The Buzz: Your Daily Dose Of Outdoor News

Big Predators are today’s Buzz Of The Day

Mountain lions and mountain lion safety has become a big issue in New Mexico recently when New Mexico’s Game and Fish Department decided to release details that suggest mountain lions may be moving from the mountains to the grass and plains of the state.  So what do you do if you come face to face with a mountain lion on the trail?  According to this article, never let them see you run and never approach them.  Give them ample room to escape and not feel threatened.  Sounds like some good advice.

A group of firefighters were treated to a rare treat recently.  They were robbed blind by a pack of bears.  It seems the bears took a fancy liking to the groups MRE’s, those ready-to-eat meals they serve in the army.  It seems the firefighters have moved in to bear territory while fighting a local wildfire.  Maybe the bears are just looking for something to BBQ.  Throw them some weiners and a stick and the problem should be solved…

A Black Bear recently found itself in a sticky situation.  Somehow the bear managed to get his head stuck inside a plastic jar.  The bear wandered around town, and finally in to town, where local authorities had to make the decision to put the bear down.  The bear, before being shot, had been spotted across two separate counties a number of times, over a six day period.  I should probably add that the authorities did attempt to trap the bear before finally making the call to shoot.

Next we go from bears to sharks.  Australia is claiming that those lovable little creatures that like to mistake surfer dudes for seals, may actually be able to be controlled by magnets.  It is not known why, but sharks react in a violent fashion away from magnets.  Scientists claim that this might not work for the local surfing community, but may be a way to deter sharks from fishing nets.  You know what?  The gun didn’t work.  What do you suggest?  A magnet.  How does that idea come about?

Today’s News of The Strange:  A stray cat has been found in New Jersey that tips the scales at 44 pounds.  This is a normal house cat, but unfortunately he didn’t have a collar.  I think I would be wondering more about the size of New Jersey’s rats, than I would the cat.  Authorities discovered the obese cat after spotting it (are you ready for this) waddling across the street with a big mac and a chocolate shake.  Sorry-

Conservation Insight:  Connecticut’s governor has recently approved a $135 million dollar fund to help clean up Connecticut’s waterways.  This bill probably got a slight push from the recent reports that the dreaded West Nile virus has been discovered in six Connecticut counties.  However it came about, a little clean water never hurt anyone.

Both news releases courtesy of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Green Tip Of The Day: If you own a home, try situating your air conditioner out of direct sun. If that’s not possible, consider building a wooden shelter to provide shade and help it run more efficiently.

Featured Blog:  The Sled Chix Blog–Go check it out!

The Buzz: Your Daily Dose of Outdoor News

Rafting and boating accidents have been today’s buzz of the day.

First on the agenda comes some breaking news that authorities have discovered the body of a missing 12-year old that disappeared with his father while out on a recent fishing trip.  The boy’s body was found near Maumee Bay in Ohio.  His father is still missing.  Authorities continue to search the area for the missing father.

A Tacoma man has been killed and his wife seriously injured when his personal watercraft collided with a boat full of passengers on Banks Lake.  The accident ejected four passengers in the boat, all kids, into the water of Banks Lake, luckily, all were wearing floatation devices and suffered little injury.

A third person has become the victim of a nasty underwater rock in the Rogue River.  The death of Kathleen M. Mills represents the third time in two months that someone has drowned on, near, or around this buried rock.  Authorities are speculating that much of this has to do with higher than normal snow run-off.  With the deeper waters, the rock can’t be seen.

With the influx of drownings and deaths in today’s media, there are also a few nice pieces concerning boating safety and awareness.  Here’s a nice piece on Whitewater Rafting Safety, then there is the technique that a local organization has enacted to draw personal flotation device awareness to the masses.  They have started a life-jacket tree.  Every drowning victim’s name is placed on a life-jacket, then strung up in a tree.  This is in full public view and is being used as a means to remind water goers that there is a danger involved if they don’t wear the devices.

Today’s News of the Strange:  A man has accidentally killed himself with his fishing sinker (you heard it right, sinker) after the small piece of lead smacked him in the head, impaled and penetrated his skull, then went in to his brain.  Don’t ask me how this happened, I am only reporting the news…

Conservation Insight:  Missouri’s Department of Conservation is looking for volunteers:

The Missouri Department of Conservation is looking for local volunteers to share their passion for the outdoors.Volunteers can become hunter education instructors; work at the manned shooting ranges at the Jay Henges or Busch Memorial ranges; become instructors and coaches for the department’s GO FISH! program, which teaches children fishing skills; or become Volunteer Naturalists to present programs to the public and school groups on a wide range of topics about plants, animals and the outdoors.

For more information on how you can volunteer, please visit the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  You will conveniently find the link at the U.S. Outdoors Today ‘State Conservation Directory‘.

Green Tip of The Day: Watering your lawn every day does more harm than good — both to the lawn and the environment. Daily watering produces shallow roots; by watering less, you can make your grass grow roots that are deeper and healthier.

Green Tip Of The Day provided by Care4Nature.org

Featured Blog:  Kenny’s Great Outdoors–stop by and check it out.

Clean Boating Act Passed By Congress

Chicago, IL - The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) hailed the passage of H.R. 5949/S. 2766, the Clean Boating Act of 2008, in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Passage of this legislation, which has been the top legislative priority for NMMA during the 110th Congress, will permanently and fully restore a longstanding, commonsense regulation that excludes recreational boaters and anglers from the federal and state permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act designed for land-based industrial facilities and ocean-going commercial ships.

Introduced by Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in the Senate and by Representatives Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.) in the House, the Clean Boating Act of 2008 will prevent federal and state permitting of water-based, non-polluting incidental discharges that occur in the normal operation of a recreational boat, such as weather deck run-off and engine coolant water.

“The Senate and House have acted swiftly, and we appreciate the bipartisan nature of their action to protect the recreational marine industry, the American boating public and our natural resources. This is an historic victory for our 1,700 members and for boaters across the nation who just love being out on the water unencumbered by unnecessary government red tape and significant legal jeopardy,” said Scott Gudes, NMMA vice president of government relations. “Congress has acted decisively to keep boating fun, safe and simple.”

This new regulation, set to become law on October 1, 2008 if Congress had not acted, was the result of an overbroad federal court decision in a case focused on commercial ship ballast water. The unintended consequence of the decision would have meant that recreational boaters and other vessel operators would be required to follow a multitude of new rules and regulations and been exposed to fines (up to $32,500 per day, per violation) and citizen lawsuits.

“Both the House and Senate have sent a positive message to the nation’s 73 million boaters through the passage of these critical pieces of legislation” noted NMMA president, Thom Dammrich. “After a long road on Capitol Hill, the bill is now ready for the President’s signature into law. We encourage the President to act fast in signing this bill to stave off unprecedented and unnecessary new regulations on America’s boaters and anglers.”

Passage of the Clean Boating Act, a genuine bipartisan, good-government bill, was made possible by a large number of committed legislators on both sides of the political aisle. NMMA extends its special thanks to Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and all of the 39 cosponsors of the bill in the Senate. In the House, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee James Oberstar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member John Mica (R-Fla.), Representatives Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), Candice Miller (R-Mich.), Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) and all the many cosponsors of the bill are to be thanked and congratulated for their hard work and skillful leadership.

At the same time it passed the Clean Boating Act, Congress also passed H.R. 6556/S. 3278, legislation to provide a moratorium on permitting for commercial vessel discharges until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completes a review of certain incidental discharges. This legislation was the product of extensive negotiations between Senators Murkowski, Boxer, Nelson and Murray as well as Representatives Oberstar, Taylor and others. NMMA congratulates these Members of Congress on achieving this consensus measure to provide relief for commercial craft.

NMMA and BoatU.S., along with more than 60 partners in the Boat Blue Coalition, led the charge to attain passage of the Clean Boating Act of 2008.

Provided by the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Wildfire Encroaches on Yosemite National Park–Homes Destroyed

A massive wildfire is currently burning out of control near Yosemite National Park.  The fire has already burned 12 homes in the region and threatens to destroy 2,000 more.  According to a recent AP article on the situation, authorities are having a tough time coming to grips with the blaze.  The terrain that this blaze is sweeping through consists of low valleys and high vistas.

The fire has already burned close to 42 square miles and now sits 12 miles outside of Yosemite National Park.  Quite a few park visitors have already packed up and evacuated the area, while others have decided to stay and try to ward off the smoke and haze that continues.

The Florida Times-Union has some disturbing photos of firefighters in action near the blaze.  To read more of the what is going on near Yosemite National Park, check out the Times-Union’s article, “Fire Destroys 12 Homes.”

Georgia: Law Violaters Can Lose Priviledge To Hunt and Fish

Hunting deer at night, hunting alligators or bears in a manner violating state laws and computer assisted remote hunting – all of these activities are illegal and are offensive to honest hunters and the general public. Another word for the criminals who commit these conspicuously bad and offensive violations is poachers. Thanks to a recently signed policy by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, violators of such crimes are likely to lose their state hunting and/or fishing privileges and may be subject to similar punishment in most of the country.

According to Capt. Mike England, “This revocation policy will better protect wildlife, support the honest sportsman, and provide a necessary punishment for poachers that commit unlawful acts.”

In the past, conservation rangers with the Division would issue a citation for the above-mentioned offenses as well as any number of other violations. The local court system then adjudicates the violation and sets and collects fines and decides if a suspension should be added to the sentence. The Division had no policy on how to handle a poacher apart from allowing them to process through the local court system. Now, thanks to this new policy – recently signed by Department Commissioner Noel Holcomb – the Division has the ability to handle egregious or habitual offenders to Georgia Game and Fish Laws. Additionally, their ability to obtain a license may be suspended for up to two years and they also may lose hunting and fishing privileges in all 31-member states of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

How will monitoring occur? Poachers found guilty of violations, which carry a mandated suspension in law, yet who do not receive a suspension from the local court will automatically be reviewed by the Division. Recommendations from the Division will be made to the Department Commissioner who may revoke, suspend, deny or refuse to renew appropriate licenses or permits for up to two years as stated in O.C.G.A 27-2-25.

Additionally, the Division will monitor all issued citations for habitual violators. A habitual violator is an individual that has committed three (3) incidents (separated by date/time). Three incidents within a three-year period automatically will trigger a review. Recommendations from the Division will be made to the Department Commissioner who may revoke, suspend, deny or refuse to renew appropriate licenses or permits for up to two years as stated in O.C.G.A 27-2-25.

Besides losing hunting/fishing privileges in Georgia, suspended violators also will be entered into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact database as stated in O.C.G.A. 27-2-40. This database allows member states to share information about game and fish violators and gives member states the ability to deny a license to a non-resident who has had his/her privileges suspended in their home state. The mobility of many wildlife law violators necessitates this interstate cooperation and communication and provides an established mechanism to better protect and manage wildlife resources.

For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com or call 770-918-6414.

News Alert: California Bans Lead Bullets

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill outlawing lead bullets for much of the state of California.  His move goes against the California Department of Fish and Game’s recommendations on this issue and now puts in to question any authority that the department holds in regulating California’s Fish and Game policies based on scientific analysis.  California’s Department of Fish and Game now worry that many of the state’s policies could be ushered in to a more political format, relying on voter decision and policy makers, rather than sure-fire scientifically based studies.

The bill outlawing the use of lead bullets, The Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, has been deemed quite questionable.  The bill outlaws lead bullets after it was found that lead was poisoning the state’s endangered California Condors.  Scientists and environmental groups jumped on the issue and attributed it to lead bullets left in dead deer.  The California Outdoor Heritage Alliance suggests that the lead could be coming from anywhere, with no scientific proof for the lead bullet suggestion.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature on the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act will undoubtedly draw more criticism and questions in the near future.  Big game hunters in California will be required to use lead free bullets beginning with the 2008 hunting season.  Hunters will be less than enthusiastic, as the price and effectiveness of the newer non-lead bullets have already been a question of hot debate.

This is the second big gun debate of 2008.  Recently Washington D.C. ’s ban on guns was lifted after it was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, paving the way for many other cities and towns to relax their own bans on this issue.  Gun owners and sportsman won a big battle in Washington D.C., only to see another front move in, that of the environmental aspects of the sport they partake.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming days and what new issues are brought up over the signing of the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

West Nile Virus Still On The Loose

The Tails and Trails blog recently reported that the West Nile Virus has been discovered in Connecticut. I am sure this is still something that is quite common in quite a few states, but it just isn’t publicized as much as it was a couple years back. This is a nasty virus, for sure, and something that we should all take some precautions for while we are out-

To read about Connecticut’s latest West Nile case, head over to the Tails and Trails blog for the complete story.

D.C. Rejects Dick Heller’s Handgun Application

This article is coming from the Desert Rat blog and takes a look at the recent denial of a hand gun permit to Dick Heller.  Heller is the guy who originally kicked off the whole lawsuit against the city of Washington D.C. in regards to their city-wide gun ban.  After the law was recently overturned, Dick heller went down to get his gun registered, but was then quickly denied.

To read the reason why Heller got denied, go visit the Desert Rat blog, who has the complete story.

Wanted: Ghost Town Hunters

If your personality couples wanderlust with a historian’s curiosity, you might be a “ghost towner.”

According to an AP article: “Just as traditional outdoors enthusiasts enjoy mountaineering or hiking, and tech-minded gadget lovers enjoy geocaching, ghost towners have their own agenda: seeking out, documenting and photographing towns that one day will cease to exist.”

Read More From Outside Magazine>>>

ESPN Outdoors Creates New Saltwater Fishing Tournament Series

ESPN Outdoors, the worldwide leader in outdoor events coverage, announced today the creation of a new tournament series of saltwater events, titled the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series. The series will receive television coverage on ESPN2 in the first half of 2009 and will be presented on other ESPN multi media platforms, including a newly devoted annual magazine, the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series, which will publish in the Spring of 2009.

The multimedia coverage will highlight six world-class, stand-alone events as the series kicks off Sept. 5-7 out of Key West, Fla. Other high-profile events in the series include the F.C.A. Montauk SLAM Redbone @ Large and the Mercury Redbone Series Celebrity Tournament.

Participants will include world-renowned professional anglers and renowned guides from the sportfishing industry as well as celebrities from the sports world. The ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series will focus on several different types of sportfish including redfish, striped bass, tarpon, bonefish and permit.

“We are always looking to provide fans with unique and compelling content,” said Jamie Wilkinson, senior director of event operations and business development, ESPN Outdoors. “We are excited about the potential of this new series and feel the opportunity for growth is significant.”

A full schedule of events including the featured sportfish can be found below. ESPNOutdoors.com will be the home for daily event coverage and will provide photo galleries, game stories and analysis from each event.

“For 21 years, we have provided excellent events that feature celebrities, great destinations and some intense sportfishing,” said Gary Ellis, founder of The Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series, which will manage the events. “This was all started to raise money for a cause to help put a stop to Cystic Fibrosis and with an outlet like ESPN, we are excited to spread our message to a powerful audience.”

For more information on the individual tournaments, fishing fans can visit www.redbone.com.

About ESPN Outdoors: Since its inception in 1980, ESPN Outdoors has strived to inform and entertain anglers, hunters, campers and people of all ages who enjoy the outdoors. ESPN Outdoors is committed to increasing awareness of and participation in outdoor activities, a direction best exemplified by television programming on ESPN2.

Each year, ESPN Outdoors stages more than 30 marquee events, including the Bassmaster Classic. ESPN Outdoors is comprised of BASS, the worldwide authority on bass fishing, and a growing array of multimedia platforms, including Bassmaster.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and programming on ESPN2, in addition to promotions and activities that deliver a clear message of conservation and ethical sportsmanship.

For more information, contact ESPN Outdoors Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.ESPNOutdoors.com. For ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more, visit www.espnmediazone.com.

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