Good News for Waterfowlers: Ducks up though fewer ponds

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

LANSING, MI — Despite hot, dry weather and drought conditions this summer, waterfowl hunters have plenty to look forward to this fall. Michigan’s early goose hunting season opens Saturday statewide, and hunters will be allowed to take five geese per day. But beyond that, there is surprisingly good news.

“Mid-continent duck surveys done in the prairie pothole region show the numbers are up significantly this year,” said Barb Avers, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources waterfowl specialist. “That’s great news, given the habitat conditions.”

Avers is referring to the annual waterfowl survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is done in what some call the “cradle” for North American waterfowl populations. It showed eight of 10 tracked nesting duck species in the prairies had dramatic population increases despite a significant decline in the number of ponds there. Some of those birds will migrate south through Michigan during the 60 day waterfowl seasons, boosting the number available to hunters, along with those that breed in Michigan.

–See waterfowl season calendar on next page–
Continue reading →

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Steelhead limit change on Little Manistee, Platte rivers

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

Manistee, MI – Anglers will be keeping fewer steelhead on the lower portions of Little Manistee and Platte rivers in the future if a proposed regulation change is approved by DNR director, Keith Creigh, in September. A proposal to lower the daily limit from three steelhead to one went to the Natural Resources Commission for discussion last week.

The change is sought by DNR fish managers who want to protect the brood stock for Michigan’s steelhead stocking program. Eggs for state hatcheries are collected at the DNR’s Little Manistee River weir and egg-take facility. The Platte River serves as a back-up source of eggs.

State officials say the number of steelhead returning to the weir has been declining. They are worried about the trend continuing. If it does they may not see enough fish to provide the 4 million eggs needed by Michigan and other states that plant steelhead in Lake Michigan.

“We had a little uptick in 2011, but the numbers have dropped off over the last five to 10 years,” said Jay Wesley, the DNR’s southwest Michigan fisheries supervisor. Wesley has been the acting Lake Michigan basin coordinator for the last year. Continue reading →

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Lake Michigan salmon stocking to be cut by 50 percent

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

Plainwell, Mich. — A decision has been made. Lake Michigan states will reduce chinook salmon stocking by 50 percent next year. Approximately 1.65 million fewer will be planted in Lake Michigan, according to state officials.

The decision puts a period on a year-and-a-half-long discussion between states and angling groups about how to best balance predator and prey in Lake Michigan, where the alewife population has been declining.

Michigan, which enjoys a growing abundance of naturally reproduced salmon from northern Lake Michigan streams, is likely to plant 1 million fewer hatchery-raised salmon. It will take the lion’s share of cuts, Michigan officials said.

“I think we will be cutting back by over 60 percent, and probably over 65 percent, because we have so much natural reproduction,” said Jay Wesley, the DNR’s point man in the recent discussions.“It’s shocking to see how it will be applied to each port, but if people maintain a lake-wide focus, they will come to terms with it.” Continue reading →

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Paddler hopes to set new world record for largest raft of canoes, kayaks

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Kate Thornhill, of Suttons Bay, hopes to set a world record for the largest raft made of canoes and kayaks.

By Howard Meyerson

SUTTONS BAY, MI — Kate Thornhill is used to difficult challenges; she has traveled solo more than once deep into the Minnesota Boundary Waters paddling the wooden kayak she built.

But on Sept. 1, she is going for the gold: a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. And Thornhill, a certified public accountant, hopes 2,000 or more paddlers will join her.

The Holland native is organizing an event called the Sutton’s Bay Floatilla with the intent of breaking the world record for the largest raft of canoes and kayaks ever to float together. The current record is 1,902 canoes and kayaks. That was set last September on Fourth Lake in New York’s Adirondacks. That event was called “One Square Mile of Hope.” It was sponsored by the Central Adirondack Paddlers Society.

The event, a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research, drew paddlers from 14 states. Photos of the giant raft of boats made Sports Illustrated and National Geographic.

“I couldn’t get the vision out of my head of what it would look like on Suttons Bay waters,” Thornhill said of the inspiration she had upon seeing photos while hiking in Utah with a friend who had participated. Continue reading →

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Michigan adopts regional approach to respond to CWD

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Dealing with deer: The state Department of Natural Resources recently revised its plan to deal with Chronic Wasting Disease, which is a neurological, communicable illness that has affected deer across the United States.

By Howard Meyerson

LANSING, MI — Michigan wildlife officials plan to deal with Chronic Wasting Disease differently in the future, taking a regional approach, rather than one that affects an entire state peninsula. Revisions to the state CWD action plan recently were approved by Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh.

Michigan’s 10-year-old state CWD strategy needed to be changed, according to state wildlife officials, who learned hard lessons in the three-year aftermath that followed the discovery of the disease in a single Kent County, pen-raised deer in 2008. The recent revisions also were prompted by a positive CWD test in April from a 3 1/2-year-old northwest Wisconsin wild doe.

“We wanted to get this in place because of what is going on in Wisconsin,” said Russ Mason, the DNR’s wildlife chief. “That sick deer at Shell Lake, Wis., was a wild deer. It’s just a matter of time before we see an infected wild deer in Michigan. It’s inevitable.” Continue reading →

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Posted on August 16, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

And the clock is ticking….

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Well, it’s that time again.  I’m off. Gone paddlin!

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Howard Meyerson | Leave a comment

Findings: Menstruating Women Do Not Attract Bear Attacks

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

The question of the ages? Probably – especially if you are a woman.

The story today in Mother Jones today  states that it is a myth, but wait, hold on. You should read further. The MJ story is interesting. It touches not only on the question whether menstruation attracts bears and how that so-called myth got started, but it also hits up gender-bias, not by bears so much as within the park service.

Unfortunately in the quest to make that point, it omits an important qualifier from  National Park Service Report on the subject cited which states quite clearly:

“The question whether menstruating women attract bears has not been completely answered.”

The MJ piece is a good read and it does discuss report that there is “no evidence that grizzly bears are overly attracted to menstrual odors more than any other odor and there is no statistical evidence that known bear attacks have been related to menstruation.”

 It also mentions that the case is not so clear with polar bears. The report says; “four captive polar bears (Ursus maritimus) elicited a strong behavioral response only to seal scents and menstrual odors (used tampons).”

But it omits the list of recommended precautions for woman who are suggested by the National Park Service, nor even mentions them. Of course, those might be viewed as more proof of the bias problem for those who are looking.

But I’d suggest you read them both and decide for yourself. Read more: Bears and Menstruating Women

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Reinventing Fire With Jetboil Camping Stoves

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

I have to confess I have looked longingly at the Jetboil stove system for a long time. I own an assortment of backpacking stoves that go back easily 30 years. Every one of them works well and each has its quirks.

This review today on Wired.com only reaffirms that this stove system has a lot going for it.  It its a highly efficient stove for the ultra-light solo tripper and now I see it could work well cooking for a group as I typically do. If you are interested in a high-performance, light-weight packing stove, this piece is worth a read.

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Rabid Beaver Repeatedly Attacks Scoutmaster

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Were it not such a strange and unusual event with such potentially dire consequences for Normand Brousseau, the scoutmaster attacked in this story reported by the NY Daily News today, I would have laughed at the tabloid-style presentation.

I mean, how many times have I seen a beaver in the wild? Frankly, many. I’ve had them swim by,  or ward us off with a slap of their tails, but I’ve never felt threatened or even considered they could be rabid.

Perhaps a little caution is in order the next time I see one.  Mr. Brousseau was lucky he had help. His  account of being repeatedly attacked and bitten is informative and a bit unsettling. Not to mention the account of a bunch of scouts standing around stoning the beaver to death or the rabies shots I’m sure he had to endure.

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