Hunting and Fishing News: The Pie Bald Buck and more...
Thursday, March 24, 2011
NOTES FROM THE FIELD by Gary Devine: I looked out my kitchen window, on the third day after Roseann and I moved in to our new house. It was March 2, 2011 and to my surprise I spotted a half white pie-bald four point buck. I called my NJ bear hunting friend Wayne Cheeseman and he called me a bullshitter. He said "a half white buck with antlers in March".
On Monday, March 21, the State Senate passed Bill S-221, which prohibits fish and lobster traps on New Jersey's artificial ocean reefs (Senator Sean Kean, Primary Sponsor).
The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, along with NJOA (CF) council members Reef Rescue, Jersey Coast Anglers Association, Hudson River Fishermen's Association, NJ Beach Buggy Association, NJ Council Divers, Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association, Cape May County Party & Charter Boat Association, Hi-Mar Striper Club, Jersey Coast Shark Anglers and other organizations support the bill and requested that the bill be heard by the full senate.
On behalf of the NJOA (CF) council members Anthony P. Mauro, Sr., Chairman, said, "We'd like to thank Senate President Sweeney for allowing the bill to be heard by the full Senate and we are grateful for the overwhelming support the bill received from our State Senators."
The NJOA (CF) thanks the full Senate for overwhelmingly supporting the bill.
Captain Pete Grimbilas, President of NJOA (CF) and Reef Rescue said of the situation, "The circumstance is similar to businesses deciding to use public parks to build their buildings and manufacture their products. Although the parks are paid for by taxes assessed on the public, and are meant for public use, in this scenario the businesses take up all of the open space and prevent the public from accessing the parks, while profiting from the annexation of a public resource. It is unthinkable that the public, or our legislators, would allow such a situation to exist - but that's exactly what's occurring on our artificial reefs."
In the very near future the NJOA (CF) will provide additional information regarding the history of the artificial reef program and the injustice being perpetrated on recreational anglers. Mauro said, "This is a simple matter of right and wrong. Over the years a few legislators in District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland) have used parliamentary tactics to shelve the bills that would provide us access to the artificial reefs." Mauro continued, "we expect our legislators to be part of the solution and not a part of the problem."
(11/P37) TRENTON - The Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, is seeking organizations and individuals to help keep New Jersey's beaches clean through the Adopt a Beach Program.
For the first time, the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, a nonprofit corporation, will be spearheading and managing the beach and waterway cleanup efforts with support from the DEP.
The 2011 Adopt a Beach Program was launched today during the 3rd Annual Clean Communities Environmental Student Exchange held at the Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood. The event was sponsored by PSE&G and hosted by the New Jersey Clean Communities Council.
For the Clean Communities Council, Adopt a Beach will be a comprehensive statewide program to clean and maintain beaches, bays, rivers and all waterways through a network of municipalities, counties, community organizations, businesses and individuals working together to remove litter.
Not only is litter unsightly, it can have adverse impacts on wildlife. Much of the trash that gets onto New Jersey's beaches is litter that is dropped onto streets and then carried by stormwater runoff through drains that discharge into waterways. The DEP and Clean Communities Council urge all residents and visitors to protect and respect New Jersey's beaches and waterways by not littering.
For years the DEP has coordinated two statewide cleanup efforts each year, one in the spring and another in the fall. Many thousands of volunteers participated in those efforts. Last year, however, the fall cleanup was cancelled because the DEP did not have the resources to organize it.
The Clean Communities Council stepped in to take over the Adopt a Beach program. The Council plans to continue the tradition of statewide seasonal cleanups through its network of municipalities and counties. The Council also encourages businesses, community organizations and individuals to adopt portions of beaches and regularly keep them clean over a period of at least one year.
For more information or to volunteer, visit: www.njclean.org or call the Clean Communities Council at 609-989-5900. You may also e-mail the council at[email protected].
GAME COMMISSION LIFTS RESTRICTION ON TAKING FERAL SWINE IN BEDFORD COUNTY
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced he has lifted protection on feral swine in Bedford County and has issued an updated executive order to allow for the incidental taking of feral swine statewide by licensed hunters.
A survey of Game Commission staff completed last year indicated fewer sightings of feral swine compared to the survey completed in 2006. In 2008, five counties were identified to retain protection so that hunters would not interfere with trapping operations that were ongoing. In 2009, restrictions were lifted in four counties leaving only Bedford County where trapping operations were ongoing.
The Game Commission has determined that the eradication of feral swine from Pennsylvania is necessary to prevent further harm to public and private property, threats to native wildlife and disease risks for wildlife and the state’s pork industry. The agency is not seeking to establish a hunting season, but is committed to rid Pennsylvania of this invasive species.
Roe noted that the Game Commission has a “Feral Swine” section on its website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), which can be accessed by putting your cursor on the “Hunt/Trap” tab in the menu bar at the top of the homepage and then click on “Feral Swine” from the drop-down menu listing. The site includes links to the executive order, the current news release regarding feral swine and a brochure.
Licensed hunters, including those who qualify for license and fee exemptions, are eligible to participate in the unlimited incidental taking of feral swine. Hunters may use manually-operated rifles, revolvers or shotguns, as well as muzzleloaders, bows and crossbows. All other methods and devices legal for taking feral swine must be conducted and/or used in compliance with the provisions of Section 2308 of Title 34 (Game and Wildlife Code), which can be viewed on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by putting your cursor on the “The Law” tab in the menu bar at the top of the homepage and then click on “Title 34: Game and Wildlife Code.”
Additionally, the agency may issue permits to authorize individuals to engage in feral swine trapping operations, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. Feral swine trapping, by permitted individuals, will only be allowed from the close of the flintlock muzzleloading season in mid-January to the beginning of spring gobbler season, and from the end of spring gobbler season until the beginning of archery deer season.
Any person who kills a feral swine must report it to the Game Commission Region Office that serves the county in which the harvest took place within 24 hours. The swine carcass must then be made available to agency personnel, who will gather samples to monitor for the presence of disease.
Roe encouraged residents who witness feral swine to also contact the Region Office that serves their county. For contact information, as well as list of counties that each region office serves, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), put your cursor on “About Us” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage and click on “Regional Information” in the drop-down menu listing.
Nearly 25 states across the nation have persistent and possibly permanent populations of feral swine established in the wild, and Pennsylvania is one of 16 states where introduction is more recent and may still be countered through decisive eradication efforts.
Feral swine have been declared to be an injurious, non-native, invasive species of concern in Pennsylvania that are suspected to have been introduced into the wilds of this Commonwealth through a variety of means, including both intentional and unintentional releases. Feral swine also have been determined to pose a significant, imminent and unacceptable threat to this Commonwealth’s natural resources, including wildlife and its habitats; the agricultural industry, including crop and livestock production; the forest products industry; and human health and safety.
The Game and Wildlife Code (Title 34) and agency regulations (Title 58) provide broad authority to the Game Commission to regulate activities relating to the protection, preservation and management of all game and wildlife. The agency was declared to have jurisdiction over matters relating to feral swine by the state Supreme Court in Seeton v. PGC. In its decision, handed down on Dec. 27, 2007, the Supreme Court declared feral swine to be “protected mammals,” and, as a consequence, feral swine could only be taken as authorized by the agency.