In support of the California Department of Fish and Game
and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on
Thursday afternoon or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's
weekly Q&A column:
Question: I was just watching a commercial about a guy who invented a “fish bait launcher” that launches your fishing line, tackle and bait out 200-plus yards past the surf. It was invented by a dedicated surf-fisher who became handicapped but refused to give up his favorite sport. It looks a lot like the popular old air cannons that could launch large veggies. This one is just large enough to put some small bait in, and is powered by a 12-volt battery, charger and air compressor. I thought air cannons were made illegal in California, no matter what you use them for. Am I right? (Chris D., ab diver/fisherman/hunter)
Answer: If the invention meets certain conditions, it may be legal. According to Lt. John Laughlin, if the launcher does not use any rocket-propelled projectiles or projectiles containing any explosive, incendiary material or chemical substances, it is legal. If the propulsion includes an ignition or combustion, it will be in violation of the law. (California Penal Code 12301 [a][6]).
Q: I am a sport fisherman with a boat and will be taking people on a camping trip to Catalina soon. Some of the people want to go lobster hoop netting. I know everyone who’s fishing for lobsters regardless of age needs a lobster card. What is the rule though for people who are just watching and not fishing or assisting in any way? If someone is determined to be in violation of fishing or assisting while without a lobster card, who is fined, the boat owner or the individual without a card? Thank you for your time and efforts to keep marine life safe. (Jeff)
Musician Huey Lewis is in the news. He and several of his Montana neighbors have installed duck feeding stations along a waterway near their properties to effectively stop waterfowl hunting in the area, the Associated Press reports.
At issue is the Mitchell Slough, which the Montana Supreme Court ruled a public waterway, subjecting it to the state's stream access laws. Those who live along the 15-mile tributary to the Bitterroot River contend that it is a man-made feature and not subject to the public access regulations.
Lewis said that he and other area residents -- who include investor Charles Schwab -- began placing feeders along the slough about two months ago, contending that the waterway is too close to homes for safe hunting.
"I'm feeding ducks all over the place -- many of my neighbors are," Lewis said. "The reason is, the Supreme Court decision has changed everything here, and now we have public access. And most of us believe the Mitchell is unsuitable for duck hunting."
It is not legal to hunt waterfowl in an area that has bait stations for birds.
In what may be an effort to assure quotas are reached, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission has decided to extend the wolf-hunting season through March 31 in all zones.
This will lengthen the season in seven areas which previously had a Dec. 31 closure. Hunting was already set to end March 31 in two other zones.
Of course, if a zone limit is reached prior to March 31 that area will close to further wolf hunting.
As of this morning, the number of wolves reported killed in Idaho was 111 -- just over half of the statewide quota of 220.
Three areas have already reached the limit and have closed, and three are nearing theirs.
All other rules remain unchanged, and hunters are required to report a wolf kill within 24 hours, and must present the skull and hide to a regional office or a Fish and Game conservation officer within five days.
Also, those planning to hunt wolves after Dec. 31 must purchase a 2010 license and wolf tag.
Neighboring state Montana ended its inaugural wolf hunt
about two months after opening the season, though the statewide quota
was only 75 and large numbers of animals were killed during the early
season back-country hunts.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: A wolf watches biologists in Yellowstone National Park after being captured and fitted with a radio collar. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts
In support of the California Department of Fish and Game
and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on
Thursday afternoon or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's
weekly Q&A column:
Question: I am a resident of Northern California and have been an avid “crabber” for quite a while. For a new adventure I’d like to take up “shrimping” but need some information on where to go, when to go and how to catch shrimp. Is it legal to recreationally catch shrimp? If so, what are the seasons and bag limits? Is there still a viable population of shrimp in California? Thanks for any information to point me in the right direction. (Tony M.)
Answer: You may take any type of ocean shrimp in California waters, but spot prawns are the most desirable and sought-after for eating purposes; others are often used for bait. According to senior invertebrate specialist Kristine Barsky, because California’s spot prawns are found so deep – usually 100 fathoms (600 feet) or more – and the bag limit is only 35, most people are not interested in trapping these shrimp recreationally. Check out the crustaceans section of the current Ocean Sport Fishing regulations (beginning on page 55) for the regulations, legal gear, limits and other information you will need to know (CCR Title 14, Sections 29.80 through 29.88).
A retention pond near West Palm Beach, Fla. was purposely poisoned earlier this week after red-bellied piranha were discovered living in it.
The piranha were discovered by a young angler, who hooked one of the fish last month. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists followed up and discovered another one 10 days later.
So on Tuesday, FWC biologists pumped rotenone into the pond, effectively killing every living thing in the water.
"The only way to be sure all of the piranha are gone is to apply a safe-to-use fish toxicant to kill any piranha that might still be present in this pond," Scott Hardin, FWC exotic species leader, said in a news release.
The November Nothin' But Sand beach cleanup is set to take place Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon at Will Rogers State Beach.
Hosted by Heal the Bay, the cleanups are held on the third Saturday of each month at different locales and are an opportunity to lend a hand helping keep our shores tidy.
Paid parking is available at a metered lot at Chautauqua Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. Volunteers should plan to meet at lifeguard tower 18, just southwest of the Chautauqua / PCH intersection.
All cleaning supplies will be provided, so volunteers are welcome to just show up (those younger than 12 need to be accompanied by a parent).
Attendees should plan on bringing their own drinking water as well as a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. More information on what to wear and bring is available on the Heal the Bay website.
Liability waiver forms will be available on-site and must be signed before pitching in. Participants 17 and younger must have a parent or guardian sign their form.
Groups of 10 or more are asked to call (800) 432-5229, ext. 148 to let organizers know they plan to join in.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: A beach-goer skips across the estuary at Will Rogers State Beach. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times
Montana's inaugural wolf-hunting season came to an end this week and has been deemed a success by state wildlife officials.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks called for the season to close half an hour after sunset on Monday after receiving word that the statewide quota of 75 was nearly reached.
"We hit 72 of the 75 wolf quota with two weeks left before the season was originally planned to close on Nov. 29," FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim told the Billings Gazette.
A total of 15,600 wolf hunting licenses were sold, generating $325,859 for the state license fund.
"It was a successful season. We learned a bunch, and we'll learn more as we evaluate it," Aasheim said. "We know where wolves where taken by county. We know sex. We know age. We'll know the days hunted. It's a pretty sound information base."
One thing that will be studied further is the sustainability of the hunt.
Sometime this afternoon or evening a state blue-ribbon panel will vote on how severely to restrict fishing off Southern California, and earlier today, as if to illustrate how contentious the issue is, a brief shoving match ensued, during a hearing near LAX, between men on the fishing and environmentalist sides of the issue.
Fishing interests, naturally, are arguing to keep the extent of the no-take closure areas to a minimum, and to protect their livelihoods. Those on the extreme environmental side favor extensive protection they believe will allow the comeback of embattled fisheries and habitat.
Photo: Reed Smolan, taking a break from crew duties aboard the Southern Cal,
unhooks an 18-inch calico bass caught off Palos Verdes. Credit: Pete Thomas/Los Angeles Times
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts
To give you an idea of how popular the special, late-season cow elk hunts are in New Mexico, it took only 10 seconds Tuesday for the 350 available licenses to be sold over the Internet.
The New Mexico Game and Fish Department issued a news release stating that tens of thousands of hunters stormed its website seeking a license to bag an antler-less elk in any of five game management units.
The licenses were sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and the website logged 250,000 hits from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The sale began at 10 and was scheduled to end at 10:30.
Hikers, birders and other visitors to the Eastern Sierra are encouraged to be on the lookout for Karma, an adult male red-tailed hawk that for the past two-plus years had resided at the Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care facility in Bishop.
The majestic raptor was believed to have been kept illegally as a pet before it was abandoned in the wild. It could not fly when it was discovered floundering and suffering from heat prostration and brought to the center, which cares for injured and abandoned critters.
But Karma learned to fly at the facility and was regularly driven afield for brief falconry-type flights. He always returned to his handlers, but last Thursday in the Keough Hot Springs area west of Highway 395, he dipped behind an outcropping and disappeared.
Cindy Kamler, who runs the facility, told Outposts that people have been scouring a two-square-mile area but have not spotted the bird, which is wearing black leather bracelets on both legs and might be trailing a short orange cord.
It's feared that Karma will be unable to fend for himself or find his own food, but Kamler is hopeful and cites a few instances where the bird captured and killed sparrows that had entered its enclosure.
Interestingly, it had recently begun communicating with wild hawks during its flights, notably a juvenile red-tailed hawk that was present during Karma's last controlled flight. Could Karma simply have answered the call of the wild and sought freedom?
Kamler concedes it's a doubtful scenario, since the bird had been raised in captivity. "It'd be unique," Kamler says, "but not impossible."
Anyone who spots the hawk is urged to call the center at (760) 872-1487.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo of Karma the red-tailed hawk courtesy of Chris Morrison
Matthews, a professional nuisance animal trapper, called media to his neighborhood to witness the capture of a large Burmese python from a drainage pipe. Turns out, Matthews put the snake there in the first place and staged the whole event.
Matthews apparently purchased the reptile a month before from a licensed
reptile dealer and released it to set up its capture to "bring
attention to a growing problem of irresponsible pet ownership," according to an FWC news release.
His releasing of the reptile is a big no-no in Florida, which is having a huge problem with the invasive species and even held a state-sanctioned hunting program in an effort to eradicate the non-native pythons.
A female great white shark that had lived in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Outer Bay exhibit since August was tagged and released today.
The young predator, which was captured off Malibu, was set free offshore beyond the southern edge of Monterey Bay. She measured 5 feet, 5 inches, and weighed 100 pounds.
It's the fifth white shark successfully released after a stay at the facility, where the sharks are intended to provide visitors with a better understanding of the apex predators and inspire support for shark conservation.
She was released because she had begun to exhibit aggressive behavior toward other sharks in the 1-million-gallon tank.
"I’ve always said that these animals will tell us when it’s time to put them back to the ocean. Now was clearly the time,” said Randy Hamilton, vice president of husbandry for the aquarium. “Her health is excellent, and we learned a lot while she was with us. Based on past experience, we have every expectation that she’ll do well after release.”
Tracking tags will enable scientists to monitor the shark's movements and habits. Previously, two of the released sharks traveled beyond Baja California's tip. The other two ventured to the Santa Barbara area.
The aquarium, with its research partners, also is part of a Juvenile White Shark Program, which involves tagging and tracking of sharks that utilize California and Mexico waters as nurseries. Real-time data and published research can be found on the Tagging of Pacific Predators website.
An area of western Colorado that has been off-limits to mountain lion hunting since 2004 will open for a limited season beginning in mid-November.
The hunting season on a portion of the Uncompahgre Plateau will open Nov. 16 and run through Jan. 31, unless the quota of eight cougars is reached before then.
Hunters must obtain a special permit, as well as a regular mountain lion license, to hunt the area. The free permits are available beginning today at the Colorado Division of Wildlife office in Montrose and are valid for 14 days, with unlimited replacement if a hunter does not bag an animal within the 14-day period.
As in other areas of Colorado, hunters must report within 48 hours if they kill a mountain lion and must show the carcass to a state wildlife agent within five days. They also must check daily to see if the research area is still open for hunting by calling (888) 940-5466.
The state Division of Wildlife closed the area in order to conduct research on mountain lion population dynamics. The study will continue through 2014 and is being done to help shape management policy for the big cats.
"The study is designed so that the [Department of Wildlife] can examine the lion management structure and biological assumptions used for managing lions with sport hunting throughout Colorado," Ken Logan, a project researcher with the department, said in a news release.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: A mountain lion in a Colorado snow storm. Credit: Kevin Russell / Colorado Division of Wildlife
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts
I counted five Saturday afternoon, including the three in the top image, and heard many more have since landed. The large, unwieldy and sometimes comical birds spend their summers in the northern U.S. and Canada. Many winter in Southern California.
As for brown pelicans, they're always around and often amusing. If you have a camera and are patient, you'll be rewarded with exceptional photo opportunities from the footbridge, just steps from the parking lot.
Most but not all of these dive-bombing birds are adept at catching fish.
In support of the California Department of Fish and Game
and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on
Thursday afternoon or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's
weekly Q&A column:
Question: This is my first year waterfowl hunting and while I am a pretty decent shot when I can get the birds to come in, I am a terrible caller! I can’t seem to get them to respond. I’ve found some electronic callers online that look pretty good and don’t cost too much money. I’d like to try them, but since everyone I’ve hunted with this year uses only the traditional calls, I wonder if these electronic calls are just new or if they might not be legal to use. What’s the answer? (Jake P.)
Answer: I’m afraid you’re going to have to just pucker up and keep practicing with the regular old duck calls found in most sporting goods stores. Electronic or mechanically operated calling or sound reproducing devices are prohibited when taking migratory game birds (CCR, Title 14, Section 507[c]).
To improve your technique, you might want to check out the many demo videos or “how to” techniques published online. The Ducks Unlimited website, for example, is loaded with lots of tips, videos and suggestions. Also, watch for duck calling seminars coming up in your area, such as through Wilderness Unlimited or other hunt clubs and sporting goods stores.
Q: I would like to photograph big bucks and know the best times would be during the rut periods. Can you tell me when the rut starts and stops in zones D-3 through D-5? (Bob W.)
A story on Montana's wolf hunt that appeared in Sunday's Los Angeles Times provides colorful insight into wolf behavior and the controversy swirling around that state's first-ever hunt, especially as it pertains to wolves that utilize Yellowstone National Park.
It makes specific reference to Wolf 527, which was killed earlier this month by a hunter on Buffalo Plateau north of Yellowstone during a backcountry hunt that coincided with deer and elk hunts. Wolf 527, an amazingly cunning animal, was one of Yellowstone's famous wolves. She was of the Cottonwood Creek pack; the killing of four wolves from that pack fueled the controversy and caused Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials to rethink its strategy.
That special backcountry hunt was closed before the zone quota was reached, but hunting of wolves in general is deemed necessary by state wildlife officials as a tool of management. There are about 500 wolves in Montana and an overall quota of 75 has been established. The statewide hunt began Sunday.
Animal rights groups have so far been unsuccessful in efforts to halt the hunts in Montana and Idaho and have the predators placed back on the endangered species list.
If that were to happen, allowing wolf populations to further increase, there probably would be more interaction between wolves and ranchers and their cattle and livestock.
Kim Murphy's L.A. Times story cited the August slaughter by wolves of 122 purebred sheep on a ranch in Dillon, Mont., 180 miles northwest of Yellowstone. That seemed an example of wolves killing for pleasure rather than need.
Wolves also are believed at least partly responsible for the decline of elk in the region. So while it's sad to read about the passing of legendary Wolf 527 -- and perhaps that specific hunt was a bad idea because it occurred in the remote backcountry -- wildlife officials seem justified in allowing limited hunting of wolves.
Many will argue this point, but you won't find a Montana rancher among them.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: A tranquilized wolf is fitted with a radio collar as part of an effort to track the recovery of the endangered gray wolves that were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995. Credit: Daniel Stahler / National Park Service
Anderson will be making an appearance at the Ontario legislature in Toronto to call for an end to the annual hunt, which takes place every spring on the eastern coast of Canada.
"I can only hope that by bringing attention to the slaughter, the international outcry will force the Canadian government to end this shameful practice," Anderson said in a statement.
The advertising campaign will feature the Canadian native as well as other celebrities wearing PETA's "Save the Seals" T-shirts.
Ads will appear in entertainment magazines and on blogs beginning this fall, to focus attention on the hunt and to keep pressure on the government year-round instead of just during the hunting season, when protests are expected.
--Kelly Burgess
Photo: Pamela Anderson poses in the new PETA T-shirt. Credit: Gabriel Bouys / AFP/Getty Images
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts
A state task force failed to reach consensus Thursday on a network of marine reserves and conservation zones to be established off Southern California and will reconvene Nov. 10 in the Los Angeles area to produce a version it hopes will meet conservation goals without severe economic impact.
Three proposals were up for consideration as part of the Marine Life Protection Act process, which ultimately will place no-take reserves and less-restrictive conservation zones along the California coast to protect fisheries and habitat.
That the so-called Blue Ribbon Task Force could not reach consensus, after a marathon session, shows how delicate and contentious this issue is. It did not accept any single map proposal offered by stakeholder groups but plucked parts of each and tweaked here and there and departed with a tentative map that will be scientifically evaluated before the next meeting.
It does not appear as though Rocky Point will be made into a marine reserve, as fishing interests had feared. Instead the Palos Verdes Peninsula reserve might be placed a bit more to the south off Point Vicente.
Neither will fishing closures at Santa Catalina Island be as extreme as one proposal had offered, but there will be closures at Catalina, deemed critical by conservationists. Vast parcels off the La Jolla and Laguna Beach areas also will become off-limits to fishing.
Since nothing is decided, though, it's premature to speculate as to what the final product will look like. The tentative map is expected to be posted on the Department of Fish and Game's website next week.
In support of the California Department of Fish and Game
and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Outposts, on
Thursday afternoon or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's
weekly Q&A column:
Question: We own a duck club with two ponds on the property. Members shoot waterfowl over one pond while the other has a floating corn feeder for wood ducks on it. We want to keep shooting the club pond during the season but also want to keep the feeding station out on the other pond for the wood ducks during this time. The regulations say baiting for migratory birds is prohibited and that it is illegal to “hunt over” bait. What is the minimum distance required to be maintained between the feeding station and our shooting pond before feeding is considered baiting? Thanks in advance. (Stacy M.)
Answer: Waterfowl and migratory bird regulations are set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While there are no minimum distance requirements specified in the regulations, it’s clear that you may not keep the floating corn feeder on another pond if it in any way influences waterfowl to come into shooting range for hunting. Even if the feeder is just intended to be for wood ducks, anything that can be determined to be bait that influences waterfowl of any species to come in within range for the purposes of hunting them could be considered bait and is illegal.
This principle applies even if the feeding station or baiting is on a neighbor’s property. While hunters may not have control over what a neighbor is doing, they do have control over hunting on their own property or hunt club. Hunters may not shoot any birds that come into range if those birds are being influenced to come in for bait, even if on another’s property. In addition, all feed or bait must be removed 10 days prior to hunting over it, and the responsibility to know it is all gone is upon the person hunting over its influence.
Q: When boiling a lobster, or otherwise prepping it for cooking, is there a humane way to kill the critter without inflicting unnecessary pain on the live lobster? I’ve tried inserting a knife on the triangle above the eyes where I expect the brain is, but am not sure this really dispatches it as there’s still lots of movement afterward. Thanks for any help! (John S.)
The wolf hunt in Idaho is proceeding with remarkable hunter success in some of the state's 12 hunting zones, and in Montana, where limited hunting is underway, the general season opens Sunday.
Hunting wolves in both states, made possible after the removal of the predators from the endangered species list last spring, is controversial, and animal rights groups are trying to stop the hunts.
The latest campaign was launched by Defenders of Wildlife, which is asking for donations to pay for an ad to be placed in New York's Times Square through Dec. 15. "Hundreds more wolves will be targeted in the coming weeks and months, threatening the very recovery of these amazing animals," the group states on its website. The group also is urging people to sign an online petition that will be sent to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, "urging him to withdraw his flawed delisting rule that prematurely removed vital protections for wolves in the northern Rockies region--before a lasting wolf recovery slips from our grasp."
Sportsmen's groups, meanwhile, are backing state wildlife agencies claiming that wolf numbers in the northern Rockies have increased to the point where the animals need to be managed, via controlled hunting, to minimize interaction with ranchers and threats to livestock.
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, in an action alert sent to members, cited a recent study by Montana State University that links the reintroduction of wolves into Rocky Mountains to a decline in elk numbers in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
The study, published in July, found that wolves have caused elk in the region to change their foraging habits to such an extent that herds are producing fewer calves. All elk are losing weight in the winter and the presence of wolves, the study claims, causes elk to browse more on woody shrubs or low tree branches in safer forested areas rather than grazing on grass in open meadows where they're more vulnerable to wolf predation.
Through Wednesday in Idaho, which has a statewide quota of 220, 73 wolves had been killed, one of them by an alleged poacher. In Montana, which has a quota of 75, 12 wolves have been harvested during special back-country hunts.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo of gray wolves courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts
Hikers, bikers and horseback riders enjoying the Santa Monica Mountains can now assist in mapping invasive weeds, thanks to a new smart-phone application developed to identify the locations of intruding plant species in the park.
The "What's Invasive!" application allows users to snap an image and map the location of encroaching weeds, which will help National Park Service staff identify where plants need to be removed and monitored in the park.
"When visitors launch the application on the phone, the information they collect is automatically submitted to the 'What's Invasive!' website," said Lauren Newman, external affairs manager for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "NPS will rely on that website to get the information."
The six most common plants being targeted are Harding grass, perennial pepperweed, poison hemlock, Spanish broom, Terracina spurge and yellow starthistle.
The artwork that will grace the 2010-11 Federal Duck Stamp has been chosen.
The beautifully detailed painting of an American wigeon done by Waldorf, Md., artist Robert Bealle was selected from 224 entries in the oldest wildlife art contest in America. (The contest dates back to 1949 -- earlier stamps were done by commissioned artists.)
"The magnitude of this moment has not escaped me," Bealle said. "I'm so humbled and appreciative of this, I just don't know what to say."
The stamp, produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which all waterfowl hunters age 16 and older must possess, will go on sale in late June for $15. The stamps also allow free admission to any public national wildlife refuge.
Purchase of the stamps, also prized by philatelists, birding enthusiasts and conservationists, helps to support migratory bird habitat, raising about $25 million annually to fund the acquisition and preservation of wetlands for the National Wildlife Refuge system.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Winning 2010-11 Federal Duck Stamp artwork by Robert Bealle. Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The recent storms that moved through the area earlier this week brought enough rain to officially end the fire season in Yosemite National Park.
Thanks to rainfall measurements ranging from 5 to 9 inches at park weather stations (as well as snow at higher elevations), officials announced the end of fire season, which occurs when there is more than 2 inches of rain. Historically, there is a 90% chance of this happening before the end of October.
The helicopter contracted for Yosemite has departed and seasonal fire personnel will soon be leaving as well.
After having to deal with the Big Meadow fire, which consumed 7,425 acres last month, I have a feeling the firefighters and park personnel are breathing a huge sigh of relief at this announcement.
Anglers on Sunday will stage a "Yes on 2!" rally at Dana Wharf Sportfishing in support of one of three proposals being considered by the Blue Ribbon Task Force as part of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative. The BRTF will select its preferred alternative -- either of the three plans or an integrated version -- during a meeting next week at the Hilton Hotel in Long Beach.
(Public comments will be accepted from 1:30-4:30 p.m. and from 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, and the BRTF will choose its alternative Thursday.)
Whichever proposal is selected and ultimately approved by the California Fish and Game Commission, it will establish a network of state marine reserves along the Southern California coast and at the Channel Islands to help conserve fisheries and habitat. SMRs will be off limits to fishing and other types of consumptive activities.
The Marine Life Protection Act, passed by the California Legislature in 1999, requires the state to reevaluate and redesign California's system of marine protected areas, or reserves. The process is already complete in the North-Central and Central Coast regions.
In the South Coast region, from Point Conception to the U.S.-Mexico border, proposal No. 2 is favored by anglers because it's not as extreme when it comes to SMRs.
"We're not out here saying 'no' to conservation -- we're saying yes to a plan that achieves the MLPA's mandated conservation goals while minimizing the economic and social impact on Southern Californians," said Steven Fakuto, president of the United Anglers of Southern California, which was involved in the process as a stakeholder. "Workgroup 2's plan is still going to hurt, but we can live with the fact that it offers the best level of conservation while striving not to severely restrict recreational fishing."
At a meeting Tuesday, the five-member commission voted unanimously to close the remote area for the remainder of the season while keeping the statewide quota of 75 animals in place, reports the Associated Press.
Hunting had been suspended last week after nine wolves were killed surprisingly quickly since the season opened Sept. 15 in the backcountry zone. The area is located within what is called Wildlife Management Unit 3, which has an overall quota of 12.
State wildlife managers and commission members acknowledged a mistake in the decision to open the hunting season early near Yellowstone, and have characterized the nearly filled quota for the area as a learning experience.
Photo: A wolf watches biologists in Yellowstone National Park after being captured and fitted with a radio collar. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Note: To follow this blog on Twitter please visit @latimesoutposts
The October Nothin' But Sand beach cleanup is set to take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at Toes Beach in Playa del Rey.
Hosted by Heal the Bay, the cleanups are held on the third Saturday of each month at different locales and are an opportunity to lend a hand helping keep our local shores tidy.
All cleaning supplies will be provided, so volunteers are welcome to just show up (those younger than 12 need to be accompanied by a parent).
Attendees should plan on bringing their own drinking water as well as a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. More information on what to wear and bring is available on the Heal the Bay website.
Liability waivers will be available on-site and must be signed before pitching in. Participants 17 and younger must have a parent or guardian sign their form.
The backcountry hunt began Sept. 15 in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, coinciding with elk and deer hunts there. That small zone is within what is called Wildlife Management Unit 3, one of three large units in which hunting will be allowed when the statewide general season opens Oct. 25.
But with nine animals having been killed surprisingly quickly in the backcountry zone, the agency decided to suspend the hunt until the general season begins, to ensure some hunting occurs elsewhere in WMU 3 before the quota of 12 is met.
One of the goals of the state's inaugural wolf hunt is to encourage wolves to steer clear of ranches and livestock. Hunting the predators in a remote wilderness does not serve that purpose.
"We’re learning things every day as Montana’s first ever, fair-chase wolf hunt progresses," Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said in a news release posted Thursday on the agency website. "We were always a bit unsure about the level of hunter success we’d see in the remote, early-season backcountry areas. One thing we hope to achieve with closing the backcountry hunt in WMU 3, is to provide some hunting opportunity in other portions of the management unit where we’ve seen conflicts with livestock. We also need to learn as much about wolf hunting in the valleys as we’re learning about hunting in the backcountry."
In Montana’s other early backcountry hunt — also in deer- and elk-hunting districts — only two wolves have been harvested. The state has set quotas in each of the three units and next week will consider raising the quota in WMU 3 for the general season to ensure more front-country wolves are targeted. But that would mean lowering the quota in another zone. The overall state quota is 75 wolves.
The hunt is in progress in Montana's remote Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness along the northern border of Yellowstone National Park. It began Sept. 15 in a small parcel within what is known as Wildlife Management Unit 3. WMU 3 has a quota of 12 but nine wolves already have been killed and it's conceivable the quota will be reached before the statewide general hunt in WMU 3 begins Oct. 25.
Carolyne Sime, the wolf program coordinator, said in a Billings Gazette story that she "didn't think the wolves would be so vulnerable to firearms harvest."
One of the goals of the overall hunt is to encourage wolves to remain in the backcountry away from potential conflicts with livestock. "So what we're learning," Sime said, "is that maybe we need to rethink these backcountry hunts and see if we can fine-tune that."
The front-country wolves, those more likely to come into conflict with livestock, will be targeted during the general season.
Matt Skoglund, blogging for Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote: "How could FWP have expected anything else when they opened the backcountry wilderness areas to wolf-hunting?" Skoglund stated that wolves sought by hunters in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness are "those famous Yellowstone wolves you've seen in the park or on PBS and the Discovery Channel." The blogger wondered whether the "poorly planned hunt" will affect tourism in Yellowstone.
The answer, most likely, is that it will not affect tourism. The quota in this district is only 12 wolves. Montana's wolf population at the end of 2008 was believed to number 500. The overall state quota is 75, which is deemed conservative by the agency, which regards hunting as a necessary wildlife management tool.
But as long as Montana's inaugural wolf hunt continues -- legal challenges remain -- it will be open to this kind of attack by animal rights groups.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Gray wolves wander through the snow in Montana. Courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Florida anglers are being sharply criticized after apparently free-gaffing a 748-pound mako shark while fishing this week off South Florida.
The accompanying video, which is making the rounds on the Internet, shows the fishermen trying to gaff the free-swimming shark, which had become interested in a swordfish they had alongside their vessel. They succeeded in catching the predator and the footage ended up on a Florida TV station website.
A comment on YouTube from someone called Zencaster read: "I have been big-game fishing for 25 years and this is the most amateur kill I have ever seen. No wonder they have never seen anything like this before. They gaffed a green mako feeding on roadkill and were lucky they weren’t pulled in or worse, get their boat torn up after pulling him aboard.... What a disgrace, the fish deserved better."
Making note that no rods or reels appear to have been used in the capture of the mako, at least one shark conservation website claimed the anglers were in violation of state and federal law and implied it would follow through with authorities.
Luke Tipple, a marine biologist and director of the Shark-Free Marina Initiative, posted regulations that appear to have been violated.
"I’d hazard that I’m not the first to pick up on these fine points of the law but if the video does indeed tell the full tale then these laws need to be enforced," Tipple wrote. "If however the fishermen can provide video evidence of them using PRIMARY tackle (i.e. hook and line) to initialize the capture then they would be within their rights to have landed the shark.
"If this turns out to be the case then I will instead turn this report into a cautionary tale of how the media should be more responsible in reporting on shark harvests, particularly when dealing with species considered by some to be globally threatened."
A letter sent by PETA vice president Tracy Reimanto to aquarium president and CEO Jerry Schubel contained this quote: "Encouraging aquarium visitors to eat fish is like serving poodle burgers at a dog show."
Reaction: Poodle burgers sound disgusting. Seared albacore with fennel and arugula sounds wonderful. Perhaps PETA would be better served by focusing on real issues and go after, say, restaurants that serve shark-fin soup, which might thereby help to stop the brutal practice of finning -- the slicing of fins from live sharks at sea.
People are going to eat fish, and PETA cannot change that. So the Aquarium of the Pacific is to be commended, not criticized, for its "Seafood for the Future" program. It has partnered with more than a dozen restaurants so far. They've stamped their menus with logos next to seafood items that are harvested in a sustainable manner, or farmed in a way that does not harm the environment. Patrons who chose those items are rewarded with free passes to the aquarium.
Said Schubel to the Long Beach Press-Telegram: "The entire program is very consistent with our mission because we are committed to conserving wild stocks of fish. And one of the best ways to do that -- since seafood is so popular -- is to influence the choices that people make so that they will choose seafood wisely."
That mission is "to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants and ecosystems," and the photo atop this item is just one bit of evidence that the facility is fulfilling its mission.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Volunteer diver Dirk Burcham waves to Sofia
Ferguson, 2, at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
The recent change of weather is a reminder that fall is here and winter is not far off. That means it won't be long before Pacific gray whales begin their southbound migration.
For those who'd like to become more closely involved with the migration and help others enjoy the whale-watching experience, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro is holding its first orientation meeting for docents Tuesday from 7-9 p.m.
Volunteer docents meet every Tuesday for classes, lectures and other training in a casual, friendly atmosphere. During the first meeting program director Larry Fukuhara will give the orientation while Bernardo Alps, president of the American Cetacean Society's Los Angeles Chapter, will share a PowerPoint presentation on whale watching during the last six months.
Alps' presentation will include killer whales in Monterey Bay, lunge feeding humpback and blue whales in the Santa Barbara Channel, the wayward juvenile gray whale that paused for a while in Marina del Rey and a Guadalupe fur seal at Cabrillo Beach.
Everyone is welcome but prospective docents must be college-age or older. The aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Dr. in San Pedro. For details call (310) 548-8397 or email cabrillowhalewatch@gmail.com.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: A Pacific gray whale breaks the surface off San Simeon in this file photo. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
Terns, gulls, pelicans, herons, egrets, hawks, ospreys, grebes, sandpipers and many other types of birds are on glorious display these days at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.
Also prevalent are hikers, dog walkers, joggers, bikers and, most of all, birders and bird photographers: big-time photographers with tripods and bazooka lenses, budding wannabes, casual shooters and folks with pocket cameras who most times are unable to get close enough to their subjects to fill a frame.
I fall into the casual-shooter category and cite the accompanying images as evidence. They were captured over the weekend during a 90-minute lap around the sprawling wetlands across the highway from Huntington State Beach in Orange County. A sampling from my field notes:
-- Snowy egrets abound. They're one of the easiest large birds to photograph, far more active and less shy than the much larger great egret, which is an ambush hunter that stands perfectly still, its long neck outstretched, and strikes snakelike at passing prey.
-- A particular snowy egret is shuffling through a shallow mudflat with webbed feet, trying to stir up a morsel. These downy-white birds with long black legs and yellow feet will do this for hours with little or no success, but I've arrived just as the bird plucks a shrimp or some other small critter (see above photo). Time to move on.
A Massachusetts fisherman has been fined for freeing a whale that had become entangled in his fishing gear.
In a plea deal, Chatham resident Robert Eldridge was fined $500 after pleading guilty in Federal court to violating the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He had faced up to $100,000 in fines and a year in prison.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston, Eldridge was operating a commercial fishing boat last year and had set gill nets in an area where humpback whales were present, and one promptly got entangled.
Upon learning of the trapped cetacean, Eldridge attempted to free it himself rather than calling the toll-free Marine Animal Disentanglement Hotline -- the number for which he had posted on his boat -- to bring in licensed marine mammal rescue workers.
Unable to disentangle the whale, he eventually cut the gear from the boat, leaving about 30-feet of line on the marine mammal.
In addition to the fine, Eldridge also provided a written statement that can be distributed to other anglers, which acknowledged his actions and in part read:
"I am making this statement in order to alert all persons who fish or enjoy being in the waters off Massachusetts that we must be, at all times vigilant in protecting of the marine mammal species with whom we share the waters."
--Kelly Burgess
Photo: A humpback whale breaches in this file photo. Credit: Associated Press
Five-year-old Simon Hughes has quite a show-and-tell for his schoolmates after bagging a 12 1/2-foot, 800-pound alligator.
The Goodrich, Texas, first-grader was out hunting Sunday with his father, Scott, and family friend Chuck Cotton on the Hughes' 5,000-acre property near Lake Livingston, reports the Houston Chronicle.
They had set a baited hook the evening before, and when they went to check it Sunday morning the line was in the water, taut.
When the reptile surfaced, Simon shot it from about 5 feet away with his junior-sized shotgun, killing it. Just to be certain, Cotton fired another shot with his pistol to make sure it was dead.
The youngster showed no fear. "I wasn't even afraid," Simon told a KTRE-TV reporter. "It's pretty much simple. I got my gun out and shot him."
Simon's mother, however, wasn't so nonchalant. "As a mom it sort of scares you to death, because there's alligators, there's snakes, there's all of that sort of thing out there," said Toni Hughes. "What we thought was huge was a 10-foot and this one just dwarfs the 10-foot. I mean its just so massive and prehistoric looking."
The gator, estimated to be 35 to 40 years old, is currently at the
taxidermist, where the Hugheses are having the head -- which alone weighs
104 pounds -- mounted. They plan to make boots out of the hide and eat
the meat.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Five-year-old Simon Hughes examines the alligator he shot on his family's ranch. Credit: Associated Press; Michael Paulsen / Houston Chronicle
*Updated to reflect that the cost of this project was $800,000
Many Yosemite National Park visitors never realized the view they were missing — the iconic Half Dome framed between the cliffs of Glacier Point and the granite walls of El Capitan — or the availability of a spot to take it in.
That's because the Half Dome Overlook on Big Oak Flat
Road was easily missed.
Now, thanks to Yosemite Fund donors, the overlook has been redesigned, allowing better access and adding areas from which to enjoy the awe-inspiring view other than just a parking lot.
Paths have been rehabilitated in areas eroded from years of use and to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards.
There also are new educational exhibits, including the bronze relief of Half Dome pictured in the image at right.
"These improvements enhance the visitor experience," said Yosemite's acting superintendent, Dave Uberuaga. "Now people can enjoy the view and its exhibits in a safe and accessible manner as part of a redesign that also protects the natural environment. All of that makes a great view even better."
The project cost $800,000 and is part of the Yosemite Fund's 15-year effort to improve park overlooks, including those at Glacier Point, Olmsted Point and the approach to Yosemite Falls.
—Kelly Burgess
Photo: Ken and Aiwen Nakamoto of Sunnyvale, Calif., take a picture of themselves at the redesigned Half Dome Overlook.
Scheduled for the first three weekends each month from October through February, the docent-led tours are the only way to access some of the prime viewing areas at the reserve where the large birds migrate for the winter.
An $8 per-person donation is requested and pre-registration is required as each tour is limited to 30 people. A nice feature on the DFG website registration page is that it shows if a certain date is full and, if not, how many spots are available.
Lodi will be holding the 13th annual Sandhill Crane Festival on Nov. 6-8. A separate, expanded tour schedule will be offered those dates.
Greater sandhill cranes, one of the state's largest birds at 5 feet tall and with a wingspan up to 7 feet, are considered a threatened species; an estimated 7,000 are left in California.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: A sandhill crane wades in a marsh. Credit: Brian Vander Brug/Los Angeles Times
National Hunting and Fishing Day is Saturday and I'll celebrate by stalking trout on the shores of some Eastern Sierra creek. I can't wait.
In the extended-entry field below is President Obama's official proclamation.
The first such proclamation was made in 1972 by President Nixon, who said: "I urge all citizens to join with outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and in inspiring their proper management for the benefit of future generations."
In Obama's version are these words: "If not for America's great hunters and anglers, like President Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold, our nation would not enjoy sound game management; a system of ethical, science-based game laws; and an extensive public lands estate on which to pursue these sports."
The landscape has changed vastly since Roosevelt's time, to be sure. Obama must have known he'd wind up in the cross hairs of critics who don't hunt or fish, and who oppose both pastimes on mere principle.
In an L.A. Times Top of the Ticket blog post, for example, it was pointed out that Obama's proclamation was being issued "on the eve of that special season when so many Americans blast migrating ducks out of the sky and blow large holes in the side of fleeing deer."
The words of an anti-hunter are often harsh. But the truth is, hunters and fishermen are closer to the Earth and place more value on the environment than most of their critics. And they contribute more toward conservation.
Ducks Unlimited, to cite one example, is the world's leader in waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Simply, there would not be nearly as many ducks filling our flyways were it not for this organization. Trout Unlimited, likewise, has done more to conserve fisheries than any animal rights group that I know of.
As for wildlife management, states accomplish this via hunting, and as of yet nobody has come up with a better means of controlling animal populations -- a necessity in an age when civilization is increasingly encroaching into wilderness.
Hunting and fishing, additionally, are an economic force worth billions annually. Much of the money spent by hunters and anglers is used toward conservation of wildlife and fisheries. National Hunting and Fishing Day is about recognizing these contributions and more; it's about traditions dating to our ancestors.
So I'll venture out Saturday in support. I hope I catch some fish but that will be secondary to the fact that I'll be among the conifers and critters, far from the bustle and grind. That's what fishing means to me.
A 175-pound adult female black bear was shot to death Tuesday afternoon by a 58-year-old visitor to Lake Mary near the Eastern Sierra town of Mammoth Lakes.
Steve Searles, wildlife manager for Mammoth Lakes, described the shooting as "unprovoked," according to a report on the Sierra Wave website.
The California Department of Fish and Gam is investigating the case. The department's Lt. Marty Markham said this morning in an interview that the man and his companion were frightened away from a spot on the lake's shore by an approaching bear. Another person helped "haze" the bear away.
The couple returned to the site and the bear returned. The woman tried to "haze" the bear away. The man retrieved a large-caliber handgun from his vehicle and shot the bear once in the head.
Markham said the investigation should be complete within a week, and could not say whether charges will be brought against the man, whom Markham would describe only as a 58-year-old from San Bernardino County.
Don Barrett, who runs Lake Mary Marina & Store, did not witness the shooting but was at the lake and heard the shot. Barrett, in an interview, said he heard that the bear was aggressive and standing on its hind legs approaching the couple when it was shot with a .44-caliber pistol.
Barrett said bears have learned to frighten anglers from their fishing spots, then steal their stringers of fish.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: A bear near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., last year. Credit: Associated Press
Volunteers are needed to help pick up litter in high-use areas during the sixth annual "Yosemite Facelift," taking place Sept. 23-27.
The event is organized by the Yosemite Climbing Assn. to help clean up the park after the busy summer season. Last year, more than 41,000 pounds of trash was collected.
Those interested in volunteering should sign up at the booth in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center beginning at 8 a.m. on days that they would like to participate.
Crew leaders will be on hand to distribute trash bags, litter sticks and gloves and organize work groups.
Cleanup participants will enjoy free park admission and have access to all sorts of events, including a daily raffle, movie screenings, a book signing and a reception with free food and drinks and live music.
There are also limited free camping sites available for volunteers. Those interested in securing one should e-mail Ken Yager at YCA@inreach.com with their name(s) as well as the nights they would like to camp.
I applaud the efforts of the organizers and volunteers, though find it perplexing that people can visit such a national treasure and not have the decency to pick up after themselves.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Some of the debris collected last year. Credit: Yosemite Climbing Assn.
The 25th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is Saturday and
volunteers are invited to lend a hand picking up debris at the
state's beaches and inland shorelines.
Volunteers can pre-register with a local coordinator or simply show up at any of the drop-in sites. Participants should plan on wearing sturdy shoes and bring a hat, gloves and sunscreen.
Last year, more than 70,000 volunteers removed a record 1.6 million
pounds of trash and recyclables, of which almost 200,000 pounds was
recycled.
When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup,
organized by Ocean Conservancy and taking place on the same day,
California Coastal Cleanup Day is part of one of the largest
worldwide single-day volunteer events.
"We want Coastal Cleanup Day to be an opportunity for every Californian to feel their connection to our coast, no matter where they may live," said Eben Schwartz, California Coastal Commission outreach manager. "By pushing the cleanup into every corner of the state, we can clean up a lot of trash before it has a chance to reach our ocean, and in doing so, bind every Californian to one another through our collective stewardship."
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Poster announcing this year's California Coastal Cleanup Day. Credit: California Coastal Commission
Two Utah bow-hunters out looking for elk found an illegal marijuana farm instead, reports the Deseret News.
The unidentified hunters were hiking through an area of Morgan County in northern Utah last week when they came upon the field of marijuana plants. They contacted the police as well as the owner of the private land on which they had permission to hunt.
"I would estimate that it's been in operation for at least a couple years," said Narcotics Strike Force Lt. Darin Parke. "We don't have any suspects at this time. The [land] owner isn't a suspect; he didn't know anything about it."
The Strike Force gave the hunters a reward of $1,238 -- $1 for each plant found -- in an effort to encourage those who find marijuana growing sites to call them in.
Though not the largest marijuana crop discovered in the state, it is the third one uncovered in the last few weeks. On Aug. 26, officials eradicated a field of plants in Tooele County estimated to be worth about $9 million and a few days later discovered another field of 20,000 plants in Wayne County with street value estimated to be between $25 million and $60 million.
California has also experienced an increase in the number of marijuana farms found recently. Within the last month, Outposts has reported on crops discovered in Mono County and Yosemite National Park. Some DEA officials believe the rise in local marijuana cultivation is due to growing pressure on drug traffickers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Access has been barred to an area popular with lobster fishermen after the discovery of unexploded munitions on the sea floor.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a safety zone around Seal Island, located about 20 miles off the coast of Maine, after a recent discovery of unexploded ordnance in the shallow waters surrounding the remote island. The island was used by the U.S. Navy as an aerial bombing range from the 1940s to the 1960s.
"An urchin diver recently spotted what he described as thousands of shell fragments and shells on the bottom," Chief Petty Officer Jeff Hall told the Associated Press. "Even though we don't have a good handle on what the threat level is, we want to err on the side of caution when it comes to public safety."
Lobstermen are upset with the decision to close the area, arguing that traps have been hauled there for decades without any problems.
The interim ruling went into effect last week . The Coast Guard is taking comments on the measure until Dec. 7, after which a decision will be made on what sort of permanent rule might be necessary.
Seal Island is now managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the National Audubon Society and is a national wildlife refuge for nesting seabirds. At least 30 fishermen tend to hundreds of traps in the lobster-rich shallows surrounding the island.
--Kelly Burgess
Photo: Gulls looking for bait scraps follow a lobster boat off Maine. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press
Florida's public alligator hunt is underway, and the nighttime pursuit of trophy-sized specimens in the muggy marshlands is challenging and often unproductive.
But Arianne Prevost of Satellite Beach was in the right place at the right time, and with the right people on Tuesday night during her first-ever gator hunt, as she used a crossbow to bag an 11-footer weighing perhaps 450 pounds.
Her company during the Central Florida adventure included Peter Deeks and Robert Rohmann, who run Native Sons Outfitters. Deeks said in an interview that they'd previously scouted the St. Johns River marshlands and, while camouflaged, had staked out an area where they figured the big reptile would swim by.
At about 9 p.m., Prevost placed two perfect shots from 10 to 15 feet and dispatched the alligator with a broadhead shot at close range.
Deeks said they assumed, based on the size of the gator's head, it would measure 14 feet. But he still labeled the prize a trophy.
Prevost, who is dating Rohmann, said she will harvest the meat and have the head mounted.
An archery hunter with two years experience, Prevost told Florida Today: "I can't seem to kill a deer, but I can kill an 11-foot alligator."
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Arianne Prevost poses with 11-foot alligator she bagged with a crossbow during Florida's public alligator hunt. Credit: Peter Deeks
*Updated to reflect it was an Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department escort
Scorched earth is a depressing sight, especially when it had been lush with chaparral and old-growth forest.
The extent of the devastation caused by the Station fire, which has burned almost 250 square miles within the Angeles National Forest but finally is close to being contained, will be unfathomable when assessments are made.
Dead animals are said to litter the blackened and barren countryside. Rattlesnakes -- those that had burrowed and somehow survived the inferno -- slither across a moonscape hunted from the sky by raptors.
Campgrounds and important structures have been destroyed and trails are ruined. A once-verdant paradise is lost for who knows how many years to thousands of campers, hikers, bikers, runners, birders and horseback riders.
The scenic Angeles Crest Highway also remains closed, but a video shot by a couple touring the road behind a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. escort is making the rounds on YouTube. It reveals a charred countryside, melted road signs and guard rails that simply lie atop or alongside the pavement, their wooden support beams burned to ashes.
If you're familiar with the highway and forest, click on the video and tag along. It's a surreal odyssey, to be sure.
"They do have the potential to see wolves because wolves and human hunters are both looking for the elk," she said.
Joining Idaho, Montana is one of the first of the lower 48 states to legally
participate in gray wolf hunts since the animals were removed from the
endangered list last May throughout much of the Northern Rockies. The
Idaho season opened Sept. 1.
Thus far, more than 8,500 Montana wolf hunting licenses have been issued. Sales may increase now that a Montana federal court denied a
preliminary injunction requested by Defenders of Wildlife and other
plaintiffs that had sued to halt the hunts and challenge the delisting.
The statewide quota of 75, if met, would total 15% of Montana's lupine population.
-- Kelly Burgess
Photo: Silhouetted wolf in Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Joel Sartore/National Geographic/Getty Images
I've always been curious about people and their pastimes, whether it's hiking, fishing, hunting, climbing or bird-watching.
I've never given trapping much thought, until picking up the premier issue of Turkey Country magazine and reading a story on Jill Easton Spencer, who last year was named Arkansas Trapper of the Year.
The woman is clearly passionate about the outdoors and does not care how she might be perceived by others. She has learned to read signs and to anticipate what routes various critters will use around her home in Calico Rock, Ark.
She uses mostly small traps and says of the appeal: "When you're trapping you're an apex predator and that's pretty exciting. You become part of the animal's world and you become part of nature."
Jill and her husband, Jim, sell their fur and she proudly wears fur. She explains that trapping, like hunting, improves the ecosystem. "For example, the raccoon population is exploding in this country, and trappers help keep the numbers in check. Raccoons devour more eggs and female ducks in a year than hunters kill in five years."
Of those who might not understand trappers or hunters, she implies they've lost touch with reality. "Kids have no clue that food comes from anywhere but a hamburger package at McDonald's or a plastic container from the grocery store. Trapping puts you in a reality you can't get anywhere else."
Turkey Country invites readers to check out Jill's recipe for baked 'coon. Thanks, but no thanks.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: A coyote appears from low fog on a hillside near grazing livestock in San Luis Obispo County in this 2001 photo. Credit: Associated Press
Another chapter of the saga involving wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana -- the first hunts since the animals were removed from the endangered species list in those states last April -- appears to have closed with a federal judge ruling the controversial hunts can continue. The ruling was made Tuesday evening in Montana.
After the delisting, Idaho authorized a harvest quota of 220 wolves for its inaugural season. Montana authorized a per-season quota of 75 wolves.
Idaho's season opened last week despite fierce opposition. Montana's hunt is scheduled to begin next week. On Tuesday evening, a Montana federal court denied a preliminary injunction requested by Defenders of Wildlife and other plaintiffs that had sued to halt the hunts and challenge the delisting.
Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife, posted this statement Sept. 1: "The heavy-handed wolf hunt beginning today in Idaho, together with the hunt planned to begin September 15th in Montana, puts the recovery of the Northern Rockies population of wolves at risk and demonstrates precisely the kind of irresponsible state management that should have precluded taking the wolf off the endangered species list at this point in time."
Safari Club International is among groups defending the wolf delisting in Idaho and Montana, while supporting hunts as critical tools of species management. SCI President Larry Rudolph said Wednesday in a news release:
“SCI continues to lead the way for the hunting community in efforts to keep the recovered wolves of the Rocky Mountains where they belong – off the endangered species list. The states can and will effectively manage the wolf, as demonstrated by their establishing reasonable and well-regulated wolf hunts."
The fight is far from over, however, as the judge's ruling is only temporary and there are many more chapters before this story ends. Please stay tuned.
The following is a list of Southern California and Eastern Sierra waters, listed by county, that will be stocked with rainbow trout throughout the week of Sept. 8 by the Department of Fish and Game:
LOS ANGELES: Bouquet Canyon Creek and Jackson Lake
RIVERSIDE: Hemet Lake
SAN BERNARDINO: Jenks Lake, Santa Ana River and Santa Ana River South Fork
INYO: Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek Intake II, Bishop Creek (Middle & South Forks), Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, North Lake, Rock Creek Lake, Sabrina Lake, South Lake, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek and Tuttle Creek
MONO: Convict Creek, Convict Lake, Deadman Creek, George Lake, Glass Creek, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, South Fork, Little Walker River, Mamie Lake, Mammoth Creek, Mary Lake, McGee Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (Sections I & II), Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Trumble Lake, Twin Lakes Bridgeport (Lower & Upper), Twin Lakes Mammoth, Virginia Lake (Lower & Upper) and West Walker River (Sections 2 & 3)
Photo: Jeff Winter of Van Nuys fishes for trout in hopes of dinner as the sun sets over Lower Pine Creek Lake. Credit: Ken Hively/Los Angeles Times
*Updated at 4:45 p.m. to reflect road closure information
As of noon Monday, the Big Meadow fire within Yosemite National Park had consumed nearly 5,000 acres but was 55% contained and crews were making enough progress that some of the air tankers being used to help battle the blaze were sent to Southern California, where a far more volatile situation exists.
The west end of Tioga Road has been closed to through traffic from White Wolf to Crane Flat Gas Station because of poor visibility, and it remains unclear when it will reopen. Tuolumne Meadows to White Wolf is still accessible from the east end of the park via U.S. 395.
Many hiking trails and campsites remain closed. No structures have been lost.
Meanwhile, many are asking the question: How did this prescribed burn, which was supposed to involve only 91 acres, get away from a National Park Service team that routinely carries out controlled burns? (None of those 91 acres actually burned; that's how quickly this fire changed direction and got out of hand.)
An interagency review panel will address the issue in a week or two, park spokesman Scott Gediman said.
Gediman added that prescribed burns sometimes leap beyond designated boundaries but no one at the park could recall a runaway fire of this magnitude.
Regardless, the park has no plans to abandon its prescribed-burn program, and that's understandable. Fires are beneficial in that they allow forests to regenerate by removing old growth. Since Yosemite and other national parks must suppress many naturally-sparked fires to protect lives and structures, prescribed burns in designated areas help accomplish regeneration while preventing fuel buildup that could eventually lead to larger and potentially more devastating wildfires.
The review panel will probably raise the issue of timing. The temperature exceeded 100 degrees when the fire began last Wednesday. The park addresses this issue, in part, on its website, but it fails to answer why the team could not have waited for slightly cooler temperatures.
Outposts will continue to monitor the situation.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: The Big Meadow fire as viewed last Wednesday. Credit: National Parks Service
Outposts' primary contributor is veteran L.A. Times outdoors and action sports reporter Pete Thomas. Also contributing are Kelly Burgess and other Times staffers.
