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MassWildlife
News Release
All Media Inquiries: (508) 389-6300
MassWildlife News is published 1-2 times/month. If you are interested in receiving the MW News electronically, send an e-mail to the following address: Join-MassWildlife.news@listserv.state.ma.us
July 2008
NEW OUTDOOR RECREATION MAP PUBLISHED
On July 1, at Walden Pond, Massachusetts environmental officials displayed a new "Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map" packed with information for residents and visitors looking for places to enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, hunting, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, and swimming across the Bay State. The newly revised and updated Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map shows conservation lands managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. It also identifies all boat access, sport fishing piers, and shore fishing areas built by DFG's Office of Fishing and Boating Access. There is additional information about outdoor safety and ethics, licensing requirements for fishing and hunting, and web links to further information regarding recreational opportunities on state properties. Officials praised the maps as a great resource for tourists and Massachusetts residents alike.
"Whether you appreciate active recreation like kayaking in the rapids of one of the state's rivers or more sedate activities like strolling down a beautiful beach, Massachusetts has much to offer to anyone who loves the great outdoors," Governor Patrick writes in a message to map users. "This outdoor recreation map is a fantastic resource for you to get to know all of our natural assets."
"Summer is here. It's time to get out and enjoy the 620,000 acres of open space managed by the Massachusetts Departments of Fish and Game and Conservation and Recreation," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, whose office oversees both departments. "At a time when many people are concerned about travel and fuel expenses, I encourage folks to see what Massachusetts has to offer for summer vacation options and outdoor activities throughout the year." Mary Griffin, DFG Commissioner noted, "Massachusetts has an incredible diversity of parks, forests, reservations, and wildlife management areas that offer all kinds of recreational opportunities for adults and children."
Publication of this map is the latest example of environmental agencies collaborating on a common goal of promoting outdoor recreation, welcoming tourism and helping to boost the state's economy. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, recreational anglers in Massachusetts (both residents and non-residents) spent more than $769 million in 2006, while hunters spent more than $70 million and people who enjoy wildlife watching spent about $755 million. The USFWS estimates that 1.9 million people participated in wildlife watching in Massachusetts in 2006, about 500,000 people enjoyed fishing, and 73,000 hunted. According to the DCR, more than 14 million people visit Massachusetts state forests and parks annually. The DCR reports that reservations at state campgrounds are up nearly 14 percent from last year.
The Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map will be available for free
at the DFG
and Office
of Fishing and Boating offices in Boston, all MassWildlife
offices and hatcheries, DCR
properties across the state, and selected highway information centers.
To obtain a map by postal mail, send a self-addressed 59-cent stamped
business sized envelope to: Outdoor Recreation Map, MassWildlife Field
Headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Rd, Westboro MA 01581. The
map is also available online.
BATS IN THE BELFRY
With summer's hot, humid weather, some Bay State homeowners may discover bats residing in their home! Attics are the most common portion of a house in which bats roost and raise their young. After a few hot summer days, an attic may become too warm for the bats, forcing them out and sometimes into people's living quarters as they search for cooler places to roost. Inexperienced young bats may fall down a chimney, fly in open windows or down attic stairs. What's a homeowner to do? Fortunately, a single bat flying in a room can usually be dealt with quite easily. Open an outside window or door in the room containing the bat and close off the rest of the room from the house. It's usually only a matter of a few minutes of circling before the bat locates the open window and leaves the house. Bats do not attack people or fly into people's hair.
If a bat has landed, it can be assisted out of a house in several ways. For a bat on a curtain, place a jar, coffee can or small box over the bat, carefully working the animal into the container, and cover it. A bat on the floor can be covered with a towel. Another method is to put on leather gloves and simply pick up the bat and release it outdoors-don't use cotton gloves or handle a bat with bare hands. Whatever method is used, don't worry when the bat squeaks loudly when handled. Take the bat outdoors and release it. If anyone has had direct contact with a bat or if a bat is found in a room with a sleeping person, the bat should be safely captured and not released. Contact local health officials for assistance in evaluating potential rabies risk and submitting the bat to the Department of Public Health for rabies testing.
Little Brown Bats and Big Brown Bats are the most likely species to be found in buildings. In some cases, with small numbers of bats, people don't mind their presence and concentrate on blocking holes and cracks leading into the human living quarters. Where there is a large colony in house walls, biologists recommend that homeowners wait to initiate eviction proceedings until the first week of August through November. Waiting to evict the colony allows time for young bats to mature and leave the house on their own.
Learn how to evict bats safely or live with them using "A
Homeowner's Guide to Bats"
booklet available from MassWildlife. This publication contains tips
on handling a bat in the house, designs for one-way doors, bat house
plans, and a key to identifying the nine bat species in Massachusetts.
The booklet is posted in the Wildlife area of the agency website at
www.mass.gov/masswildlife and is also available in hard copy at MassWildlife
offices. To receive a hard copy of the booklet by mail, send a business
sized, self-addressed, 59 cent stamped envelope to: Bat Booklet, MassWildlife,
1 Rabbit Hill Rd, Westboro, MA 01581. Homeowners who wish to hire someone
to evict a bat colony can find a list of licensed Problem
Animal Control agents in the Wildlife area of MassWildlife's website.
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE UNDETECTED IN BAY STATE DEER
Based on data gathered during this past year, no evidence of chronic
wasting disease (CWD) was detected in Massachusetts deer or moose. MassWildlife
recently received results from a federally certified veterinary diagnostic
laboratory that indicate that all the brain, lymph node, and tonsil
samples taken from deer during last fall's hunting season tested negative
for the disease. In late 2007 and early 2008, MassWildlife collected
487 samples from hunter-harvested and car killed deer from across the
state for CWD monitoring and testing. This was the sixth year of sampling
in Massachusetts as part of a nationwide CWD monitoring and surveillance
program. One moose sample from a roadkill was also submitted and did
not test positive for CWD.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disorder known to affect
white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The World Health Organization
has concluded that there is no evidence that people can become infected
with CWD. CWD was first identified in the late 1960's in Colorado and
remained located in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska for over two decades.
In the past decade, CWD has been found in parts of the Midwest, several
Canadian provinces and most recently in the eastern states of New York
and West Virginia.
As stewards for wildlife in the state, MassWildlife has implemented
strict regulations to prevent the disease from entering the Bay State
and affecting the health of both wild and captive deer populations.
It is unlawful to import all species of live deer, including European
red deer, sika deer, fallow deer and reindeer, all species commonly
raised commercially. It is also illegal for anyone to import, process
or possess whole carcasses or parts of deer or elk (from wild or captive
deer herds) from states and Canadian provinces where CWD has been detected.
The only exceptions to the regulation are meat that is deboned, cleaned
skull caps, cleaned hides and finished taxidermy mounts. By restricting
importation to these specific deer parts, the importation of neurological
tissue --which is where the disease-causing prions are located -- is
prevented, while sportsmen and sportswomen hunting in states with CWD
can still safely use the deer they harvest. More
CWD information.
NEW HUNTERS! SIGN UP NOW FOR COURSES
New hunters of all ages are reminded that it is never too early to sign up for a Basic Hunter Education Course. New hunters in Massachusetts are required to show proof that they have taken a basic hunter education course in order to purchase a hunting or sporting license. Basic courses are available across the state and many begin in August and September.
"Many people fail to consider enrolling in a course until the weather turns cool in late September," says Susan Langlois, MassWildlife Hunter Education Administrator. "Unfortunately, most courses have either begun or are full by then and the opportunity to hunt during the fall may disappear." Langlois points out that courses are scheduled through much of the calendar year, including the summer, but most are offered in the spring and early fall. Basic hunter education courses average 15 hours in length and are taught by volunteer instructors. The course is usually scheduled over five or six weekday evenings. Some courses are conducted on weekends. Students must attend all scheduled sessions as part of the requirement for passing the course. All instruction and class materials are provided at no charge to the student. Funding is derived from the sale of hunting and sporting licenses, and from federal excise taxes on firearms and archery equipment.
"Today's hunters are better educated than ever," said Langlois.
"Completion of the Massachusetts' Hunter Education program coupled
with mandatory use of blaze-orange clothing contributes to the reduction
of hunting related firearms incidents in the field."
Massachusetts offered its first hunter safety course in 1954, and to
date has graduated more than 169,000 students. Topics covered during
the course include safe handling and storage of hunting arms and ammunition,
hunting laws and ethics, wildlife identification, wildlife management,
care and handling of game, basic survival skills and first aid. Students
who successfully pass the course receive a Certificate of Completion
that is accepted for purchasing a Massachusetts hunting or sporting
license and for people 15 or older making application for a Firearms
Identification Card with their local police departments. The certificates
are also accepted in all states and Canadian provinces for the purchase
of a hunting license.
Information on course
locations and schedules is posted on the MassWildlife website under
"Education" programs. Graduates who have lost their Certificates
may obtain a Duplicate
Certificate from the Hunter Education Program through the MassWildlife
website or by contacting the office directly at 978/632-7648.
ANTLERLESS DEER PERMIT DEADLINE JULY 16, PERMIT DRAWING EVENT JULY 31
Deer hunters, don't wait in line; apply on time! Deer hunters are reminded that in order to take antlerless deer during any deer hunting season, they must possess an antlerless deer permit. The July 16 antlerless deer permit application deadline is fast approaching. Antlerless deer permit applications are found on paper licenses bought over the counter. Internet license buyers need to access the MassOutdoors website and apply on-line. Only online license holders may apply for a permit through MassOutdoors. Antlerless deer permit applications delivered to the Field Headquarters after 4:30 PM or postmarked after July 16 will not be accepted. MassWildlife cautions deer hunters to refrain from assuming large quantities of over-the-counter permits will be available after permits are sent out.
Every year MassWildlife holds a public drawing to determine who will
receive an Antlerless Deer permit for particular hunting zones throughout
the state. The Antlerless Deer Permit Drawing will take place on July
31 beginning at 5 PM at the Lenox
Sportsman's Club in Lenox. For the first time, the Gun Owner's Action
League is partnering with MassWildlife on a new format for this event
which includes a Game Recipe Contest, a presentation on deer management
in Massachusetts, drawing the Antlerless Deer Permit numbers and announcing
the Game Recipe Contest Winners. Proceeds from the Game Recipe Contest
will benefit the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp. For more details
on the event including Recipe Contest registration, visit the Gun
Owner's Action League Website.
FOREST MANAGEMENT SITE WALKS IN WINDSOR & DALTON, JULY 18
The MassWildlife Forest Site Walk Series offered by MassWildlife Foresters will feature two forest habitat management walks on state wildlife lands in Windsor and Dalton on July 18. These walks will focus on the results of shrubland habitat management activities at the Eugene Moran Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and forest reserve establishment at the Chalet WMA in Dalton. The walks will take place rain or shine--wear appropriate clothing and sturdy footgear for walking in the woods and fields. Bring insect repellant, binoculars and a camera!
For the first walk, which will take about an hour, meet at 2 PM at
the large parking area at the Moran WMA in Windsor on the east side
of Rte 8A. The group will walk up Fobes Hill to observe and discuss
abandoned field management by MassWildlife's Upland Habitat Program.
The second walk will begin at 3 PM, meeting at the Holiday Farm which
can be reached from the Moran WMA by following Rte 8A south for 0.2
miles to Route 9. Turn right (west) on Route 9 and travel for about
4 miles, and turn right into Holiday Farm. Park near the office and
prepare to hike up into the Chalet Forest Reserve. This walk will have
two components; first, a half hour hike of moderate difficulty on a
logging road into the forest reserve to an area with discussion on how
the area came to be a reserve and how reserve status impacts wildlife
habitat. At this point in the walk, attendees have the option of returning
to the parking area or embarking on a further exploration of the Reserve
with MassWildlife staff. This portion of the walk will be a strenuous
hike through rugged terrain over a couple of hours. Participants should
be in good physical condition, wear quality hiking boots, and carry
water, snacks, and insect repellent. For more on Forest
Management Site Walks, visit the Habitat area of MassWildlife's
website.
QUABBIN DEER HUNT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
Applications for the 2008 Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt are now available through the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) web page. This will be the second year that blackpowder firearms will be allowed for use during the Controlled Deer Hunt. Water Supply Division staff reminds prospective applicants that regardless of the type of firearm used, all applicants must have a valid FID card to be eligible to apply for this hunting opportunity.
All applications must be postmarked by August 15th or hand delivered to the Quabbin Visitor's Center by 4:00 PM on that date to qualify for the permit selection process. Hunters may obtain hard copy applications at DCR administrative and field offices at the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs and their Boston office at 251 Causeway Street. Applications are also available from MassWildlife's Field Headquarters in Boston, Westboro, and District Offices. Obtain applications through the mail by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business sized envelope to: Quabbin Visitor Center, 485 Ware Road, Belchertown, MA, 01007.
The Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt will occur during the statewide deer shotgun season in four areas of the Quabbin Reservation: Pelham and New Salem on Dec. 4 and 5, and Hardwick and Petersham on Dec. 11 and 12. Approximately 1,100 permits will be drawn based upon hunters' license numbers on September 3rd. Successful applicants will receive written notification from the DCR by late September. For further information, contact the Quabbin Visitor's Center at 413/323-7221.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
- July 10--The Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Advisory Committee will hold an abbreviated meeting from 10:00 AM -10:30 AM. This meeting location is handicapped accessible.
- July 15--Fisheries and Wildlife Board Meeting, Berkshires--The Fish and Wildlife Board will meet at 11 AM at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation on Purgatory Rd, Sutton. Board meetings are open to the public. The meeting site is handicapped accessible. For directions call the Reservation at 508/234-3733.