Highlights Fish and Game Council Meeting
February 9, 2010
By David Burke, Councilman ¨C Southern Region¡¡
Council Attendance: Brummer, Burke, Kertz, Messeroll, Wolgast and Vreeland answered the roll call. Acting Chairwoman Vreeland presided over the meeting.
January Minutes: Approved with minor changes. (Approved minutes are posted on the Division website after approval.)
Director Chanda¡¯s Comments: The Division is generally within its¡¯ current year budget. (25% of the Division¡¯s positions are vacant.) Marine Fisheries has a deficit of $100,000. The Garden State Deer Classic was a success and the awards presentation was attended by 150 sportsmen on the last day of the show. Results of the Deer Classic are on the Division and Federation websites. Director Chanda will attend a "Teaming with Wildlife" meeting in Washington DC on February 23 and 24. The meeting provides the opportunity to discuss wildlife related issues with our elected representatives.
Legislation: John Messeroll and Paulette Nelson (Division staff) reported that numerous bills were re-introduced for the current legislation session. A long list of bills was provided to the Council. The Council positions on the bills were the same as the previous session. Additional information on the bills will be available through the State Federation and NJOA.
Wildlife Management (Asst. Director Herrighty): The Council approved a Community Based Deer Management Program for Watchung Reservation, Union County. Twelve volunteer agents will cull deer from March 1 to 3. Agents shoot deer from elevated stands over bait. The program goal is to remove 50 to 100 deer this year. Deer are processed and the venison is donated to the Community Food Bank of NJ. The program began in 1994 and has been successful in reducing and maintaining the deer population at an acceptable level. Hunters are reminded to submit their turkey permit applications by February 22. Research results on the estimated bear population, conducted by East Stroudsburg University, should be available in March. The results will be included in the updated/draft bear management policy document later in March. Bear sightings, damage and nuisance complaints were up 5.59% in 2009 compared to 2008.
Freshwater Fisheries: Chief Barno reported that the South Jersey Fisheries Forum will be held at 10 am on February 27 at Batsto Village. Fisheries management and research updates will be presented and the public is invited to provide input and ask questions. Directions and additional information are available on the Division website. Tuckahoe Lake (Cape May County) was added to the trout stocking list. Dennisville Lake and West Pond (both in Cape May County) were dropped from the stocking program. 450 bonus brood stock trout will be stocked at Birch Grove Park Pond (Atlantic County), 500 will be stocked at Shaws Mill Pond (Cumberland County) and 390 will be stocked in Grenloch Lake (Gloucester/Camden Counties). Most spring trout allocations for South Jersey are similar to 2009. Freshwater Fishing Digests are available at license agents.
Law Enforcement: Chief Cussen reported that in addition to the information contained in the monthly report, officers had confiscated and removed a rattlesnake, cobra and alligator from individuals. (The cobra was taken from a fish tank in baby¡¯s room.) Appropriate summonses were issued. From the monthly report, officers performed 677 inspections and issued 48 summonses in the southern region. Several summonses were issued for deer hunting violations such as failing to tag deer, hunting at night, killing deer in the wrong zone and shooting a deer with a firearm during winter bow season.
Information and Education: Chief Sciascia presented final hunting license, permit and stamp sales information for 2009. Archery license sales were up 7.7% and firearm license sales were down 0.8%. Deer permit sales increased by 2%. Pheasant and quail stamp sales were down 4.6%. I & E will host an Outdoor Writers meeting on March 18 and host an open house at Pequest on March 27 & 28.
Lands Management: Chief Petrongolo reported that no additional lands had been added to the WMA system this month. Work continues on forest stewardship plans for Whitings, Greenwood and Peaslee WMAs. Division staff is also working with the Landis Sewage Authority and the Quail Group on habitat management on the 1800 acre area near the Union Lake WMA. A firewood salvage cut is being conducted on Buckshootem WMA.
Public Comments: Five animal rights advocates attended the meeting and voiced opposition to hunting, sportsmen, Division and Council.
Executive Session: The Council closed the public meeting in order to discuss several law suits including the bear lawsuit.
The above is a summary of only a few of the reports (written and oral) provided at the meeting.
The Game Committee of the Council will meet on March 16 regarding the 2011-12 Game Code. Additional suggestions for regulation changes should be submitted to the Division and Council ASAP.
Marine anglers 16 and older are reminded to register for the Federal Government¡¯s National Saltwater Registry Program before fishing in 2010 (www.countmyfish.noaa.gov or 888-674-7411. There is no fee and registering is easy.
The next Council meeting will be held beginning at 10 am on March 9 at the Central Region Office, Robbinsville. Meeting agendas are available on the Division website.
Up, Up, and Away!
The Federation goes on the Air Waves!
Yesterday, the Federation launched its first radio ad on WSNJ 1240 AM in Bridgeton, Cumberland County. Host George Moore aired the ad on the Sportsmen's Hotline Show. The ad will run for the month of December.
If you want to hear the ad, listen on your computer at www.wsnjam.com on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
New Jersey County Fair Schedules 2009 and 2010
Looking for New Members?
Man your booths at the County Fairs!
Start Your Planning Now!
Special - A Blast from the Past! (1953)
NEW JERSEY FEDERATION OF SPORTSMEN'S CLUBS
Earl H. Heide, Daniel D. Warfield
President. Secretary
Southern Region
THE JOB
Is NOT YET FINISHED
To date we have been very successful in our conservation efforts, thanks to a majority -of our Fish and Game Council. our Govemor, our Assembly and Senate and a great numbe of civic groups. It is very evident that more people in New Jersey are conservation-minded than ever before. BUT, our fight is just beginning.
First, we are the only sportsmen's group recognized by law in the State. We are gaining strength every day, and gaining the respect and cooperation of our neighbors. We must admit, however, that we have a little cleaning of our own back yard to do. Some of our members must be taught the meaning of conservation and wildlife management, and to voice their opinions only after considerable, open-minded thought, with consideration toward all phases of sportsmen's activities.
Let's be open-minded, long range and objective in our thinking and efforts. We mentioned a couple of years ago "Rabbits, Quail, Deer and Pheasants are feeding today where industrial, commercial and housing developments will be built tomorrow." Tomorrow is "now" in some parts ¡¤of South Jersey. Camden County, for example, cannot find enough open land this year to accommodate one-half of its allotment of quail and pheasants. The balance will go to some other county which has open hunting land. How does the immediate future of your county look from the sportsman's point of view? And what are yougoing to do about it? .
A law preventing, we hope, the netting of striped bass in our inland coastal waters is now in effect. The Game Council does not have the money, manpower or equipment to even partially enforce it. Is it our job to fight for ~ Tide Water, or Salt Water license not only to enforce the striper law, but to provide funds for research, propagation of other tide water fish?
New Jersey is about the only state not having a big game license. The deer licensing bill was defeated last year. This year the Council gave out numerous deer permits because they do not have the funds to provide repellent, fencing, diversionary food patches or trapping service in overpopulated deer areas. A deer license, in addition to the revenue it would provide, would mean $30,000. from R-P funds for deer management. Some nurseryman or farmer will probably kill YOUR deer this year because it nipped his crops or seedlings. There are no funds to prevent it. What do you intend to do about this? .
The new Garden State Parkway, paralleling the Jersey Coast, now under construction, will make easy access to some of our finest hunting, fishing and wildfowl areas for inumerable hunters and fishermen from the thickly populated northern and out-of-state cities. Is there. anything we should do to make more public hunting lands available?
. Salem County Sportsmen's Club
With the prices of South Jersey lands at a premium, the Salem County Sportsmen's Club purchased a farm located on South Jersey's best and longest strip of bass water.
The Salem Canal is about twenty-eight miles long and we now own a goodly footage along the, north side of it.' . .
Watch for our open house in the near future.
Glen Young, Secretary
OCTOBER, 1953
Operation Game Thief