Cold ice means hot fishing

Winter is one of the best times to catch fish

Editor’s note: The story below is the first in a four-part series about a fun activity to do in Utah in the winter — ice fishing! The series explains the benefits of fishing through the ice and provides tips to get beginning anglers started. Experienced anglers should learn something too.

January and February don’t have to be dreary months. Visiting a frozen pond, reservoir or lake can brighten your day in a flash.

Winter is a great time to go outside, breathe some fresh air and catch some fish.
Photo by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

That’s right — those “crazy” people you see standing on the ice, at waters across Utah, aren’t so crazy after all. They’ve found a fun way to get outside, breathe some fresh air and catch lots of fish.

Drew Cushing, warm water sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says winter is one of the best times of the year to fish. “Winter provides advantages you won’t find during other times of the year,” he says. “And the fishing can be really good.”

You can stay updated on where fishing is best at wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots. Two additional websites — bigfishtackle.com and utahwildlife.net — also provide updated ice fishing information.

via Cold ice means hot fishing.

Sportsmen: Better planning means better balance – National Wildlife Federation

Sportsmen are urging the Bureau of Land Management to chart a more effective and efficient course for the future of land use planning as the agency holds a series of meetings as part of the revision of its current planning process.In the coming days, two public listening sessions will be convened by the BLM on its initiative dubbed “Planning 2.0,” a way to “improve our land use planning process so that we can more effectively plan across landscapes at multiple scales and be more responsive to environmental and social change,” according to the agency. The meetings will take place in Denver on Oct. 1 and in Sacramento, California, on Oct. 7.

via Sportsmen: Better planning means better balance – National Wildlife Federation.

New Report: Summer Pests like Ticks, Mosquitoes & Toxic Algae Worsened by Climate Change – National Wildlife Federation

Toxic algae outbreaks like the one that poisoned drinking water in Lake Erie are just one of many summer threats being worsened by manmade climate change, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation. Ticked Off: America’s Outdoor Experience and Climate Change explains how deer ticks, tiger mosquitoes and fire ants are getting a boost from warmer temperatures and milder winters – and in the case of poison ivy, from carbon pollution itself.

via New Report: Summer Pests like Ticks, Mosquitoes & Toxic Algae Worsened by Climate Change – National Wildlife Federation.

Get close to mule deer, Nov. 1

Register now for free wildlife-viewing event

Green River–November is the perfect time for wildlife watchers and photographers to get close to mule deer without spooking them. Instead of worrying about humans, mule deer bucks spend their energy breeding or fighting other males.

The start of November is a great time to see mule deer. Their breeding season starts then, and the deer are less wary. Photo by Brent Stettler

The start of November is a great time to see mule deer. Their breeding season starts then, and the deer are less wary.

Photo by Brent Stettler

To take advantage of this time of year, Division of Wildlife Resources personnel will host a free Mule Deer Watch on Nov. 1 at the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in southeastern Utah.

Because deer hunting is restricted in the Book Cliffs (just north of Nash Wash), the WMA is one of the best places to see deer, especially bucks. Viewers can watch deer from their vehicles as they drive along the WMA’s network of maintained roads.

Top 10 Tips for Attracting Birds with Water :: Bird Watchers Digest

Attract birds to your yard with water features!

Try these ten tips.

by Bill Thompson, III read about BillKeep it Low. The standard birdbath on a pedestal may look good, but its not the best way to offer water to birds. Think about it: Most natural sources of water that birds use are on or near the ground. Its what they look for in nature. You can use the birdbath pedestal for something else—like your bright pink-mirrored lawn globe, or that sasquatch figurine youve been meaning to deploy. Place the bath basin on the ground or raised up on a cinder block, but keep it within a foot or so of the ground.Keep it Shallow. Birds dont bathe in deep water. Keep the level in your birdbath to about two inches or less. This is perfect for songbirds to wade into and splash around. If your bath basin is deep, place a layer of pea gravel or some large, flat stones in the bottom to offer birds a choice of water levels.

via Top 10 Tips for Attracting Birds with Water :: Bird Watchers Digest.

Sea Shepherd :: Namibia Trots Out Old and Useless Tricks to Defend the Seal Slaughter

April 13, 2012Namibia Trots Out Old and Useless Tricks to Defend the Seal Slaughter Commentary by Captain Paul Watson, Oswald Theart pretends to love a seal. It is an old Wise Use tactic from the Reagan era to create organizations that sound like they are for conservation but, in fact, represent just the opposite. For example back then we had Friends of the Sea Lions and Friends of the Dolphins, both groups created and funded by the tuna industry that in reality supported the killing of sea lions and dolphins.

via Sea Shepherd :: Namibia Trots Out Old and Useless Tricks to Defend the Seal Slaughter.