|
New Page 1
Phil Pash's Great Outdoors (Phil has been writing about outdoors since the late 1970s). Friday, Dec. 30, 2005 (Vol. 1, No. 25 of a new beginning). Brunsvold Retires from State DNR: Joel Brunsvold is leaving the job he "always wanted to do," reported the Peoria Journal Star. He confirmed Dec. 27 he plans to step down from his position as director of the Illinois DNR Dec. 31. Brunsvold, 63, has directed the DNR since April of 2003. "I've loved the job and want to thank the governor for allowing me to do it for almost three years," Brunsvold, who also served 20 years as a Democratic state legislator, was quoted as saying. "But now it's time to move on and do some personal, family things. I'm going to be 64 (on Feb. 26) and it was just time." Sam Flood takes over as acting director. Flood was appointed assistant director in October after serving as Gov. Rod Blagojevich's liaison for southwest Illinois. Prior to that Flood served various government positions in St. Clair County. Brunsvold said he expects the governor to name a permanent replacement. DNR deputy director Leslie Sgro is believed to be among those interested in the position, said the Peoria paper. Timing of Brunsvold's resignation is somewhat surprising since the $50 million World Shooting and Recreational Complex in southern Illinois is slated to be completed in July. Brunsvold has been a driving force behind the complex. The Peoria paper said Brunsvold has overseen difficult times for the DNR, which absorbed major budget cuts and laid off more than 120 employees. Brunsvold counts the layoffs as a negative aspects of his tenure. But he also defended the moves. "We've actually cut a lot of fat out of this agency. It was pretty well bloated when we got it," Brunsvold said. "And we've kept the most important projects going and the parks are still up and running fine." Brunsvold also endured a rocky chapter last February when reports surfaced about his extensive use of state aircraft. Those included two trips to South Dakota for charity hunts. Brunsvold later reimbursed the state for much of his air travel, said the Peoria paper. Brunsvold said the decision was "totally'' his, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "I may do a little lobbying,'' Brunsvold was quoted as saying. "I still have a lot of friends in the General Assembly.'' The State Journal-Register of Springfield said no timetable has been set for naming a replacement. Brunsvold said he had notified the governor's office of his intentions but had not talked with the governor. Brunsvold said work on DNR's proposed budget for fiscal 2007 is far enough along that a new director won't have to play catch-up, reported the Springfield paper. A spending plan has been submitted to the governor's budget office, and the agency already has conducted a follow-up meeting with budget officials to make revisions. The General Assembly approved a fiscal 2006 budget for DNR of about $193.7 million last spring, up from $189.6 million the previous year, according to the Springfield paper. Brunsvold said 50 workers for state parks, known as site technicians, are in the pipeline to be hired by spring, said the State Journal-Register. "What we generally lacked were the workers, those people who do the actual work," he said of employees who would keep the grass mowed and parks maintained. "That's what we need. Sometimes we get a little overburdened with administrators." About a dozen park superintendents were included in the last round of layoffs about a year ago. Brunsvold also said a new computerized licensing system, called DNR Direct, should streamline the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses. The system is being tested at about 20 locations in the state. "Vendors will have a lot less trouble, we'll have a lot less paperwork and get more useful information," he said of DNR Direct, scheduled to go online next month. Money from licenses, stamps and other fees paid by sportsmen flows into the Wildlife and Fish Fund, a fund that has enjoyed a surplus recently, partly due to the popularity of Illinois deer hunting. Out-of-state archery deer hunters eventually could contribute as much as $10 million a year, and Brunsvold said some of that money could be used to buy land to provide public hunting opportunities for resident hunters. "If that funding actually would be used for that purpose, that would be good for Illinois outdoorsmen," said Bob Becker, president of the Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources, a sportsmen's group. "I hope they do that." * * * Hunters Help Feed Needy: Thousands of Illinois families have benefited this holiday season from the generosity of Illinois deer hunters thanks to donations to the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger (ISAH) program. Established in 1989, ISAH encourages deer hunters to donate deer they harvest this fall and winter to be processed and distributed to food banks, food pantries and charitable organizations to help feed the hungry throughout the state. Prior to the second firearms season, hunters donated approximately 30,000 pounds of venison, which provided 120,000 meals. Since the program's inception, nearly 246,000 pounds of venison have been donated by hunters, providing more than 983,000 meals for needy families. Last year the program received 40,837 pounds, which provided 163,348 meals. ISAH began in 1994 with 4,800 pounds donated. With harvest donations from the second firearm season Dec. 1-4, the remaining archery season (closes on Jan. 12) and the Jan. 13-15 late-winter antlerless-only firearm deer season in 51 counties yet to be included, program manager Tracy Shafer said she expects to eclipse last year's total. The DNR and the Illinois Conservation Foundation encourage hunters to donate deer and a tax-deductible $35 contribution through the ICF to help cover the cost of processing the deer meat. For a list of meat processors handling venison for ISAH, visit the DNR Web site at http://dnr.state.il.us and click on "IL Sportsmen Against Hunger" on the home page. In addition, the DNR has earmarked $100,000 from the state Wildlife and Fish Fund to assist in covering the costs of processing venison for the ISAH program. The additional funding is provided through non-resident archery deer permit fees. Monetary donations to ISAH can be made to the Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271. The funds help cover costs by almost 50 participating meat processors throughout the state.
For further information about ISAH, contact Shafer at (217) 785-5091 or e-mail tshafer@dnrmail.state.il.us. * * * CWD Hunt in Rockford Area: A special chronic wasting disease deer hunting season in Winnebago, Boone, DeKalb north of I-88 and McHenry counties will be held Jan. 13-15. The dates coincide with the late-winter firearm deer hunt, but the CWD season has several special provisions, according to Tom Beissel, DNR wildlife supervisor/biologist for northwestern Illinois: * Antlerless-only permits will be issued for $5 from the Springfield permit office. There is no quota for CWD permits, so the permit office will continue to issue them, said Beissel (for example, bow hunters can hunt ground on which only archers are allowed). Permit applications can be downloaded off of the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.il.us. * A major feature of this new hunt is any unfilled permit for a CWD
season county (Winnebago, Boone, DeKalb north of I-88 and McHenry)
that a hunter still retains also will be valid during the CWD season
be it a firearm, muzzleloader, landowner or statewide archery tag.
Hunters must fill the tag with the deer specific to that tag, antlerless
or either sex. * The statewide two-buck provision does not apply during this season.
Even if a hunter already has taken two bucks, he can continue to harvest bucks during the special season. * If a hunter kills a deer and allows the DNR to take the CWD tissue samples
at the check station, he will get another permit, free. The DNR will continue to give free permits to successful hunters who submit tissue samples as long as the season lasts. * The CWD special season check stations will be located at: + Winnebago County--Rock Cut State Park, CWD Lab/Hunter Check Station. + Boone County--Boone County Fairgrounds, Illinois 76 and Business U.S. 20, Belvidere. + DeKalb County--Shabbona Lake State Park, 4201 Shabbona Grove Road, Shabbona. + McHenry County--Sportsman's Choice Archery Shop, Highways 14 and 47, Woodstock. Six new cases of CWD have been reported from samples taken during 2005 hunting seasons, bringing to 102 the total since the fatal deer disease first was discovered near Roscoe in 2002.
Four new cases were from the Winnebago-Boone County line and were deer taken during the first firearm season in November. They came from about 200 tests completed as of Nov. 29. Hundreds of other samples still are being tested as the state hopes to examine about 2,000 deer killed during firearm seasons.
One other positive test was from a deer killed by a Boone County bow hunter, and the other was from a suspect deer killed by wildlife officials in Winnebago County.
During last year's firearm season 31 deer tested positive, which was 20 fewer than in 2003.
Paul Shelton of the Illinois DNR said it was too early to say if this year's figures indicate a continued downward trend. However, he was encouraged because no new cases were found outside of previously infected areas.
* * * Late-Winter Deer Season: The Illinois late-winter firearm antlerless-only deer hunting season also will be Jan. 13-15, open only to Illinois residents. Legal firearms for the late-winter season are shotgun, muzzleloader or handgun.
The 51 open counties for the season are: Adams, Bond, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Knox, LaSalle, Lawrence, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, McDonough, McLean, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Richland, Schuyler, Scott, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside and Williamson.
Special hunt areas during the season are: Apple River Canyon State Park (Jo Daviess County), Carlyle Lake SFWA-East Side Management Area except sub-impoundment 5 (Fayette County), Castle Rock State Park (Ogle County.), Falling Down Prairie State Natural Area (Jo Daviess), Hanover Bluff SNA (Jo Daviess), Mitchell's Grove SNA (LaSalle County), Moraine View SP (McLean), Siloam Springs SP (Adams and Brown counties), Spoon River State Forest (Knox), Starved Rock and Matthiessen state parks and Margery C. Carlson Nature Preserve (LaSalle), Tapley Woods SNA (Jo Daviess), Ward's Grove SNA (Jo Daviess), Weinberg-King SP (Schuyler), Weinberg-King Scripps Unit (Schulyer) and White Pines Forest SP (Ogle). For additional public hunting area information, see the permit application or visit http://dnr.state.il.us. * * * Anglers To Meet: An open discussion of four nearby lakes--Delavan, Waubesa, Monona and Whitewater--will be the program at the Rock Valley Anglers fishing club of Rockford monthly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Harmony Club, corner of 7th Street and 15th Avenue, Rockford. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Augie Borchardt is president of the all-species club, reachable at (815) 968-8899. The program is set for the February meeting on the first Wednesday of the month--Mark Clements from Clements Fishing Barge on the Mississippi River will talk about walleye angling. * * * Camping Reservations: The Illinois DNR will start taking reservations for the 2006 camping season Jan. 3 for state campsites, cabins, group campsites and picnic shelters. Reservations can be made through regular mail only beginning Jan. 3 and in person or over the phone beginning Feb. 6. Visit www.dnr.state.il.us and click on the camping section for a registration form. Completed forms can be mailed to camping site of choice along with the appropriate registration fee. Telephone and in-person reservations can be made using Visa or MasterCard. The DNR has openings for campground hosts at many state-run campgrounds. Hosts are paid $1/day and receive free camping for the length of their stay. For more information on the host program, call Barb Foster at (217) 785-8129. * * * Key Illinois Dates: * Dec. 31--Lake Michigan snagging season for coho and chinook salmon closes. * Jan. 3--Mid-winter waterfowl survey and ground counts of waterfowl in northeast Illinois (Jan. 3-6). * * * Illinois hunting seasons: * Groundhog: To March 31. * Squirrel: To Jan. 20. * Deer: Archery--To Jan. 12. Late-winter--Jan. 13-15. * Canada goose: North--Closed Dec. 29. Central--Closed Dec. 28. South--To Jan. 31. * Crow: To Feb. 28 (except closed Jan. 13-15). * Duck: South--To Jan. 22. * Turkey: Archery--To Jan. 12. * Pheasant: North--To Jan. 8. South--To Jan. 15. * Quail: North--To Jan. 8. South--To Jan. 15. * Rabbit: North--To Jan. 8. South--To Jan. 22. * Raccoon: North--To Feb. 10. South--To Feb. 15 * Fox: To Jan. 31. * Skunk: Year-round. * Coyote: Year-round. * Conservation Order Light Goose: North--Dec. 30-March 31. Central--Dec. 29-March 31. South--Feb. 1-March 31. * * * More Snowmobile Deaths: Three people died in snowmobiling accidents in Vilas County over the Christmas holiday weekend.
The Vilas County Sheriff's Department said a father and son went snowmobiling on Rest Lake in Manitowish Waters Dec. 25, but never returned. The bodies of 50-year-old Mark R. Aleksinski and 18-year-old Robert J. Arnold, both of Delavan, Wis., were recovered from the lake Dec. 26.
The Janesville Gazette identified Aleksinski as a science teacher and head football coach at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. A teacher at the Delavan school for nearly 25 years, Mark took great pride in being deaf and made sure his students did the same. His adopted son, Arnold, also attended the school and was an athlete in the Special Olympics, said the Janesville paper.
Also, a 50-year-old Land O' Lakes man was killed when his snowmobile hit a tree along the shore of Black Oak Lake in the early morning hours of Christmas Day, authorities said. Robert A. Bleicher was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Janesville paper also reported Shaun S. Rudolph, 22, Honey Lake, died of injuries from a snowmobile accident between 11 p.m. Dec. 22 and 1 a.m. Dec. 23. Although Rudolph was wearing a helmet, he died of head trauma, said the Walworth County coroner. He apparently failed to negotiate a curve and was thrown from his sled on a trail going through a farm field at 5227 Highway 36. He was the second snowmobiler killed in Walworth County this year, at least the sixth in the state. Wisconsin's new Snowmobile Accident Reduction Team (SART) of six conservation wardens on snowmobiles is scheduled to patrol New Year's Eve weekend near St. Germain in Vilas County. The first weekend of stepped-up law enforcement on some Wisconsin snowmobile trails produced 27 citations and 68 warnings in Oconto and Marinette counties, but only one was for drunken driving, state officials said Dec. 19. The state also recorded its first snowmobiling fatality that weekend--a 13-year-old girl near Hazelhurst in Oneida County. She was killed when the snowmobile she was driving as part of a family outing went off a trail and struck a tree. Last winter, 37 snowmobilers died in crashes--the second highest total since a record 39 people were killed in the winter of 1999-2000. Speed and alcohol are contributing factors to accidents. Alcohol played a role in 27 of the 37 snowmobile fatalities in the 2004-2005 season, which was up from 25 fatalities during the 2003-2004 season. Wisconsin ranks among the top three states in the country that offer the most miles of snowmobile trails to the public. Private landowners allow riders on about 90 percent of those 22,000 miles of trail. Just in case you were wondering, Wisconsin sold more than 640,00 licenses for the nine-day gun deer hunting season in late November, and suffered three fatalities and 10 injuries from firearm accidents. A fourth fatality occurred when a man fell from a tree stand.
The three firearm fatalities were the most since five hunters died during the 2001 season. Last season, five shooting accidents occurred with one fatality, making it the safest season on record, eclipsing the previous record of 10 accidents and one fatality in 1997. The most dangerous season in recent times occurred in 1987, when eight hunters died in 53 shooting-related accidents. Even at its worst, gun deer hunting appears to be safer than snowmobiling in Wisconsin. * * * Beware of Ice: An ice fisherman became caught on floating ice of Lake Michigan's Green Bay Dec. 26 but was rescued after setting off emergency flares, said Nathan Kraemer of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The man was stranded about a half-mile from shore after the ice shifted and left a 30-foot gap of open water between the ice he was on and the ice leading to shore, Kraemer said. Someone on shore saw the flares and called 911 for help.
Coast Guard personnel reached the man and pulled him from the ice. Kraemer said the man did not require medical attention. Wisconsin wardens are urging people to take care when venturing onto ice after warmer winter temperatures created hazardous conditions.
* * * Wisconsin Muskies To Be Studied: Wisconsin fisheries scientists, hatchery staff and biologists are teaming up for a comprehensive examination of the state's muskie propagation practices, including using cutting-edge technology to tease out the genetic lineage of the state's famed fighters. The aim is to assure the fish Wisconsin produces for stocking stand the best chance of surviving and adapting to their receiving waters to improve muskie fishing opportunities on lakes that currently require stocking to sustain a fishery. The effort also is expected to increase the cost efficiency of the stocking program. "It's exciting for the fisheries program to merge the latest science and forensic techniques and our day-in and day-out hatchery programs to bring the muskie propagation program into the next century," said Mike Staggs, who leads the DNR fisheries management and habitat protection program. "It's a big step for us because we haven't done this before on a hatchery system-wide scale." Wisconsin's northern lakes and rivers are the natural home for muskellunge, but fish stocking has expanded its original range into the southern part of the state so Wisconsin now has more than 700 lakes and 83 streams in 48 counties with muskie populations. About 25 percent of Wisconsin's muskellunge populations depend on some level of stocking. In the past, DNR had an aggressive and comprehensive research program addressing muskie genetics, harvest and stocking strategies, but budget and staffing cuts in more recent years put that program into a holding pattern, Staggs said. The combination of new genetic analysis techniques and the recent hiring of a UW-Stevens Point researcher who's an expert in such techniques provide a unique opportunity now for the state to evaluate aspects of the propagation program to assure it's not only producing a lot of fish, but the best fish possible, Staggs said. The effort involves three concurrent projects: * DNR fisheries crews will improve the way they collect adult fish and eggs for stocking and obtain them only from waters with self-sustaining muskie populations. * University of Wisconsin fisheries professor Dr. Brian Sloss and his graduate students already have begun the process of conducting DNA tests of fish samples taken and archived over recent decades with the ultimate purpose of identifying whether there are distinct muskie strains in the state and their geographic boundaries. * DNR fisheries researchers will conduct a long-term study of the performance of fish stocked by Wisconsin hatcheries, with the goal of identifying the best populations to use as sources of eggs. "We're trying to improve upon an already good hatchery product by using sound genetic principles to improve the way we collect eggs and raise fish and stock them out," said Tim Simonson, a DNR fish biologist who leads the department's muskie team. Some anglers believe DNR has been using slow-growing populations of muskie as egg sources for its hatchery system and that, as a result, fewer than expected trophy muskie are being caught by anglers. This comprehensive look at the propagation program should provide critical information needed to help answer questions about what effect, if any, past brood stock management and stocking practices have had on Wisconsin's muskie populations, Simonson said. It should allow the state to improve upon past successes with muskellunge propagation. In terms of brood stock selection, Sloss said, "The idea is to put forward the healthiest, most genetically diverse fish possible." Greater genetic diversity will give stocked fish a better chance of surviving and adapting to changing conditions such as climate, habitat and invasive species." Already, Sloss has worked with DNR fish biologists and hatchery staff to examine the various steps in the production process and to recommend changes, starting this spring, that minimize artificial selection of fish, which can lead to uniform characteristics, such as growth rate, ultimate size attainment, spawning habitat preference and timing of spawning activity. For starters, production will shift to using waters with largely self-sustaining muskie populations as egg sources to decrease the potentially adverse effects of inbreeding, and eggs will be collected from fish throughout the spawning run, not just during the early period of the run. While DNR's hatchery personnel make these changes, Sloss will be focusing on determining the existence of distinct genetic stocks and evaluating the geographic management zones DNR has tentatively picked based on earlier genetic work. Those interim management zones are the Lake Superior watershed, Upper Mississippi watershed, Lower Mississippi watershed, Wisconsin River watershed and Green Bay/Lake Michigan watershed. "We believe that distinct genetic stocks still exist in Wisconsin," Simonson said. "With Brian's work, we're going to be able to assess this from a scientific perspective rather than by conjecture and speculation." Sloss' work is expected to take several years, as will the evaluation of lakes within the final management zones to be used as egg sources. Final selection of appropriate brood stock lakes is expected to occur by 2015. Starting this spring, side-by-side comparison studies will be conducted to see how DNR's stocked fish survive and grow compared to stocked fish originating from Minnesota's Leech Lake, which have worked well for Minnesota's muskie program. The fish will be stocked in seven lakes in the St. Croix River basin and in three southern Wisconsin lakes. Those three lakes are Lake Wissota in Chippewa County, Lake Monona in Dane County and Lake Delavan straddling Adam and Juneau counties. No Minnesota fish will be stocked into the large native range of muskellunge in northern Wisconsin that remains isolated from exotic strains due to migration barriers such as the Lake Holcombe Dam on the Chippewa River. As unique genetic strains of Wisconsin fish are delineated, future trials will include additional Wisconsin brood stock sources. "These aren't questions that can be answered overnight," Staggs said. "It's a long-term integration of science into our hatchery program, which will continue to evolve." * * * Upcoming Outdoor Shows: * Jan. 6-8--Let's Go Fishing Show, Gateway Center, Collinsville, (314) 355-1236 or www.letsgoshows.com. * Jan. 7-8--Bald Eagle Days Environmental Fair and Wildlife Art Show, QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island, www.qccaexpocenter.com or (309) 788-5912. * Jan. 11-15--Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoor Show, McCormick Place North Building, Chicago, (312) 946-6242 or www.chicagoboatshow.com. * Jan. 12-15--All Canada Show, Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, (630) 584-6300 or www.allcanadashow.com. * Jan. 13-15--Chicago Muskie Show, Harper College, Roselle and Algonquin Roads, Palatine, (847) 328-6200 or www.chicagomuskieshow.com. * Jan. 13-15--Rockford RV, Camping and Travel Show, MetroCentre, Rockford, (815) 877-8043 or www.showtimeproduction.net. * Jan. 13-15--Quad City Boat, Fishing and Vacation Show, River Center, Davenport, Iowa, (319) 232-0218 or www.iowashows.com. * Jan. 18-22--Chicagoland Outdoor Show, Donald L. Stephens Expo Center (formerly Rosemont Convention Center), Rosemont, (800) 723-2914 or www.chicagolandsportshow.com. * Jan. 20-29--Milwaukee Boat Show, Wisconsin Expo Center, State Fair Park, West Allis, Wis., (800) 328-6550 or www.wisconsinboatshow.com. * Jan. 23-25--All-Canada Show, Marriott Madison West, Atrium Hotel and Conference Center, Middleton, Wis., (608) 831-2000 or www.allcanadashow.com. * Jan. 26-29--All-Canada Show, ShopKo Hall, Green Bay, Wis., (920) 494-3403 or www.allcanadashow.com. * Jan. 27-29--Northern Wisconsin Deer Classic, Ramada Inn Convention Center, Eau Claire, Wis., (763) 746-2656 or www.amdeerclassic.com. * Jan. 27-29--Madison Boat & Water Sports Show. Exhibition Hall at Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis., (800) 332-3976 or www.macevents.com. * Jan. 27-29--Midstate Fish & Feather Expo, Interstate Center, Bloomington, (309) 452-9646 or www.midstatefishandfeather.com. --30--
|
