Moose Tick Research

The call came to members of the VTFW Conservation Group in late March of 2020 – if you find a
dead, tick-covered moose or a bloody bed filled with ticks while you’re out wandering around, get the
word out. UVM Researcher, and former VT Dept of F&W Board Member, Cheryl Sullivan needs those
moose ticks to continue her tick management research. (Read about her efforts here)

Female ticks (the big ones gathered and shown here) are placed in chambers to lay eggs so that there are larvae for experiments

Always ready to assist with projects, our members stayed alert. In April, a few folks from the Averill
contingent found ticks on the ground. Cheryl was called and the ticks were picked up.

Ms. Sullivan also was able to find several herself, writing in April, “I have been up there several times
including yesterday (what a beautiful day) when I finally was able to get my hands on some after putting
on the miles. I cut a fresh bloody track and followed it up until the going got rough then back down until
I ran out of snow picking up the dropped ticks along the way.”

 

Moose track and ticks (note the blood)

She reports that the earlier snowmelt this year may have good for any heavily parasitized moose and
unfortunately it may also good for the ticks for this coming fall if the area continues to have a high
moose density.

If you’re interested in getting involved in more grassroots conservation work, reach out to a director!

Tick laying eggs in the lab

Border Management Unit Comments

VTFWCG Submits Comments to VTF&W on Draft Management Plan

Comments as submitted are below. We encourage all members to submit their own comments after reviewing the plan- they are due 12-15-19. See the plan here: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/BMU-draft-plan

Get involved!

Re: Border Management Unit LRMP

Mr. Morin,

We are writing to provide comments on the Long Range Management Plan of the Border Management Unit. Our membership is made up of concerned hunters, trappers, and anglers primarily from Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties who support policies that promote conservation, environmental education, and outdoor activities.

We support maintaining as much of the road system on the Bill Sladyk WMA as possible to accommodate outdoor enthusiasts of all abilities, as well as to distribute hunting pressure more evenly. Well maintained roads with crowns and properly sized and maintained culverts contribute greatly to water quality and fish habitat/passage. This should be an immediate priority with very limited closure of these roads, rather than closing them until some unknown future date.

Obtaining an official right of way off of VT Route 114 to Averill Mountain WMA, with suitable parking roadside, should be a priority as well. This will serve multiple user groups and is a significant safety concern.

Properties that are managed by the Fish & Wildlife Department, and designated as “Wildlife Management Areas”, should be actively managed as the name implies. We would like to see as much of the land in the BMU actively managed as possible. With the exception of wetlands, shore land areas, and other appropriately restricted areas, we think more active management on the remaining lands will benefit wildlife populations.  It is important to maintain forest openings, particularly the Ben Cole clearings, to provide habitat for woodcock, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare, and white-tailed deer. There should be more early successional habitat than the 4% proposed in the plan; Conservation Design recommends at least 5%. With regard to the Reserve Area, we feel this should not exceed the Conservation Design recommendation of 15% Old Growth Forest, a target we feel should apply within the unit rather than considering the region.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of VTFWCG members,

 

Walt Driscoll, Secretary

VTFWCG

PO Box 207, East Charleston, VT 05833

Grouse Hunters take note

 

The ruffed grouse is an iconic game bird of Vermont that is widely recognized and enjoyed by hunters and non-hunters alike, but wildlife biologists are concerned that grouse populations across the Northeast have declined over the past 30 years.

This trend has prompted ruffed grouse research on potential causes, including emerging disease threats and habitat loss.  Recently, West Nile Virus has been implicated as a significant contributor to population declines in Pennsylvania.

Vermont is set to participate in a multi-state research project to determine the distribution, prevalence and potential impact of West Nile Virus on ruffed grouse across their range in North America.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department needs grouse hunters to collect blood and feather samples from the ruffed grouse they harvest during the hunting season in Vermont.  A kit with instructions, sampling supplies and necessary mailers will be provided to participating hunters, making the sampling collection quick and simple.

If you are interested in helping with this important conservation effort please contact:

State Wildlife Biologist Chris Bernier at (802) 289-0628 or by email at chris.bernier@vermont.gov.

Dock Installation

May 22nd, Northeast Kingdom-

Eight docks in seven lakes were re-installed for the summer by members of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Conservation Group, in cooperation with VT Dept of Fish and Wildlife and Desrochers Crane Service. These docks are at fishing accesses at Averill, Norton Pond, Island Pond, Seymour Lake, Salem Lake, Lake Memphremagog (South Bay and Strawberry Acres) and Crystal Lake.

Many hands, and a crane, make for light work.

 

When you’re at a fishing access this summer and use a dock, remember that these things don’t happen by accident. The access comes from years of hunter-angler excise payments, the docks are installed by local volunteers and the area is perpetually cared for by the Dept.

Please respect and appreciate how good we have it!

 

Quite a crew- maybe it was the cold water that turned the beards white?

 

Volunteers Needed for Riparian Project in Burke!

Members of the VTF&WCG are teaming up with Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Kingdom Trails Association, The Connecticut River Conservancy, and the Town of Burke to plant trees along the East Branch of the Passumpsic River.

This is a BIG planting!  There are 100’s of tress and shrubs to be planted!

We can now confirm the planting project is on for May 8,9, and 10!  It is less than a month away, so we’re starting now to our volunteers lined up.  Plantings start at 11:00 on the 8th and then a 9:00 the remaining 2 days. On the night of the 8th, after an afternoon of planting, show up at the Burke Publick House at 6:30 pm for a kick off celebration pint night. Working? Show up Wednesday afternoon to do what you can!

The stretch being planted is about 1/4 mike upriver from the dam removal project from 2017. Park in the Kingdom Trails parking area, cross the road and proceed over the snowmobile bridge behind East Burke Sports. Bring gloves, a shovel and a five gallon bucket if you can.

Contact Matt Breton at mattbreton@gmail.com for more information or if you plan to volunteer and put “River Project” in the subject line

Also, please share this with folks you know that might be interested in helping out!

Brook Trout Stocking 2019

The Brook Trout Fry are ready to be stocked in local beaver ponds!

The hatchery will be open at 7a.m. on Saturday April 13th for you to pick up fry- we expect a crowd, so please be patient.

 

Bring a kid or two along- help connect them to conservation!

When you get your fry to the beaver pond you are planning to stock, place the bag in the water where you can monitor it for 20-30 minutes to let the temperature adjust. Then open the bag and let some of the pond’s water in to circulate, then release the fry.

Please remember to stock these brook trout in remote beaver ponds and not in locations where wild trout already exist.

Legislative Action Alert

We just sent out an email to members asking everyone to get involved on these issues.

Time to get involved

There are several legislative issues facing VT Hunters and Anglers that have the ability to impact hunting and fishing in VT- now and into the future.
VT Fish & Wildlife Conservation Group is working on Gov. Scott’s proposed budget cut that would close the Salisbury Fish Hatchery paired with potential legislation to increase hunting and fishing license fees by a small amount to cover the budget shortfall. In addition, bills of note this week in the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife are concerning for hunters and anglers- H.410/H.411, which would negatively alter trapping and use of hounds; H.190, which would change governance of the F&W Dept; and H.357, a wanton waste bill. All of these issues warrant discussion, but jumping into them without some serious thought is short sighted.
We continue to work on these matters on behalf of our members, but are asking that you submit comments to your legislators this week- our strength relies on engaged members like you!

Below is a comment that you can cut and paste into an email to your legislators.

Located below that are the email addresses of Representatives for our region, please find yours and send them a polite email. If you need to find out who represents you, use this tool.

Lastly, please stay involved. Feel free to share this with your hunting and fishing friends. There will be further opportunities to engage our elected officials and we need you to help us protect our heritage now, and for future generations. Thank you!

**Suggested Comment to your Representative(s):

Thank you for your service to VT as my Representative. As a concerned hunter and angler, I’m writing to you about 1. The proposed closure of the Salisbury Fish Hatchery by Gov. Scott, 2. H.190 An act relating to the management of fish and wildlife, 3. H.410 An act relating to hunting and trapping, 4 H.357 An act relating to prohibiting the wanton waste of wildlife.

  1. Please vote for a nominal increase in hunting/fishing license fees to close the budget gap around the hatchery, which will allow stocking to continue, an activity that generates approximately $31.6 million to our economy.
    2. Please oppose H.190 and allow Agency of Natural Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to work on expanded funding options and management concerns before making this a legislative issue.
    3. Please oppose H.410/H.411. Hunting and trapping regulations are the purview of the F&W Board. Wildlife should not be managed legislatively.
    4. Please oppose H.357. Wanton waste is an issue of serious concern to hunters and anglers, however, this bill has made it to committee without discussion about its implications and enforcement by the many people it impacts.
    Thank you.
    Respectfully,
    [Your Name]