletes on the field. In order to become certified, they had to attend a two day course. They also accept adult volunteers to do other jobs and any adult volunteer or coach must pass a CORI check. If you are interested in joining, please contact Vicki at 442-8107 or lady45white@gmail.comThere are turkey shoots, ham shoots, etc, but have you ever heard of a turkey trial? That’s what they are having at the Berkshire Beagle Club next Sunday. It is a fundraiser being used to help a well known field trial judge who has run into some bad luck, health wise. Tom Chaney, a field trial judge, who has judged everywhere from Kentucky, Michigan, New England and Canada for over 17 years developed lung and brain cancer. He does not have health insurance because he recently changed jobs.

National Championships will run a raffle to help out, but such raffles do not typically make a lot of money. So they decided to hold a turkey trial. Instead of ribbons, the winning dog owners will win turkeys. Each beagle club in the Northeast will contribute something to the effort. Because their running grounds are so highly regarded, the Berkshire Beagle Club in Richmond was asked to provide the grounds for the trial. Other clubs will contribute in various ways, marshals, turkeys, food, etc.

What a wonderful way to acknowledge and help Chaney. As one local beagle owner said, with tongue in cheek, “I would rather win a turkey any day over a ribbon. They are better tasting.”
*****

The late black bear hunting season opens tomorrow and runs until November 23. Be sure to check the regulations to see DFW’s request for assistance in aging your bear

Fish & Game to celebrate 200,000 acres of protected land

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This Tuesday, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) invite us to celebrate the protection of 200,000 acres of conservation land for Massachusetts citizens and wildlife. We are encouraged to join Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan, DFW Commissioner Mary Griffin, DFW Director Wayne MacCallum, and the Fisheries and Wildlife Board at the Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area in West Stockbridge. The recent 192 acre acquisition and addition to the Maple Hill WMA made by the DFW with the assistance of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) helped them to achieve this significant milestone. The celebration begins at 10 A.M.
Readers may recall that a couple of weeks ago I did a column about a habitat site walk on this new acquisition. Tuesday may be a good opportunity to see for yourself how valuable and beautiful this land is. It would be nice if a good contingency of local sportsmen and conservationists show up to demonstrate their support of the land conservation program. If you plan to attend, please let them know by emailing mass.wildlife@state.ma.us or by contacting the folks at the DFW Western Regional Headquarters in Dalton.
I only wish the late Attorney Sarah (Sally) Bell could be with us to share this celebration for she played such an important role in the acquisition of several parcels of land by the DFW here in the Berkshires. She passed away earlier this month. Tad Ames, President of the BNRC, in his October 14, 2013 Berkshire Eagle commentary Remembrance of Sally Bell put it this way: “She habitually underbilled the Mass DFW for legal services and she did even better for the BNRC.” Most of the time, she refused to take a penny for her time. The Lenox Land Trust also benefited greatly from her assistance.
A couple of years ago, I wanted to nominate Sally for the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen’s Appreciation Award and asked if she would accept it. Although greatly honored, she declined saying “maybe a little later”.
I’m sure Sally will be with us in spirit this Tuesday morning on Maple Hill. *****
Readers may recall my columns regarding the discontinuance of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration program due to poor returns and federal budget cuts. Well, as anticipated, the Merrimack River Atlantic Salmon Restoration program drew to a close on September 5 for the same reasons.

According to Glenn Normandeau, Executive Director of the NH Fish & Game Dept (NHF&G) things had looked promising as recently as 2011, when more than 400 Atlantic salmon made their way to the Essex Dam Fish Lift in Lawrence, Mass. But in 2012, just 137 sea-run salmon returned, and this year only 22 returned.

The NHF&G would prefer to continue the program, but, like MA DFW they cannot take on the costs associated with a salmon hatchery operation. Normandeau noted that the US Fish & Wildlife Service will continue to focus on restoration of Atlantic salmon in the Saco and other Gulf of Maine rivers, the last remaining wild Atlantic salmon in the country.

“This was a hard decision, but the science tells us that there is little chance that we will successfully restore Atlantic salmon to the Merrimack,” said Wendi Weber, the USFWS Northeast Regional Director. “While the science is driving our decision, our declining budgets hastened it. We need to prioritize. With the lack of success, we need to shift our scarce resources to priority restoration efforts where we can make a difference.”

I have a bad feeling that we have not heard the last from her. Now we will have to watch out for hatchery closings. Hope I am wrong. *****

The Hoosic River Watershed Association is holding a State of the River Conference in Williamstown at the First Congregational Church on Saturday, November 2, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. The main discussion will be on PCB’s in the Hoosic River. Williams College chemistry professors David Richardson and Jay Thoman, along with students Amanda Schott and Austin Paul have analyzed crawfish taken from the Hoosic River and most recently from the Green River and North Branch. Professors Richardson and Thoman and Mr. Paul will report on their research findings and on other PCB studies going back to 1991. The conference is free and open to the public. *****

On another watery subject, the fall trout fishing has been excellent this year. The folks at the DFW have been saying all along that they stocked very nice rainbow trout this fall, some exceeding 14 inches. Its true! I had a spectacular afternoon flyfishing the Westfield River last week. How good was it? To quote a phrase sometimes used by expert local fly fisherman, Dr. Charles Wohl of Lenox, in describing a good fishing day, “It was obscene”. *****

According to the most recent Lenox Sportsmens Club newsletter, Board member Cliff White of Pittsfield competed at Camp Perry and came in as the highest Non-Distinguished revolver shooter, thus earning the distinguished badge #156 (that’s the total number of such badges in the country). *****

The Whitetail Unlimited (WTU) banquet which was held recently at the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club was a success. Some 120 folks attended and had a great time. Chris Sweet of Great Barrington won the preseason raffle called the “Pick of the Herd”. It is the top prize and if your ticket is drawn, you win your choice of any items in the auction. He chose the Mathews Z7 bow. Have you priced one of those bows lately? Incidentally WTU wants to form chapters in Berkshire County and if anyone is interested in starting one contact Bill Bailey, New England Field Director at 413-244-2304.

Archery deer, fall turkey hunting seasons open tomorrow

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Archery season opens tomorrow morning one half hour before sunrise (unless you hunt on a Wildlife Management Area which opens at sunrise) and it ends on November 30. Hunters are allowed to take two antlered deer and a doe if they have an antlerless permit. If they take all three during the archery season, they are done for the deer hunting season (including the shotgun and primitive arms seasons).

Also, the fall wild turkey hunting season opens tomorrow and runs until November 2. Be sure to check the regulations governing this sport.

New this fall, hunters and trappers have two options for checking in deer, turkey, bear, and most furbearers. As in the past, animals may be brought to a game check station, or they can use the online MassFishHunt system to report or check their game via computer. There are two exceptions to this process:
1. During the shotgun deer hunting season, all deer must be checked in at a deer check station in order for the DFW to collect biological data.
2. All bobcats and otters must be checked in at a furbearer check station because they are internationally regulated species.
Tagging and online reporting for bear, deer, and turkeys: are as follows:
Attach the paper tag from permit or license for bear, deer, or turkey to the carcass immediately upon harvesting the animal.
Log in to the MassFishHunt system to report them online within 48 hours of harvest. NOTE: Hunters must complete this checking/reporting process BEFORE processing game for consumption, or taxidermy.
After answering the online game checking questions, the system will assign a confirmation number for each individual animal reported. This number must be written on the tag attached to the carcass. The confirmation number written on the tag is the official seal issued by MassWildlife and takes the place of the traditional metal seals used at check stations.
The tag must remain attached to the animal until the game is skinned, butchered, or otherwise prepared for food purposes; or for mounting by a taxidermist.
Confirmation numbers are non-transferable to other animals and they cannot be used for any other game animals except the ones for which they were issued.
Deer hunters are reminded that during the shotgun season for deer, all deer must be checked in at a deer check station.
Hunters and trappers can report their furbearers (beaver, coyote, fisher, fox and mink) online also. Log in to the MassFishHunt system and follow the instructions on how to report the harvest of these animals.
Meat processors and taxidermists can only take into possession bear, beaver, coyote, deer, fisher, fox, mink, or wild turkey with either an official DFW metal or plastic seal affixed to the carcass or pelt or with a tag noting the assigned MassFishHunt confirmation number affixed to the carcass or furbearer pelt. It is illegal to accept any of the above game animals without a DFW official seal or confirmation number written on an attached tag. Bobcat and otters may not be accepted into possession unless tagged with an official plastic seal. *****
Flyfishing guide and author Marla Blair will be the guest speaker at the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited meeting this Thursday evening, at the Bass Water Grill on Rte 8 in Cheshire. She will be discussing “The Hatch and body language for trout and choosing a pattern”. She will also demonstrate the tying of her iconic Jailbird emerger fly during social hour. Marla achieved international fame when she wrote the popular fishing book Practical Fly Fishing. The event is free and open to the public. Social hour starts at 5 PM, Marla’s presentation starts at 6 PM and dinner off of the menu (if you so choose) to follow at 7 PM. For more information, contact Ron Wojcik at (413)684-4141 or rwojcik@bcn.net.
Staying with TU, congratulations go to the Mass/RI Council of TU for receiving national recognition in TU National’s quarterly publication of Trout. Magazine Members of the 13 Massachusetts and Rhode Island chapters received an appeal for help in replanting a portion of river bank at the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) Indian Hollow Campground. Located along the banks of the Westfield River in Chesterfield it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Some 225 willow tubelings were secured and 85 volunteers from each chapter (including our local Taconic Chapter) planted them in about 2 hours. Their efforts have been praised by the ACOE and the Chesterfield Conservation Commission. Incidentally, Paul Knauth of Dalton is in his third term as Council Chairman. *****.
There will be a Multi-State Firearm License Course next Sunday at 1:00 PM at the Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club. This course is unique in that it qualifies you to apply for licenses in Massachusetts, Utah, New Hampshire and Maine. A Utah concealed firearm permit issued to a non-resident is honored in 32 states. If you apply for all 4 licenses, you will be legal in 36 states. The fee for the entire 5-hour course is $150 or you can take just the Utah segment for $100 or just the Massachusetts segment for $80. The fee is due in cash at the course. There is no exam but bring a pad and pen to take notes. Seating is limited and preregistration is required. Call or e-mail and provide your full legal name plus date of birth to Robert J. McDermott at (413)232-7700 or robmcdermott@verizon.net.*****
In last week’s column I erroneously listed the end of the coyote hunting season as being March 28, 2014. The correct date is March 8, 2014. I knew that and don’t know why I wrote otherwise. Freudian slip, I guess, or wishful thinking.

Another smoky, but enjoyable fishing trip to Montana

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Recently three local fishermen and I took a 10 day flyfishing trip to fish some famous rivers near Missoula, Montana. The other three flyfishermen were Allen Gray of Pittsfield, Paul Knauth of Hinsdale and Michael Shepard of Dalton.

Upon arrival, we learned that the rivers there were at a 30 year low water flow due to the drought and some of them had restricted fishing hours to avoid stressing the trout. The Bitterroot River had “hoot owl” restrictions, meaning that one could only fish it from midnight to 2:00 pm.

We stayed in a cottage along Rock Creek, which was still open, but running low. Each time we drove upstream to fish it, we passed nearby forest fires. We came across many firefighters, including the “Hot Shots”, specialized firemen brought in to fight the fires. The sights and sounds of helicopters carrying large containers of water to and from the fires were common.

One time, Allen was trying to fish a large pool in Rock Creek, but that was where the choppers were filling their buckets which disturbed the water and scared the fish. He related a sight where Paul was fishing a part of the river and directly uphill from him a chopper was dousing the fire with water. Temperatures were around 95 degrees that day and Paul was disappointed that some of the water didn’t fall on him to cool him off. The temperatures remained in or near the 90’s every day but amazingly, the water temperatures of the rivers we fished never got above 62 -64 degrees. I presume the combination of cool nights and cold springs feeding the rivers kept them cool.

The mountains there are so steep that the firemen could not climb them to reach the fires. Even if a chopper dropped them in, the slopes are so steep that they would just slide off the mountain. All they could do was build fire lines below and let the fire burn until they reached them or Rock Creek. Incidentally, we learned that some firemen who were fighting the fires at the nearby Lolo National Forest were from the Berkshires.

We traveled a long way to fish these rivers and we went out every day. Once, we were prevented from fishing one area on Rock Creek because the firemen feared that the fires would cause rock slides which could bury us.

On Labor Day, the hoot owl restrictions on the Bitterroot River were lifted, but then the Blackfoot River was completely shut down due to water temperatures and low flow. Fortunately, we had spent the three prior days fishing it. After that, we concentrated our fishing on the Clark Fork River and Rock Creek.

Don’t get me wrong, we had a wonderful time and caught lots of quality fish – rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout, some reaching near 18 inches. Of course the largest fish got away, at least mine did. One time, while Allen was reeling a decent sized rainbow trout, a large bull trout snatched it away from him. These are big trout which are endangered and it is illegal to fish for them.

But it’s not all about fishing. We saw some memorable sights: bald eagles, a herd of 24 bighorn sheep eating grass in someone’s sprinkled lawn, whitetail deer with their fawns frolicking near our cottage, mule deer, moose. the beautiful mountains, and more. One sight I will never forget occurred when Mike and I were returning to the cottage before dusk when we saw a doe teaching her fawn how to cross a shallow section of Rock Creek. The fawn appeared unsteady but its mom was very patient as they slowly crossed the river,

The towns of Rock Creek and Clinton are small and rural, about 15 miles south of Missoula. Imagine our surprise when Mike and I stopped at a watering hole and found that the bartender grew up in Dalton and lived in Lenox for a while. On another occasion, we met a couple in a fly shop and the woman was raised in Adams. Mike met another guy on the stream from Braintree whose good friend lives in Dalton. Amazing, eh? *****

Unfortunately, while in Montana, I learned that a close friend passed away – Gordon Leeman of Lee. I first met Gordy in the fall of 1963 when he was a game warden. A friend and I were on furlough from the service and we decided to go hunting without a license and during a time when the woods were closed due to a severe drought. Gordy and another warden nabbed us. The judge ultimately dismissed the case (long story).

In the 1980’s we both were members of the Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited and became friends. For the last dozen years or so, we also belonged to the ROMEO’s (Retired Old Men Eating Out) a group of older sportsmen who get together for lunch at a local diner once a week. He will be missed. *****

Before leaving for Montana, I neglected to mention that the early Canada goose hunting season opened on September 3 and runs to September 25. The daily bag is 7 and possession limit is 21. The regular goose season opens on October 14. The 2013-14 migratory regulations can be found on the following website: http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dfw/regulations/2013-14-waterfowl-abs. *****

People in kayaks and canoes must wear their life jackets or personal floatation devices (PFD’s) from September 15 to May 15 while boating. According to the Massachusetts Environmental Police, most boating fatalities in Massachusetts are due to boaters who fail to wear PFDs while in small craft in cold water or cold weather situations. Waterfowl hunters using canoes or kayaks are reminded that this law also applies to them.

Western District antlerless deer permits down 375 from last year

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Antlerless Deer Permit Allocations and Chances of Winning

2013 Antlerless Deer Permit Allocations and Applications by Wildlife Management Zone
WMZ Allocation Change in Allocation #Applicants Chance of Winning
1 400 -50 1,173 34%
2 175 -25 1,478 12%
3 1,100 -150 2,294 48%
4N 375 -25 2,114 18%
4S 275 -25 1,647 17%
5 1,250 -100 3,451 36%
6 450 0 946 48%
7 2,250 0 3,404 66%
8 2,800 0 4,374 64%
9 4,100 0 4,589 89%
10 11,000 1,200 3,769 100%
11 10,500 700 6,653 100%
12 650 75 1,358 48%
13 2,700 0 119 100%
14 2,700 0 77 100%
TOTAL 40,725 1,600 37,446

“Change in Allocation” is the difference in the number of available permits from the previous year’s allocations. “Chance of winning” is calculated allocation/# of applicants

By now, most deer hunters know if they won an antlerless deer permit and more than a few of them are disappointed that they didn’t get one. Such permits have been dropping steadily over the last few years. For example some 9,550 permits were issued in the Western District in 2004, 4,400 in 2008 and this year, the figure stands at 2,325. Some hunters who rely on venison as a supplement to their food diet are quite upset saying: Great, more deer meat for the coyotes and bears and less for human consumption.

According to David Satinbrook, MassWildlife Director of Deer & Moose Project, “Deer densities in the western zones are currently below or on the lower end of our goals. Female deer are the reproductive segment of the population, so we manage deer numbers through regulated female harvest using antlerless deer permits. We have been giving out a low number of antlerless permits in those zones to allow the deer population to rise. Trends have been on the rise over recent years, but appeared to be just very slowly increasing, so we dropped permits conservatively to make sure the trends in density are still going in the right direction toward our goals.”

I suggested that they could get the deer populations up where they should be quicker by extending the coyote hunting season and allowing the bear hunters to take more than one bear a season. I am no expert but I believe these predators are the main reason for the sharp drop in our deer population, and not hunting pressure.

Satinbrook disagrees. While these predators do take a lot of fawns in the summer months, he feels that the deer herd is in good shape and the harvest figures do not indicate that it is in serious trouble by predation. He feels that the main limiting factor is the habitat and not the predators. Nature does not allow for more animals than the land can support.

Valid point, and he certainly knows more about this subject than I. *****

The Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club is hosting a Western Massachusetts Deer Camp on Saturday, September 21 at its club on Route 102, Stockbridge. Doors open at 5 PM, buffet dinner at 6:30 PM. There will be some awesome hunting, fishing and vacation packages in the raffle. They claim that 1 in 10 people will win a firearm. Tickets cost from $40 for an individual up to $250 for sponsors. Ticket deadline is Sept. 13 but if you purchase before Sept 1, you are entered for an early bird drawing. For information, contact Bill Bailey at (413)244-2304.*****

Twelve Massachusetts sportsmen’s clubs were recognized by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) at the July meeting of the Mass. Fish & Wildlife Board. They were cited for their efforts in running the Youth Turkey Hunt program, teaching them how to safely hunt turkeys, getting youth mentors and actually taking the kids out on the hunts. They each received plaques from the NWTF and hearty thanks from the Board. Four of the clubs are in Berkshire County: Stockbridge Sportsmen’s Club, Lee Sportsmen’s Association, East Mountain Sportsmen’s Club and Cheshire Rod & Gun Club. The Board also received a plaque of appreciation from the NWTF for its support of the Youth Turkey Hunt Program since it began 5 years ago..

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.

John Manikowski, a man of many talents

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Earlier this year, friend Craig Moffatt of Stockbridge and I were driving  to Becket to make the final salmon fry stockings into the Westfield River watershed, when we struck up a conversation about cooking fish and wild game.  I had some venison, rabbits and perch that I wanted to cook up.  Usually, I would just toss some butter into the frying pan and fry the stuff up.   This time I wanted to spend some time and cook it up right.   Craig mentioned a book entitled Wild Fish & Game Cookbook written by John Manikowski, and he later lent it to me.

 Upon opening the book, several things caught my attention.  The first was that it had some really unique recipes, like sautéed woodcock with oyster mushrooms, grilled wood duck with dried cherry sauce and grilled venison kabobs with Satay sauce.  This was a gourmet’s cookbook.

 The second thing was how the chapters were put together.   Interspersed among the various chapters were very interesting personal hunting or fishing stories about various trips the author and Moffatt had taken over the years to different parts of North America.   They were very well written and a joy to read.  There were also wonderful drawings and artwork, created by the author himself, interspersed throughout the book, including the outer hard cover. 

 The last thing that caught my attention was the fact that John Manikowski is a local fellow living in Mill River.   He is an outdoorsman, fisherman, wildlife artist, former partner in excellent restaurants specializing in game meals.  (Konkapot Kitchen Restaurant in Mill River, and the Charleston Restaurant in Hudson, a 4 star restaurant).  His illustrations have appeared in Field & Stream, Fly Rod & Reel and other outdoor magazines and newspapers.  Here I was reading a book filled with great recipes, great artwork, and great outdoor sports stories all prepared by a local author.  How cool is that? 

 I have not yet tried the recipes and refrain from evaluating them but I can say that I enjoyed everything about the book.  I loved his suggestions for side dishes and drinks to accompany the main courses.  If you can collect the recipe ingredients, this book is for you.  I believe the book printings are sold out but you can obtain some used books from Amazon.com.

 He then authored a second book and I borrowed that one also from Moffatt.   It is a soft -cover book entitled Fish, Grilled and Smoked.  It has 150 recipes in it.  I wondered how to obtain it so I clicked onto John’s web-site at johnmanikowski.com.    I was in for another surprise.  It turns out that he not only has written the cookbooks, but makes custom knives –  art knives, hunting and fishing knives, chef’s knives.   Though totally functional, his knives are painstakingly shaped works of art and are one of a kind.

 Some of his work is on display today at the United Church of New Marlborough, 243 Norfolk Road, Southfield, MA this weekend from 10AM to 6PM.  There will be carved knives, sculptures, drawings, magazine illustrations, etc., with the theme based mainly upon nature, streams, rivers and trees.   There might still be time to go there today and check them out. *****

 Free fishing days, no licenses required, are coming up:  In MA they are June 1 and 2, in NH it is June 1, in VT and ME it is June 6 and in NY the days are June 29 and 30. *****

Recently, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rick Sullivan honored 22 energy and environmental education programs at the 19th Annual Secretary’s Awards for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education.    The awards credited programs in the categories of energy conservation, environmental protection and recycling.   Winners were awarded $100 to $400 prizes. Paid for by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the awards are intended to fund further environmental education initiatives at the schools.     Congratulations to Morris Elementary School in Lenox, Grade 4, Teacher Julie Nelson for receiving an award.

Secretary Sullivan also recognized four U.S. Department of Education (USED) Green Ribbon Schools from Massachusetts. The award honors schools that are exemplary in reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education.   One of the awardees was the Berkshire School. *****

The Pittsfield Conservation Commission has announced it and Lyon Aviation will sponsor a Fishing Derby for youths 14 and under next Saturday at Wild Acres.  Volunteer support is being provided by the Onota Fishing Club to assist with dressing fish, providing fishing tips and techniques, baiting, etc.  The derby runs from 8:00AM to 3:00PM.  Trophies will be awarded to those who catch a tagged fish.  Bait will be provided, and a limited amount of fishing poles will be available for use on a first come, first serve basis to those who do not own one.

 Michael Lyon, President of Lyon Aviation, said that he and his family participated regularly in fishing derbies and decided to “give back” to this event so that other children may continue to enjoy this time-honored tradition”.

Wild Acres is located off of South Mountain Road in Pittsfield.  For more information, contact Rebecca Tefft at 499-9370*****

The following local waters were scheduled to be stocked with trout last week:  Hoosic River in Clarksburg, Cheshire and Adams, Westfield River in Becket, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Huntington, Middlefield, Savoy and Windsor; Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; Ashfield Pond, Upper Highland Lake, Plunkett Lake, Laurel Lake, Lake Buel, Windsor Lake, Otis Reservoir, Pontoosuc Lake, Goose Pond and Windsor Pond .*****