Weekly News Archives

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Cabela's Inc. and City of Allen, Texas, break ground on future Store Site

SIDNEY, Neb.  - Cabela's and the City of Allen broke ground July 16 on what will be the third Cabela's store in Texas, joining the Fort Worth and Buda locations. Cabela's expects to open the 100,000-sq-ft store located on Cabela Drive between U.S. Hwy 75 and Allen Station Parkway, on the southern border of The Village at Allen, in early spring of 2011.

The store interior will feature an aquarium, gun library, boat

shop, general store and bargain cave among the famous

Cabela's conservation-themed wildlife displays and trophy animal mounts. The building's exterior will reflect Cabela's traditional store model with log construction, stonework, wood siding and metal roofing. A large glass storefront will allow customers to view much of the store's interior as they approach the building.

Help Restore the Gulf�s Wildlife Habitat

Remington & Marlin Rebate Roundup offers Rebate Donation Program

Madison, NC � As part of the Fall 2010 Rebate Roundup program beginning August 1, 2010, Remington Arms and Marlin are offering a way for consumers to make donations to the Coastal Conservation Association.  By simply checking a box on the rebate coupon, donating all or a portion of the rebate, you will be helping to restore one of our country�s most valuable wildlife habitats. 

CCF Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), a non-profit grassroots organization, comprises 17 coastal state chapters

spanning the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific coasts. A majority of CCA�s membership is made up of recreational saltwater anglers and sportsman. 

90% of the donations will be contributed to the Building Conservation Fund. This fund provides for local, state and national marine fisheries and habitat conservation and restoration projects. Program funds are directed to CCA state chapters for grassroots-driven projects to enhance marine habitat. This is the fund that is being used to repair damaged habitat.  For more information or for more ways to help, go to www.joincca.org   

Consumers receive tremendous value with rebate offers on various products.  Cash-back offers are valid on ammunition and new consumer gun purchases made August 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

Groups want ban on Lead-Based Ammo and Fishing Tackle

Firearms Industry responds to Anti-hunting Attack on Traditional Ammunition

WASHINGTON, DC - A coalition of environmental groups last week filed a formal petition with the Environmental Protection Agency requesting a ban on the use of lead in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and  shooting sports industry, announced its opposition to the petition seeking to  ban the use of traditional ammunition, containing lead-core components, by America�s sportsmen and women. The petition, filed by several agenda-driven groups including the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), erroneously claims that the use of traditional ammunition by hunters is inconsistent with the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. The petition goes on to suggest that the use of traditional ammunition poses a danger to wildlife, in particular raptors such as bald eagles, that may feed on entrails or unrecovered game left in the field.

�There is simply no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations that would  require restricting or banning the use of traditional ammunition beyond current limitations, such as the scientifically based restriction on  waterfowl hunting,� said NSSF President Steve Sanetti.

Helping to demonstrate the validity of Sanetti�s statement are recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) showing from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

Also fueling concerns over the CBD petition is the likely ramification a ban on traditional ammunition would have on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding and the financial backbone of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The bald eagle's recovery, considered to be a truly great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition � the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

�Needlessly restricting or banning traditional ammunition absent sound science will hurt wildlife conservation efforts as fewer hunters take to the field,� said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. �Hunters and their ammunition have done more for wildlife than the CBD ever will. And the CBD�s scientifically baseless petition and endless lawsuits against state and federal wildlife managers certainly do not serve the wildlife that the organization claims to protect.�

Oppose Petition to ban Lead-Based Ammo and Fishing Tackle

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry -- urges you to contact the Environmental Protection Agency to oppose a petition filed August 3 by the extremist Center for Biological Diversity to ban traditional ammunition and fishing tackle.. Your right to choose the ammunition and lures you hunt and shoot with, or fish with is at stake.

Express your opposition by calling or e-mailing:

Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, USEPA

(202) 564-4700, Fax: (202) 501-1450

[email protected] 

And

Steve Owens

Assistant Administrator, USEPA

(202) 564-2902, Fax: (202) 546-0801

[email protected]

Background:

Filed by several agenda-driven groups including the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the petition erroneously claims that the use of traditional ammunition poses a danger to (1) wildlife, in particular raptors such as bald eagles, that may feed on entrails or unrecovered game left in the field and (2)

that there is a human health risk from consuming game harvested using traditional ammunition. Also falsely alleged in the petition is that the use of traditional ammunition by hunters is inconsistent with the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 -- Congress expressly exempted ammunition from being regulated as a "toxic substance."

NSSF urges you to stress the following in your opposition:

� There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations that would require restricting or banning the use of traditional ammunition beyond current limitations, such as the scientifically based restriction on waterfowl hunting.

� Recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service showing that from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

� A ban on traditional ammunition would have a serious negative impact on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding. The bald eagle's recovery, considered to be a great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition - the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

Sportfishing/Boating Communities continue to call for Public

Access in New National Ocean Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On July 19, 2010, the White House's Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force released its final report on a new national policy with the stated goals of ensuring protection, maintenance and restoration of the nation�s oceans, coastal areas and the Great Lakes. Over the past year, the recreational fishing and boating community provided substantial input to the Task Force, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and advocated that the social, economic, public health and conservation benefits of sustainable use of our nation�s public resources receive priority consideration in the new coastal and ocean management policy. Following the release of the new policy, President Obama issued an Executive Order to implement the policies in the report.

�Over the past year, we have had numerous meetings with CEQ, NOAA and Members of Congress to explain the importance of recreational fishing and boating to the economy, to conservation, and to marine resource stewardship through public access to coastal and ocean spaces,� said American Sportfishing Association (ASA) President and CEO Mike Nussman. �We are pleased to see that the Task Force included recreational fishing and boating as part of the National Ocean Policy. However, we wish that the Task Force would have gone further and established public access to

these great resources as a national priority. It is vital that we remain vigilant and involved in the design and implementation process.�

The initial report of the Task Force did not include a single reference to recreational fishing. In formal comment provided to the Ocean Policy Task Force, the recreational boating and fishing community sought to clarify the goals of the policy and expressed grave concerns over the establishment of a new, overarching, top-down federal management regime and the need to recognize the economic, cultural and social importance of recreation in the nation�s public waters.

The term �recreational� now appears over 50 times in the final report, and there is a general theme that promoting recreational fishing and stewardship is an important national ocean policy objective. However, the top-down tone of the policy is clear while significant concepts that could set the foundation for vast areas closed to angling and public recreation remain vague and undefined.

�Closing our public resources to recreational activities can have a devastating impact on businesses and livelihoods that are dependent on those activities as evidenced by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill,� Nussman further said. �We need to ensure that our public resources remain open for American families to experience these recreational pursuits consistent with safety and conservation goals.�

Coast Guard responds to oil discharge from historic sunken vessel

ALPENA, Mich. � Oil spill response organization T&T Bisso, along with U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit, sealed the source of oil discharge from the sunken 470-foot freighter Nordmeer, August 6, 2010. Nordmeer ran aground and sunk in the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary in 1966.

Coast Guard Station Alpena discovered a sheen coming from the wreck during a routine patrol July 24, 2010.  After years of deterioration and severe damage from winter storms,

Nordmeer had begun to collapse upon itself, and some of the residual oil had discharged from the vessel. 

NOAA divers were able to locate a damaged flange which was leaking a peanut-sized drop of oil every five seconds.  Sector Detroit hired T&T Bisso and coordinated with the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to stop the leak and mitigate any further pollution, including cleaning up the escaped oil.  No further leaks are expected, but Sector Detroit will continue to monitor the situation.

Testing complete on Bighead Asian Carp Found in Lake Calumet

Fish could have lived most of its adult life above Electric Barrier

CHICAGO- A six-year-old Bighead carp that was caught in the waters of Lake Calumet just outside Lake Michigan in late June may have lived nearly its entire life in waters of Great Lakes origin according to tests and analysis conducted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). 

Tests of chemical markers in the bighead carp suggest it was not a recent arrival to the waterway and probably did not get there by evading an electric barrier, said Jim Garvey, a fisheries biologist at SIUC. The tests were conducted by the SIUC Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center. The tests looked at chemical markers in the inner ear bones, or otoliths, of the fish.  Otoliths incorporate chemicals into their structure that are unique to the environments in which they live.  They have been used in recent years to reconstruct the environmental history of individual fish or fish stocks.

�The inferences about the environmental history of this fish should be viewed as preliminary and inconclusive given the data limitations and assumptions. But it is very plausible that this fish originated in the Illinois River and then moved or was transported to Lake Calumet or Lake Michigan during the early portion of its life� said Garvey, director of the Aquaculture Center.

The Bighead carp, which measured 34.6" and weighed nearly 20 lbs, remains the only Asian carp found above the electric barrier despite extensive sampling and search operations

since June 22 throughout the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). 

�While this report does not have all the answers, it does suggest to us that the fish caught in Lake Calumet last month may have been put there by humans, perhaps  as a ritual cultural release or through bait bucket transfer.  It underscores the need for the public to be even more vigilant and educated about Asian carp and the importance of not furthering the spread of these invasive species,� said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Assistant Director John Rogner.

The Illinois DNR will continue to work with nearly 60 Chicago area bait shops in September to test for Asian carp DNA and educate bait shop owners on how to tell the difference between Asian carp minnows and other fish with similar characteristics that are commonly used as bait.

Sampling above the electric barriers also remains an important and continued effort in the Asian Carp Control program, which includes both short and long term actions to stop the migration of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. Sampling and monitoring will continue at five fixed sampling stations throughout the Chicago Area Waterway System as detailed in the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) Sampling and Monitoring plan to search for Asian carp. 

Barrier defense operations will also continue to remove silver or Bighead carp in downstate waters where the fish are known to be present.  To view the entire control framework and to receive the latest updates go to www.asiancarp.org.

Weekly Great Lakes Water Levels for August 6, 2010 

Weather Conditions

Temperatures were near average throughout the Great Lakes region last weekend, with the exception of the far eastern part of the basin where temperatures were cooler than normal. The central and eastern portion of the basin saw little rainfall last weekend as well.  The region warmed up in the early part of this week, as most areas registered high temperatures into the mid-80's through Wednesday.  Temperatures will be cooler this Friday and Saturday, and there is little chance of rain within the Great Lakes basin on those days.  The region will warm up in the early part of next week, and much of the basin is predicted to experience thunderstorms on Monday.

Lake Level Conditions

All of the Great Lakes continue to be below last year's levels. Currently, they range from 5 to 6 inches lower than their levels of a year ago. Over the next 30 days, Lake Superior is expected to climb 2 inches, while Lake Michigan-Huron is forecasted to fall 2 inches. The water levels of Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are expected to drop 6, 4, and 5 inches, respectively, over the next month.

Forecasted August Outflows/Channel Conditions

The outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary's River, and from Lake Huron into the St. Clair River, are predicted to be below average in August, while Lake St. Clair's outflow into the

Detroit River is expected to be near average during the

month.   The Niagara River's flow from Lake Erie is predicted to be slightly below average, and the flow in the St. Lawrence River is forecasted to be below average throughout August.

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.

VanDam Takes Third Consecutive Bassmaster Angler of the Year Title

At this point, the only thing hotter than Kevin VanDam is Alabama in late July. The Kalamazoo, Michigan, veteran closed in typical fashion on the Alabama River Saturday, July

31 scoring his sixth and third consecutive Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. VanDam also notched his nineteenth BASS career victory Saturday at the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph - which ties him for the most victories with Roland Martin.

ESPN reaches agreement in to sell BASS

ESPN Inc., announced last week that it has reached an agreement in principle to sell BASS, LLC to a group of investors led by Don Logan, Jerry McKinnis and Jim Copeland. McKinnis has a long history with BASS, having hosted the network's second longest-running show, Logan at one time oversaw Time Inc., America Online, Time Warner

Cable and the Time Warner Book Group, and Copeland retired as U.S. and Global CEO of international finances firm Deloitte.

As part of the agreement, ESPN will continue to carry the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic. Until the sale is finalized, BASS will continue to be operated by ESPN.

NSSF on Anti-Hunting Attack on traditional ammo

NEWTOWN, Conn.-The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, has announced its opposition to a petition filed today with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking to ban the use of traditional ammunition, containing lead-core components, by America's sportsmen and women. The petition, filed by several agenda-driven groups including the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), erroneously claims that the use of traditional ammunition by hunters is inconsistent with the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. The petition goes on to suggest that the use of traditional ammunition poses a danger to wildlife, in particular raptors such as bald eagles, that may feed on entrails or unrecovered game left in the field.

"There is simply no scientific evidence that the use of traditional ammunition is having an adverse impact on wildlife populations that would require restricting or banning the use of traditional ammunition beyond current limitations, such as the scientifically based restriction on waterfowl hunting," said NSSF President Steve Sanetti.

Helping to demonstrate the validity of Sanetti's statement are recent statistics from the United States Fish and Wildlife

Service (USFWS) showing from 1981 to 2006 the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the United States increased 724 percent. And much like the bald eagle, raptor populations throughout the United States are soaring.

Also fueling concerns over the CBD petition is the likely ramification a ban on traditional ammunition would have on wildlife conservation. The federal excise tax that manufacturers pay on the sale of the ammunition (11 percent) is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding and the financial backbone of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The bald eagle's recovery, considered to be a truly great conservation success story, was made possible and funded by hunters using traditional ammunition - the very ammunition organizations like the CBD are now demonizing.

"Needlessly restricting or banning traditional ammunition absent sound science will hurt wildlife conservation efforts as fewer hunters take to the field," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "Hunters and their ammunition have done more for wildlife than the CBD ever will. And the CBD's scientifically baseless petition and endless lawsuits against state and federal wildlife managers certainly do not serve the wildlife that the organization claims to protect."

Chris-Craft reports a sales turnaround after a couple of challenging years

Production is ramping up at the central Florida-based boatbuilder, and executives were "pleasantly surprised" when

they received twice as many orders for new boats as they expected during a dealers meeting, according to a report in the Herald-Tribune newspaper in Sarasota.

Eating Fatty Fish may help seniors lower Risk of Eye Disease

Older adults who consume fatty fish on a regular basis may have a lower risk of suffering vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration, a debilitating condition affecting nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65, according to a new study.

A research team from Johns Hopkins University recruited more than 2,500 men and women between the ages of 65 and 84 and had them complete dietary questionnaires and undergo eye examinations, Reuters Health reports.   Of this group a total of 15 percent were diagnosed with early-stage macular degeneration while 3 percent were found to have a 

more advanced stage of the disease that is often accompanied by severe vision loss.

Although the researchers did not identify a link between diet and the overall incidence of macular degeneration, they did discover that older  adults who consumed fatty fish at least once a week had a 60 percent lower risk of developing an advanced form of the disease, compared to  those who rarely ate fish.

Several earlier studies have suggested that people can reduce their risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by eating healthy, exercising and taking supplements rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, zinc and copper.

Coast Guard rescues 2 people in Lake Erie

CLEVELAND - A 19-foot vessel continues to take on water in Lake Erie after U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued two people from the distressed vessel, August 3, 2010.  The Coast Guard received a distress call via VHF-FM Channel 16, reporting the vessel taking on water, at about 11:45 a.m. and immediately

launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Detroit and a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft (SPC-LE) and 25-foot Response Boat-Small (RBS) crew from Station Ashtabula.

Crewmembers aboard the HH-65 located the vessel in distress, deployed a rescue swimmer and hoisted both boaters into the aircraft. The boaters were taken to Ashtabula Airport and no injuries were reported.

Lake Ontario Fall Derby begins Aug 20

The LOC Fall Derby starts August 20th and runs through Sept 6.  This year promises to produce some of the largest fish this lake has seen in many years judging by the Spring and Summer derby results!

$52,800 GUARANTEED CASH PAYOUT with $20,000 going to the lucky angler who enters the largest fish. There are five divisions; salmon, lake trout, rainbow/steelhead, brown trout and walleye. The top 20 places in each division are paid plus there is a $100 a day cash prize for the largest fish weighed in each of the divisions. Additionally there are thousands of dollars in merchandise prizes awarded as blind drawings at the weigh-in stations.

The entry fee is only $30 for adults and $15 for youths under the age of 15. A one day pass is available, $15 for adults and $7 for youths. You can register online at loc.org or at the 31 weigh stations and registration outlets. For locations please see the website.

The awards ceremony will be held at Captain Jacks in Sodus Point on September 6th, 2010.  There they will receive trophies and checks. First and second place winners must attend and bring their prize winning fish and the public is invited.  For further information contact Empire State Lake Ontario Promotions at 585-545-4247 or check out the website at www.loc.org

New Bighead Carp State Record

The IDNR Division of Fisheries has announced certification of the new state-record bighead carp was caught on May 4, 2010 by Jack Bailey of Salem, Illinois.  The fish was caught in the Kaskaskia River in Clinton County.  It measured 51.5" in

length, had a girth of 33 inches and weighed 69 pounds.  The former record-holding bighead carp weighed 64 pounds and was caught at Horseshoe Lake in Madison County in June of 2008.   For more information on catching fish and fishing opportunities in Illinois, check out www.ifishillinois.org.

Temporary Closure of Mill Creek Access

Meadville, PA � The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that the Mill Creek Access, Mill Creek Township, Clarion County. is scheduled to temporarily close on Monday, August 9, 2010. PFBC construction crews plan on emergency repairs to extend the launch ramp. It is expected that the access area will re-open on August 18, 2010.

Boaters are advised to use the Toby Boat Launch in the Borough of Clarion while Mill Creek is closed. Please note that all dates are approximate, and the schedule is subject to change due to weather or other factors.

Summer�s wet, warm weather fueling invasive plant growth

MADISON - This summer�s early warm and wet weather is accelerating the germination, growth, and flowering of purple loosestrife, increasing the need for property owners and others to take steps now to prevent these young invaders from spreading to new wetlands.

�We need people to control loosestrife plants on their property and report it everywhere else,� says Brock Woods, who coordinates purple loosestrife control for the Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Extension.  �With the wet, warm summer we�re getting more purple loosestrife germination than in past years and in places where we haven�t seen it before. Additional flooding will continue to move this stuff around, causing real problems into the future if we can�t get rid of these first-year plants.�

These new plants can grow to 5 feet, flower, and drop thousands of new seeds in their first year. The seeds, which are very small, disperse easily to new sites, carried by floodwaters, runoff, wind and birds, as well as on hikers� boots and clothes. They also remain viable in the soil for years.

Kelly Kearns, DNR invasive plant program manager, says that private property owners, who control 75 percent of wetlands statewide, natural resource biologists and other partners will want to act quickly to find and control new infestations.  �The clock is ticking�purple loosestrife started blooming up to three weeks early across the state. It�s easiest to identify them when they�re flowering, and you want to remove plants before they go to seed.�

People can pull young plants to control them or cut larger plants and treat the stumps with herbicide; both methods should be done before seeds drop, she says. When pulling younger plants, be sure to get the entire root and avoid excessively disturbing the soil.

Carefully dispose of purple loosestrife plants that have been pulled or cut in the garbage, first placing them in a bag to prevent the seeds from spreading. A new state law allows landfilling purple loosestrife and other restricted and prohibited plants, Kearns says.

Purple loosestrife has been a serious exotic invader of state wetlands for decades and can grow taller than almost all other herbaceous plants, spread prolifically, and quickly dominate large areas. It can displace native wetland plants, degrade wildlife habitat, displace rare plants and animals and choke waterways.

Biological control methods using special beetles that target purple loosestrife have been successful in more recent years in reducing many existing purple loosestrife plants, but new plants this year could have sidestepped biocontrol in May and June by germinating later, Woods says. Flooding in June and July may also have decimated some control beetle populations, reducing their effectiveness on all loosestrife, both now and in the future.

�Taking a few minutes now to control purple loosestrife on your property will help landowners protect wetlands now and in the future. So will alerting DNR to new purple loosestrife locations elsewhere,� he says

Cabela's announces Plans for Store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

A new Cabela's store will be located in Currents of Windermere shopping development; with a n anticipated opening in fall 2011.  The 70,000-sq ft building will be on

Windermere Boulevard, between Terwillegar Drive and

Anthony Henday Drive. This store will be the second Cabela's location in Canada, joining the Winnipeg store, which was converted from the S.I.R. Warehouse Sports Store in May 2008.