MassWildlife Monthly February 2021

News from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Join us: MassWildlife funding information sessions

For the first time since 1996, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is considering an increase in hunting and fishing license fees to ensure the continued conservation, protection, and management of wildlife, fish, and plants in Massachusetts for the benefit and enjoyment of the public.

The public can ask questions and learn more about MassWildlife’s programs, how MassWildlife is funded, and why a license increase is needed by attending a virtual information session: 

• Thursday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. Join the Zoom session using your computer, tablet, or smartphone by clicking this link with Passcode SghJ6i, or you can join by phone by calling 1-929-205-6099 and entering the Meeting ID: 894 4078 3155 and Passcode: 464676 when prompted.

• Saturday, February 6 at 10 a.m. Join the Zoom session using your computer, tablet, or smartphone by clicking this link with Passcode Vv0kX6, or you can join by phone by calling 1-929-205-6099 and entering the Meeting ID: 896 0545 9093 and Passcode: 578518 when prompted.

• Tuesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. Join the Zoom session using your computer, tablet, or smartphone by clicking this link with Passcode u5S0rA, or you can join by phone by calling 1-929-205-6099 and entering the Meeting ID: 841 5314 1920 and Passcode: 564737 when prompted.

You can also provide input using this convenient feedback form or by mail to: MassWildlife Re: License Fee, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.

Regional effort to save turtles

Once abundant in many rivers and streams in Massachusetts, over the past few decades wood turtle populations have experienced serious declines throughout their range from Virginia to Nova Scotia. The major contributing factors include habitat fragmentation from human development, dam construction, and illegal collection from the wild. The wood turtle has been designated as a Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and conservation partners across the northeast states have been helping this rare turtle by finding ways to work together. 

The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently selected a Competitive State Wildlife Grant for funding entitled “Regional Conservation for Wood Turtles and Related Emydine Turtles” led by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) along with other partner state agencies in the northeast. The multi-year grant will provide a more strategic approach to conserving important populations and minimizing declines. Partners will follow recommendations in their regional conservation plan for the wood turtle, developed with support of an earlier Competitive State Wildlife Grant. 

“For over 10 years, the northeastern states have been working together to identify, prioritize, and implement conservation actions for wood turtles,” said Mike Jones, State Herpetologist for MassWildlife. “This Competitive State Wildlife Grant will allow us to implement time-sensitive actions at the region’s most important wood turtle sites.” 

The Northeast Wood Turtle Working Group has collaborated on data collection techniques, analyzed data from thousands of field surveys by volunteers and biologists, and began a comprehensive genetics analysis to identify relationship patterns between wood turtle populations in different places.

Actions to support wood turtles will benefit other species as well, including freshwater mussels, fish, amphibians, and other turtle species. 

In addition to habitat protection, restoration, and voluntary technical assistance to interested private landowners, the project involves specific efforts to mitigate road mortality and illegal collection of wood turtles.  

As part of a coordinated response to this threat, the grant will support housing of up to 50 confiscated wood turtles for up to three years in a secure facility run by trusted partners. Bristol County Agricultural School in Dighton, Massachusetts, has worked with MassWildlife for the past decade to provide temporary foster homes to hatchling endangered northern red-bellied cooters (another native turtle) as part of a successful restoration effort.  

“Whatever is helpful to the turtles and to MassWildlife is a good educational experience for our kids,” said Bristol Aggie’s Natural Resource Department Chair Brian Bastarache, who oversees the school’s turtle project operations. “This is real conservation work that gives them an opportunity to apply what they learn in classroom.” The school is currently undergoing a major capital improvement project on campus, including four new labs that will quadruple their holding capacity for turtles.  

Fittingly, care and feeding for continued collaboration between states is another element of the grant. For example, a turtle conservation meeting will be held in 2022 on wood turtle and related high-priority turtle species. This event will bring together experts and specialists from across the range who are working on similar problems and will result in new partnerships and conservation projects across state lines.

Take MassWildlife’s bathymetry data on your next ice fishing trip!

If you’re fishing on one of the 168 Massachusetts ponds with digital bathymetry (depth) information, you can use your mobile device to access a pond map and see this depth information in real time as you walk. Gone are the days of drilling a hole only to find you’ve hit a shallow, weedy area. By using the My Location feature on the Go Fish MA! digital map, you can target fish species based on depth. Jigging for perch? Find a depth where the fish are feeding and then follow that depth around the lake. Want to target bass or pickerel? Stick to flats or edges of drop-offs.

To get started:

• Launch the Go Fish Here! digital fishing map
• Use the filter tool at the bottom center of the map to narrow your search to show ponds with Digital Depth, then zoom in to see the bathymetry
• If you’re at a pond, click the My Location button (looks like a circle or crosshair, see image above) to show your movements in real time

Ponds without digital bathymetry still offer valuable information about the waterbody. Use the map to find pond map summaries for details about access and fish populations for that waterbody along with a pdf bathymetric map.

Always consider ice to be potentially dangerous, and review these ice strength and safety tips before you head out.

Let us know how we’re doing. Leave feedback about this map and its functionality at the bottom of the web page.

2020 hunting season harvest reports

Preliminary 2020 deer harvest

The preliminary harvest report for 2020 is 14,331—the second highest harvest on record. The previous record of 14,516 was set in 2018; 13,891 deer were taken in 2019. Final numbers will be available this spring.

Preliminary harvest figures for 2020 by season:

• Youth Deer Hunt Day: 120
• Paraplegic Deer Hunt: 2
• Archery Season: 6,552
• Shotgun Season: 4,855
• Primitive Firearms Season: 2,802

See deer harvest data from previous years.

2020 black bear harvest

The 2020 black bear harvest set a new record with 325 bears taken, breaking the previous record of 283 from 2014. Both the September and November seasons also showed record high harvests. Bear harvest totals in Massachusetts tend to be cyclical, with high harvest years following lower years. The last few seasons were relatively low, so the spike in harvest is not surprising. The record harvest also reflects the continued growth and expansion of the Massachusetts bear population. It also reflects the increase in hunter effort in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 totals by season:

• September: 236
• November: 57
• December: 32
• Statewide total: 325

See bear harvest details and data from previous years.

2020 wild turkey harvest

The spring turkey harvest for 2020 was 3,310—the highest spring season harvest ever recorded. This record harvest can most likely be attributed to the increase in hunter effort that resulted from COVID-19 closures. The 2020 fall turkey harvest was 256, the highest fall season total in over 20 years. An expanded fall archery season and an increased annual limit likely contributed to the high fall harvest.

See turkey harvest details and data from previous years.

MassWildlife habitat grants awarded

Nine municipalities, conservation organizations, and private landowners were awarded a total of $307,631 for habitat management projects to improve habitat for rare or declining populations of wildlife. The grants are provided through MassWildlife’s Habitat Management Grant Program and will fund 10 wildlife habitat improvement projects totaling 308 acres in 9communities.

In its 6th year, MassWildilfe’s Habitat Management Grant Program provides financial assistance to private and municipal landowners of conserved lands to improve and manage habitat for wildlife deemed in greatest conservation need and for certain game species. The projects are also designed to complement ongoing habitat management efforts on state lands and promote opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and other outdoor recreation.

“Conservation science has shown that periodic active habitat management for both common and rare wildlife and plants is necessary to maintain ecological resiliency and diversity, making these projects critical to the preservation of the Commonwealth’s natural resources and their resiliency to climate change,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. “Through this grant program, we’re able to partner with property owners, municipalities and organizations to improve the environment and quality of life throughout Massachusetts.” 

“Since the program’s inception, 3,165 acres of habitat management has taken place across the Commonwealth, thanks to the Baker-Polito Administration investment of capital funds for the MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program,” said Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon. “Habitat management is key to conserving uncommon birds and other wildlife, and it creates better opportunities for hunting and other outdoor recreation.”

“Fish and wildlife habitat management for both rare and common species and enhancing wildlife-related recreation opportunities is a top priority for MassWildlife,” said Dr. Mark Tisa, Director of the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. “Because 80% of Massachusetts is in private ownership, working with committed municipal and private landowners is a no-brainer.  This program provides us the opportunity to expand our habitat management footprint and improve recreational opportunities for sportsmen and women, birders, naturalists and other outdoor enthusiasts.”

The following ten projects will were awarded MassWildlife Habitat Management Grants during the 2020-2021 grant cycle:

• Brimfield – $22,153 – The Post 430 Sportsman’s Club will enhance and create young forest, shrubland, and fields habitats.
• Falmouth – $11,306 – The Town of Falmouth will improve sandplain grasslands at Coonamessett Reservation.
• Gloucester – $43,900 – The Trustees of Reservations will enact long term protections to save one of the best populations of a state endangered plant at Ravenswood Park.
• Nantucket – $24,074 – The Nantucket Conservation Foundation will manage sandplain barrens and heathlands on the Middle Moors property.
• Nantucket – $44,007 – Mass Audubon will conduct sandplain and heathland restoration work at Sesachacha Heathlands Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Orange – $31,768 – Fred Heyes will create and improve young forest and shrubland habitat.
• Shelburne – $41,335 – Foxbard Farm will create and improve young forest and shrubland habitat.
• South Lee – $14,887 – South Lee Associates, in conjunction with the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, will work to control invasive species and improve floodplain forest habitats on multiple Housatonic River properties.
• West Tisbury – $50,000 – The Trustees of Reservations will restore savanna and scrub oak-heath shrublands at Long Point Wildlife Refuge.
• Wilbraham – $24,200 – The Town of Wilbraham will work to promote regeneration of an inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.

Junior Conservation Camp teaches outdoor skills to Massachusetts teens

Teens who like the outdoors will love Conservation Camp. Designed for teens aged 13–17 who want to try new outdoor activities, improve their current skills, or meet other like-minded peers, the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp (MJCC) offers a hands-on curriculum focused on outdoor skills, conservation education, and ethics to girls and boys. Participants will have fun and make friends during the two-week overnight camp. The MJCC will be held at the Moses Scout Reservation in Russell from August 1-13, 2021. Registration is now open and will continue through May 1. Conservation groups and sporting clubs who want to sponsor a camper may also register to reserve a spot for a deserving teen.

The MJCC offers varied and educational programs. Professionals from environmental agencies provide hands-on experiences and demonstrations on wildlife, fisheries, forest fire control, and forest management. Experienced and enthusiastic outdoors men and women offer outdoor skills instruction on fishing, camping, wild foods, archery, and firearms safety. Certifications in Hunter Education and Boating Safety are also part of the curriculum. Tuition is $1,000 but the majority of campers receive full scholarships from sporting clubs and conservation organizations across the state. Click here for more information on groups with camp scholarships. For an inside look at camp life, check out this Massachusetts Wildlife magazine article.

Go wild on your taxes

Tax season is here, meaning it’s a great time to help keep Massachusetts wild! One easy way to help endangered animals and plants in the state is by donating on your state tax return. Simply fill in the amount you would like to donate on Line 33A for Endangered Wildlife Conservation. Your meaningful donation will go to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund, a fund dedicated specifically to the conservation of rare species. This Fund supports MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, responsible for the hundreds of species that are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in Massachusetts.

Despite its status as the nation’s symbol, bald eagles were targeted and killed for the better part of a century. This intentional killing, coupled with habitat loss and pollutants like DDT, caused breeding bald eagles to disappear from Massachusetts in the early 1900s. Beginning in 1982, MassWildlife and its partners began to relocate young eagles from Michigan and Canada to an area overlooking the Quabbin Reservoir in efforts to reestablish breeding pairs in the state. These relocated eagles were raised by a wildlife management practice known as hacking, in which young birds of prey are raised in an outdoor cage with no direct human contact and later released into the wild. The eaglets came to view the area around the Quabbin as their home turf and when they matured, some of the hacked eagles established breeding territories at the reservoir. In 1989, eight decades after the last historic bald eagle nest was observed in Massachusetts (on Snake Pond in Sandwich), three chicks fledged from two Quabbin nests. Fast forward to now when over 70 territorial pairs of bald eagles were documented in Massachusetts last year! 

While Massachusetts has made considerable progress, 432 plants and animals are still recognized as rare in the state. MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program is the first line of defense for Massachusetts’ most vulnerable plants and animals. Donating to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund ensures continuing conservation for these rare species.

Already filed your taxes, but still want to donate? There are a few other ways you can donate:

• Online with a credit card or electronic check*
• Through your MassFishHunt account
• By check made payable to "Comm. of MA—NHESP" and mailed to: MassWildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581

*You will be redirected to our payment portal with nCourt, LLC.

Thank you for your support!

Date published:	November 30, 2020