Awesome memories of a Yellowstone National Park vacation

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Last week, this column was about a 10-day flyfishing trip taken by me and 3 other local anglers to Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Montana and Idaho.    After that trip was over, my wife Jan then joined me in Bozeman, MT to do some sightseeing in Yellowstone National Park. It was time to pack the fishing stuff and lift my eyes from the gin clear waters and rising fish and look at the beautiful surroundings.

 

Why vacation in YNP?  Well, it’s an interesting place.  It’s the world’s first and arguably most famous national park and is home to one of the planet’s largest and potentially most destructive volcanoes. The Yellowstone caldera complex is so massive that it can really be appreciated only from the air. But although the caldera isn’t always visible on the ground, it’s certainly no secret: Copious thermal features like hot springs and geyser basins dot the landscape and have attracted people to the uniquely beautiful and ecologically rich area for at least 11,000 years. That’s about the time Native Americans started hunting bison and bighorn sheep, fished for Cutthroat trout, and gathered bitterroot and camas bulbs there.  (Incidentally, a caldera is not the same thing as a crater. Craters are formed by the outward explosion of rocks and other materials from a volcano, whereas calderas are formed by the inward collapse of a volcano.)

After driving to Gardner, MT and settling into our room at the Yellowstone Bear’s Den, we ate at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill.  On the menu was bison shepherd’s pie.  It was the first time I ever ate buffalo meat and it was delicious. Jan ordered a different meal, being not quite ready to eat buffalo.

 

The following morning, we entered YNP through the North Entrance, drove to the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District, where we saw wild elk grazing on the lawns, (no hunting allowed in the park) and we later walked the boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs.  At an altitude of over 6,700 feet, it is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine (terrestrial limestone). It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the springs cooled and deposited calcium carbonate.  Truly a sight to see.

 

From there we drove to the Lamar Valley (often called America’s Serengeti for its large and easy-to-see populations of large animals).  There we saw lots of buffalo where they roam free and frequently cross the roads and hold up traffic.  Visitors don’t mind though, for it affords opportunities to see and photograph them close-up.  It was Jan’s first live sighting of them and she was quite impressed.  In the Valley, we also saw elk and antelope.  Some people parked along the road were using spotting telescopes looking for grizzly bears and black wolves.

 

While there, we visited Soda Butte, where my fellow anglers and I fished the creek the previous week.  The butte is all that is left of a hot spring cone located just off the road in the valley’s east side.

 

On the way back to Gardner, we stopped to see a petrified tree, basically a redwood similar to those currently in California.  It was a clue to the warmer, damper landscape that once existed in YNP.  When a chain of volcanoes erupted there in the Eocene times, 50,000,000 years ago they triggered massive landslides.  The rolling mix of ash, water and sand buried whole forests.  Before the trees could rot, abundant silica in the volcano flow plugged the living cells creating forests of stone.  What an awesome feeling standing near something that is 50 million years old!

 

On our second day, we visited the Upper Geyser Basin which is home to the largest number of this fragile feature found in the Park. Within one square mile there are at least 150 of these hydrothermal wonders. Of this only five major geysers are predicted regularly by the naturalist staff. They are the Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside, and of course, Old Faithful. There are many smaller geysers to be seen and marveled at in this basin as well as numerous hot springs.  We spent the whole day there seeing as many of them as we could.  It is said that YNP as a whole, possesses close to 60 percent of the world’s geysers.

 

On day 3, we traveled south past Yellowstone Lake headed for the Park’s South Entrance into Wyoming.  Yellowstone Lake lies at an altitude of 7,730 feet above sea level and is the largest body of water in North America, and the second largest in the world, at so high an elevation.   It stretches 20 miles long and 14 miles across and its shorelines are dotted with geothermal features.

 

After leaving Yellowstone Lake, we traveled south into Wyoming along the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to see the Teton Mountains, a segment of the Middle Rocky Mountains.  They extend 40 miles across northwestern Wyoming, from the southern boundary of YNP and into southeastern Idaho.  The peaks of the Teton Mountain Range are regal and imposing as they make one of the boldest geologic statements in the Rockies. With no foothills to suggest their presence, they rise through steep conifer forests into alpine meadows strewn with wildflowers, past blue and white glaciers to naked granite pinnacles.

 

We viewed the Tetons from Jackson Lake, a glacially carved, approximately 400-foot-deep lake.   But more than a century ago it was impounded, and today the Jackson Lake Dam adds about 37 feet of depth — or 847,000 acre-feet of stored water. This summer, 90% to 95% of that added water was expected to go downstream into Idaho, ultimately to irrigate potato fields in Idaho’s Snake River plain and grow crops for cattle.  Where we were at the boat ramp near the Colter Bay Marina, the water was gone and nothing but docks were seen on dry land and the 60 boats normally anchored there for the summer had been trailered away.  As far as we could see, there existed a lake with no water.

On our last day, we visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  About 640,000 years ago, a huge volcanic eruption occurred in Yellowstone, emptying a large underground chamber of magma (partially molten rock). Volcanic ash spread for thousands of miles. The roof of this chamber slowly collapsed, forming a giant caldera 30 miles across, 45 miles long. The caldera began to fill with lava and sediments. Infilling of lava flows continued for thousands of years.  Scientists think some of it filled in with rock and sediments about 150,000 years ago. This paleo-canyon was not as deep, wide or long as the canyon that’s there now.  Past and current hydrothermal activity altered and weakened the rhyolite, making the rocks softer. The Yellowstone River eroded these weakened rocks to deepen and widen the canyon, a process that continues today. The current canyon begins at Lower Falls and ends downstream from Tower Falls.

 

The 308-foot Lower Falls may have formed because the river flows over volcanic rock more resistant to erosion than the downstream rocks, which are hydrothermally altered. The 109-foot Upper Falls flows over similar rocks. The large rocks upstream from Upper Falls are remnants of a lava flow resistant to erosion.

The multi-hued rocks of the canyon result from the hydrothermally altered rhyolite and sediments. There are dark orange, brown, and green areas near the river that indicate still-active hydrothermal features. Their activity—and that of water, wind, and earthquakes—continue to sculpt the canyon.

Jan and I agree that the Yellowstone Grand Canyon was the most remarkable sight of them all in YNP. (Yes, even greater than Old Faithful). There are boardwalks and viewing areas around the canyon rim so that you can see both waterfalls.  It’s kind of scary looking down the canyon walls with the river so far below that you could barely see it.  Definitely white-knuckle time.  Jan said that she held her cell phone camera so tight that she feared it would pop out of her hands and drop into the canyon.

There were many other amazing sights in the Park which would require several more columns to describe.  You can search the internet to see pictures of all the amazing sights mentioned here.  At the risk of sounding like tour guides, Jan and I highly recommend that you keep YNP in your future travel plans.

Fond memories of a recent Yellowstone fly-fishing trip

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Recently four of us traveled out to Montana/Wyoming/Idaho to do some flyfishing. Making up our party were Craig Smith and Attorney Michael (Mike) Shepard from Dalton, Paul Knauth from Hinsdale and me. We were going to spend 10 days fishing famous rivers in those areas which included Yellowstone National Park (YNP).  Rivers such as the Yellowstone, Gallatin, Gibbon, Madison, Teton, Henry’s Fork Rivers as well as some smaller waters such as the Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek at Pebble Creek, Sentinel Creek and others. Our quarry were West Slope Cutthroat, Rainbow, Brook, Brown and Cutbow Trout.  (A Cutbow is a hybrid fish between rainbow and cutthroat trout. They do occur naturally in the wild in areas where the native range of rainbow and cutthroat trout overlap). We familiarized ourselves with the YNP fishing regulations, such as:  only catch and release, no felt bottomed waders, use of barbless hooks only, use of non-toxic weights, etc.

Craig and Mike usually teamed up to fish together, doing three float trips (Yellowstone River, Idaho’s Teton River and Henry’s Fork of the Snake River) and a day fishing the private waters of Nelson’s Creek on Nelson’s Farm in Montana, and they did very well.  The remainder of the time they waded the rivers.  Paul and I usually fished together and opted not to float but only wade the rivers.

To make a long story short, we all caught and released lots of nice trout.  But one angler stood head and shoulders above us others and that was Craig. He consistently caught the most and the largest fish just about every day.  One day, he caught 6 trout over 20 inches, and showed us pictures of them as proof.  Every night, we would look at his cell phone pictures of the large fish that he caught that day.  He made no secret as to what flies he used and how to fish them.  He often lent us some of his flies and equipment, but although we used his tactics and caught some fish, we could not emulate his success.  He has been fishing these rivers since he was a child and pretty much knows where and how to catch big trout. As a child, he accompanied his father who would frequently take 3-week vacations there.  When fishermen have good days, people say they are lucky.  With Craig, it’s not luck, it’s out and out skill.

We all had good days and caught lots of fish.  There was one short stretch of Soda Butte Creek where Mike and I in one day caught 11 Cutthroat Trout out of it.

With the altitude usually over 6,000 feet and afternoon temperatures frequently in the high 80’s, it didn’t take much to get winded.  We usually had to hike 3 to 4 round trip miles wearing fishing boots and carrying backpacks to reach the good fishing spots, so we always carried 2 bottles of water to keep hydrated.  A couple of days Paul and I did 6-mile round trips (uphill all of the way) to a great fishing spot on Slough Creek where there were trout swimming and rising all around us in the gin clear water.  I never caught one but Paul caught a few.  Even though the fish saw us, they didn’t stop their feeding activity.  They simply were not interested in what we had to offer.  Sometimes these big fish would only take tiny size 22-24 flies.  Over the course of the 10 days of fishing, wearing fishing boots and carrying backpacks, I walked about 25 miles and Paul 30, based upon his pedometer.

There were no forest fires near us, but we could see the smoke when we looked at the distant hills.  The color of the sun at sunset was usually orangish-red.  Whether it was the altitude or the effects of the smoke, we all suffered nasal/sinus problems and nosebleeds every day.

There were signs everywhere warning us of the bears and to always carry bear spray.   One day when Paul and I were hiking a mountain trail to reach a meadow on the other side of a ridge, we came upon a couple (from Florida) that had stopped and were looking at something ahead.  It was a brown black bear gorging itself on chokecherries right on the edge of our trail. We must have waited 20 minutes and still it was in no rush to move on.   Paul and I wanted to get to our fishing spot so we and the couple had to walk maybe 10 feet from it in order to get by.  We tapped our walking sticks/wading staffs, and softly talked while Paul had his pepper spray canister aimed at it as we carefully walked by.  He didn’t have to use it as the bear seemed to be more curious than aggressive.  I’m not sure we would have been so lucky had it been a grizzly bear.

On this trip, we learned some new fishing techniques from Craig.  One was using high density sinking line to get our dragonfly nymph flies to the river bottom and then to twitch them so that they would kick up mud.  The Cutthroats went nuts over them.  Another trick we learned from him was how to fish tiny creeks with grasshopper imitation flies.  Basically, the method was not to get near the creeks (they were actually out of sight) cast your fly to an area where you thought the creek was, and listen.  If you heard a splash then you raised the rod and hooked the fish.  If you can see the creek, said Craig, then the fish can see you.  It worked wonderfully, until the afternoon winds were tossing our fly lines all over the place.

Another new technique for me was “wet wading”.  No waders but only wading shoes, with your legs exposed to the water.  We all enjoyed fishing that way except for one morning when Mike and I fished the Gallatin River where the water temperature was 40 degrees.  Obviously, we didn’t stay in that river too long.

I’ll never forget one place on Slough Creek when a herd of buffalo decided to drink and cross it where Paul and I were fishing, virtually surrounding us.  Paul led the way out to some large boulders in the middle of the creek for protection, figuring they couldn’t stampede us there.  He must have learned about that tactic from some old cowboy movies.  Without getting into the particulars of that encounter, let’s just say that we came home with handfuls of buffalo hair. Another time, I put my net on the ground while I went a short distance to get a drink of water from my backpack.  Before returning a big buffalo decided to lay down right next to it.  After some time, it finally got up and ambled off, and I retrieved my net.

One day, we fished Henry’s Fork in Idaho.  Where we fished was shallow, wide and filled with long weeds swaying in the current. The fish were just out of casting range, and the weeds prevented us from wading too far out to them.  They acted like ropes around our legs and we just couldn’t get past them.  They didn’t bother Craig for he managed to catch a nice brown trout.

It’s interesting that in the morning we could fish the Madison River in YNP which flows into the Missouri River, to the Mississippi, to the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean; whereas that same afternoon we could fish the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River (an hour away) which flows into the Columbia River and ultimately flows into the Pacific Ocean.  It depends upon which side of the Continental Divide (Rockies) you are on.

All too soon, our fishing trip was over and it was time for Paul and Mike to fly back home.  Craig was able to stay 4 more days and continued to send us pictures of the large fish that he continued to catch.  It had been a wonderful fishing trip.

Within minutes after Paul and Mike’s plane took off from the Bozeman, MT airport, my wife Jan flew in and we spent the next 4 days sightseeing YNP and the Teton Mountains in Wyoming. I’ll tell you about our sightseeing trip next week.

Is another deer disease heading our way?

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Today, I’m not writing about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a contagious neurological disease that is fatal to cervids, including deer, elk, and moose. It attacks the brains of infected animals, causing them to exhibit abnormal behavior, become emaciated, and eventually die. Infected deer may spread the infectious agents through urine, feces, saliva, etc. for months before showing any clinical symptoms. Fortunately, no CWD infected deer have been found in Massachusetts yet, probably due to certain restrictions regarding the movement of deer and deer parts that have been put in place. For example, if you hunt deer outside of Massachusetts, it is illegal to import deer parts from states or Canadian provinces where CWD has been detected.  So far, it has been detected in 26 states (as close as NY and PA) and 4 Canadian provinces. It is legal to import deboned meat, clean skull caps, hides without the head, or a fixed taxidermy mount.

There is a whole section on the MassWildlife web site which addresses this disease.

No, today I am writing about another disease – Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).

Recently, the New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has confirmed a large outbreak of EHD in its whitetail deer population. with reports of approximately 700 dead whitetails. The EHD outbreak has been confirmed in seven NY counties, some of them not too far away from Berkshire County such as Columbia County, Dutchess, Greene and Ulster counties. Wildlife officials are now also investigating suspected EHD cases in at least nine more counties, including Albany and Rensselaer Counties.

According to wildlife officials, EHD is not spread from deer to deer, but is transmitted by biting midges, sometimes referred to as “no-see-ums.”  They also believe that humans cannot be infected with EHD by deer or by bites from midges. This is a terrible disease affecting deer because once infected with it, they usually die within 36 hours. They have no immunity to the virus.  Officials believe that EHD outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when midges are abundant, although initial cases this year in New York were detected in late July.  The DEC reports that the virus has been more widespread this year than during previous outbreaks.

The DEC reports that EHD does not have much long-term impact on whitetail populations, but deer mortality can be significant in small regions. It is endemic in the southern states, which report annual outbreaks, so some southern deer have developed immunity.

According to the DEC, the virus was first confirmed in New York deer in 2007 in Albany, Rensselaer, and Niagara counties. Another EHD outbreak in Rockland County occurred in 2011. In 2020, a large EHD outbreak occurred in the lower Hudson Valley, centered in Putnam and Orange counties, with an estimated 1,500 deer deaths.

The DEC is asking all New Yorkers to report sick or dead deer to the DEC. Signs of EHD virus in deer include fever, hemorrhage in muscles or organs, and swelling of the head, neck, tongue, and lips. A deer infected with EHD may appear lame or dehydrated, and EHD-infected deer often go to water sources and die nearby. Dead deer are not a source of EHD infection for other deer, animals, or humans.

Hemorrhagic disease can cause very high mortality rates and is considered the most important viral disease of white-tailed deer in the United States. There is currently no treatment for hemorrhagic disease in wildlife populations. And, while characterized as infrequent in the North, outbreaks that do occur are known to be severe and capable of high mortality.

EHD is transmitted by biting flies or midges in the group called Culicoides. The midges are found near mud, which is their preferred breeding habitat. Outbreaks usually occur when deer congregate in wet areas at the driest part of late summer and early fall – when seasonal midge activity is also at its peak. They end when the first hard frosts take their toll on the midges and the virus dies with the insects.

Martin Feehan, Deer & Moose Biologist from Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW) recently addressed this subject:  “MassWildlife conducts routine surveillance for diseases that could spread to wildlife in Massachusetts, and we work with our regional partners to ensure we are aware of any outbreaks. Our surveillance efforts include passive monitoring for EHD, however, there has never been a case within the state”.

 

“We have been in regular communication this summer with our counterparts at the New York’s DEC about the 2021 EHD outbreak. The outbreak in New York is more extensive than they have had in the past and includes counties adjacent to Massachusetts. It is unlikely that we will have cases at this point in the fall as temperatures continue to drop, however, there is an increasing probability of EHD cases occurring in future years. The distribution of EHD outbreaks has moved northward as summer temperatures have increased due to climate change. We encourage community members and in particular hunters to report deer to regional DFW offices that appear symptomatic. (As noted above) the most common signs are swelling of the face or neck, weakness, respiratory distress, fever, and excessive salivation. Infected deer will often be found near water sources. EHD cannot be spread to humans and does not cause population level effects for deer, but occasionally will have localized impacts around severe outbreaks.”

This time of year, bow hunters are out scouting potential areas in which to hunt and hikers are taking advantage of the cooler weather to traipse the trails and view the lovely fall foliage.  As Martin wrote, if you see signs of sick or dead deer that are suspected of having EHD or CRD, report them to your Regional DFW office.

To date, there is no evidence that humans can contract the disease by consuming venison that has been infected with EHD or CRD.

Woodcock Hunting Season

Next Friday, October 1, the Woodcock (a/k/a Timberdoodle) Hunting season opens and runs through November 22. Waterfowl stamps are not required for hunting woodcock nor is the use of non-toxic shot. You must register with the Harvest Information Program (HIP).  The daily limit is 3 and the possession limit is 9.  Shotguns capable of holding more than 3 shells may not be used unless plugged with a one-piece fill which limits the gun’s total capacity to 3 shells and which cannot be removed without disassembling the gun.  Remember, a reasonable effort is required to retrieve all migratory birds killed or crippled.

Watch out for moose

MassWildlife urges drivers to use caution because it’s mating season for moose.  During September and October, moose become more active and cross roads more frequently.   They will step out onto a roadway without showing concern for oncoming traffic. At night, their dark body is difficult to see, and their eyes are much higher and generally not reflected back from headlights. Due to their weight and leg length, the body will often come through the windshield and onto the driver, making collisions extremely dangerous.

Don’t just expect to see them in remote areas.  Last year a moose was spotted in a back yard of a residence located on Elm Street in Pittsfield.  Recently, a 700lb bull moose was wandering in traffic through downtown Worcester, MA. After receiving reports that the moose was involved in a minor car accident, the Massachusetts Environmental Police successfully immobilized him.  DFW staff relocated the moose to a nearby forested area and monitored him until the effects of the immobilizing drugs wore off. While moose sightings aren’t usually cause for alarm, that moose was near busy roadways, and was moved for both the safety of the public and the moose.

Also, don’t forget, whitetail deer get romantically involved, too, which usually occurs from late October to early December.  Please watch out for them, too, as they can also do serious damage to your automobile if you hit one.

Several important announcements issued from MassWildlife

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Well, I’m back home in the Berkshires after a wonderful fly-fishing trip to the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) in Montana/Wyoming and in Idaho.  That was followed by a delightful vacation at YNP with my wife Jan.  I’ll write about those trips eventually, but while I was away several news releases were issued by MassWildlife which were of some significance:

 

Fall trout stocking

 

MassWildlife will stock over 65,000 trout statewide this fall.   Here’s the breakdown:  Nearly 28,000 rainbow trout will be 14+ inches long, over 33,000 rainbow trout will be 12+ inches and about 4,000 brown trout will be 9+ inches long.  The Western District will probably receive about 20% of them.  MassWildlife feels that these fish, coupled with the 500,000 stocked this past spring, should provide some great fall fishing.

The tentative start date is the last week in September. Many local fly fishers wonder if they will stock the East Branch of the Westfield River this fall.  Andrew Madden, DFW Western District Supervisor noted that fall stocking in the Westfield River is determined by water volume in most years. Water levels look good at this point so stocking is likely unless weather patterns change dramatically. So, we should have good fly-fishing conditions in that river as well as the Deerfield River.

Anglers can get daily stocking updates from the MassWildlife web site.

New pheasant regulations proposed

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will hold a public hearing on September 28 at 9:30 am about quail and pheasant hunting regulation changes. The public hearing will be held via a Zoom webinar, and will occur after the Fisheries and Wildlife Board’s monthly meeting.

The proposed regulations include the establishment of a permit for hunting quail and pheasants, elimination of the seasonal bag limit on these birds, removal of the roosters-only restrictions, and the elimination of the hunter registration process for pheasant hunting at Martin Burns Wildlife Management Area in Newbury, MA. Madden noted that the regulatory proposal only establishes the permit. The prices for all licenses and permits are established through a different process (the one we just went through with the license increases). In the case of the pheasant/quail permit it will cost $4.00 in 2022, $8.00 in 2023, $12.00 in 2024, $16.00 in 2025, and $20.00 in 2026.

 

The meeting can be accessed through the DFW website (https://www.mass.gov/service-details/fisheries-and-wildlife-board-public-hearings-on-proposed-regulatory-amendments). Due to filing requirements, the Fisheries and Wildlife Board must vote on the proposed amendments at the closing of the hearing. In turn, there will be no comment period after the hearing. To send in comments before the hearing, email the Assistant to the Director, Susan Sacco, at susan.sacco@mass.gov or by writing to 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.

Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits

According to MassWildlife there are surplus antlerless deer permits available for sale in the eastern part of our state.  For example, in Zone 9 there are 1,410 surplus permits, in Zone 10 there are 9,092, in Zone 11 there are 7,770, in Zone 13 some 2,526 are available and in Zone 14 there are 2,619.  So, if you weren’t awarded a permit in one of our local zones, you might want to think about hunting there. In addition to putting some delicious venison on your table, you would be helping to get that deer population out there lowered to desired population levels.  The sale of surplus antlerless deer permits by Wildlife Management Zone will be staggered over the following days in September:   Zone 11: Tuesday, September 28 at 9 a.m.,   Zone 10: Wednesday, September 29 at 9 a.m. and Zones 9, 13, and 14: Thursday, September 30 at 9 a.m.  Surplus permits are $5 each and are first come, first served until sold out. You may purchase one Zone 11, one Zone 10, and one Zone 9 permit per day; up to four permits per day may be purchased for Zones 13 and 14.

 

Surplus permits may be purchased online using MassFishHunt or in person at authorized license vendor locations. To purchase a surplus antlerless deer permit online, Log into MassFishHunt  with your last name and date of birth and then follow the instructions.

Thanks to Massachusetts firefighters

A hearty thank-you and congratulations to the crew of 20 Massachusetts firefighters who assisted with wildfires in the Northern Rockies region.  They are now safely back home.

The group, headed west on August 14 and returned to the Hopkinton State Forest Headquarters on September 4 after being on the ground for two weeks in western Montana and northern Idaho (about the time my fishing buddies and I were out there.) The Massachusetts crew was made up of 14 Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) firefighters, three Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW) firefighters and three municipal firefighters.

The firefighters, who were part of a “Type 2 initial attack hand crew,” engaged in direct fire suppression by working on the perimeter of three large uncontained fires. The team coordinated with heavy equipment and helicopter bucket drops to contain the flames and protect structures.

Jim Montgomery, Commissioner of the Massachusetts DCR, was in Hopkinton to greet the firefighters and thank them for their efforts.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. wildfires have scorched nearly 7,900 square miles (20,460 square kilometers) this year in forests, chaparral and grasslands ravaged by drought. The vast majority are on public lands in the West that also serve as popular spots for summer activities such as camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, rafting and biking.

An Onota Carp that had a discerning palate

Recently, I received an email from Mrs. Alexandra Barone.  She and her husband Anthony Barone are new to the Berkshires and here is what she wrote:

“My husband, to our surprise, caught an 8lb Common Carp last Sunday at around 4:30 pm.  We thought we would take time after work, starting our new ministry “Rejoice ( a children’s center serving severe mentally and physically challenged, adolescent children)  in Dalton, MA, (to) breathe and absorb the beauty and silence. We have been vacationing here in the Berkshires for some time, and the hectic lifestyle we were experiencing in the past, had to come to an end, as we aren’t getting any younger, lol…

We like to fish, but had no plans of fishing.  It was just a spur of the moment…grab towels, a blanket and of course a fishing pole.  We had no bait; although, I had cooked barbecue ribs on the grill the night before, and that just so happened to be our bait.  So, I suppose Carp enjoy pork, as funny as it seems.

The fish put up such a fierce fight, that my husband said, “I think that I caught the alligator of Onota Lake!”

Fish to us are such a beautiful species, but we love to enjoy its meat and Omega 3s. Being it’s our first big catch of any kind of fish, it had a delicious flavor… a Christmas dinner favorite, dating back to the Medieval times, and enjoyed in the European regions.

My husband learned for the first time how to fillet, (and) as I enjoy cooking, I learned how to prepare this special Common Carp. (It) was “divine tasting,” no fishy flavor, though I prepared it by soaking the fillets in salt water overnight.

What a spectacular catch, Anthony Barone, my Darling.  It was not only relaxing but also an extraordinary and exciting day, we had together at Onota Lake”!

Now isn’t that a sweet story?

Thank you for sharing that story with us Alexandra.  You couldn’t have picked a better place to relax than on the shores of one of the Berkshire’s most beautiful lakes.

Alexandra is right in noting that Carp is a major dish in European countries.  My grand-parents, when they came over here from France, loved to dine on carp, but for some reason, that fish meal never became popular with people here in the US.  They don’t know what they’re missing.

 

Why do people fish?

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Hopefully, while you are reading this column, I’m returning home from a 17-day trip to Montana which included 10 days flyfishing with the boys and 5 days vacationing at Yellowstone National Park with my wife Jan.

Why do you fish so much? You may ask.   Well, that’s a difficult question to answer…. but I don’t lose sleep over it.  Not so with everyone.

The late outdoor columnist John (Jack) Randolph tried to answer that very question.  Here’s what he came up with in his New York Times column written sometime in the 1950’s or 1960’s.  It was titled:

“Survey fails to disclose any sensible reasons for enjoying fishing.

A basic question has been bothering everybody around here lately, mainly because all the answers given are false and insecure.  The question is:  Why do people go fishing? It is too bad the answer is not so obvious as the answer to: why do men become explorers?  Explorers are timid men.  They want to know how they look in beards but do not have the crust to grow them at home.  So, they go to the headwaters of the Orinoco and grow beards.  This is self-evident.

But nobody can give a believable, or even honest, answer about fishing, though everybody seems to have some kind of answer.

For example, some say they fish to get fish.  Obviously false.  There are enough fish-hogs around for any reasonable purpose, of course.  But how about these fellows who never take a fish?

There is a story about one Boston angler who won’t even use hooks.  For a while he tried barbless hooks and would bring a fish to netting distance then give him slack and let him wriggle off.  For a while his esthetic principles were satisfied, but even this became too crude.

Now he will use only dry flies without hooks.  He wants only the strike, and if the fish strikes anywhere except in the place the angler has chosen, he is dissatisfied.  This man lives in Maine and, to make things tougher, will now fish only for bonefish because Florida is far away and bonefish are warier than trout.

Obviously, his next step is to eliminate the lure, and in the end, he is bound to refine himself out of existence, if any. But he certainly is not fishing to get fish.

And there is the character on Long Island, who, after days of futile trying for stripers, got strike after strike on a hookless plug.  When he wanted the bass, he said, the bass didn’t want him; now the bass wanted him and to hell with them.  Does this guy want to fish?

What about the angler who says he just loves the outdoors and refers to nature as She? That can’t be his reason for fishing.  Anybody can mess around in the woods and observe stuff without annoying fish.

And the one who says it is a reflective sport.  Twaddle. The place for that contemplation kick is a leather -upholstered easy chair with pipe, smoking jacket, fireplace and beautiful setter looking up with adoring eyes at “The Master”.  Who can muckle onto any philosophical speculation while breaking his ankle on rough rocks, blistering his hands on oars or scratching black-fly bites?

What about the ones who go for good fellowship?  Can’t be that, he can get that in church organizations, fraternal orders, clubs and chess tournaments.  If that is not his pitch, New York City itself has superb, even unexampled, facilities for playing poker, shooting dice and drinking whisky.  A man doesn’t have to go to the hot, fly-blown woods to get drunk or go broke.

Is fishing good exercise?  Tennis or swimming is better.  Does it get a person out in the fresh air?  So does opening a door.

There are those who say the lure lies in catching the biggest and the most, beating everybody else. With enough practice they can do the same on pinball machines.

Some say they want to pit their skill and cunning against Nature.  Like the man who says he has “conquered” a mountain when he has crawled up the side of it. So, do ants conquer drainpipes?

Anyway, that can’t really be their reason for going fishing. Nature makes things with soft days and willing fish, and he makes them easier with expensive and ingenious tackle.  Anyway, he could go climb a mountain, fish are not nature; they’re just natural, except when they are hatchery pets.

This survey uncovered, or exposed, anglers who say the great attraction is mending rods and tying flies.  Well, very fine tackle manipulators can be seen in any casting contest, but they are not catching fish.  Many of them never go fishing, but the confusing thing is that many of them do.

And many thousands of Americans, including housewives, tie flies but do not fish.  Many of them do fish, but it can’t be because they tie flies, since that would make the fishing only an almost irrelevant by-product.

Well, the survey didn’t get anywhere.  Sometimes it seemed as if the right answer was about to appear, but it didn’t.  Nobody was thinking in a detached, scientific manner; everybody just seemed to want to justify his fishing—as if his wife were listening.

But I am going to think about it tomorrow in a detached, scientific manner.  While fishing.”

Quite a writer, ey?   Randolph wrote his outdoor sports column 6 days a week for the New York Times beginning in 1956.  He took over the column after his predecessor Ray Camp retired after 19 years.   Camp was the first regular outdoors writer for The New York Times, writing the “Wood, Field & Stream” column. He died in 1962 at the age of 54.

Randolph kept the column name.  I don’t know exactly when Randolph quit writing it, but he passed away in 1961 also at an early age of 57.  Any readers who still remember his columns surely have a few white hairs.  I was a lad of 18 years when he passed and reading the New York Times was not one of my daily activities.

I can’t imagine writing a daily column for such a prestigious newspaper as the New York Times.  Just preparing this weekly column for the Berkshire Eagle causes me to become a basket case .….. and that’s with the help of modern computers, Word programs, digital picture files, etc.  I can’t imagine compiling and typing the columns on an Underwood or Royal typewriter like Jack and Ray did.   No wonder they passed at such young ages.

Randolph’s obituary read the following, “Although he had to turn out 6 columns a week, writing while the men he had spent the day in the field with were clinking glasses in front of a fire, he almost inevitably produced a well-organized essay illuminated by a salty and irreverent wit and notable for an absence of woodland cliches.”

How I found out about him is an interesting story.  After my predecessor, the late Ted Giddings passed away in 2005, his widow Anna gave his library of hunting and fishing books to me.  In it was a small booklet that had been written by Randolph entitled, “Have fun with Jack Randolph in “Wood, Field and Stream”, a daily spicing of outdoor (and indoor) wit, wisdom and wile that enlivens the sports pages of the New York Times.

Basically, it is a random sampling of some of his NYT columns.  The undated black and white booklet probably was self-published because there is none of the usual copyright, ISBN numbers, etc.  Also, there are no dates as to when the articles appeared in the NYT. How Ted got a hold of it, I don’t know.  Perhaps because Randolph lived in Western Massachusetts (Colrain), Ted probably personally knew him and was given the booklet by him. (Let’s not forget that Ted was pretty well known himself having written articles for Field Stream and other national magazines.)

So, why do I enjoy fishing?  The following quote by an anonymous author covers it all: “I fish because I love to, not because I regard fishing as so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of man are equally unimportant; and not nearly so much fun”.

 

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Fall hunting seasons about to start

 

Massachusetts sportsmen and women are heading into the woods for the fall 2021 hunting season.

The Early Canada Goose hunting season (statewide) began last Wednesday and runs through September 24.  For Early Canada Goose season only, hunting hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.  The daily bag limit is 15 and the possession limit is 45.  The reason for this early season and the large numbers of geese allowed to be taken is to reduce the large local resident population that is befouling our lawns and beaches.  The regular goose hunting season in the Berkshires opens on October 11 and runs through November 13.

Waterfowl hunters aged 12–14 do not need stamps (or a license), but waterfowl hunters aged 15 or older must possess a MA waterfowl stamp which may be obtained online at mass.gov/massfishhunt or wherever hunting licenses are sold. Waterfowl hunters aged 16 and older are also required to possess a federal waterfowl stamp. Both stamps are valid from January 1 through December 31.

Federal eDuck stamps may be obtained online at mass.gov/massfishhunt or wherever MA hunting licenses are sold.  They are temporary stamps expiring 45 days from the date of purchase. Before the eDuck expires, a physical federal duck stamp will be sent to customers via US mail. Upon receipt, it must be signed across the face in ink and carried while waterfowl hunting. If a physical duck stamp does not arrive after a few weeks, contact Amplex at duckstamp@amplex.com or (800) 852-4897. Physical federal waterfowl stamps are also available at all National Wildlife Refuges and select post offices

Waterfowl stamps are required for most hunters who hunt any ducks (including sea ducks), geese, and brant. Two statewide Active Military & Veteran Waterfowl Hunt season dates (September 25 and October 9, 2021), concurrent with the Youth Waterfowl Hunt days, are open for waterfowl hunting by veterans and current members of the Armed Forces on active duty, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty (other than for training). The term “veteran,” is defined, per section 101 of title 38, United States Code, as a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. Proof of eligibility is required and must be carried on person while hunting. All regular season waterfowl regulations and bag limits apply

The early Black Bear hunting season opens statewide on September 7 and runs through September 25, 2021

 

There are no blaze orange requirements during this season.  Hunting implements allowed during this season are rifles, revolvers, muzzleloaders and archery equipment.  Be sure to check the regulation abstracts dealing with caliber size, draw weights, etc. Shotguns are not allowed during this season. If you are a Massachusetts resident bear hunter, you must have a hunting or sporting license and a bear permit.  If you are a non-resident, you must have a big game license and a bear permit. Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end ½ hour after sunset.

It is illegal to use dogs for bear hunting and to bait bear. This includes the use of lure, scents or any other substance as a bear attractant.

Successful hunters are asked to submit a tooth and hair sample to MassWildlife. Teeth are used to determine a bear’s age, and hairs are used to study bear genetics. You can learn how to collect and submit them by clicking onto the MassWildlife web page.

It is unlawful for hunters to intentionally or knowingly leave a wounded or dead game animal in the field or the forest without making a reasonable effort to retrieve and use it. Each retrieved animal shall be retained or transferred to another until processed or used for food, pelt, feathers, or taxidermy. This does not apply to animals unfit for consumption or use—animals and their parts that are damaged, destroyed, decayed, rotting, diseased, or infected.

No hunting is allowed on Sundays.

 

Land Acquisitions

According to MA DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden, MassWildlife and the Department of Fish and Game once again had an excellent year for land conservation in the Western District. “Land Protection is one of the most important conservation actions and ensures that wildlife habitats and public access to wildlife lands will be protected in perpetuity. All the MassWildlife Western District acquisitions are open to passive recreation including hunting, fishing and trapping. Land protection in the Western District is a multi-person effort led by Land Agent Peter Milanesi.” said Madden.

Maps of MassWildlife lands are best viewed on the land viewer at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/masswildlife-lands-viewer.

The following is a list of Western District lands protected in Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021). Some have already been mentioned in prior columns:

  • Worthington – 1-acre gift parcel along the Little River in Worthington.
  • Windsor – 13-acre gift abutting the Chalet Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The property contains part of the Tyler Brook wetlands and expands the portion of Chalet WMA accessible from North Street.
  • Lanesborough – 159-acre gift of Wildlife Conservation Easement (WCE) in cooperation with Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC). The area known as Widow White Peak WCE includes steep hillsides and the high point of Potter Mountain. It can be accessed from Silver Street.
  • Williamstown – 6-acre gift adding on to Misery Mountain WMA
  • Dalton – 9-acre gift of WCE in partnership with BNRC. The parcel abuts existing BNRC land with a MassWildlife Conservation Easement. Addition of this parcel improves access the existing protected property.
  • West Stockbridge – Two parcels totaling 44-acres between the Williams River and Route 41 abutting the Maple Hill WMA. Parking is unavailable at this time.
  • Otis – 55-acres abutting the Long Mountain WMA. This property includes road frontage on Giles and Stebbins Road and improves access to the WMA
  • West Stockbridge -260-acres of WCE with BNRC at the northern end of Tom Ball Mountain.
  • Rowe – 39-acres abutting the Maxwell Brook WMA. This property expands on the existing WMA and abuts town conservation land
  • Peru – 130-acres abutting the Peru WMA. This property is a combination hardwood and spruce forest with road frontage on August Smith Road, East Windsor Road and Frary Road.
  • Egremont -Two parcels totaling 114-acres near the Karner Brook (Jug End Fen WMA) section of Egremont. The property includes the well-known Smiley Pond (a/k/a Mill Pond) which is visible from the intersection of Route 23/Route 41 and Mt Washington Road. The pond is an important stopover for migratory waterfowl and is home to several sensitive habitats.
  • Great Barrington – 360 acres of WCE in cooperation with BNRC. The property encompasses much of the western shore of Round Pond and the eastern slopes of Tom Ball Mountain. Access to the area is limited by lack of parking, but improvements are being developed.

Fishing Derby

All good things must end.  The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is scheduled to have its last Youth Fishing Derby of this year next Saturday, September 11, from 9:00 to 10:30 am at its Lower Pond at the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, 240 Hatchery Road, Hartsville, MA.  Children aged 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.    The following of any State guidelines regarding social distancing, face masks etc., is required.

 

Please be more considerate

Recently, I received an email from a full-time resident on Goose Pond in Tyringham who has lived there since 1972.   (I am keeping his name anonymous). Over the past few years, he claims the bass fishermen routinely cast their lures and hooks near the docks.  Last fall when he went to take out his dock, he noticed something shiny on the anchor rope.  It was a huge hook and spinner stuck in the rope.  If he had reached down to pull up the anchor, the hook would have become embedded in his hand. Most recently, he found a hook and rubber worm stuck on the tie-down point on his boat.

“It is very disrespectful to all of us who live on the lake”, he wrote.  He asked me to put this blurb into the column and to remind/ask these anglers to be more considerate.  (Not only on Goose Pond, but on all lakes).

Happy Labor Day.

 

Another look at the Keystone Arches

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In my April 10-11, 2021 column, I did an article on the Keystone Arch Bridges (KAB) in Middlefield and Becket.  They had recently been designated as National Historic Landmarks  by the US Dept of Interior.  The Federal designation was the result of a combined effort of cultural and conservation partners.  The application for the landmark designation to the DOI was filed in 2013 by the Friends of Keystone Arches and the Wild and Scenic Westfield River Committee with a unanimous endorsement by the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board.

 

Also included in the National Historic Landmark designation was the Chester Factory Depot, an important stopping point for the railroad, where additional engines were added to westbound trains prior to traversing the steeper grades to the west.  It is a contributing element of the Chester Factory Village Historic District. The two stone bridges included in the landmark designation, as well as the historic roadbed, are part of the Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District.

 

That was the culmination of a lot of work by various people and organizations. So, who got the ball rolling to protect those arches?

Well, according to Jill Lane, former resident of Middlefield who now resides in Florida, it was her and Nancy Burnham. In the late 1970’s Jill and her late husband Fran lived in Bancroft (a hamlet of Becket).  One day they walked down the tracks, went into the woods and found the arches and they were absolutely gorgeous.  They were baffled in the way they were, just hidden there in the woods. Once discovered, Jill and Fran would frequently walk down to see them.  At the time, they didn’t realize how steeped in history those arches were.

According to Jill. the arches were soon after discovered by people from Springfield who came up into the woods and vandalized them.   At first, they were dumping cars over the arches but then they started to pry each of the stones off and push them down into the West Branch of the Westfield River.   It tore Jill up to see them being destroyed so she determined that something should be done.  All she wanted to do was to keep them from being destroyed.  She asked the Good Lord to please help her stop the vandalism.

Jill knew the late Nancy Burnham, who also lived in Middlefield, and asked her what they could do.  Nancy was from New York and she knew who to contact and she got in touch with the right people. “Nancy had a lot of pull and knew what to do and we both worked together on it”, said Jill.  (Incidentally, Nancy’s last name, Burnham, is the B in B&M Baked Beans Company).

“Save the Arches was our theme” said Jill, “and we did”.  “It took two solid years of hard work, but we had a good time”.  In fact, Jill to this day has a chest filled with documentation (paperwork, pictures, etc). of their work.   “We worked our butts off.  If it wasn’t for Nancy Burnham, her friend Ann Jewett and me, the arches wouldn’t even be there.” said Jill.

 

They started the project in 1978 working side-by-side with Charles Lennon from the Westfield Historical Commission.  He brought other representatives from the Historic Commission with him.  Charles completed the paperwork and sent it to the Boston Historical Commission. Boston HC requested that they get pictures of all the houses 100 years of age and older in the towns of Chester, Middlefield and Becket.  They worked with the historic commissions of those towns getting the pictures in order to establish a historic domain.

The Boston HC sent the documentation to Washington DC and, according to Jill, they were absolutely flabbergasted by it.   In 1980 they got notice from the Massachusetts Governor informing them that Washington DC felt that the Arches were worthy of national protection.  Finally, in 1980 they were able to get all nine of the Arches from Chester to Middlefield listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A TV station out of Boston sent reporters to cover the story when they found out that the Arches were put on the Register and they acknowledged Jill and Nancy.  (A bronze plaque was subsequently sent up, but by the time it arrived in 1983, Jill and Fran had moved to North Carolina and she doesn’t know what became of it.)

 

There may be confusion with the terms “National Register of Historic Places” and “National Historic Landmark”.  The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.  The National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. There are over 95,000 listings in the National Register.  One can prepare a nomination with a small filing fee through your state historical society and be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Listing as a National Historic Landmark is a higher designation, and there are only 2,600 such landmarks in the US.  A National Historic Landmark is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. This designation is the highest available and is the same category as the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument or Mount Rushmore.   To qualify, sites must demonstrate national significance.  The listing must be prepared by experts in the field with preference to firms who have prepared listings in the past, in KAB case, The Public Archeology Laboratories in Pawtucket, RI.

 

The cost, $35,000.00, was funded by Wild & Scenic.    It was filed in partnership with the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior.

 

Obviously, the work of Nancy, Jill and Charles Lennon photographing the old buildings, towns, bridges and area significantly contributed to the efforts of ultimately getting two of the bridges listed as National Historic Landmarks.  Such a listing is a really big deal and Jill should be very proud to have started the ball rolling with her friend Nancy which led to such an important outcome.

 

Dave Pierce, President of The Chester Foundation, Inc. and Friends of the Keystone Arches built a trail showcasing a section of the Chester & Becket Railroad (The Chester & Becket or C&B Trail) on the J.J. Kelly Wildlife Area in Chester and received a grant to build an urban extension for that through downtown Chester, ending up at the rail station. All these efforts are geared toward telling the story of Chester’s unique history, with a particular focus on rail, to promote growth, tourism and preservation.   In 1990, there was a ribbon cutting in Chester and he contacted Nancy and Jill (who then lived in Florida) and representatives from the Boston Historical Society.  Nancy and Jill were acknowledged as the ones that initiated the preservation of the arches.

 

Friends of the Keystone Arches, Inc. is the non-profit, volunteer organization that has taken the mantle of building awareness of the Keystone Arch Bridges, these strangely forgotten monuments that are such an integral part of the first mountain railroad.  With the wilds around the Keystone Arches and the untamed Westfield River as a workplace, Friends strives to maintain the Keystone Arch Bridges (KAB) Trail, as well as a website, Facebook page and a number of other initiatives over the past 25 years.

 

In partnership with the National Park Service / Dept of the Interior, they helped mobilize volunteers and paid professionals to stabilize and repair the two Arches owned by MA Fish & Wildlife at the Walnut Hill Conservation Area. The Westfield River Wild & Scenic Committee is a ready and frequent partner in the ongoing work along with them.

 

Even though this is my second column addressing the Keystone Arches, I have barely scratched the surface.  Click onto https://keystone arches.com to find out even more about the amazing history of these arches, the people who traveled over them and the people involved to protect and preserve them.

 

Goose hunting

Due to a recent change in the regulations, the Early Canada Goose hunting season now opens on September 1.  Be sure to check the waterfowl regulations.  More to come on early fall hunting in next week’s column.

Rodenticides/pesticides appear to be taking a heavy toll on raptors/animals

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Officials from MassWildlife and wildlife veterinarians from Tufts Wildlife Clinic at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University confirmed that in late July, a young bald eagle succumbed to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) poisoning. In late July, a female fledgling eaglet in obvious distress on the ground in Middlesex County was transported to and admitted by Tufts Wildlife Clinic in North Grafton. Unfortunately, upon admission to the clinic, the young bird died. A necropsy was performed at the clinic and liver tissue was sent to a lab for toxicology testing. Both the observations from the necropsy and toxicology test results confirmed that the eaglet’s cause of death was due to lethal levels of anticoagulant rodenticides. This is the second documented rodenticide death of an eagle in Massachusetts. The first was an adult bird that died this past March. Over 80 pairs of bald eagles nest in Massachusetts.

 

Anticoagulant rodenticides are a type of rodent poison that kills by preventing blood from clotting normally, resulting in fatal internal hemorrhage or bleeding. Wildlife can be poisoned by anticoagulant rodenticides in two ways: 1) primary poisoning when an animal directly eats the bait and dies several days later, or 2) secondary poisoning when a predator or scavenger eats prey that has consumed the bait. Studies of birds of prey in Massachusetts conducted at Tufts Wildlife Clinic have shown widespread exposure to SGARs. While bald eagles primarily eat fish, they are opportunistic foragers and will scavenge or prey on a variety of animals.

 

As noted in my May 8, 2021column article which dealt with the first eagle’s death, given the hunting range of eagles, it’s impossible to determine the exact source of this rodenticide poisoning. Analysis of liver tissue confirmed two different SGARs were ingested by the eaglet. In the past 15 years, the US EPA has taken steps to impose restrictions on rodenticides. SGARs are believed to be most harmful to wildlife and cannot be sold through general consumer outlets for use by the typical homeowner. SGARs can still be purchased online in commercial use quantities for use only by licensed pest professionals and agricultural users. Other rodenticides, called first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) and non-anticoagulant rodenticides, are still approved for residential consumer use only if enclosed within a bait station. It is illegal to place poisons outdoors except under highly regulated permitting conditions.

 

“Not only raptors, but many other kinds of wildlife have been the victims of unintentional rodenticide poisoning,” said Andrew Vitz, MassWildlife’s State Ornithologist. “Secondary exposure to rodenticides has been documented in other animals such as foxes, bobcats, and coyotes.” He also noted that other predatory wild mammals and unsupervised dogs and cats are vulnerable to unintended exposure.

 

MassWildlife and Tufts University are working together to find practical, environmentally responsible solutions to issues relating to rodent problems.

 

To minimize harm to wildlife and pets, MassWildlife and Tufts Wildlife Clinic offer the following advice for homeowners and other concerned citizens:

  • Prevent Rodent Problems: Remove or safely secure any sources of food or garbage that attracts rodents. Keep food for pets, poultry, and livestock in animal-proof containers. Rodent-proof your home! Close off or repair any exterior openings in your home and other outbuildings that may allow rodents to enter.
  • If you have rodents, start with baited snap traps which provide a swift and humane death and are easy for a homeowner to use. Poisons should be used only as a last resort. If using poisons, use enclosed in bait stations and follow the product label instructions. If you hire a company, choose a licensed integrated pest management company that uses multiple approaches to pest control instead of relying solely on poisons. You can request that the company avoid using SGAR products including brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, or difethialone.

The choices we make as individuals and communities regarding rodent control and trash management practices can help prevent wildlife exposure to SGARs,” said Dr. Maureen Murray, Director of Tufts Wildlife Clinic.

 

As always, if you find a wild animal, and it has clear signs of injury or sickness, it’s best to leave it in the wild. If injury or illness is evident, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for advice before taking any action.

 

Concerned citizens can also help vulnerable wildlife by sharing this information and advice with friends, family, and others. Connect with groups who are working together to find practical, environmentally responsible solutions to issues relating to rodent problems. “The choices we make as individuals and communities regarding rodent control and trash management practices can help prevent wildlife exposure to SGARs,” said Dr. Maureen Murray, Director of Tufts Wildlife Clinic.

Unknown reasons for massive bird kill

Readers may recall that in mid-July, MassWildlife reported an unknown disease was circulating among songbirds in ten states, some as close as PA, NJ and Ohio. Fortunately, it was not been found in New England. The disease was said to cause symptoms of “eye swelling and crusty discharge, as well as neurological signs.”

Last month The Ithaca Times reported that experts from Cornell University are not “overly alarmed” by the unknown disease. Elizabeth Bunting, senior extension associate at the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, said a possible cause of the disease is from the cicadas of Brood X.

Cicada Brood X are emerging this year after 17 years living underground. It is one of the largest and most broadly distributed groups of periodical cicadas. They can be found from northern Georgia to New York, west to the Mississippi River and in the Midwest. There can be as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre, which brings the brood population into the trillions.

The songbirds that ate these cicadas may have gotten sick from pesticides sprayed on the cicadas, or fungi that the insects might be carrying. The pesticides may be causing neurological issues and the fungi could be the cause of crusty eyes, said Bunting and the locations where the disease was found are areas where the cicada broods emerged.  Additionally, the decrease in cases of the mystery disease has accompanied the retreat of the cicadas. “Information coming out of the National Wildlife Health Center and some of the other states said that the cases were declining all of a sudden”, Bunting told the Ithaca Times. “That would not be typical of an infectious disease outbreak. You wouldn’t expect an infectious disease to just spontaneously go away.”

The disease was not found in New England because it did not have the massive number of cicadas some other states had.

Brian Evens, bird ecologist for the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center also suggests that pesticides may be a reason for the bird decline.  “Pesticides are of course a potential cause,” he added. “Cicadas have lived underground right underneath us for 17 years and could have been accumulating toxins like pesticides or heavy metals that then the birds could be exposed to in really high concentrations, just because they’ve switched their diet over to cicadas.”

Some scientists feel that the correlation between the disease’s outbreak and the appearance of cicadas appears strong.  However; nobody really knows what mechanisms actually caused the disease. Referring to the Cornell hypothesis, they feel that though unproven, it is certainly plausible.

It is not believed that the pesticide problem will be a risk in our area, since we have no periodical cicadas, nor any other insects that become hyperabundant like that. But if there is a fungus involved, infected birds could conceivably carry that part of the condition to New England.  They believe that birds’ migratory pattern tends to be southward at this time of year, so infected birds are more likely to remain away from us.

MassWildlife, in an update on July 30, continues to ask people to refrain from feeding birds or putting out birdbaths at this time as a precautionary measure against the disease. They are still investigating the situation, and ask the public to send them information about dead birds. Birds do not need supplementary food at this point in the season. (Removing the bird feeders) will help reduce the amount of interaction among birds, to prevent and mitigate the disease from possible spread.

Researchers across the country are continuing to monitor the mystery disease’s development.

Many thanks to the Ithaca Times for some information provided for this article.

Talk about beginner’s luck!

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Recently, my stepson, Lance Ross sent us an interesting article from the town of Ludington, Michigan.  In case you have never heard of that town, it is the largest city and county seat of Mason County in Michigan. With a population of about 8,000 it is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River.

The local newspaper, The Ludington Daily News, reported that 19-year old Luis Martinez, from Ortonville, Michigan, caught a 47.86 lbs, 47.5 inch Chinook (King) Salmon.   The article stated that Martinez had never fished for salmon before and had just purchased a fishing license on Friday, August 6.  By the end of the following day, he was celebrating having caught a Michigan record for Chinook Salmon.

While fishing on Lake Michigan with Icebreaker Charters, Martinez landed the behemoth that broke the state record which had stood for 43 years, as reported by the newspaper and local TV station WLNS. The old record was 46.06 lbs and 43.5 inches caught in 1978 in the Grand River in Kent County.

“I honestly fell asleep the whole way until my mom said, ‘You’re up,’ and I was like, what?” Martinez explained to WLNS. “They handed me the fishing pole and I started reeling the thing in.”  It took about 30 minutes to land.

“The first 10 minutes were tiring, my arms were sore, (and) I was ready to give up, but my mom was yelling, ‘Don’t give up, keep reeling it in,’” Martinez told WLNS. “The fish started to jump out of the water, you could see it and they were like so excited because it was huge. I was like, it’s just a fish, there’s nothing special about it, at least that’s what I thought.”

Capt. Bobby Sullivan recognized the potential of the catch immediately.  “When it hit the (boat) floor, I said, ‘This thing is big,’” Sullivan told the Ludington Daily News. “And then I started second-guessing myself. I thought it was pushing 40 [lbs]. I told him, ‘You don’t realize what you just caught.’”

Using a Moonshine raspberry carbon spoon lure, the catch was made at 7:30 a.m. They continued fishing a while longer, catching one more salmon.

“The whole time I’m thinking, ‘I wish I had a scale. I wish I had a scale,” Sullivan told the Ludington Daily News.

They eventually headed to Ray’s Auto Marine where the fish weighed more than 47 pounds on a scale that wasn’t certified, prompting a desire to get an official weight. That came at Northside Market, where the certified scale read 47.86 lbs. Later in the day, Jay Wesley, the Lake Michigan Basin Coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources, certified the catch as a state record.

“Unbelievable to have 47 pounds,” Wesley told the Daily News. “In fact, the last state record was in 1978, and it was snagged in the Grand River. To have this one to officially bite a lure, caught out in Lake Michigan and caught in the Salmon Capital of Michigan, Ludington, is pretty amazing.”

Martinez, who was fishing with his mother, sister and stepfather, told the TV station it was like winning the lottery in the fishing sense. He added, “I will go back [salmon fishing again], but I will never beat this fish. Everything is downhill from now on.”

Many thanks to Lance, for sending that interesting article on to us.

Incidentally, quite a few Berkshire anglers fish for King Salmon in Lake Ontario, NY.  Yes, they can catch large ones there, too, with the official record for the largest salmon caught there weighing 47.13 lbs.

According to Wikipedia, Chinook Salmon are the largest Pacific salmon species and, on average, grow to be three feet long and approximately 30 pounds; however, some of them can reach more than five feet long and 110 pounds. The largest known size of a Chinook Salmon is 126 pounds measuring 4 feet 10 inches long which was caught in a fish trap near Petersburg, Alaska in 1949. An angler also caught a 97-pounder in the Kenai River in 1986.

Huge King Salmon are caught annually by flyfishermen out of the Salmon River, a tributary to Lake Ontario in Pulaski, NY.  Local flyfishers such as Ron Wojcik, Bill Travis, Dick Bordeau, and others haul in some very large ones every year.

BNRC “Trails-From-Towns” Takes Next Step in Great Barrington 

 

Congratulations to the Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) for receiving a $28,000 grant from MassTrails, an inter-agency initiative of the Commonwealth led by the Governor’s Office, in collaboration with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The grant will be used to expand trail options at BNRC’s Thomas & Palmer Brook conservation reserve, and to advance plans to connect Great Barrington’s downtown center by footpath to Thomas & Palmer Brook and other conserved lands heading north toward Stockbridge. The work proposed for this next phase will include the construction of a new woodland hiking trail connecting the popular accessible loop at Thomas & Palmer to the upland forest, and natural features within it.

 

BNRC President Jenny Hansell travelled to Cape Cod in July to participate in the MassTrails award ceremony. At the ceremony, Governor Charlie Baker announced nearly $4 million in grant funding to support 52 trail projects across the Commonwealth.

 

Upcoming DCR Forest Management Projects

 

The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Bureau of Forestry will be hosting two virtual public meetings to discuss forest management projects in Chester-Blandford, Mount Washington, Northfield, Otter River, Lawton, and Myles Standish State Forests.

 

During the virtual meetings, slides describing each proposed forest management project will be presented by DCR foresters. Questions on specific projects may be posed through the written Q&A function during

the respective presentations. On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, three nearby projects will be discussed:

 

A project within Chester-Blandford State Forest (Hampden County) proposes to use uneven age and even age management in both mixed hardwood stands and Norway spruce plantations to

regenerate native species.

 

A project within Mt. Washington State Forest (Berkshire County) proposes to use a combination of uneven- and even-age management systems to salvage and reduce ash density, and even-aged management in larch plantations to regenerate native species.

 

A project in Northfield State Forest (Franklin County) proposes to use uneven-age management techniques to create better growing conditions for residual trees using a variable density thinning. Additionally, a collaborative research project with UMass Amherst is proposed here to study interactions between vegetative diversity, forest management and forest carbon dynamics.

 

The meeting for the other three projects, which are located in Worcester and Plymouth Counties will take place on Thursday August 19 from 4:00 to 5:30pm.

 

Participants should check with DCR’s Bureau of Forestry with instructions on how to join the meetings.

 

The proposals may also be viewed at the website address: https://www.mass.gov/guides/forest-management-projects#-forest-management-projects-proposed-2021. The public comment period, originally scheduled to end on August 14, has be extended until August 31 to ensure all participants are allowed the time for comment after listening to the presentations.

 

After the meetings, the presentations will be available for viewing at https://www.mass.gov/dcr/past-public-meetings. DCR encourages the public to share additional feedback on its website. Comments may be submitted online at Forestry.comments@mass.gov. Please note that the content of comments you submit to DCR, along with your name, town, and zip code, will be posted on DCRs website if provided.

 

Additional contact information when commenting, notably email addresses, will only be used for outreach on future updates on the subject project or property.

 

If you have agency-related questions or concerns or would like to be added to an email list to receive DCR general or project-specific announcements, email Mass.Parks@mass.gov or call 617-626-4973.

A new view of prescribed fire

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Isn’t it ironic, the western states of our country are burning up with hundreds of fires and thousands of firefighters struggling to put them out, while here in MA, MassWildlife started 17 of them on purpose across the Commonwealth.  The purpose was to improve wildlife habitat.

Over 560 acres within MassWildlife’s Wildlife Management Areas have received fire management thus far statewide. As part of a pilot project approved by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, MassWildlife was able to utilize a new tool this year to monitor and inform its habitat management. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (also known as UAS or drone technology) provide high-resolution imagery which allows them to monitor habitat conditions before, during, and after prescribed fire events. The multi-rotor UAV used looks similar to a helicopter with multiple rotors, allowing for easy take-off and landing.

UAS technology improves their situational awareness during a prescribed fire by using real-time videography and thermal imagery to understand where smoke, fire, and hot spots occur. The imagery produces very high-resolution georeferenced maps and photos of vegetation and landscape patterns. After a fire, MassWildlife is able to use the images to evaluate fire effects and revegetation to improve fire management practices and manage important habitat for wildlife over time. MassWildlife considers itself fortunate to partner with the skilled licensed UAS pilots with the MassDOT Aeronautics Program to capture unique aerial views of prescribed fire and other pilot sites across Massachusetts where different habitat management and monitoring activities are taking place. This gives them the ability to quickly note changes in vegetation over time and document progress toward MassWildlife’s desired habitat management goals. They have a video clip which shows a prescribed fire conducted by MassWildlife in collaboration with their partners within DCR Fire District 9 and Montague Center Fire Department at Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area this spring.

When appropriately timed and carried out, prescribed fires produce spectacular results in a variety of habitats; removing thatch or leaf litter, removing hazardous fuels, promoting warm season grasses and herbs and eliminating woody encroachment or undesirable plants. These improvements provide critical habitat for many targeted wildlife and fire-adapted plants.

It has been a busy and successful spring prescribed fire season for MassWildlife and they wish to thank their skilled prescribed burn crew, as well as their many fire management partners including Mass DCR Bureau of Forest Fire Control, the National Park Service Cape Cod National Seashore, US Fish and Wildlife Service, local Fire Departments and many other dedicated prescribed fire volunteers.

While they have taken a short summer hiatus from burning to catch up on monitoring, reporting, and other important tasks, MassWildlife has many prescribed burns planned for late summer and fall.

Isn’t it interesting how history repeats itself.  The idea of controlled burns is nothing new, in fact it is widely believed that the native Americans of Massachusetts used to do the same thing, years ago, long before the European settlers “discovered” these lands.  The prescribed burning at Montague Plains and dozens of other conservation areas across New England is based on the belief that, for thousands of years, Native Americans cleared forests and used fire to improve habitat for the plants and animals they relied upon.

 

However; new research published in a January 2020 article in the journal Nature Sustainability, (“Native people did not use fire to shape New England’s landscape”) tests this human-centric view of the past using interdisciplinary, retrospective science. The data they collected suggest, in New England, this assumption is erroneous.

 

In the field of paleo-ecology, researchers take advantage of the fact that, over time, the bottoms of lakes and ponds fill up with mud. Using hand-driven devices, scientists can collect a cylindrical core of the sediment and then use radiocarbon dating to determine the age of the mud at different depths. According to the Journal, over the last century, scientists have collected sediment cores from hundreds of lakes around the world, enabling them to reconstruct past environments and ecosystems.  They have analyzed the mud in some study ponds, and found the obvious signature of forest clearance by 17th-century European colonists. Pollen from forest species declined, while pollen from agricultural and weedy species, like ragweed, increased abruptly. They believe this evidence clearly shows New England’s open land habitats owe their existence to Colonial European deforestation and agriculture, especially sheep and cattle grazing, hay production, and orchard and vegetable cultivation in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Journal article goes on to say, “This retrospective research should cause some conservationists to reconsider both their rationale and tools for land management. If the goal is to emulate the conditions that existed prior to the arrival of Europeans, land managers should allow New England forests to mature with minimal human disturbance. If the goal is also to maintain biodiverse open land habitats, like Montague Plains, within the largely forested landscape, managers should apply the Colonial-era agricultural approaches that created them nearly 400 years ago. Those tools would include mowing, grazing and cutting woody vegetation – but not burning.”  “Sediment tells the story”, they say.

Personally, I’m a strong believer in open biodiverse land habitats and don’t particularly care how they achieve them…………as long as they don’t let those controlled burns get out of hand!

Martin Feehan is the new deer and moose biologist for the Massachusetts DFW

Martin began his new job in May 2021.  It includes overseeing the biological data collection, abundance estimation, and management of deer and moose within the Commonwealth.  His primary focuses for the coming years include expanding deer hunting access in suburban communities throughout central and Eastern Massachusetts, maintaining deer populations within goals for Western zones, and screening for emerging diseases.

 

Feehan is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree from University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2014, with majors in evolutionary biology, wildlife ecology, and an environmental studies certificate from the Nelson Institute.  A significant portion of time during this period was spent working at Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources deer check stations, screening for Chronic Wasting Disease.  Following graduation, Feehan worked for the USGS on Piping Plover in Montana and grizzly bear research for University of Alberta just outside of Jasper National Park.  Since 2016, Feehan has been a PhD student at Cornell University in New York with his research focusing on urban deer population ecology at Fort Drum.  This has included intensive deer capture of 500+ deer and trail camera surveys with more than 1 million photos.  Feehan’s specialties include applying quantitative methods to improve urban deer management, ungulate disease surveillance, and stakeholder engagement for expanding hunting access.

 

He will likely be visiting and doing presentations at some county sportsmen’s leagues, but probably won’t be able to attend as many as he’d like this year, as he is still getting up to speed in this position.  We must consider that there was also a gap of over 6 months without a deer biologist after his predecessor, David Stainbrook, moved on to a different job. So, some of the general management tasks must be prioritized this year.

 

Regarding this year’s antlerless deer permits (ADP), Martin said that the allocations have not changed from last year.  This had been the plan already as the Division has moved to a 3-year cycle of maintaining ADP allocations the same, before altering so that there would be more stability and time to track changes in the herd.

 

Incidentally, he reported that there was a new record number of ADP applicants (40,829) for antlerless permits in 2021.  This was an increase of 1.9% over 2020.

 

Check the MassWildlife web page to see the numbers of permits per hunting zones along with the odds of getting one.  While there, you might click onto Massfishhunt to see if you have been selected to receive one.

 

Fishing Derby

The Berkshire Hatchery Foundation in Hartsville-New Marlborough is scheduled to have a youth fishing derby next Saturday, August 14, from 9:00 to 10:30 am at its Lower Pond at the Berkshire National Fish Hatchery, 240 Hatchery Road, Hartsville, MA.  Children aged 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.   These fishing derbies will run once a month through September.  The following of any State guidelines regarding social distancing, face masks etc., is required.