Congress Gives Life to Important Public Lands Bill for Hunters, Fishermen, and Recreational Shooters

Take Action!

The Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act, HR 2834, has been introduced into the 112th Congress. This Act would require all federal land managers to include provisions for fishing, hunting, and recreational shooting in all land management plans. Priority for these popular activities on over 440 million acres, including wilderness and primitive areas on our US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management holdings, will greatly expand and more importantly secure the opportunity to hunt, fish, and shoot on public lands.
This landmark measure recognizes that recreational anglers, hunters (including trapping) and shooters have been and continue to be the foremost supporters and funders of sound fish and wildlife management and conservation in the United States. The bill further highlights that hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting occurs on Federal public lands and waters without adverse effects on other uses or users.
In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act that designated fishing and hunting as priority public uses on Refuge lands in the US. The Refuge Act has solidified hunting and fishing on these public lands and curtailed attempts by anti-hunting groups to stop hunting on traditional wildlife lands. This new Act will extend this protection to other Federal lands. If you would like to review the text of this bill, it is available here.
NC Camo has prepared a short message for you to send to your Congressman or Congresswoman asking him or her to closely follow the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage Act, HR 2834, and to support its passage. Eleven members have already signed on as co-sponsors; our North Carolina delegation should add some co-sponsors too. The time is right for sportsmen to assert their position on the right to hunt and fish on all our public lands.
Take Action Now!

NC Camo Coalition is a project of the NC Wildlife Federation.

Take a look at one of Mother Nature’s amazing after-storm stories. The video says it all!!!

Click for Video.

The Franklin County Community Foundation Board of Directors invites you to

Take a Kid Fishin’

• Saturday, October 1st, RAIN OR SHINE
• Harris Farm
• Mort Harris Road, Louisburg NC
• Games – Prizes – Food!
• No fishing license required
• 1 Adult & 1 or 2 children form a team – $30 per team
• (Food not included in ticket price.)
• Tickets are available at Raymond James Financial Services, Hodges Insurance Agency, Batton & Guin, any FCCF Board member, or at the farm that Saturday.
• Bring your own chair & tackle! (no minnows allowed)
• Open fishing 12 noon to 2:00
• Tournament runs 2:00 to 5:00
• Catch & Release
• Prizes given for largest fish, most fish, and more!
• 100% of your ticket is tax-deductible. All proceeds go to the Franklin County Community Foundation’s unrestricted fund to give grants to area non-profits.

Commission Biologists Say Fish Kills Are Wide Spread and Significant

Source: North Carolina Wildlife (www.ncwildlife.org)

MEDIA CONTACT: Chad Thomas,
Regional Fishery Supervisor
252-335-4961
chad.thomas@ncwildlife.org

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 2, 2011) – Fisheries biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have been assessing fish populations in coastal rivers this week to determine the impacts of low dissolved oxygen following Hurricane Irene.

They have found that with the exception of the Cape Fear River basin, which suffered little impact to its fish populations, many coastal North Carolina rivers are experiencing oxygen levels too low to sustain fish. As oxygen levels remain depressed, biologists expect the fish kills will continue throughout the Labor Day weekend.

“These fish kills, while unfortunate, are naturally occurring events that typically follow a major hurricane,” said Chad Thomas, Coastal Region fisheries supervisor. “Given time, the fish populations in the impacted rivers will recover, as they did after Hurricane Isabel in 2003.”

As of Thursday, the rivers experiencing low dissolved oxygen levels and reported fish kills were:

• Roanoke River, from Williamston downstream to the mouth of the river at Albemarle Sound and adjacent creeks including the Cashie River, with widespread fish kills throughout.
• Chowan River from the North Carolina/Virginia state line to just north of Holiday Island near Edenton and adjacent creeks except the Meherrin River.
• Tar River from Old Sparta to Washington and adjacent creeks with a major fish kill reported in the Greenville area.
• Neuse River from just below Kinston to New Bern and adjacent creeks with widespread fish kills in the New Bern area.
• The Trent, New, White Oak, Newport and Scuppernong rivers.

Biologists report storm water runoff, in conjunction with swamp waters high in organic materials, causes a significant decrease in dissolved oxygen, an element necessary to sustain fish and other aquatic animals.

“It is important to note that low dissolved oxygen is the main culprit in these fish kills, rather than contaminants, pollution or other factors,” Thomas said.

After dissolved oxygen levels begin to recover, Commission staff will evaluate the extent of impacts to fish communities. In October, biologists will use electrofishing equipment to determine the numbers and types of fish that remain within these areas.

“Our assessments will ramp up during spring 2012 to document levels of spawning fish that have returned to impacted areas,” Thomas said. “We will also evaluate the success of native fish reproduction next year by sampling for juvenile fishes in the fall of 2012.”

From these findings, Commission biologists will implement recovery strategies for impacted populations.

“We saw these types of fish kills when Isabel blew through the state back in 2003 and we’ve learned a lot from our experience dealing with storm’s aftermath,” Thomas said. “Past experiences have shown that our coastal river systems are very resilient to tropical events.”

More information on research findings following Hurricane Isabel can be found here.

For many of us living in and around Eastern North Carolina we know too well how a localized hurricane can negatively affect marine life in our rivers and streams. Hurricane Irene was no exception. With field reports showing low to zero oxygen levels within the Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse rivers and their tributaries, a dreaded fish kill is imminent.

“Our biologists reported dissolved oxygen levels of 0 mg/L in all Chowan River creeks north of Holiday Island. Investigations will continue in tributaries of the Tar River (0.5 mg/L) and Neuse River (1.5 mg/L) as flood waters subside in these basins.” – Chad Thomas, Coastal Fisheries Supervisor NCWRC

As we await a final outcome I will post regular updates regarding the effects of hurricane Irene on our coastal rivers as more data is collected and provided by North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) biologists and field staff.

Marine devastation of this magnitude is nothing new to this region as hurricane Isabelle proved in 2003. For more than a week, oxygen levels were near zero in the Roanoke and Chowan rivers resulting in massive fish kills. Through funding from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program, the NCWRC implemented an experimental, multi-phase largemouth bass stocking effort in 2004 to determine whether localized population recovery could be achieved. Annual samples were taken in the affected areas to determine the effectiveness of the restocking program. Links to two reports from this program are below.

• Report A
• Report B

To NC Camo members:
Dick Hamilton, Coordinator of NC Camo Coalition and lobbyist for NC Wildlife Federation, has been deservedly honored by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for his conservation work. For those of you who know Dick, he would never consider sending out this note given his modest, humble and dedicated approach to the conservation work at hand. However, I am pleased to send out this notice about the honor on behalf of NC Camo and NC Wildlife Federation. All sportsmen and conservationists are fortunate to have Dick working for the sporting traditions and wildlife habitat conservation we all value. Please see the press release about the honor below.

Tim Gestwicki
Executive Director
North Carolina Wildlife Federation

From left to right: David Hoyle (NCWRC Chairman), Dick Hamilton (NCWF Camo Coordinator), and Gordon Myers (NCWRC Executive Director). Photo courtesy Greg Culpepper.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Media contact: Jodie B. Owen
919-707-0187
jodie.owen@ncwildlife.org

Former Wildlife Resources Commission Executive Director Receives Wildlife Conservation Honor

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 25, 2011) – Richard Hamilton, who served the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for 37 years, most notably as the executive director from 2004 to 2007, was honored with the Thomas L. Quay Wildlife Diversity Award at the agency’s business meeting today.

Gordon Myers, executive director of the Commission, presented Hamilton with the award, along with a framed print and plaque.

“The Quay Award recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to wildlife diversity in North Carolina and who are leaders in wildlife conservation,” Myers said.

“Recipients are not recognized only for a single contribution but rather for a series of contributions that reflects a dedication to their vocation and their passion for conserving all species of wildlife in their natural habitats. They are also characterized by their mentorship of others and this year’s recipient, Richard B. Hamilton, embodies all of these qualities.”

While Hamilton’s career at the Wildlife Commission focused mainly on game animal conservation and management, he was the driving force behind many agency actions that benefited nongame animals, such as the formation in 1986 of the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee, an 18-member committee that advises the agency on nongame and endangered wildlife issues across the state.

He also helped initiate the Cardinal Foundation, a non-profit organization that works on behalf of the Wildlife Commission to support charitable, scientific and educational enterprises promoting the conservation and appreciation of wildlife and their habitats in the state.

Among key projects that flourished under Hamilton’s leadership and that now benefit all North Carolinians who appreciate the outdoors are the development of wildlife viewing areas where the public can observe wildlife in their natural habitats and the formation of the N.C. Birding Trail, a partnership project that established a driving trail linking great birding sites across the state.

He led the agency’s efforts for legislative approval of a specialized nongame wildlife vehicle license plate and income tax check-off for taxpayers to designate a portion of their refunds in support of nongame wildlife conservation. To date, the Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Program, which conducts projects on behalf of nongame wildlife, has received nearly $10 million from tax check off donations and license plate purchases.

Perhaps his most significant accomplishment for wildlife in North Carolina was his avid and vocal stance against a proposal by the U.S. Navy to construct an outlying landing field adjacent to the Pocosin Lakes Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina, one of the premiere wintering sites on the East Coast for migratory and resident waterfowl. Due to the tireless tenacity of Hamilton and other conservation leaders to prevent the destruction of this pristine habitat, the U.S. Navy announced in 2008 that it was abandoning plans to build the field.

“In the truest sense of the term, Dr. Quay is a lifetime sportsman, understanding the inherent value of all wildlife and the importance of managing for both game and nongame animals. As testimony, he was one of the first to purchase a sportsman’s license even though he didn’t hunt or fish,” Hamilton said. “While a student, I had a lot of interaction with Dr. Quay, and I saw firsthand his love of wildlife and his contributions to wildlife. For these reasons and many others, I am truly humbled and honored to receive this award.”

Hamilton is the sixth person to receive the honor, which recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to wildlife diversity in North Carolina and who are considered leaders in wildlife resources conservation.

The first recipient was Dr. Quay himself, a retired professor of zoology at N.C. State University and self-described “full-time volunteer and unpaid environmental activist.” Dr. Parnell, professor emeritus of biological sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, received the award in 2007 in recognition of his pioneering research on colonial nesting waterbirds and shorebirds on dredge-material islands. Former Wildlife Commission employee and section manager of the Wildlife Diversity Program, Randall Wilson, received the award in 2008. In 2009, Tom Henson, a retired Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, won the award. George Burdick, a retired professor and former Wildlife Resources Commission employee, received the award in 2010.

NC Camo Coalition is a project of the NC Wildlife Federation.

Message from Chuck Murray – NCBFN President

Guys, I think we need to play it safe on this one. Based on the wind models, it looks like Edenton will see 35-57 mph winds which makes it extremely dangerous. If it shifts 50 miles, we would be in DEEP TROUBLE with almost Hurricane Force wind, So we will CANCEL this tourney for Saturday at the Chowan. One alternative is to move it west such as Kerr but I think it is probably too late to do such a move plus, if it shifts, more trouble. I am sure now that we are canceling it, the weather will be great! (lol) .

This is going to be a hard tourney to make up before the CLASSIC on Gaston Lake on 10/8 and 10/9. I have already got the trophies made etc.., so the CLASSIC is all set!! September 10th is the only time available and I do not know yet which ramp will be available. So I am going to put this out and each person and await your responses will count toward the tally and the most popular is what we will do.

1. Reschedule tourney to 9/10 on the Chowan. Ramp to be determined. The only issue here is a lot of you are fishing the Greenville Marine Classic and there is not much practice time left and there is a BFL that day.

2. Change the format of the Classic. On the Classic dates, Day one will replace this tourney (10/8) and Day 2 (10/9) will be the Classic Championship.

3. Schedule the make up tourney on a Friday, Maybe 9/1 (labor day weekend) (Saturday is dove day!) or 9/9.

Possible Event Cancellation

Due to the approaching tropical storm Irene, with forecast for the storm to become a hurricane later this week, the upcoming NC B.A.S.S. Federation Nation team trail event scheduled for the Chowan River on 8/27/11 may be canceled/rescheduled. Please check back later in the week for a final decision to be made by Wednesday night 8/24/11.

Proposed Changes to the Hunting, Fishing, Gamelands Rules for 2012-13

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) has published proposed changes to the 2012-13 hunting, fishing, and gamelands rules and has provided the opportunity for public comment on the website below:

https://ncpaws.org/PAWS/WRC/PublicComments/PublicEntry/PublicComments.aspx

When you go to this website, you will be able to access the Public Hearings Booklet for your ready reference to all the proposed changes along with the justification for each proposal. The Booklet contains much valuable information about the agency, its rulemaking procedures, the schedule of public hearings across the state, the proposed rule changes, and a calendar for seasons as proposed for the 2012-13 seasons.
There are 26 proposed changes to the fishing rules ranging from changes to designated trout waters in the mountains, for largemouth and striper fishing, to allow cross bows to take nongame fish statewide, and to establish primary nursery areas in some inland waters of coastal areas.
There are 29 proposed changes to the hunting and gamelands rules including extending some either sex deer hunting seasons and opening new areas or lengthening bear hunting seasons both in the mountains and coastal plain counties. Also proposed are changes to the rules to allow hunting feral swine year around without limit or reporting, allow possession of handguns under concealed carry permits on gamelands, authorize use of a 22 caliber rim-fire handgun to dispatch wounded deer under the new law for retrieval of game. One proposal seeks comment on opening the Sherwood and Harmon Den Bear Sanctuary to raccoon, opossum, and bobcat hunting. Another proposal asks for comment on the extension of deer hunting with muzzle loader firearms and bow and arrow on Sandhills Gamelands from the third Monday after Thanksgiving week through January 1.
Plan to attend the public hearings in the area nearest to you in September; but, you may also want to review the proposals and comment on the ones that you support or oppose using this convenient, on-line tool offered by the WRC.

NC Camo Coalition is a project of the NC Wildlife Federation.

Tournaments will be televised and aimed at a wide audience.

By”: KELLY BOSTIAN World Outdoors Writer (www.tulsaworld.com)
Published: 8/5/2011

If it worked for professional poker, it could work for professional bass fishing.

The Outdoor Channel and a group of 24 top anglers announced Thursday they have formed Major League Fishing, an organization owned jointly by the cable television company and the anglers. The organization will be Tulsa-based with Winnercom producing the shows.

Winnercom founder and chairman Jim Wilburn is Major League Fishing general manager and Don Rucks, a former BASS general manager, is league commissioner.

The idea is to spice up bass fishing with new rules and a new format to give greater insight into what anglers go through and capture the drama to draw in more viewers, Rucks said.

“The goal is to expand the sport of bass fishing by presenting a different product that will attract a broader base of viewers for the sport,” he said.

Rucks worked for years with BASS and its former owner, ESPN, and said changes of format and drawing more viewers were subjects often discussed.

“There were many attempts,” he said. “But the product was the same. Here we have adjusted the product so it’s more appealing to a broader base of viewers.”

The idea originated with a coalition of professional anglers in 2009. Outdoor Channel, looking for fishing content to add to its lineup that now includes Bassmaster tournaments, seized upon the idea this year.

“Boyd Duckett and Gary Klein developed most of the unique parts of this game,” Rucks said. “They’ve been able to match it up with desires of Outdoor Channel.”

Fishermen involved are some of the best from the BASS and FLW tours, including several Bassmaster Classic and Angler of the Year champions like Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Alton Jones and Denny Brauer. Three Oklahoma pros are involved; Edwin Evers of Talala, Tommy Biffle of Wagoner and Jeff Kriet of Ardmore.

“I think it’s something we’ve been needing,” Biffle said. “Hopefully it will make fishing a lot more exciting.” A part of the format he finds most appealing is that fishing locations – aside from the first tournament set at Lake Amistad in Texas later this year – will be secret. There will be no practice days and anglers will not be allowed to use GPS with pre-marked fishing locations. “I really like that part of it,” he said.

Evers said all anglers will have a judge on their boat. They will weigh each of their fish as they are caught and enforce any rules infractions. Anglers also will have a live leaderboard on their boats to show where everyone stands. “It will give you the knowledge to make adjustments,” he said. “I think it’s great to know the score … some guys it won’t, it will make them melt.”

Evers said he’s excited by the show. “It’s just got huge potential,” he said. “It has that wow factor. It sounds neat and it could be a really big deal. People will see more of what we go through in competition.”

Rucks emphasized the league is not out to compete with BASS and FLW tournaments. “People will ask that,” he said. “I don’t see it as a conflict with BASS or FLW. Those organizations provide things for the everyday angler on up to being a pro that we have no intention of providing. Hopefully it will benefit everyone.” Anglers in Major League Fishing will continue to compete in BASS, FLW and other tournaments.

League tournaments also will not have public weigh-ins. Everything will be done for television. The Amistad tournament will be a weeklong event that will be broken down into seven episodes to air in the second quarter of 2012 on the Outdoor Channel, Rucks said.

Anglers wanting to watch the tournaments earlier will be offered a pay-per-view option through the league’s web site. Look for it at www.tulsaworld.com/majorleaguefishing

Calling all anglers
Major League Fishing Commissioner Don Rucks is looking for Tulsa-area anglers interested in serving as competition judges. They will need to be knowledgeable about fishing and able to travel for the tournaments, which will have them gone for a week at a time. “We want to keep it as Tulsa-based as possible,” he said.

Contact Rucks at 918-281-4546.