Weekly News Archives

                         or

       New Product  Archives

Alaska Sues USFWS For Blocking Caribou Preservation Plan

Anchorage, Alaska - The State of Alaska has filed suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for blocking a proposed predator control action on Unimak Island intended to preserve a caribou herd that is on the brink of dying out.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, asserts that the federal agency has violated the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Alaska.

Among numerous actions aimed at preventing the state from carrying out its plan to preserve the herd, federal officials on May 24 threatened immediate criminal prosecution of any state employees who would "trespass" within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which covers almost all of Unimak Island.

The state seeks a preliminary injunction allowing the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in June to remove seven wolves, the number determined by biologists as necessary to merely maintain the caribou herd in its current depleted condition while the lawsuit proceeds.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service erected obstacle after obstacle over a period of five months to prevent us from carrying out the state constitutional mandate to manage our resources for the maximum benefit of our people," said Governor Sean Parnell. "It's part of a pattern in which federal agencies are usurping state prerogatives, potentially constricting our future, and they're doing it while violating their own rules and regulations, as well as their prior agreements with us."

Unimak Island, the eastern-most in the Aleutian chain, is home to the nation's only naturally occurring insular caribou herd. The herd numbered 1,260 in 2002, but has shrunk to about 400 animals. In addition to the two-thirds decline in overall population, the bull-to-cow ratio is now about 5-to-100,

the lowest level ever recorded in Alaska, leaving about 20

bulls on the island.

For these reasons, Fish and Game determined that action during the 2010 calving season might be the last chance for averting the ultimate loss of the entire herd, which has been the primary source of subsistence red meat within a 400-mile radius.

Fish and Game notified the federal refuge manager of the emergency in a letter on December 22, 2009. But subsequent communications and meetings failed to persuade federal officials to permit a wolf take before a lengthy environmental review could be completed by an outside contractor, despite documents prepared by Fish and Game that were compliant with the standards of the National Environmental Policy Act. Finally, the May 24 letter from Fish and Wildlife ended the matter with a threat to refer to the U.S. attorney any state employees who take actions to preserve the herd.

"The actions of Fish and Wildlife have set the stage for the worst possible outcome - the potential disappearance of this caribou herd and a total loss of subsistence opportunity in the area for the foreseeable future," said Denby Lloyd, commissioner of Fish and Game. "We pushed as hard as we could, recognizing that time was running out fast, but I wasn't going to put my employees into a situation in which the federal government prosecutes them for carrying out their state responsibilities."

"We weren't going to fall into the trap of seeing state employees exposed to prosecution," said Attorney General Dan Sullivan. "But this threat forced our hand. We have no choice but to sue. And we believe we have a strong case for injunctive relief."

For the state's complaint for declaratory judgment: http://www.law.alaska.gov/pdf/press/052810-Complaint.pdf    

Contact: Bill McAllister, Department of Law, (907)269-4179, Kevin Saxby, Department of Law, (907)269-5250, or Corey Rossi, Department of Fish and Game, (907)267-2147.

Weekly Great Lakes Water Levels for June 4, 2010 

Weather Conditions

Over the last week most of the Great Lakes Basin has experienced higher than average temperatures along with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Rain showers will move out today as a more stable air mass arrives from the west bringing drier weather and warmer temperatures in for the first half of Friday before rain chances return for the start of the weekend. Over the weekend expect another chance for severe weather with rain showers continuing into Sunday. The warm weather of the past two weeks will come to an end next week as daytime temperature are expected to only reach the mid 70's. The beginning of the work week brings another possibility of dry weather, but ending mid-week when a weak area of low pressure passes though the basin bringing additional rain showers to some areas.

Lake Level Conditions

Currently, all of the water levels on the Great Lakes are below last year's levels.  Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are 8 and 9 inches below last year's levels, respectively.  Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are 8, 7 and 17 inches, respectively below the last year's levels.  Over the next month, the water levels of Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are both expected to increase by 3 and 2 inches, respectively, while Lakes St. Clair is expected to be 2 inches below its current level. Lake Erie is expected to decrease its level by 1 inch over the next month, while Lake Ontario is projected to rise 4 inches. 

 Forecasted June Outflows/Channel Conditions

The outflows from both Lake Superior into the St. Mary's River and Lake Huron into the St. Clair are forecasted to be below average during the month.  Near average outflow is expected from Lake St. Clair into the Detroit River and Lake Erie into the Niagara River.  The flow in the St. Lawrence River is forecasted to be below average throughout the month of June.

Alerts

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.

The U.N. gun grabber

The Washington Times May 31, 2010

American gun owners might not feel besieged, but they should. This week, the Obama administration announced its support for the United Nations Small Arms Treaty. This international agreement poses real risks for freedom both in the United States and around the world by making it more difficult - if not outright illegal - for law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.

The U.N. claims that guns used in armed conflicts cause 300,000 deaths worldwide every year, an inordinate number of which are the result of internal civil strife within individual nations. The solution proposed by transnationalists to keep rebels from getting guns is to make the global pool of weapons smaller through government action. According to recent deliberations regarding the treaty, signatory countries would be required to "prevent, combat and eradicate" various classes of guns to undermine "the illicit trade in small arms." Such a plan would necessarily lead to confiscation of personal firearms.

This may seem like a reasonable solution to governments that don't trust their citizens, but it represents a dangerous disregard for the safety and freedom of everybody. First of all, not all insurgencies are bad. As U.S. history shows, one way to get rid of a despotic regime is to rise up against it. That

threat is why authoritarian regimes such as Syria, Cuba, Rwanda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone endorse gun control.

Political scientist Rudy Rummel estimates that the 15 worst regimes during the 20th century killed 151 million of their own citizens, which works out to 1.5 million victims per year. Even if all 300,000 annual deaths from armed conflicts can be blamed on the small-arms trade (which they cannot), governments are a bigger threat to most people than their neighbors.

This U.N. treaty will lead to more gun control in America. "After the treaty is approved and it comes into force, you will find out that it has this implication or that implication and it requires the Congress to adopt some measure that restricts ownership of firearms," former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton warns. "The [Obama] administration knows it cannot obtain this kind of legislation purely in a domestic context. ... They will use an international agreement as an excuse to get domestically what they couldn't otherwise."

The U.N. Small Arms Treaty opens a back door for the Obama administration to force through gun control regulations. Threats to the Second Amendment are as real today as ever.

IDNR Announces Summer Urban Fishing Clinics

Clinics provide free instruction and fun for kids, �Access to Fishing� gear also available

SPRINGFIELD, IL � Learning how to fish is fun, easy and free for youngsters and families throughout Illinois this summer thanks to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Urban Fishing Program.  Free fishing clinics are planned at more than 30 locations throughout the state.

�Fishing is a great way for families to spend time together outdoors, and each summer our urban fishing clinics give thousands of children a chance to experience the fun of fishing,� said IDNR Director Marc Miller.  �The clinic instructors provide basic instruction on how to fish, and with those lessons we expect a lot of kids will become hooked on fishing.�

The free Urban Fishing Program clinics are targeted toward children ages 16 and younger, but anyone interested in learning basic fishing techniques are welcome to attend.

�Parents and grandparents are urged to come along and attend any of our programs with their children,� said IDNR Central Illinois Urban Fishing Program Coordinator Herb Dreier.  �Their experiences will create excitement that will provide many memorable family discussions.�

Fishing clinic instructors present information on fish and other aquatic life, rules and regulations for fishing, as well as basic instruction on baiting a hook, tying a knot, casting, important tactics on how to catch fish and how to handle and return fish to the water.  As part of each clinic, participants are provided with rods, reels, bait and tackle for 90 minutes of catch-and-release fishing.

Urban Fishing clinics are presented on weekdays during the late spring and summer months at 38 locations throughout

the state.  In addition to the scheduled clinics outlined below, fishing clinics can also be arranged for scouts, seniors, civic clubs and groups with special needs.

Science and physical education teachers interested in starting a fishing program in their schools can also contact the IDNR Urban Fishing coordinator in their area to get more information.

�Fishing is truly an activity that can develop into a lifelong hobby.  Once a person knows the basics of fishing including how to catch fish, it can be an exciting and addictive activity,� Dreier said.

The Illinois Urban Fishing Program was introduced in Chicago in 1985 to teach individuals of all ages to fish, to provide better local fishing opportunities and to give participants an understanding of and a greater appreciation for natural resources.  Urban Fishing Program coordinators also hold non-fishing conservation education programs and visit schools during the fall, winter and spring.

In addition to the fishing clinics, the IDNR provides fishing opportunities to anglers of all ages through the popular Access to Fishing initiative in which fishing gear can be borrowed at more than 155 locations statewide.  The loan program provides the opportunity to borrow rods, reels and tackle packs.  Participating loaner locations include many public libraries, park and forest preserve districts, bait shops, recreation departments and other locations.  A list of sites offering access to fishing gear is available by checking the web site at www.ifishillinois.org or by phoning the IDNR Urban Fishing Program at 217/782-6424.

For more info:  http://dnr.state.il.us/pubaffairs/2010/June/fishing.html 

Boaters Should Avoid Veteran�s Memorial Bridge (Crawford County)

Oil City � PennDOT advises pedestrians and recreational boaters to avoid the area on and around the Veteran�s Memorial Bridge, located on State Route (SR) 1002 Gravel Run Road, over French Creek in Venango Borough and Cambridge Township.

The Gravel Run Road Bridge, closed since 2002, has continued to deteriorate and is now considered unsafe. Pedestrians are advised not to walk on the bridge. Recreational boaters are advised to avoid the area under the bridge.

The bridge has experienced serious rapid deterioration

recently and could collapse. Signs will soon be in place alerting pedestrians and recreational boaters of the possibility of collapse.

The roadway alternative project to improve Walters Road and Sherred Hill Road is scheduled to be bid this fall. A separate contract for demolition of the bridge will be developed so that the bridge can be removed later this year.

PennDOT encourages motorists to log on to 511pa.com or to call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions before travelling.

Northern zone bass harvest season opens June 19

Bass populations, catch rates at all-time highs

SPOONER � The northern zone bass harvest season opens June 19 with state fisheries biologists saying the bass fishing opportunities arguably have never been better.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass populations are booming in northern Wisconsin, particularly in northwest Wisconsin, and anglers can expect fast and furious action this summer, fish biologists say.  �The densities are extremely high right now,� says Jamison Wendel, fisheries biologist in Spooner. �There are lots of smaller fish, so there�s all kinds of action.�

Surveys of northern Wisconsin anglers who target bass show that anglers are reeling in the bass faster than ever.

Wendel says the fact that catch rates have increased quite dramatically in the last 20 years while harvest rates have been stayed flat or decreased is not typical. �It�s kind of an indication of a few things: changes in regulation as well as smaller fish

being caught that anglers are not as interested in keeping, as well as more anglers practicing catch and release.�

Whether it�s the low water levels experienced in northern Wisconsin, which favor bass, warmer water temperatures, or a number of other factors, bass populations and catch rates in many waters are at all-time highs.

Learn more about some of the reasons why bass populations, particularly populations of largemouths, are on the rise in �Sustaining a fishery of fighting natural change?� in the June 2010 Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, available now on news stands, and online.

The northern bass zone  harvest season runs from June 19, 2010, through March 6, 2011. The daily limit is five bass in total, with a minimum length of 14 inches. Check the �Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations 2010-2011� for special regulations on some waters.

Lake Surveys Will Help Manage Fisheries

Provincial fisheries crews will be out on Ontario�s lakes this summer, monitoring lake health and fish populations, and checking for invasive species.  If you're on a lake that is being monitored and see Ministry of Natural Resources buoys, please don�t lift the nets or buoys, and avoid recreational activities between and around the buoys. All nets will be clearly marked.

Information gathered through the surveys will be used to help make decisions about managing fisheries, including setting seasons and size limits for anglers.

These lake surveys are part of a five-year cycle to collect information for fisheries management. Over five years, the

ministry will monitor approximately 1,000 lakes across Ontario. Crews will conduct netting surveys in 132 lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 5 near Fort Frances, Kenora and Dryden. Crews will conduct netting surveys in 24 lakes in Fisheries Management Zone 8 (around Cochrane and Timmins) and 38 lakes in Zone 10 (near Chapleau, Sudbury, Blind River, and Wawa). Crews will conduct netting surveys on 32 lakes in central and eastern Ontario.

Lake surveys are done by Ministry of Natural Resources staff with the support of summer students hired from local colleges and universities. About 1.27 million anglers fish in Ontario each year, spending more than $2.5 billon dollars annually on fisheries-related products and services