Blade Outdoors

Camping, hiking take center stage at Bass Pro

Backpack Magazine will be in the Rossford Bass Pro store on Thursday, Aug. 2^nd at 6:30 p.m. for a special presentation on camping and hiking. Sheri and Randy Propster, Get Out More Tour Ambassadors, will share their expertise, talk about the latest products, and field questions on these healthy outdoors activities.

 

Wildlife doors open for public to air beefs, ask questions

 The Ohio Division of Wildlife offices throughout the state will be open from noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11, for the public to ask questions, air a complaint, or pass along an issue.  The Toledo area is served by the District II office in Findlay. “Ohio’s anglers, hunters, trappers and wildlife enthusiasts are encouraged to provide their input on any rule being considered for change,” said Scott Zody, wildlife division chief. The controversial fish fillet rule will likely be on the table, as will new rules for wild animal hunting preserves, and proposals to define the geographical limits on reservoirs and bag limits on selected fish species.

 

 

Asian carp DNA found in Lake Erie

Officials from Ohio and Michigan have confirmed that six water samples taken from Lake Erie a year ago have tested positive for Asian carp eDNA. The samples came from Sandusky Bay in Ohio and north Maumee Bay in Michigan. The Ohio samples showed the presence of bighead carp DNA, while the Michigan ones indicated silver carp DNA was present. Look for a story on this alarming finding in Sunday's Blade.

Governors have peaceful outing on Lake Erie

When current Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Gov. George Voinovich shared the same boat for a recent fishing outing on Lake Erie, they were setting an international example in peaceful relations. 

“He loves Cleveland and he loves the lake. I love Cleveland and I love the lake, as well," Kasich said about Voinovich.  “He’s Serbian and I’m Croatian, and we proved that they can work together. It’s fantastic.”

 

 

 

Help needed for monitoring area rivers

 The Ohio Division of Watercraft's Scenic Rivers Program is holding several workshops in the northwest Ohio area in order to recruit and train volunteers to assist in water quality monitoring on the Maumee and Sandusky rivers. These volunteers will learn how to seine and ID the tiny aquatic insect life in the rivers, and see how the type, number and diversity of these macro-invertebrates serve as key indicators of water quality. The first workshop is Saturday (July 14) from 10-11:30 a.m. and meets at Farnsworth Metropark, in the Roche de Bout parking lot. Wear closed-toe shoes and be prepared to wade in the Maumee. The August classes will focus on the Sandusky River and meet on Aug. 18, first from 10:30-11:30 at the public fishing access parking lot at Indian Mill Park in Upper Sandusky, and then from 1-2:30 p.m. in the canoe launch parking lot at Wolf Creek Sandusky County Park near Fremont. Again, dress for wading.

 

 

Heat makes birds of prey display its next victim

As our daytime temperatures continue to flirt with and surpass the century mark, the folks at Van Buren State Park have decided to pull  the plug on the live bird of prey display planned for Saturday, July 7. The hope was that representatives from the Black Swamp Raptor Center would be able to display a bald eagle, and a live turkey vulture at  the Nature Center and talk about this bird's critical role as one of nature's undertakers. But, it's just too hot so the raptor and vulture show is off.  The reptile feeding will go on as planned - the heat can't stop these fellows. That takes place at the nature center from 2-4 p.m. 

 

 

Phragmites is all around us

After we ran a recent outdoors story on the invasive marsh plant Phragmites, a number of readers and emailers wondered where they could see an example of this nasty bully and get a better idea what it looks like. Here's one place: take I-475 north from Maumee towards the michigan line. a lot of the ditches on the east side of the road are crammed with Phragmites. it has pushed out the native plants and taken over.