Thursday, June 17, 2004
Earth First vs. Ruffed Grouse
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
The Ruffed Grouse Society believes it is a bad idea to invite Earth First to Southwest Virginia to protest a timber/wildlife habitat project planned by the Jefferson National Forest near High Knob.
“The invitation to an organization dedicated to disruption and disobedience to spread its venom through the hills of Southwest Virginia is a most disagreeable development,” said Dan Dessecker, senior wildlife biologist of the society.
Several preservation groups, including the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project, Virginia Forest Watch and the Clinch Coalition, have invited Earth First to instruct them in ways to protest what is called the Bark Camp Project. A federal court in Abingdon recently upheld the project.
“The court found that young forest habitats and associated wildlife were rare in this region and endorsed the plan by the Forest Service to provide these essential habitats,” said Dessecker.
The plan has been under development since 1997 and has attracted thousands of hours of public input, he said.
The grouse society defended the Bark Camp Project in count. The organization promotes the concept that for grouse to prosper they need a habitat that contains a shrub canopy with ground cover. The shrubs provide concealment from hawks and other predators. The ground cover produces berries, vegetation and insects eaten by grouse.
You don’t get this kind of critical habitat in a mature forest; yet, preservationists insist that the only way to manage the national forest is to let it mature and never disturb it with a chainsaw or fire. That is why grouse have been in decline, biologists say, and the same can be said of a number of other species, including certain species of songbirds that depend on new growth.
BILL
JOHN MORRIS HONORED
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation honored John L. Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, for his contributions to the preservation of elk habitat and hunting. Morris received the foundation’s Conservation of the Year Award during its American Outdoor Experience in Bristol, Tenn. last weekend.
. "His achievements reach all across elk country, touching grasslands and wetlands from coast to coast,” said Peter J. Dart, Elk Foundation President and CEO.
Good friends of Morris, Richard Childress, of Richard Childress Racing, and Bill Jordan, of Realtree, joined him on stage to pay tribute to his stewardship.
Last fall, Morris donated $150,000 at the Elk Foundation's Rendezvous for Wildlife in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. Since 2000 he has given nearly half a million dollars to advance the mission of the Elk Foundation.
BILL
OUTDOORSMEN FAIL TO UNSEAT MORAN
Rep. James Moran, a staple of Northern Virginia politics for more than two decades and often a thorn in the side of outdoorsmen, won the Democratic primary last week. He has represented Virginia’s 8th Congressional District for 14 years.
Moran has a reputation on siding with animal-rights organizations and was soundly criticized by wildlife experts for a bill he introduced that would ban the baiting of bears nationwide. Wildlife officials said that decision should be left to state wildlife officials. The bill was defeated.
The Virginia Hunting Dog Owners’ Association opposed Moran’s primary bid. Bob Kane, who heads the association, said Moran is one of several congressmen from both parties who are animal right supporters, which means they are problems for sportsmen, pet owners and meat producers.
“Incumbent politicians are very difficult to unseat unless many different groups work together to get out the opposition vote,” said Kane.
The race was deemed a tougher than usual contest for Moran, who captured 58 percent of the vote. He will face Republican Lisa Marie Cheney in the November general election.
BILL
LIMIT THE CARP YOU EAT
Most of us probably don’t eat a lot of carp, but health officials have advised those who do to cut back on their consumption from Lake Anna. No more than two meals per month, is what officials recommend.
Tests there showed levels of PCBs in excess of the state’s tolerance. The scary part is that the source of the contaminants is not known. The manufacturing of PCBs in the United States was stopped in 1977, according to the Associate Press.
Health alerts have been extended in the lower James River and in Knox Creek in Buchanan County. Officials advise no more than two meals per month of carp and no eating of blue catfish from the I-95 Bridge in Richmond downstream 110 miles, which is the full length of the river.
In Knox Creek, from the Virginia-Kentucky line upstream for 17 miles to near the West Virginia line, health officials say no eating of smallmouth bass or suckers and no more than two meals a month of any other fish.
Details can be found on vdh.state.va.us/HHControl/fishing_advisories.htm
BILL
SMITH RIVER TROUT REPORT
The Smith River bite is on! I’m a pretty good fisherman, but the results from the past three days were truly exceptional. My suggestion is to go now! Go with me, or go with someone else or go by yourself. The operative word is GO! I don’t know how long this will last. It my opinion, there is no one section of the river better than the other. It is all good.
I fished three sections and had no problem catching into the high double digits on each occasion. On one trip I caught 15 out of a single run less than 20 feet from my starting point.
AL KITTREDGE
Al’s Smith River Guide Service
SALTWATER FISHING HIGHLIGHTS
*Anglers are anticipating a big cobia weekend, if the weather is favorable. Several cobia tournaments are set for Saturday. Fish weighing more than 80 pounds have been caught.
*Offshore action continues to see anglers bowing rods on yellowfin tuna, dolphin and marlin, both blue and white. This has fishermen excited following a poor offshore season last year.
*Big croakers continue to be caught in the Chesapeake Bay, pointing to a great season for this species.
*Amberjack are being landed at the South Tower, but the water is thick with chopper bluefish that will steal your bait.
BILL
FRESHWATER FISHING HIGHLIGHTS
*Penn Riggs caught a citation 1-pound, 8-ounce shellcracker from Western Branch Lake. To get an idea of how big a fish that size is, picture it stretched fully across the width of a newspaper page.
*Better than average June water flows in trout streams have extended fishing for stocked trout well past the end of May when stocking end. Action especially has been brisk in the delayed harvest streams, including the Roanoke River in the Roanoke Valley.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
*One of these days when you head for the highly popular Outer Banks of North Carolina to fish, you may have to buy a saltwater fishing license. Right now, no such license is required, but the North Carolina Senate is giving consideration to a license that would cost $15. The House has debated several versions of a license bill, and passed one in 1999 that stalled. This is the first try by the Senate.
*Researchers plan to test the DNA of several sankehead fish recently found in the Potomac River to see if they were spawned by a fish found about two years ago in Maryland.
*Pittsburgh will host the July 29-31 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Classic. See bassmaster.com. This year’s Classic is in Charlotte.
*Workers are putting the finishing touches to an old Wal-Mart store in the Fredericksburg area that is being turned into a mega Gander Mountain Outdoor store.
*President Bush has requested $80 million for state wildlife programs, but Teaming for Wildlife says that isn’t enough and is asking senators and representatives to boost the figure to $100 million.
*Boaters in Portsmouth are angered over discussions by the City Council to raise the city’s tax on boats to help pay teacher salaries.
*The Bucks Branch Hunt Club in Southampton County reaped tons of good will when it policed a two-mile section of road in front of its clubhouse under the Adopt-a-Highway program. “Eleven bags of trash and three hours later, we had caught the eye of a lot of appreciative locals,” said club member Penn Riggs.
BILL
VIRGINIA SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament has its first cobia and tuna entries of the year. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 95 pounds, Joseph Roub, Baltimore, Md., Hog Island Bay.
COBIA: 61 pounds, 4 ounces, Michael Poulter, Virginia Beach, ocean side of Eastern Shore
CROAKER: 4 pounds, 7 ounces, Frankie Martin, Hudgins, upper-western Chesapeake Bay.
FLOUNDER: 12 pounds, 10 ounces, Leah Hunger, Virginia Beach, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
GRAY TROUT: 12 pounds, 12 ounces, Greg Thayer, Gloucester, upper-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
KINGFISH: 1 pound, 14 ounce, Bobby Smith, Portsmouth, lower-western Chesapeake Bay.
SEA BASS: 6 pounds, 14 ounces, Mark Fueller, Rio Grande, N.J., off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPHEAD: 13 pounds, 2 ounces, Gary Reese, Pasksley, lower-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
SPADEFISH: 12 pounds, 14 ounces, Bill Hall, Bloxom, upper-eastern Chesapeake Bay.
SPECKLED TROUT: 12 pounds, 14 ounces, Ivan Hutton, Virginia Beach, Elizabeth River.
SPOT: 1 pound, 2 ounces, Charles Wade, Highland Springs, lower Rappahannock River.
STRIPED BASS: 63 pound state record, Carolyn Brown, Virginia Beach, off the Virginia Coast.
TAUTOG: 22 pounds, 9 ounces, Julie Ball, Virginia Beach, off Virginia Beach.
TUNA: 112 pounds, 4 ounces, Alan Ellison, Fruitland, Md. off Eastern Shore.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Meeting of the Smith Mountain Striper Club, 7 p.m., July 2, Moneta Community Center, guest speaker Warren Turner, president of the National Striped Bass Association.
Virginia Trappers Association’s Convention and Sportsman’s Show, July 23-25, Luray, $5 admission, primitive camping available, information from Bryan Nelson, redfox12172@netscape.net.
Bassmaster Classic, July 30-Aug. 1, Lake Wylie/Charlotte, N.C.
Mother-Daughter Outdoors Event, Aug. 20-22, Appomattox, opportunity for women 9 and up to learn outdoor skills. Information from dgif.state.va.us/events/.
Virginia Outdoors Weekend, Sept. 17-19, for families, Westmoreland State Park, information from dgif.state.va.us/events/.
Smith Mountain Striper Club fall tournament, Oct. 9., information from Rex Smith, smithrex@charter.net.
CITGO Bassmaster Open tournament, Oct. 14-16, Smith Mountain Lake.
Got an event? Let us know: xtails@earthlink.net
