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Ruger 22/45 Lite

Ruger 22/45 Lite, a lightweight Ruger 22/45 pistol with a new aluminum upper receiver, is chambered in the popular .22 LR. the Ruger 22/45 Lite is accurate and reliable, making it the ideal lightweight rimfire pistol.

The Ruger 22/45 Lite is an exciting new addition to the legendary 22/45 line of pistols," said Ruger President and CEO Mike Fifer. "It maintains the superb accuracy and reliability of the classic 22/45� pistols, but has a cool factor that can't be beat. It has a customized look without the customized price, and is exactly what our customers have been asking us to produce. The threaded barrel provides great accessory options and makes the Ruger 22/45 Lite a perfect package right out of the box," he concluded.

The Ruger 22/45 Lite upper receiver is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and features serrated cuts, giving the pistol a dramatic look and making it extremely lightweight at only 22.8 oz.. The 4.4" stainless steel barrel sleeve is held in place by a tension nut to ensure accuracy and features a factory 1/2-28 thread to accept popular muzzle accessories.

The receiver is finished in a striking gold anodize and is  drilled and tapped for Weaver-style scope base adapters

(included free of charge) for easy mounting of optics. The comfortable, precision-molded Zytel polymer grip frame features replaceable Hogue black rubber grip panels that can be swapped out to customize the look of your Ruger 22/45 Lite pistol. The Ruger 22/45 Lite is the perfect outdoor companion and can be used for target shooting, plinking, small game hunting, or competitive shooting.

Specifications Include:

Material: Aluminum

Finish: Gold Anodize

Rear Sight: Adjustable

Front Sight: Fixed

Barrel Length: 4.40"

Barrel Style: Threaded

Length: 8.50"

Height: 5.50"

Width: 1.00"

Weight: 22.80 oz.

Grips: Replaceable Panels

Grip Frame: Zytel� Polymer

Twist: 1:16" RH

Grooves: 6

Capacity: 10

About $469.00

www.ruger.com     www.shopruger.com

Opposition grows to Obama�s National Ocean Policy

Eighty-one groups have just submitted a letter to U.S. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (KY), as well as the Chairperson of each House Appropriations Subcommittee, asking that language be included in all Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations bills that would prohibit the use of funds to implement the new National Ocean Policy.  The request was made as part of an effort to achieve a pause in policy implementation that would provide more time for oversight and examination of potential impacts. 

The letter's signatories, which are listed below and include

the National Ocean Policy Coalition, represent a wide
array of commercial and recreational interests and reflect the breadth of concern that citizens and businesses across the United States continue to have about the National Ocean Policy as developed thus far.  A PDF copy of the letter is available here. 

Today's transmittal follows correspondence sent last week from U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA) to Chairman Rogers, requesting that language be included in each Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations bill that would prohibit the use of funds to implement the National Ocean Policy.

Federal appeals court hears E15 waiver challenge
A panel of three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this week heard oral arguments on a challenge to the EPA waiver that allows for 15 percent ethanol-blended gasoline to be sold for use in cars model-year 2001 and newer.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association joined with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute and the Association of Global Automobile Manufacturers Inc. to file the legal challenge to the EPA Clean Air Act waiver for E15.

Numerous other parties also filed similar suits that the court consolidated.  Growth Energy intervened in the case

in support of the EPA, according to the NMMA.

Meanwhile, the NMMA said it recently became aware of a safety measure that Toyota and Lexus have taken to deter E15 misfueling. The companies will include a special label on gas caps on their new automobiles and will include instructions in the owner's manual not to use E15 because the vehicles are not designed to operate on it.

�This is an interesting development as manufacturers continue to consider how best to reduce misfueling as the government continues to push for higher levels of ethanol-enhanced fuel in the marketplace,� the NMMA said. �NMMA recently sent a letter to EPA opposing EPA's approval of the ethanol producers� misfueling mitigation plan.�

U.S. House votes to Protect Hunting / Shooting on Public Land

The bill also protects fishing tackle and ammunition from attacks by environmentalists

WASHINGTON D.C. �With bipartisan support the U.S. House of Representatives ton April 17, approved the most significant pro-sportsmen legislation in 15 years.  H.R. 4089, which passed by a vote of 274-146, is a package of high priority issues supported by every nationally prominent conservation and sportsmen�s organization.  The bill was supported by 235 Republicans and 39 Democrats.      

Entitled The Sportsmen�s Heritage Act of 2012, H.R. 4089:

• Classifies Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service lands as open to hunting, fishing and recreational shooting unless closed or restricted based on scientific evidence;

• Confirms that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot ban lead in traditional ammunition or in sport fishing gear;

• Protects recreational shooting on BLM National Monument land; and

• Allows the import of legally hunted polar bear trophies now tangled in federal red-tape.

A major focus of the organizations that helped craft H.R. 4089 is to prevent frivolous lawsuits that unfairly restrict the rights of hunters, anglers and shooters and limit wildlife conservation and management.  Over the last decade anti-hunting groups and their trial lawyers have filed multiple suits in courts arguing that existing federal law does not allow, or requires restrictions on fishing, hunting, and shooting on federal public lands.  Defending against these suits has cost state and federal wildlife agencies and sportsmen�s organizations, including the U.S. Sportsmen�s Alliance (USSA), millions of dollars. 

In 1998, USSA first proposed that federal BLM and Forest Service lands, which total over 700 million acres, be declared legally open to fishing, hunting and shooting unless closed by specific agency action.  In the intervening years, USSA has worked to persuade the sporting community and Congress of the need for such legislation.  House passage of H.R. 4089 is the result of this long effort to build strong legal barriers against anti-hunters and the animal rights lobby.

The bill also protects fishing tackle and ammunition from attacks.  Recently, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the federal government to force the U.S. EPA to ban the use of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle.  Their claim misrepresented the intent of the Toxic Substance Control Act which was enacted in 1976 to allow the EPA to regulate new commercial chemicals entering the market and the distribution of existing chemicals found to pose unreasonable risks to public health or the environment.  It was never intended to allow the regulation of ammunition and fishing tackle. 

�H.R. 4089 spells out in plain language that hunting, fishing and recreational shooting are legitimate uses of federal public lands and that these lands are open, as a matter of law, to these traditional activities,� said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president and CEO.  �And it makes it crystal clear that the U.S. EPA does not have the authority to restrict American�s choices of ammunition and fishing tackle.�

In addition to USSA, H.R. 4089 is supported by an array of sporting conservation groups including the American Sportfishing Association, Congressional Sportsmen�s Foundation, National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and Safari Club International. 

Bipartisan Bill introduced to Stop Asian Carp

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Great Lakes lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from entering the Great Lakes and destroying the Lakes' ecosystem.

In the Senate, Senators introduced the Stop Invasive Species Act to require the speedy creation of an action plan to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes through a number of rivers and tributaries across the Great Lakes region. Congressmen introduced similar legislation in the House.

A bipartisan bill introduced last year, the Stop Asian Carp Act, required the Army Corp of Engineers to develop an action plan to permanently separate Lake Michigan from the Chicago Area Waterway System, long seen as the

carp's primary entry point to the Great Lakes. Today's bill

goes further to require a plan to stop Asian carp at all potential entry points.

The Stop Invasive Species Act requires the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to submit to Congress an expedited action plan with options for stopping Asian carp from penetrating the Great Lakes across 18 possible points of entry. The bill requires the Army Corp to submit a progress report to Congress and the President within 90 days of the law's enactment. The full plan would need to be completed within 18 months.

Under the Stop Invasive Species Act, the Army Corp would continue to examine modes of transportation across key waterways to ensure shipping could continue while mechanisms for preventing Asian carp from destroying the Great Lakes are implemented.

Great Lakes Water Levels for April 20, 2012

WEATHER CONDITIONS

The majority of the Great Lakes basin saw precipitation last week with the exception of the Lake Ontario basin.  Temperatures remained relatively average throughout the week and high winds were experienced.  All of the Great Lakes Basins have received below average precipitation to date in April.  Expect some additional precipitation over the Great Lakes basin throughout the weekend and temperatures should remain relatively steady.   

LAKE LEVEL CONDITIONS

Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are 3 and 4 inches, respectively, higher than they were last year.  Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are 4, 4, and 1 inches, respectively, higher than a year ago.  Over the next month, Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are both forecasted to rise 3 inches from their current levels.  The water levels of Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are expected to increase 1, 0, and 2 inches, respectively, over the next thirty days. 

FORECASTED MONTHLY OUTFLOWS/CHANNEL CONDITIONS

Lake Superior's outflow through the St. Marys River is projected to be below average for the month of April.  Lake Huron's outflow into the St. Clair River and the outflow from Lake St. Clair into the Detroit River are expected to be below average throughout the month of April.  Lake Erie's outflow through the Niagara River and the outflow of Lake

Ontario into the St. Lawrence River are both predicted to be above average in April.

ALERTS

 The water level of Lake Superior is below chart datum and is forecasted to remain below chart datum until July.  Users of the Great Lakes, connecting channels and St. Lawrence River should keep informed of current conditions before undertaking any activities that could be affected by changing water levels.  Mariners should utilize navigation charts and refer to current water level readings. 

Feinstein tries to thwart National Right to Carry

This week, anti-gun Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) did her part to thwart passage of national Right-to-Carry laws by putting a "hold" on the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012, and the Respecting States' Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012.

In keeping with her anti-gun record, Feinstein took action in an effort to oppose the quick passage of the bills.  The "hold" does not prevent passage of the bills; it just prevents the legislation from passing by an already unlikely "unanimous consent" vote.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) Feinstein called the bills "dangerous" and said that they would "create potentially life threatening situations for law

enforcement officers."  She also cited the controversial Trayvon Martin shooting as one of her reasons for trying to sabotage the bills.

Feinstein's misguided campaign to thwart these bills is nothing more than an opportunistic jump back into the ring of gun-control at a time she deems politically expedient.

NRA strongly supports the measures Sen. Feinstein opposes (H.R. 822, S. 2188 and S. 2213).  These self-defense bills would allow honest Americans to protect themselves while traveling.   As of today, 49 states have laws in place that permit their citizens to carry a concealed firearm in some form.  Only Illinois and the District of Columbia deny their residents the right to carry concealed firearms outside their homes or businesses for self-defense.

Cabela�s "Wanna Go Fishing for Millions?" Promotion
Competition begins May 5; grand prize could reach $2 million

SIDNEY, Neb. (April 19 � Cabela�s is offering a "Wanna Go Fishing for Millions?", a contest giving anglers a shot at up to $2 million in cash and more than $225,000 in additional prizes by catching tagged fish in select lakes across the United States. The competition begins May 5.

Cabela�s, Outdoor Channel, Wanna Go Fishing TV and Geico are tagging fish in lakes across 19 states � Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin � and every tagged fish caught will be a winner.

The premise is simple: catch specially tagged fish, and win prizes ranging from Cabela�s gift cards to boats to $2 million. Wanna Go Fishing for Millions? debuted in 2011.  �Wanna Go Fishing for Millions? is a great catch for many reasons,� said Cabela�s Chief Executive Officer Tommy Millner. �The heart of the competition is to promote fishing on local waters and encourage families to spend time together � with a chance, of course, to hook great prizes.�

In 2011, 143 winning fish were caught in Wanna Go

Fishing for Millions?

One of the tagged fish could be worth $1 million. The grand prize will be doubled to $2 million for participants who are current users of the Cabela�s Fish Recon app or who download the Cabela�s Fish Recon app to their smartphone, sponsored by Geico.  Other prizes include two Ranger 520Z Bass Series Comanche boats and trailers with Evinrude outboard motors, valued at $65,000 each, as well as more than $20,000 in gear from Costa sunglasses, Abu Garcia and Rapala.

All rules and requirements, as well as contest details and registration information, are posted at: www.cabelas.com/fishformillions.

Registration began April 19 and participants must pre-register before fishing. Cabela�s will release the list of lakes before the promotion begins to those who pre-register. Winners of specific prizes will be announced after the promotion ends July 8.

Species to be tagged this year include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, white bass, striped bass, perch, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, walleye, crappie, wiper, bluegill and channel catfish. Species will vary state-to-state.

Carter new Ohio Fish Chief

Named Executive Administrator of Fish Management Group at ODNR

COLUMBUS, OH � Rich Carter of Columbus has been named executive administrator of the Fish Management Group for the Ohio DNR.

In his new position, Carter will supervise a staff of 80 employees who conduct fisheries research and management activities for the division statewide. Carter joined the Division of Wildlife in 2005 as a fisheries biologist in the division�s central Ohio district office, and he

was promoted to district fish management supervisor in 2008. He also held the position of acting central district manager in 2011.

Before joining the Division of Wildlife, Carter worked at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and also worked as an environmental consultant. He received his bachelor�s degree in environmental biology from Ohio University in 1980 and his master�s degree in fish biology from The Ohio State University in 1985.

Ohio Anglers encouraged to participate in online Survey

COLUMBUS, OH - The Ohio DNR invites anglers to visit www.ohiodnr.com/creel  to take a new online angler survey.

The online survey seeks angler input on a variety of topics including hybrid striped bass fisheries, DNR fishing maps and �no-wake/idle speed� use of motors with unlimited horsepower on small lakes that currently have 10

horsepower or electric motor-only restrictions.

The online survey will be available through July 31. Responses are confidential. Information provided by anglers through the surveys is vital to the successful management of Ohio's fisheries, and the DNR encourages all anglers to participate. Biologists use survey data in combination with biological data from fish populations to identify ways of improving fishing on Ohio's inland reservoirs, lakes, rivers and Lake Erie.

Castalia State Fish Hatchery celebrates $7 Million Renovation

Major renovations make Castalia a state-of-the-art steelhead facility

CASTALIA, OH � The Castalia State Fish Hatchery was dedicated today after undergoing a major renovation to make the hatchery a state-of-the-art steelhead production facility, according to the Ohio DNR.

The dedication was held at the facility located in Castalia, Erie County, where the Division of Wildlife annually raises 400,000 steelhead trout. In addition to the steelhead, which are stocked into five Lake Erie tributaries, the facility also raises many of the catchable rainbow trout stocked each spring throughout Ohio.

The Castalia State Fish Hatchery is located on a 90-acre site with one of the area�s famous blue-hole aquifers, which provides the hatchery with 2,500 gallons per minute of the cold water necessary for steelhead trout production. The new 12,000-square-foot hatchery is designed to incubate up to 1 million steelhead eggs and feed up to 500,000 fingerlings that will allow the Division of Wildlife to raise 400,000 steelhead. In addition, the 900-foot blue-hole raceway is now enclosed to protect fish from predators and sunlight.  A state of the art monitoring system will ensure

optimal water conditions for fish growth, and an alarm system with emergency generators will prevent fish loss from power outages. 

Each year, Ohio�s 1.2 million anglers contribute more than $1.8 billion to the economy. The pursuit of fishing in Ohio annually generates $1.1 billion in retail sales, $90 million in state and local tax revenue and supports 17,000 Ohio jobs.  Projects like the Castalia renovation are made possible by the $14 million anglers contribute annually through the purchase of fishing licenses and funds provided by the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program. This user-pays program collects excise taxes on the sale of fishing equipment and marine fuel to fund fishing and boating activities throughout the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the program and returns money to each state based on the number of fishing licenses sold and the amount of land and water area.

Castalia is one of six state fish hatcheries operated by the Division of Wildlife, and all six of the hatcheries combined will stock 23 million fish in 2012. Besides the steelhead and rainbow trout, other species of fish stocked in Ohio waterways include walleye, saugeye, brown trout, muskellunge, catfish and hybrid-striped bass.

Public meetings to discuss Lake Michigan trout/salmon stocking reduction

MILWAUKEE -- Public meetings are set for May 1 in Milwaukee and May 8 in Green Bay for anglers and others who want to learn more about, and weigh in on, potential stocking reductions in Lake Michigan that scientists say are necessary to balance game fish with the available food source.

The meetings are set for 6:30 p.m. May 1 at the WATER Institute in Milwaukee and 6:30 p.m. on May 8 at the Brown County Library in Green Bay. The Wisconsin meetings follow a lake-wide conference in Benton Harbor, Mich, on April 14, on the same topic that drew 78 people in person and another 47 who participated online.

"We want to go over the information covered at the lakewide meeting in Michigan and give more Wisconsin anglers a chance to weigh in on future stocking policies," says Bill Horns, the DNR Great Lakes fisheries specialist.

Despite an exceptional Coho harvest and good size-at-age among Chinook salmon in 2011, lake-wide forage assessments and computer modeling conducted by Michigan State University researchers suggest that the number of trout and salmon being stocked in Lake

Michigan exceeds what can be supported by the available prey fish in the future, Horns says.  "The modeling suggests that we risk a future collapse in both alewives and game fish if stocking levels stay the same," he says. "Concern about the stability of the Lake Michigan alewife population has increased in recent years as we have watched the dramatic declines in Chinook salmon harvest in Lake Huron after alewife populations there crashed."

Biologists in the four states bordering Lake Michigan are reviewing the models and consulting with interested anglers regarding future stocking policies. The Wisconsin meetings, as did the Benton Harbor meeting, will examine five options pulled together in workshops over the last year by the states' fisheries biologists and representatives of fishing and other interested groups.

The options include sticking with current stocking levels and four alternative patterns of reduction in stocking of Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout. According to the models, the probability of reducing alewife abundance to an unacceptable level can be reduced seven-fold, from 23 to 3 percent by implementing one of the stocking options.   For more info Bill Horns (608) 266-8782

Spring fisheries and wildlife hearing results available

MADISON � A total of 4,611 people attended the 2012 Spring Fisheries and Wildlife Informational Hearings and Wisconsin Conservation Congress county meetings that were held in every county statewide on Monday, April 9. The information hearings provide citizens with an opportunity to comment and indicate preference on a range of fish and wildlife management questions, Conservation Congress advisory questions, and to submit resolutions for rule changes they would like to see in the future.

Statewide hearing results and the questions are available on the Spring Rules Hearings page of the DNR Web site or go to dnr.wi.gov; search �spring hearings.�

Meeting results, along with written comments on the evening�s questions and DNR recommendations are used to advise the state Natural Resources Board. This year�s results will be reviewed at the board�s May 23 meeting in Madison. Votes are non-binding and are presented to the

Natural Resources Board as advisories.

The hearings are held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Conservation Congress county meetings. DNR related proposals are presented to attendees by DNR staff. Following DNR business, the meeting is reconvened as a Conservation Congress meeting and congress advisory questions are presented and county congress delegates elected. The congress is an advisory body to the Natural Resources Board. During the congress� portion of the hearing, citizens may introduce resolutions for consideration and vote by those attending the hearings.

Following the initial DNR and WCC segments of the evening meetings, the Conservation Congress convened town hall style meetings for the purpose of collecting ideas leading to simplification of fish and wildlife rules. Conservation Congress delegates will summarize comments collected in each county and will share recommendations in a report expected to be issued later this spring or early summer.