The state of Rhode Island released its 2012-13 fishing regulations

The state of Rhode Island released its 2012-13 fishing regulations brochure without much fanfare, offering no hint that there was anything controversial or game-changing inside. And it took anglers a little while to read all the way to the bottom of the section titled "Freshwater Fisheries Regulations," where they were astonished to find something entirely new tacked on:

Such a regulation is obviously not new—Vermont and Maryland have enacted similar bans—but it was quite a shock to Rhode Island's angling population, which didn't know such a rule was coming. And unlike the bans in the other states, this one includes salt water.

While we think that bans on felt soles are in the best interest of fly fishers everywhere, it seems very strange that Rhode Island chose to implement such a ban without any public input. It will be interesting to see how this story progresses.

Safety tips can help keep ice anglers dry, warm

Early-season ice fishing can be great, but the ice conditions are often sketchy. Here are some tips for staying safe:

Check in with a local sport shop or bait shop to get up-to-date information before you set out.

Check out ice conditions before you go. Ask other anglers or local sources and take into account changes in the weather during the past 24 hours.

If you have even the slightest doubt about the safety of the ice, stay off it.

It's OK to wear a life jacket or carry a throwable floatation device.

Wear a warm hat that covers your ears. In cold weather, 75 to 80 percent of heat loss from the body occurs from an uncovered head.

Wear mittens. They are warmer than gloves and reduce the chance of frostbite.

Before you leave home, tell someone where you plan to fish and when you plan to return.

Carry a pair of long spikes on a heavy string around your neck. That way if you break through the ice you can use the spikes to grip the ice and pull yourself out of the water.

• Go with someone who knows the water and how ice tends to form and change. For those without an ice-fishing buddy, check out one of the ice-fishing blogs, or a website like www.iceshanty.com, with ice-fishing updates, chat and a map of where ice is found in the U.S. and Canada.

When on the ice, remember:

 

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/safety-tips-can-help-keep-ice-anglers-dry-warm/article_a0e2aff6-0262-5e54-b014-6bbeaf549d91.html#ixzz1hl0CFYyz

PCB cleanup exceeding expectations

 

For years, General Electric argued that dredging its toxic PCB pollution from the Hudson River would only stir up pollution and send it downriver. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency signaled that GE’s old scare tactic was far from the truth when it upped its goal for removing PCB-contaminated sediment by 25%. The cleanup is ahead of schedule, and we’re that much closer to our longstanding goal of restoring the Hudson’s fisheries – and reclaiming our river.

· Get Informed: Read about the history of PCB contamination in the Hudson River.

· Do Your Part! Donate to Riverkeeper’s Hudson River Program.

Felt Bans in the News

 

   The first US felt ban was proposed for Alaska in 2009 and, after several modifications, a statewide ban on the use of felt for recreational fishing will take effect on the 1st of January. This regulation, implemented administratively by the Alaska Board of Fisheries, has been planned for a couple of years so there should be no surprise for anglers or retailers. Meanwhile, most of the press stories about the ban are very supportive.   Read More

   Alaska joins Vermont and Maryland as states with bans already in place. As we reported last month, Missouri will have a ban on selected cold water fisheries before their season opening. With legislative sessions scheduled to begin across the country in January, it is likely that we will see additional bans debated and perhaps adopted. 

   With bans spreading it would seem logical that consumers would be looking to purchase non-felt boots. However, the opposite seems to be the case as reports indicate high demand for felt soled boots. 

  Felt bans are one of the hottest topics among anglers and we continue to provide a comprehensive accounting of all felt ban proposals in the US at US Felt Bans

The Shocking Republican Attack on the Environment and Our Drinking Water

Environment News Service / BySharon Guynup

 

 

Ensuring that Americans have clean water has been an effort with strong bipartisan support for four decades. But not anymore.

December 11, 2011 |

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WASHINGTON, DC (ENS) -- This year, residents of Midland, Texas sued Dow Chemical for dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium in their drinking water. Chromium-6 is a cancer-causing chemical made infamous by Julia Roberts' film, "Erin Brockovich." There are currently no drinking water standards for chromium-6, and the chemical industry is delaying a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assessment labeling it a potent carcinogen.

READ MORE http://www.alternet.org/story/153401/the_shocking_republican_attack_on_the_environment_and_our_drinking_water?page=entire

Tom Rosenbauer's 7 Top Winter Fly-Fishing Tips

 

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:33 PM PST

Trout will bite even on snowy, frigid days, if you know what fly patterns to throw. photo by Paul Schullery

'Tis the season for winter fly-fishing. Here are seven tips to get you started, as well as my favorite fly patterns:

1. Pick the right place. Best winter rivers are Colorado tailwaters like the South Platte, Yampa, Frying Pan, or Gunnison; Montana tailwaters like the Bighorn and Madison; Wyoming rivers like the Snake River in Jackson; Idaho tailwaters like the South Fork and Henry’s Fork of the Snake; the Provo and Green in Utah, Great Lakes tributaries, and the upper Sacramento in California. As you can see, a fishing trip can often be combined with a ski trip.

2. Slow and deep is best. Use a strike indicator and weighted fly, or weight on the leader and the high-stick method, which keeps most of your fly line off the water. Dead drift is critical in winter because trout won’t chase a fly in cold water. 

3. Swing with a sinking-tip line. Although dead-drift nymphing is best, if you prefer to swing a fly for trout or steelhead, use a sinking tip line with a very strong mend at the beginning of the cast so your fly swings slow and deep.

4. Look for rises. Occasionally trout will rise during the winter, almost always to small midges or olive mayflies. A small midge emerger or a tiny olive mayfly emerger will be the only dries you’ll need to carry.

5. Stay in bed in the morning. You’ll see the most surface activity mid-afternoon on sunny days, or, surprisingly, all day long on gray snowy days without wind.

6. Light tippets are usually more productive in winter. The flies are small and water is clear. I use 6X Mirage for trout fishing and 4X Mirage for steelhead under most conditions.

7. Know where the fish hold. Fish tend to “pod up” in winter in deeper, slower water. Once you catch one try not to disturb the water and continue to fish in the same place. Fish the slow water thoroughly, but move often if you aren’t connecting.

Best Flies for Winter Fishing

Nymphs:

English Pheasant Tail Nymph sizes 18 and 20. This version is far more effective than the bulkier American version for imitating the slim Blue-Winged-Olive mayflies and small brown stoneflies common in winter.

Disco Midge sizes 20 and 22. Imitates tiny midge pupae that hatch all winter long, particularly in western tailwaters. You can fish this one in the surface film for risers, but it's usually more effective deep, with Sink Putty on the leader (as are all of the nymphs listed here)

Flashback Scud size 16. In spring creeks and tailwaters that hold tiny freshwater crustaceans called scuds, this fly is essential.

Micro Stone size 14. Small stoneflies often hatch during the winter, so the nymphs are active in cold waters.

Vernille San Juan Worm . This fly in both red and tan imitates aquatic worms that get washed from the streambed when water rises slightly during dam releases on tailwaters.

Dries:

ICSI (I Can See It) Midge . Gray, size22. A floating midge pupa pattern you can spot on the water because of its orange parachute post.

Griffith's Gnat  size 20. Great when adult midges skitter across the surface, especially when they form clumps. 

Cannon's Bunny Dun , Baetis. Sizes 18 and 20. My favorite imitation out of many for winter Blue-Winged-Olive hatches.

Streamers:

Bead Head Flash Zonker . White, size 8. This fly has become one of the favorite streamers of the fly fishers on our staff. It's particularly effective in tailwaters, where light-colored shad and alewives get washed through turbines.

Moto's Minnow , Dark. Size 10. This small dark fly wiggles in even the slightest breath of current, important when you are fishing nearly dead-drift in winter. Its coloration is a perfect imitation of the sculpin, a small baitfish common in freestone streams.

Trout Unlimited’s New Stocking Policy

 

A controversy with no simple answer

First published in The daily Gazette, Schenectady, N.Y., 11/3/11

Trout Unlimited really got people talking last month when it announced that its members may not take part in stocking “non-native, hatchery trout” in streams that already hold native trout.

The directive isn’t expected to curtail stocking, which is mostly conducted by state conservation departments. But it has stirred up a lively philosophical discussion about the merits and perils of adding catchable trout to our streams.

Many — maybe most — New York streams that have been stocked for generations also hold at least a few native trout, meaning trout that were not only born in the stream, but are in fact descendants of the trout that were here before people were here. If the presence of any native trout at all made an entire stream off-limits to stocking, an awful lot of New York trout fishing would simply disappear.

“Does one stop stocking brown trout in Willowemoc Creek, for example?” asked Phil Hulbert, chief of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Bureau of Fisheries, referring to the storied Catskills stream that holds wild and holdover browns and brookies, no doubt including some natives.

“I’m confident there would be people that have opinions both ways. The way we try to deal with this is in a technical sense, not phil­osophical. When we decide whether a stream should be stocked, we take into account the abundance of wild trout and we make adjustments for the presence of wild trout, in terms of whether there’s unused carrying capacity for hatchery trout.”

If there are enough wild fish, the DEC doesn’t bother stocking at all, Hulbert noted.

Mike Walchko, president of the Clearwater Chapter of TU in Albany, said the chapter doesn’t take part in any stocking activity, preferring to focus on maintaining and improving trout habitat. He agreed with Hulbert that the issue of where to stock and where not to is complex.

“Since streams are continuous bodies, most brook trout populations are found in the upper, colder, cleaner headwater reaches, while the lower stretches are the sections stocked with hatchery fish,” he said. “Many streams are dependent upon these stockings to support a fishable population in these lower stretches.”

Larry Harris, head of TU’s national leadership council, wrote this week to chapter presidents that he was taken aback by the controversy arising from the new policy. After all, TU has been on record for years that stocking should be avoided if it was likely to harm native trout populations.

“I began receiving calls the very next morning after the resolution was sent to council chairs and chapter presidents,” Harris said. “What I am learning is that some chapters in several states currently stock hatchery trout in streams containing native trout.”

And so Harris and a number of TU leaders from around the country are forming a committee to help state councils and local chapters comply with the policy in a way that makes sense on their local waters.

I’ve complained in this space, and others have complained in other spaces, that some New York waters are stocked with way too many cookie-cutter trout with barely any survival instincts. But I also fish some streams where all the trout are wild, others where most are wild, and still others where there’s a pleasing mix of wild trout and holdover stockies. One of my regular spots even has a few genuine, certified, heritage-strain brookies, their DNA untainted by interlopers from California or Germany. None of these are secret or remote. Even after a century of heavy stocking, New York still offers plenty of “natural” trout fishing.

But TU’s heart is in the right place.

Native trout can never be replaced, and anything that will protect the ones we have is a good idea.

Morgan Lyle’s commentary appears regularly in The Daily Gazette. Reach him atmorganlyle@gmail.com

The Twin Tiers FFF (Fly Fishing Federation) will be hosting Katy Dunlap, Eastern Project Director of Trout Unlimited for a presentation entitled “Protecting Sportsmen’s Interests from the Impacts of Marcellus Shale Development”.

The Twin Tiers FFF (Fly Fishing Federation) will be hosting Katy Dunlap, Eastern Project Director of Trout Unlimited for a presentation entitled “Protecting Sportsmen’s Interests from the Impacts of Marcellus Shale Development”.  The presentation is being co-sponsored by the Leon Chandler TU chapter and will be held on December 5, from 7 to 9 pm at the Big Flats Community Center.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Southern tier fly fishing: Dec. 5 - 11 - Binghamton fly fishing | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/fly-fishing-in-binghamton/southern-tier-fly-fishing-dec-5-11?CID=examiner_alerts_article#ixzz1faUaz0XJ

Outdoorsy books: Montana titles appeal to a variety of readers

Outdoorsy books: Montana titles appeal to a variety of readers
Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/outdoorsy-books-montana-titles-appeal-to-a-variety-of-readers/article_d5056b9e-9f05-5bb3-bfb3-be44f4f91fe3.html#ixzz1fZueVhBS

Brook Trout, Acid Rain, and Some Good News

 

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 11:08 AM PST

A recent study showed that the number of Virginia streams that could support brook trout has increased over the past decade.

photo by Simon Chu

When it comes to brook trout, any good news is welcome news. The brook trout is the state fish here in Virginia, and anglers in my neck of the woods have a deep and abiding reverence for Salvelinus fontinalis. But it is not just the sport that sends many of us into the high mountain streams or up some obscure blue line on a map.

Since 1987, the University of Virginia, Trout Unlimited, and a number of state and federal agencies have been tracking water quality and related ecological conditions in Virginia’s native trout streams. The key concern at the time of the initial survey was the impact of acid rain on the mountain headwater streams that supported reproducing brook trout.

The Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Study, as it is known, has conducted three surveys—the first in 1987, a second in 2000, and the most recent one was completed in 2010. In each survey, volunteers gave up some prime fishing time to spend a day collecting samples from the streams they treasure.

In 2010, 165 volunteers, mostly TU members, sampled 384 streams in addition to 66 streams that are also sampled on a quarterly basis. The survey covers nearly 80 percent of the mountain streams with reproducing brook trout.

Results of the 2010 survey are encouraging, showing that water quality has clearly improved since the last survey in 2000.

The above map shows the locations of 458 sampling sites on brook trout streams that
were sampled during the VTSSS 2010 decadal survey. The sites include 73 sites that
are sampled routinely, either quarterly or weekly, and 385 regional survey sites.

Map courtesy VTSSSe

Janet Miller, a grad student at U.Va. did the analysis that showed that 77 percent of the streams sampled were suitable for brook-trout reproduction. In 2000 only 56 percent of those streams were suitable for reproduction.

"This is good news and real evidence for the value of our national investment in improving air quality," said Rick Webb, a U.Va. environmental scientist and coordinator of the VTSSS. "At the same time, there is more to be done, and many Virginia brook trout streams may never fully recover."

Webb points to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 as an example of that investment in air quality improvement. Sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants dropped by 64 percent between 1990 and 2009.

Having participated in the 2000 survey, I know first-hand the logistic requirements needed to pull these surveys off. The fact is without folks willing to forego some fishing time and dedicate some sweat to science this information and the good news it brings might still be unknown.

"It's a cause for hope that so many people share a determination to protect and preserve our brook trout streams and the natural world they represent," said Webb. "The remarkable volunteer contribution to the trout stream surveys over more than two decades is a real testament to this determination."

Plans are in the works to fund these survey’s on a long term basis. TU and U.Va. are working to raise funds for an endowment to support graduate-level research.

Tom Sadler is a conservation consultant and advocate, fly fisherman, outdoor writer, and American Fly Fishing Trade Association board member. He runs the Middle River Group, LLC and blogs at Dispatches from the Middle River

Recreational Sporting Season Reminders

Upcoming Seasons The reminders listed below include open and final recreational season dates occurring over the next two weeks only (December 2 through December 16). For all season dates and to view more information about hunting and fishing in New York, visit DEC's Outdoor Activities(http://www.dec.ny.gov/62.html) webpage. Saltwater Fishing(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7755.html) December 15 marks the final day for striped bass fishing in the marine and coastal district waters (waters south of the Tappan Zee Bridge).

Deer & Bear Hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7857.html) (view the deer and bear season maps(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html) to identify open hunting zones) In the Northern Zone: · December 4 marks the final day for the deer and bear regular hunting season. · December 5 through December 11 marks the open season for deer muzzleloader hunting in the following Wildlife Management Units(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8302.html) only: 5A, 5G, 5J, 6A, 6C, 6H, 6G. In the Southern Zone: · December 11 marks the final day for regular firearm deer and bear hunting. The regular bowhunting season for Westchester County remains open through December 31. · December 12 through December 20 marks the open season for deer and bear bowhunting and muzzleloader hunting. For the deer muzzleloader season, the following Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) will not be open: 1C, 3S, 4J, and 8C.

Waterfowl Hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28888.html) (view the following maps to identify waterfowl hunting zones (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28497.html) and Canada goose hunting areas(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28496.html) that are described below) For Canada Goose: · December 3 marks the final day for hunting in the Lake Champlain Goose Hunting Area for the 2011 season. · December 5 marks the final day for hunting in the Northeast Goose Hunting Area for the season. · December 5 to January 29 marks the open season for hunting in the Eastern Long Island Goose Hunting Area. · December 11 marks the final day of the first split season in the South Goose Hunting Area. The season will re-open on December 26. · December 12 marks the final day for hunting in the East Central Goose Hunting Area for the 2011 season. For Duck, Coot, Merganser: · December 5 marks the final day of the first split season for hunting in the Western Waterfowl Zone. The second split season will reopen on December 26. · December 5 to January 29 marks the open season in the Long Island Waterfowl Zone. · December 10 marks the final day for hunting in the Northeast Waterfowl Zone for the 2011 season. For Snow Goose: · December 10 marks the final day of the first split season for hunting in the Western Waterfowl Zone. The season will reopen on December 26. For Brant: · December 15 to January 29 marks the open season of the last split season for hunting in the Long Island Waterfowl Zone. Furbearer Trapping(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/355.html) · December 10 marks the final day for fisher and marten trapping(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30442.html) in all open areas of the state, and also marks the final day for bobcat trapping(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29045.html) in northern areas of the State. · On December 10, body-gripping traps used on land may no longer be set with lure or bait for all raccoon, fox, skunk, coyote, opossum, and weasel trapping(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30507.html) in northern areas of the State. The season remains open through February 15. · December 15 to February 25 marks the open season for mink and muskrat trapping(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30510.html) for Long Island. Small Game(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27801.html) and Furbearer(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45559.html) Hunting · December 10 marks the final day for bobcat hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29475.html) in Wildlife Management Unit 6N(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9336.html#WMU6N) only. · December 12 to February 29 marks the open season for varying hare hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29451.html) in southeastern areas of the state.

Your Observations Can Help the Health of the Great Lakes!

Get Involved!

Your Observations Can Help the Health of the Great Lakes! If you spend time around the Great Lakes shoreline, please consider sharing your observations of injured or dead animals, or algal blooms by using the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - Wildlife Health Event Reporter (http://glri.wher.org/) (GLRI-WHER). Scientists working in state, federal and non-profit agencies are looking for your help to identify events that are important in research of avian botulism and algal bloom outbreaks, in the interest of protecting wildlife from this disease as well as algal neurotoxins. For a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem, do your part and share what you see by setting up a reporter account (http://glri.wher.org/users/add) on the GLRI-WHER website. E-mail any questions regarding reporting to botnet@wdin.org. For more details on avian (type E) botulism (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/28433.html), visit the DEC website.

Video: Why Striped Bass Should Have "Game Fish Status"

Posted: 30 Nov 2011 12:57 PM PST Striped Bass Gamefish from Taylor Vavra on Vimeo. If you've found it difficult to make sense of all the arguments for giving the Atlantic striped bass "game fish status"——this film from Stripers Forever lays it all out for you. Some of the luminaries of saltwater fishing, from Lou Tabory to Rip Cunningham, weigh in on why this is an important fight for anglers. After you've watched the video, visit Stripers Forever online for more information and for tips on how you can help. Share this with your friends:

How to Tie a Simple Scud

 

Posted by: Phil Monahan

Date: 11/30/11

Scuds, crustaceans known as Amphipods, are on a trout's menu year-round—especially in many tailwaters, spring creeks, and stillwaters. Trout love them because scuds are usually plentiful, easy to catch, and they have high nutritional value. There are almost 100 species of scuds in North America, but they all have the same basic shape, with prominent legs and a curved shell back. Mostly what changes from water to water are color and size, so it's always a good idea to collect some naturals to match. In the winter months, try fishing larger scuds, sizes 12 and 14, through slower-moving sections of river where fish may be holding. The takes can be quite subtle, so be ready to set the hook lightly at the slightest hesitation in the fly line or indicator. Try both fishing the fly on a dead-drift and giving it bursts of very short strips.

In this video, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions offers his version of a simple scud pattern, which uses a dubbing that mixes Antron and Australian possum. As usual, Tim shows a couple of neat tricks to make the fly look cleaner and buggier at the same time.

Simple Scud from Tightline Productions on Vimeo.

Simple Scud
Hook: Standard emerger hook (here a Dai-Riki 125), sizes 12-18.
Thread: Light olive, 70 denier or 8/0.
Antennae: Smoky olive Sow Scud dubbing.
Rib: Gold Ultra Wire, small.
Back: Tan and Black Fly Speck Thin Skin.
Body and Legs: Smoky olive Sow Scud dubbing.
Head: Tying thread.
Adhesive: Head cement.
Note: Tie this pattern in different color combinations to match
the scuds in your streams. Tan and gray are good choices.

Tuesday Tip: How to Properly Grip a Fly Rod

 

Posted by: Peter Kutzer

Date: 11/29/11

Welcome to another installment of "Ask an Orvis Fly-Fishing Instructor," with me, Peter Kutzer. In this episode, I discuss the best way to grip a fly rod. This may seem ridiculously basic to some folks, but the grip is the foundation on which your whole cast is built. So it's very important that you establish a comfortable grip that will help you put your fly where you want it to go.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you don't want to try to squeeze the life out of the cork. A grip that's too tight won't allow your arm to move properly, and it will cause you to tire quickly. So if you want to be able to fish all day in comfort, start with a light grip. In this video, I offer three options for how you can hold the rod, but the thumb-on-top is my favorite. If you're just getting started, it's your best option. Good luck!

Anatomy of a Fly Rod: A Glossary

 

Posted by: Larry Kenney

Date: 11/28/11

Do you ever find yourself scratching your head when reading about fly rods, or do you find yourself lost when you hear a couple guys at your club meeting discussing their new rod-building projects? Do you know the difference between the prepreg and the scrim?

Some of the terms that describe fly-rod construction are pretty arcane, so here's a brief glossary from longtime rod-builder Larry Kenney that will help you better understand what goes into making a fly rod and keep up with the conversation when the rod-builders start talking shop. It will also make it easier to understand what makes a new rod technology so new—as in the Helios's "thermpolastic resin in the layup and unidirectional scrim"—and how such a new technology translates into better performance on the water.

Blank: The long, skinny thing—generally tubular—to which the handle, reel seat, guides, and often ugly graphics are added.

Butt section: The bottom, thick section of a rod or blank.

Ferrule: The device by which the sections of a rod or blank are connected.

Fighting butt: The short, cork- or foam-covered extension to the rear of the reel seat, designed to keep the reel out of one’s beer belly when fighting a fish.

Fixed hood: A fixed metal shroud over either the top or the bottom of the reel-seat cylinder into which one end of the reel seat is placed.

Layup: The specific way in which patterns of composite prepreg are layered around a mandrel. Specific layups may include different fibers (graphite and boron, graphite and fiberglass), different orientations (unidirectional, woven, or filament-wound) or a combination of fibers and fiber orientations—all designed to produce specific characteristics of flex, stiffness, and durability.

Locking ring: The nut that puts pressure against the sliding hook to keep the reel securely locked in place.

Material: The fibers (graphite, fiberglass, Kevlar, boron, or some combination of them) that do the work—supporting the load of the fly line or pulling on a fish. Most contemporary rods are fabricated principally from fibers that run unidirectionally along the length of the rod, although many rods also make use of fibers running around or at an angle to the unidirectional fibers, in order to provide additional strength.

Prepreg: The fabric created by impregnating the material with resin. The prepreg is cut into “flags,” which are rolled around the mandrel(s).

A worker at the Orvis rod shop in Manchester, Vermont, prepares some prepreg,
which will be cut into "flags" and rolled onto a mandrel.

photo by Tim Bronson

Reel seat: The threaded metal cylinder on which the reel is secured to the rod.

Resin: The matrix that holds the fibers together. Most modern rods are fabricated with thermoplastic epoxy resins.

Scrim: A lightweight fabric of fiberglass or graphite that forms a lining under the principal fibers and which aids in working with the material when it is rolled around a mandrel. Some scrims are woven, and some aren’t. Scrim fibers that go around, rather than up and down, the blank also add “hoop strength” to the finished product.

Sliding hood: A sliding metal shroud that slides over the end of the reel seat that isn’t under the fixed hood.

Taper: A term often used synonymously with “action” to describe the way a rod performs. Tapers in which the difference in diameter between butt and tip were relatively great (“fast” tapers) produced stiff-butted, light-tipped, fast-action rods. Slow-action rods came from blanks in which the difference between butt and tip diameters was smaller. The taper of a tubular rod is determined by the shape of the mandrel(s) around which it is fabricated. A rod’s action is, in large part, by that taper, but also by the material(s), the layup, the number of section a ferrules, and by the weight and placement of guides and wraps—a complicated alchemy to which this brief overview does benign disservice.

Tip section: The section of a rod or blank farthest from the butt section.

Larry Kenney is a well-known fly-rod builder who lives in San Francisco.

THIS TUESDAY WE NEED YOU TO COME TO SULLIVAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO SAY NO TO FRACKING AT THE DEC GAS HEARING

 

THIS IS ONE OF TWO CHANCES TO HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD
IT’S YOUR WATER, YOUR AIR AND YOUR HEALTH

WHEN: 11:15 AM TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29

WHERE: SULLIVAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, SELIG THEATER, LOCH SHELDRAKE

If you believe that the Catskills and New York State will be at serious risk if gas drilling using hydrofracking is approved in our state, or if you have serious questions about the conditions under which fracking will commence, this is your opportunity to speak up, hear what other citizens like you think and show Governor Cuomo and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) your opposition and/or concern.  The DEC is holding just 2 more public hearings (see list below) to hear public and expert testimony about their dSGEIS (draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement) - the permitting conditions under which fracking will take place in New York.

According to yesterday's New York Times Expose "Millions Spent in Albany Fight to Drill for Gas" the pro frackers have spent MILLIONS OF DOLLARS on lobbyists in New York State in the last year and have given Governor Cuomo over $100,000 in campaign contributions and UNTOLD AMOUNTS ON SLICK ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.   According the Wall Street Journal we have outnumbered the pro gassers at the last two hearings by 4 to 1.  We know that they are going to spend as much money as they need to to get pro gassers at this next hearing.  That is why we need you more then ever before.  Our home grown grass roots can beat the paid gassers but you need to TAKE THE DAY OFF FROM WORK OR SCHOOL and join us.   Be a part of Democracy in Action.

Mountainkeeper and many other partner organizations are mobilizing our constituencies to attend the press conference and rally at the hearing in Sullivan County on November 29^th at the Sullivan County Community College, Seelig Theatre, 112 College Rd, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759

The last hearing is in New York City on November 30.

Click here for the Official DEC dates and times of the dSGEIS hearings

IMPORTANT: If you plan to attend and/or testify click here for a summary of the major flaws in the dSGEIS to help you prepare.

Forward this message to your friends, family and neighbors and ask them to forward it on. Get educated, especially about the health issues and threats.

The Catskill Mountainkeeper website is here as a resource for you, please use it.

OUTDOORS: Fly fishermen hear the call of bamboo

November 19

 

By Deirdre Fleming dfleming@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

SOUTH PORTLAND -- Bamboo fly rods run upward of $1,500 and $2,000. That's not the kind of cottage industry that would make it in a poor economy. Unless you're in Maine.

Recently, four of Maine's most prolific bamboo fly rod makers gathered to teach, talk and maybe preach bamboo fly rod making at Maine's first Fly Fishing Show. And convert after convert stopped at their display tables to ask about the naturally grown material that forms the rods, the silk thread that colors the guides, the process that takes up to 40 hours to produce a beautiful and effective fishing tool.

"His waiting list extends beyond his life span," said Kathy Scott, wife of bamboo fly rod maker David Van Burgel.

It's a hobby for these craftsmen who are dentists, engineers, teachers and yes, fishermen.

But it's a calling more than a pastime. Their work is both part of the thread of history and a celebration of their sport.

"It's like a disease," said Joel Anderson of Auburn, who made his first bamboo fly rod in 2006.

READ MORE: http://www.kjonline.com/outdoors/fly-fishermen-hear-the-call-of-bamboo_2011-11-18.html

Upcoming Seasons

 

The recreational season reminders listed below include season dates that extend over the next two weeks. For all season dates and to view more information about hunting and fishing in New York, visit DEC's Outdoor Activities(http://www.dec.ny.gov/62.html) webpage.

Freshwater Fishing(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/fishing.html)

(IMPORTANT: Some waterbodies have different regulations than the general statewide regulations listed below; therefore, please review the special regulations by county(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/71546.html) to determine if there are any differences near you.)

November 30. Final day to fish for the following:

· Largemouth and smallmouth bass (catch and release opens on December 1);

· Muskellunge; and,

· Hudson River striped bass and hickory shad in waters north of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

December 1. Opening day of catch and release fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Please review the special regulations by county as noted in the important information above to ensure this is permissible in your specific waterbody.

TGF Bulletin

 

DRBC POSTPONES NOVEMBER 21 SPECIAL MEETING New Meeting Date Still To Be Determined

WEST TRENTON, N.J. (Nov. 18) - The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) today announced that the special meeting scheduled for Nov. 21 to consider draft natural gas development regulations has been postponed to allow additional time for review by the five commission members.

No additional information is available at this time.

The DRBC is a federal/interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin. The five commission members are the governors of the basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' North Atlantic Division, who represents the federal government.

Please visit the commission's web site at www.drbc.net for updates as they become available.

PERHAPS THE REASON IS DELAWARE GOVERNOR MARKELL IS NOT VOTING IN FAVOR OF PROPOSAL.

TIGHT LINES

We are on the road to victory! Delaware River Basin Commission Cancels Fracking Vote!

 

Thanks to all of your great efforts, the state of Delaware announced yesterday that it will vote “no” to DRBC’s proposed gas drilling regulations, which would allow fracking to go forward in the Delaware River Basin. As a result of Delaware’s commitment, DRBC has postponed the vote and set no new vote date!

READ MORE BELOW:

http://river.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=8901.0&printer_friendly=1

Fly Tying (With Common Household Materials)

This looks like it might be of some value, I have not read it but I have read his stuff in magazine articles for years.

 

"Jay Fullum is one of Fly Tyer magazine's most beloved authors. His regular column, titled "Creative Tying," is a favorite with our readers."--David Klausmeyer, Editor Fly Tyer
Seriously...this is a great addition to your fly tying book library. It will stand out amongst the more conventional tying how-tos. Jay Fullum goes into detail about some real cool (and cheap!) everyday materials you probably already have laying around down in the basement...you know, "organized" loosely on that unfinished wooden Home Depot shelving you got right after you moved in. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Jay has chapters on plastic bags, foam packing material, weatherseal, embroidery floss, fake fingernails, paintbrushes and hair brushes. Lots of stuff. I love it. But, the thing I may love the most about this book is what this book can do emotionally to a beginning tyer. It erases this notion that a good fly has to be made with very specific ingredients. These are not tiny magic spells we are creating on a hook shank...they are tools of the sport of fishing. That is all. And you can use whatever works for you at the time. So, yeah...order a copy.
Lyons Press $21.95 Click Here!

Urgent Alert_Army Corps of Engineers taking Tally of Calls Pro/Con DRBC ...

TGF Bulletin

Urgent Alert_Army Corps of Engineers taking Tally of Calls Pro/Con DRBC ...

The Army Corps is "tallying" the number of calls for and against approving the regulations for drilling in the Delaware River Basin. The deciding vote is on Nov. 21.
Call the Army Corps of Engineers:

703-697-4672

You'll get the secretary for the fed govt's DRBC representative, Jo Ellen Darcy. Just leave your message urging the Army Corps to vote NO FRACKING in the Delaware River Basin and that we expect leadership on this issue from Pres. Obama!

The DRBC (Delaware River Basin Commission) was funded by Congress under US Supreme Court to "protect and manage" the waters of the Delaware River. Unbelievably, despite this watershed providing drinking water to 15.6 million people -- 5% of ALL Americans -- including NYC, Philadelphia, Trenton, Camden, most of S. Jersey. almost all of Delaware State, the DRBC plans to vote on finalizing draft fracking regulations on Nov. 21.  Composed of governor-appointed commissioners from NY, NJ, PA and DE, plus the Army Corps of Engineers as the federal representative, this body needs 3 votes to pass a resolution.  NJ and PA will vote for fracking.  NY and DE very likely will vote against it.  That makes the federal government the deciding factor.

Ramblings

I am not advocating this program just thought I would send it on for you to decide, you can go to their web page and read all about it, its called Green Fish.

http://www.greenfishmovement.com/scripts/learn.asp

'Rock snot' infestation shuts Vermont hatchery

 

An infestation of the invasive algae didymo, or "rock snot" has prompted the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission to close the Bethel Federal Fish Hatchery in Vermont so it can be thoroughly decontaminated. Some 3,000 hatchery salmon will be donated to Native American tribes, while the fate of 434,000 lake trout will be decided later. Via AP.

More Ramblings

I was looking through my computer stuff and came up with this site http://globalflyfisher.com/ it is without a doubt one of the most informative sites for FlyFisherman on the Internet and all the info is free. Go take a look I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

The Global FlyFisher - The Internet's Cutting Edge Fly Fishing Site
Site Developed by GFF Partners: Martin Joergensen, Steve Schweitzer, Bob Petti, Bob Skehan & Kasper Mühlbach

Ramblings On A Cool Fall Day

Sitting here and thinking about the funny weather we have had in our our area this year. I was reading where in the Southern Tier of NY they as we had rain in he Spring really heavy now they say the tribs are low.

I was reading a Flyfishing mag this afternoon and there was an article about the Battenkill River on the NY side, it gave a site to go to to get map of the River, here it is:

pfrbattenkil.pdf
I hope you enjoy this pdf, by the way the area around the Vermont side of the Battenkill is beautiful, and it has The American Museum of Flyfishing in Manchester, VT, just up the road and The Orvis Company too.

6 Things Guides Do That You Shouldn't

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 08:45 AM PST As a guide, Bryan Eldredge can get away with things that you can't on the river. photo courtesy Bryan Eldredge I was was nine years old when my brother Scott gave me some advice I've applied to all sorts of things since then. On that Saturday, we were playing catch after watching our beloved Red Sox on NBC’s Game of the Week when I made an imaginary relay throw pretending to be the Red Sox' shortstop, Rick Burleson. Scott, who was already a high school star, caught my near-perfect throw and proceeded to chew my butt for throwing side-armed. "But Burleson throws side armed," I objected. At this, Scott walked right up to me, pointed the finger of his ungloved hand at my nose and said, "He's not a pro because he can do it; he can do it because he's a pro." After giving me a few seconds to process this profundity, he spoke again—in a slightly less intense tone—and explained how throwing overhanded reduces the number of variables in calculating a release point:  Overhand throws can miss high or low, but done properly the ball doesn't end up right or left. The importance of mastering the basics, as taught by my brother that day, has application in a lot of arenas, not the least of which is fly fishing. I’ve listed below six things that my fellow professionals in our fair sport, namely guides and instructors, do regularly that others might best avoid. 1. They twist their wrists while making a backcast. This is sometimes called “poor tracking." The effect is such that someone standing in front of the caster sees the side of the reel rather than the line housed in it. It’s something akin to throwing a baseball sidearmed. The problem here is that this little outward twist, magnified over 9 feet or so, does funky things to your rod tip, making it travel in several directions. And, as the truism says, wherever your rod tip goes, the line will follow. 2. They fish without a net. The fact is that a lot of guides fish on their own without a landing net, especially when walk/wading. There is actually a case to be made that landing a fish without a net can be less dangerous to the fish, but only in the case of very experienced hands. But this argument isn’t why guides do it. Usually it’s because they can, and it’s less trouble than carrying a net. For most folks, using a net greatly reduces the potential of injuring fish. It also increases the odds of getting a nice photo. 3. They grab their leaders while landing fish. Want to see a guide panic? Reach for your leader as he or she prepares to net your fish. Grabbing a leader removes virtually all of your tackle's shock-absorbing capacity, making a broken tippet very likely. Interestingly though, the pros will very often grab their own leaders, particularly if they aren't using a net (see #2). It can be done, but you have to properly manage a whole bunch of variables. For most people, it makes much more sense to just bring a fish to net by touching only your rod handle and the reel. 4. They carry their lines off the reel in loops while moving along a river. The frustration of trying to get your line free from brush, rocks, boots, and legs is one of the universal experiences of fly fishing. It is not, however, one of the more pleasurable ones. Given that rivers are furnished with all manner of line-grabbing objects (not to mention feet and legs that come with the angler), it’s usually a better use of time to reel in before moving very far. 5. They cast heavy nymph rigs overhead, even when using a series of split shot, weighted flies, and strike indicators. Timing the backcast is tough for lots of fly fishers. An early forward stroke creates snarls for which guides have a name, “do overs.” Nymph rigs, with their arsenal of two or three flies, multiple split shot, and a strike indicator, complicate things all the more. To avoid spending your day on a monofilament Rubik’s Cube, stick with simple flip casts made by letting the current pull the line downstream and then lifting the line in a high arc upstream in one simple motion. 6. They wade and fish at the same time. Wading is inherently dangerous, and doing it well is more of an acquired skill than it appears. Trying to manage line while wading is an unnecessary risk. Do one, then the other. Live to fish another day. There are easily more than six things the pros do that don’t bear imitation. In most cases, the pros will be the first to tell you what those are; in the end, that’s what their profession is all about. In this case, it’s almost always better to do as I say, not as I do.

OUR LAST CHANCE TO PREVENT FRACKING IN THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN!

 

Drilling is likely to begin in the Delaware River Watershed - the source of drinking water for 15.6 million people - in a matter of weeks or months

What’s Happening:

On Monday, November 7, 2011, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), made up of representatives from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and a representative for President Obama, issued revised Natural Gas Development Guidelines for the Delaware River Watershed that establish the basis on which fracking will take place in the Delaware River Watershed, the sole or major source of fresh drinking water for over 15 million people.   On November 21, 2011, the DRBC will vote on whether to adopt them.

This vote will come just 14 days after the guidelines were issued, and the public will not be given a chance to comment on them. While an ongoing comprehensive analysis of the revised rules is being done by technical experts and legal staff, we've already seen glaring problems in the revised rules, some of them substantial changes from the original draft. These span the gamut from the weakening of water quality protections to the lack of any cumulative impact controls to public health.  For example, DRBC regulations continue to allow very large open pits to hold toxic flowback and gas drilling wastewater over long periods of time that would create risks of surface and groundwater contamination and be a constant source of air pollution.

What Does It Mean?

This means that the commission could start issuing permits for fracking in the Delaware River Watershed in just weeks or months, and that the public will have no say about as many as 20,000 wells that are planned for the area. In the year since the commission first took testimony and comment, dramatic amounts of new scientific data have become available showing that fracking in this national treasure creates significant risk of damage to the area’s water and air, as well as substantial threat to the health of humans and animals living in the affected area.

What Can You Do?

This is a travesty that cannot go unchallenged!

Catskill Mountainkeeper along with many other organizations are organizing an extremely important demonstration in Trenton, NJ on Monday November 21^st at the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ beginning at 8:00 AM.  Our State and Federal lawmakers and leaders, the media and our fellow citizens must hear our protest and outrage.

If you live anywhere in the Marcellus Shale or in the affected area, your ecosystem, your health, the water you drink and the air you breathe is at high risk of being negatively affected. Put this date on your calendar. Be there.

Come to the Hearings on November 21!!!!

Please join us on our bus going from Liberty, NY.  To find a bus in your area click here.

Public pressure makes a big difference. Call the Governors of the member states and President Obama today. Tell them “I am extremely opposed to drilling in the Delaware Watershed especially without proper due process and environmental impact studies”.

            NY - Governor Cuomo  (518) 474-8390

            NJ - Governor Christie  (609) 292-6000

            PA - Governor Corbett  (717) 787-2500

            DE - Governor Markell  (302) 577-3210

            President Obama          (202) 456-1111

How You Can Help:

We are up against the richest and most influential industry in the world. Catskill Mountainkeeper and our allies have surprised many critics by being so effective to date.  But it continues to be a long, hard fight and we need your financial assistance to continue. Please give as generously as you can.

Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline: Join Hands Around the White House, November 6th

 

Posted: 04 Nov 2011 05:26 PM PDT

[Demonstrators in front of the White House protesting a proposed pipeline that would bring tar sands oil through the U.S. from Canada. Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images]
From mid-August to early September this year, concerned citizens gathered at the White House to protest the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline. Over 1200 people were arrested during this peaceful protest, and their act of civil disobedience, along with similar events and petitions nationwide, sent President Obama a simple message:  Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline would originate in Alberta, Canada and pass through the West and Midwest of the United States ending up in Houston where most of the oil will be shipped overseas. Six companies have contracted for three-quarters of the oil. Five are foreign.The New York Times in an editorial opposes the pipeline. 

Nebraska Cornhusker football fans booed when a Keystone ad showed up on the Jumbotron at a recent game. The next day the university ended their sponsorship deal with Trans-Canada Pipeline.

Tribal leaders from both sides of the border and private land owners from South Dakota and Nebraska signed a ‘Mother Earth Accord’ opposing Keystone XL. The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu along with seven other Nobel Peace Prize winners oppose the pipeline.
Ranchers and farmers are fighting the pipeline. Ben Gotschall grew up in Nebraska's Sand Hills. His family has been ranching there for four generations. He opposes the pipeline even though the Tar Sands XL is being sold as oil from a “friendly” neighbor.
"Where I'm sitting, having an oil pipeline in my backyard, in my drinking water, that's not a very friendly neighbor," Gotschall told NPR. "That's not what neighbors do, at least where I was raised."
Corruption and accusations of a too-cozy relationship with the State Department plague the pipeline.
On Sunday November 6th, the movement returns to Washington. Exactly one year before the next presidential election, thousands of protesters will encircle the White House, to remind the president, our government and the nation that the Keystone XL Pipeline has no place in a national vision of clean energy.
We know it’s hard to get to Washington, but if you can, this is the moment.
1) If you live in the USA, go to TarSandsAction.org for ideas on getting involved. The action begins at 2 pm in Lafayette Park.
2) Call the White House
3) Sign the petition at 350.org demanding President Obama to reject the pipeline.
3) You can stand in solidarity with everyone taking action in DC by sending a message and photo to the protesters in DC.
4) If you're on social networks, please share the petition to President Obama with just a couple of clicks on Facebook and Twitter.
5) Be a “ human microphone” for Tim DeChristopher, a protester who is serving time in prison for his peaceful protest against oil and gas leasing on federal lands. Tim can’t be at the protest on November 6 but you can be his microphone.

Background information on the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

§ New York Times: "Tar Sands and the Carbon Numbers"

§ NPR: "An Oil Pipeline From Canada? Some Say 'No Way'"

§ Grist: "Keystone XL pipeline would screw over farmers, threaten aquifer"

§ Huffington Post: "Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Arrests Mount As Climate Activists Push Obama"

§ Peaceful Uprising: "New video about the Tar Sand Action by Josh Fox (creator of Gasland)"

Please share this action alert and any of these links with your social networks. Thank you for raising your voice.

Recreational Sporting Season Reminders

 

November 1 Seasons

In our last issue, we missed reminding you of several recreational sporting seasons that started on November 1. These November 1 openers are listed below:

Saltwater Fishing
Black sea bass fishing re-opened and will continue through December 31. The minimum length limit is 13 inches per fish and the daily catch limit is 10 fish.

Hunting
The following hunting seasons opened for Long Island.
(Click on the links to view the season map)
- Bobwhite Quail(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29447.html)
- Cottontail Rabbit(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29449.html)
- Pheasant(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29453.html)
- Squirrel(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29460.html)
- Weasel, opossum, raccoon, skunk, and fox(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29455.html)

Trapping
(Click on the links to view the season map)
- Beaver(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29044.html) and River Otter(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30513.html) trapping opened for northern areas of New York.
- Weasel, opossum, raccoon, skunk, and fox (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30507.html)trapping opened for Long Island.

Upcoming Seasons

The recreational season reminders listed below include season dates that extend over the next two weeks. For all season dates and to view more information about hunting and fishing in New York, visit DEC's Outdoor Activities(http://www.dec.ny.gov/62.html) webpage.

Youth Hunting (Ages 12-15)(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/52495.html)

For Waterfowl (Duck, Coot, Merganser, Canada Goose, and Brant):

• November 12-13 - Two-day youth waterfowl hunt(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28503.html#Youth) weekend on Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk Counties). Juniors must register with HIP(http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6405.html) and have a junior hunting license(http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6094.html) prior to going afield. Junior waterfowl hunters do not need a federal duck stamp. Juniors must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter (including current HIP registration and duck stamp), but the adult may not shoot any birds unless the regular season is open. The daily bag limits for Canada geese are two per day. For duck, coot, merganser, and brant, the daily limit is the same as the regular season bag limits(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28888.html).

Deer & Bear (Big Game) Hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7857.html)

(view the big game hunting map(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html) to identify hunting zones)

• November 18 - Final day for bowhunting in the Southern Zone.
• November 19 - Opening day for firearm and crossbow hunting in the Southern Zone. Please view the rifle, shotgun, and bow area map(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/35010.html) to identify where and what weapons you may legally use when hunting. Additionally, hunters in Southern Zone Wildlife Management Units 3C, 3H, 3J, 3K, and a portion of 3A (south and west of Route 28) must abide by antler restriction regulations(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html).

Turkey Hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8366.html)

(view the turkey hunting map(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29461.html) to identify hunting zones)

• November 4 - Final day for a portion of New York's central and western regions (e.g. Lake Ontario regions).
• November 18 - Final day for all remaining open areas. This closes turkey hunting for all of upstate New York.
• November 19 - Opening day for Long Island (Suffolk County). This season remains open through November 23. Hunters may take only one turkey of either sex for the season.

Game Bird Hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45568.html)

For Snipe, Gallinule, and Rail:

• November 9 - Final day for hunting in all open areas of NY (upstate NY, north of Bronx-Westchester County boundary).

For Woodcock:

• November 14 - Final day for hunting in all open areas (all of upstate NY and Long Island).

Report Your Harvest

Don't forget to report your harvest of turkey, deer, or bear within seven days

Waterfowl Hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28888.html)

(view the following maps to identify waterfowl hunting zones (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28497.html) and Canada goose hunting areas(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28496.html) that are described below)

For Duck, Coot, Merganser:

• November 5 - Opening day in the Southeastern Waterfowl Zone.

For Canada Goose:

• November 18 - Final day of split season in the following Goose Hunting Areas: East Central and Hudson Valley.

For Brant:

• November 19 - Final day in the Northeastern Waterfowl Zone.

Furbearer Trapping(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/355.html)

• November 10 - the following furbearer seasons open for eastern portions of upstate NY - Hudson Valley and Catskill Regions.
  (Click on links to view season maps):
  - Beaver(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29044.html)
  - Otter(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30513.html)
  - Mink & Muskrat(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/30510.html) - also available are special mink/muskrat hunting(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45559.html#Muskrat) opportunities.

As our state leaders move closer to allowing unsafe drilling across New York, the time to stand up against fracking is now.

I'm writing to you today because as concerned residents of the Catskills, we cannot stand by and watch as our water, our air and our health are threatened.  We cannot afford to take a backseat and watch as our vibrant lands and communities are turned into an industrialized fracking site.  The price that each of us will pay is too great.  We have only to look as far as our neighbors in Pennsylvania to see what a fracked future will look like for us.

Like many of you, I have been to Albany. I have stood outside the Capitol with hundreds of you who have been tirelessly fighting to protect our great state of New York from the dangers of fracking. I have met with our elected officials and articulated my opposition to the destruction and pollution it would bring to our state.  And I have heard the stories of devastation from around the country – some from neighboring communities just over the border in Pennsylvania.
Parents who have watched their children sickened by contaminated air

Farmers dealing with the loss of livestock from polluted waters

Homeowners reeling from ravaged property values as a result of their proximities to drilling operations

Whole communities losing their drinking water due to "accidents"

We cannot stand idly by and allow these stories to become our legacy.  I cannot and will not stand back and watch as these irreversibly damaging practices come into my community – destroying the lands that I love and endangering the health and livelihoods of my family, friends and neighbors.
I’m writing to urge you to take action TODAY.
In this fight, every voice matters. Stand up, speak out to say we won’t let fracking go forward in New York State.
Join the movement and ACT NOW!
What you can do:

There are a number of very important public hearings coming in November.  It’s critical that we get a huge turnout at each one because these are the hearings that will determine whether we STOP FRACKING in New York State and the Delaware River Basin. PLEASE COME TO AT LEAST ONE OF THESE HEARINGS - WE NEED YOU NOW.

            November 16 – Public Hearing on the dSGEIS - Dansville, NY

            November 17 – Public Hearing on the dSGEIS - Binghamton, NY

            November 21 – DRBC Hearing - Trenton, NJ

            November 29 -  Public Hearing on the dSGEIS – Loch Sheldrake, NY

            November 30 – Public Hearing on the dSGEIS – New York City

Click here for the dates and times of the dSGEIS hearings. If you cannot attend a hearing you can submit your comments to the DEC online here.  Use the  Catskill Mountainkeeper website as a resource.  For more information on the DRBC hearing click here.

Call Catskill Mountainkeeper at (845)482-5400 if you need more information regarding the hearings and the public comment process.

Forward this message to your friends, family and neighbors and ask them to forward it on. Get educated, especially about the health issues and threats.
Please make your voice heard and please support Catskill Mountainkeeper.
Thank you.
-Michelle

Clean Angling News October 2011

Missouri To Ban Felt in 2012    The Missouri Conservation Commission has approved a regulation change banning the use of "porous-soled waders or footwear incorporating or having attached a porous sole of felted, matted, or woven fibrous material when fishing in trout parks and other specific trout waters. Pending public comment through the Secretary of State’s office, the new regulation will go into effect March 1, 2012, the opening day of catch-and-keep fishing at Missouri’s four trout parks."     The move to ban felt in Missouri is not a surprise as we have been reporting that the rule was in preparation for nearly a year. The intent of the rule is to reduce the spread of Didymo, the invasive algae that has rapidly spread across the Eastern US. Tim Banek, invasive species coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said Didymo has prompted his agency to begin developing the regulations.  Read More   While Missouri is the latest state to institute a felt ban, we can expect that other states and jurisdictions will be considering felt bans as well. We will continue to provide a comprehensive accounting of all felt ban proposals in the US at US Felt Bans Ballast Water Remains a Threat    Ballast water continues to be the biggest problem for new international aquatic invasions. New York is set to implement strict regulations on ballast water but the move is strongly opposed by many. Perhaps most critically, the US House of Representatives is quickly working on a bill that would prevent the New York Regulations from taking effect.  Read More     While ballast water regulations are being hotly debated, the shipping industry has weighed in with the threat that hundreds of thousands of jobs may be at risk. Pointing at the economic advantages of not regulating ballast water the industry group tries to make a case that preventing invasive species is too costly. Read More Federal Response to 9/11 Benefited Invasive Species   According to a newly released AP report, "Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.      At the time, hundreds of agricultural scientists responsible for stopping invasive species at the border were reassigned to anti-terrorism duties in the newly formed Homeland Security Department — a move that scientists say cost billions of dollars in crop damage and eradication efforts from California vineyards to Florida citrus groves.       The consequences come home to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices, substandard produce and the risk of environmental damage from chemicals needed to combat the pests.”  Read More Asian Carp Stories of Interest      The potential invasion of the Great Lakes bu Asian carp remains the big story. There continues to be action on the legal and legislative front while powers battle of their own interests. Here are some stories of interest.    The fight to close off the potential pathway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi took a new turn in October when five states asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their plea for quicker federal action to prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from moving between the watersheds.  Read More     While the legal fight continues, in a Purdue University Calumet classroom representatives of Great Lakes protection and advocacy groups revealed preliminary concepts to protect the world's largest surface freshwater source from Asian carp and other aquatic invaders.  Finding a cost-effective way to separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds to combat invasive species may be a Herculean task. And it appears potential solutions will be a tough sell.  Read More    Not everyone is convinced that Asian carp would actually cause problems in the Great Lakes, including some noted scientists. For a good overview of  both sides of this argument listen to this Podcast from Ann Arbor Science & Skeptics. In it, Dr. Gerald Smith, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan argues that the carp represent far less of a threat than believed while Dr. Michael Murray, staff scientist with the National Wildlife Federation of Michigan presents the case that the carp are a serious ecological threat.Listen Here State by State Wyoming - Wyoming's second boating season following passage of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) legislation in 2010 was deemed a success based on the numbers of boats inspected, AIS decal sales, and overall cooperation from boaters.  Read More Ohio - Quagga and Zebra mussels are being cited as a likely factor in the record algae blooms experienced on Lake Erie. NASA has released a story with fascinating space photos that show the extent of the problem.  Read More Hawaii - Patrick Dougherty, a world-renowned, award-winning artist, and approximately 150 local volunteers completed a giant, "Invasive Species" sculpture at the Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center in Makawao.  Read More Montana - The discovery of Eurasian Milfoil on Beaver Lake west of Whitefish is prompting the state to close the lake's boat ramp to prevent the spread of the aquatic weed.  Read More   Minnesota - A new electronic gate is ready to drop its arm across the public boat ramp on Christmas Lake, if the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources approves its use in an experiment aimed at stopping the spread of zebra mussels   Read More Oregon -  The northern ringed crayfish, an aquatic invasive species, has been discovered in the Umpqua River system in southwest Oregon. Native to the Mississippi River, the ringed crayfish was first documented in Oregon’s Rogue River in the early 1960s. Read More Michigan - The Tourism Improving Michigan's Economy (TIME) Alliance unveiled radio ads and a special website designed to muster public and industry support to keep Asian Carp out of Michigan waterways.  Read More New York - Is the time of the private boat launch on Lake George over? That question is being posed as local and state officials grapple with stemming the march of aquatic invasive species.  Read More California - A proposal to allow the use of aquatic pesticides at Lake Tahoe drew mixed reactions from the South Lake Tahoe City Council.  Read More Tropical Fish Hobbyists Encouraged to Avoid Invasive Species Fishchannel.com is a leading tropical fish site that is run by one of the major magazines. They recently had a series of three good articles that are aimed at teaching fish keepers about the invasive species threat. The pet trade is often highlighted as a potential source of new invasives and it is great to see a major media company joining in the education effort.  Read Part One - Read Part Two - Read Part Three Potpourri   A selection of stories not directly related to aquatic invasives.    Kudzu – the "plant that ate the South" – has finally met a pest that's just as voracious. Trouble is, the so-called "kudzu bug" is also fond of another East Asian transplant that we happen to like, and that is big money for American farmers - Soybeans. Read More     After more than 10 years of hunting and attempting to remove invasive populations of nutria throughout Maryland, one final push is being made to eradicate the species locally. Over the next few years, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin traveling down the Wicomico River seeking out remaining nutria populations. Read More     A Michigan Department of Natural Resources director’s order listing sporting swine as an invasive species took effect on Oct. 8, making it illegal to possess the animals in Michigan. Read More

AIR POLLUTION FROM GAS DRILLING WILL AFFECT EVERYONE - - FROM THE CATSKILLS, TO THE HUDSON VALLEY, TO NEW YORK CITY

If you think fracking will not affect you, think again.

The Millennium, Iroquois and Tennessee pipelines will intersect with a proposed NYMarc connector in Orange County in and around the Town of Minisink.  This map is a clear visual illustration of the pipeline.  There is already an application for one compressor station and more are being considered.

Compressor stations are used to keep gas in a highly pressured state so that it can travel through gas pipelines.  We now know that these compressor stations have negative impacts on the environment and people’s health, which can be as severe as those that are found at gas drilling well pads. They emit carcinogenic and neurotoxin compounds, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides that create ozone (smog) and many more toxins. People who live in areas with compressor stations have reported serious health symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, blackouts, muscle contractions and ruptured ear drums from the constant low frequency roar of the compressors. In parts of rural Texas where gas pipeline compressor stations are located, asthma rates for children have risen from a normal 7% to a very abnormal 25%.
Communities in close proximity to gas production facilities will feel the air contaminants the most.  HOWEVER, BECAUSE AIR CONTAMINANTS TRAVEL VIA AIR CURRENTS THEY WILL ALSO AFFECT SURROUNDING AREAS - WHICH IN THIS CASE WOULD INCLUDE DUTCHESS, PUTNAM, ROCKLAND AND WESTCHESTER COUNTIES AND NEW YORK CITY.
Orange County, NY is the home of many 9-11 responders who are living with health issues as a result of their heroic service to all of us.  In a letter protesting the compressor stations near his hometown, a NYC First Responder said, “There are approximately 10 NYC First Responders (that I am aware of) that live approximately within a half mile radius of the proposed Millennium gas compressor site.”  He further said, “We know all-too-well the result these known carcinogens will have on our health. We do not want to have to move again.”
While it is a travesty to think of these 9-11 responders having their health further compromised by the proposed compressor stations, it is just as unconscionable to subject the entire population of Orange County to these same negative health impacts.  These new emissions will be on top of existing problems Orange County currently faces with pollution from vehicle and industry emissions.  According to EPA records from 1998 to 2008, the latest published, the air quality was considered less than good on over 21.5% of the days of the year and on 75% of those days ozone was the main pollutant.
These planned compressor stations are just the tip of the iceberg. In PA, there is now an average of almost one compressor station application per week. As things stand we can expect the same.
Calvin Tillman, the former mayor of Dish TX, where residents were sickened after 11 compressor stations were built said, “If you don't learn from what has happened here, by the time that the odor gets bad enough for you to not want it there, by the time that the noise gets loud enough that it's disturbing you, it's already too late.”
It is becoming late in the game in New York State. If we don’t take action now to stop fracking in New York, all of us from the Catskills and the Southern Tier down to the Hudson Valley and into New York City will pay a personal price. 

In order to let Governor Cuomo know that we don’t want fracking to ruin our health and our environment, today we are starting a call campaign called “DON’T FRACK FRIDAYS”.  Please call the Governor’s office EVERY Friday to let him know that you don’t want fracking in New York State at (518) 474-8390.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) controls the regulation of interstate pipelines. Please click here to tell them not to build a compressor station in Minisink or anywhere else in Orange County because of the potential for serious long-term negative health ramifications to all New Yorkers, especially our children.  The deadline to comment is November 14, 2011.

Next month hearings will be conducted regarding the conditions and rules under which gas drilling would be allowed in New York State. We can’t stress enough the importance of having huge turnouts at these hearings. Please reserve these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.  You’ll hear more from us as we get closer.           

            November 16 – Public Hearing on the dSGEIS - Dansville, NY

            November 17 – Public Hearing on the dSGEIS - Binghamton, NY

            November 21 – DRBC Hearing - Trenton, NJ 

            November 29  - Public Hearing on the dSGEIS – Loch Sheldrake, NY

            November 30 – Public Hearing on the dSGEIS – New York City

Click here for the dates and times of the dSGEIS hearings, and here for more information on the DRBC hearing.  Use the  Catskill Mountainkeeper website as a resource.

Forward this message to your friends, family and neighbors and ask them to forward it on. Get educated, especially about the health issues and threats.

Your support is needed now more than ever.  Please give as generously as you can.

or mail a check to:  Catskill Mountainkeeper, PO Box 381, Youngsville, NY 12791
www.catskillmountainkeeper.org

845.482.5400

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About Catskill Mountainkeeper
Catskill Mountainkeeper is an independent, not for profit, 501c3 community based environmental advocacy organization, dedicated to creating a flourishing sustainable economy in the Catskills and preserving and protecting the area's long term health. We address issues of water integrity for the Delaware and Susquehanna River Systems, the defense of the vast woodlands that encompass the Catskill Forest Preserve and the New York City Watershed as well as farmland protection. We promote "smart" development that balances the economic needs and concerns of the Catskill regions' citizens and the protection of our abundant but exceedingly vulnerable natural resources.