Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
From Mediators World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is
Cal's weekend review, presented by Steel. Steel products are available
only at authorized dealers. For more, go to Steel Dealers
dot com. Now here's your host, ryankel Callahan.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Raccoons aren't known for having refined palettes, but in Germany
at least the masked bandits have developed a taste for
some of the world's best beer. Can't blame them for that.
According to several German and British newspapers, raccoons have been
breaking into homes and cities throughout Deutschland, damaging property, eating
petfish and rabbits, and even drinking beer. Some homeowners have
(00:44):
reported over ten thousand dollars in damages, and one raccoon
was caught on video evading animal control outside the German
Parliament building. The German word for raccoon is vashbar, which
translates literally to the bear that walks and undoubtedly has
a slang meaning that we are not aware of. Be
(01:05):
careful when you google that one kids. Vashbar likely comes
from the common raccoon behavior of picking up food items
at the water's edge and washing them between their paws.
Raccoons are not native to Europe, but their populations have
been increasing in recent decades. One German newspaper described them
as a plague, and an estimated one thousand raccoons live
(01:26):
in Berlin alone. They've been spotted residing in boarding buses
and state high schools, as well as scavenging in the
city's allotment gardens. Germans should be forgiven for seeing something
sinister in these fuzzy invaders. According to urban legend, raccoons
were introduced to the country by none other than Hammond Goring,
who is you know, a horrid, horrid history figure. Anyway,
(01:51):
history buffs will recognize that name as belonging to the
founder of the Gestapo. His lesser known title was the
Master of the Hunt for the Third Reich, and he
led released the animals to hunt them for their fur.
Historians have disputed this account, but blaming nazis as totally
fine by me anyway. Speaking of hunting, the German National
Hunting Association says it's trying to control the surging population
(02:15):
and has killed a record two hundred thousand raccoons over
the course of the past year. Their efforts in Berlin
were stymied, however, when the city's Senate banned raccoon hunting
and instead encouraged residents to lock up their trash. As
with most controversies like this, I ask why not both?
This week We've got the Washington State Game Commission, public
(02:37):
lands and the ever popular Crime Desk. But first, I'm
going to tell you about my week, and my week
was super interesting. Flew out to Memphis in order to
join Ducks Unlimited for their annual live briefing around the
US Fishing Wildlife Breeding Survey. This particular survey has been
running since nineteen fifty five, and, to use the words
of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the primary purpose
(02:59):
of the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, which of
course is an acronym WBPH, is to provide information on
spring population size and trends for most North American duck species,
several populations of Canada geese, tundraswans, and American coot and
to evaluate breeding habitat conditions. This survey helps to guide
(03:21):
waterfowl management ie are yearly waterfowl regulations and habitat management.
The survey is conducted by airplane, helicopter, and ground over
a two million square mile area that covers principal breeding areas.
A couple of really interesting takeaways, of course, and all
of this is on the Ducks Unlimited YouTube channel as
(03:41):
well as the Ducks Unlimited Canada YouTube channel, But all
of these takeaways just reinforce the value of habitat. One
of these takeaways, for instance, is that water is only
a component. If an intermitt wetland, which as we all know,
is only sometimes wet but vital to the survival of hatchlings,
is tilled in the course of farming practices and then
(04:04):
fills with water, it doesn't a produce the food or
be produce the cover for birds to survive, so they
won't use it. However, that water will activate the riparian
plant seeds that are found in the seed bank in
that soil. So given enough time and the proper conditions,
that wet area, which is just a mud puddle at
this point, will eventually return to productive waterfowl production. But boy,
(04:30):
would it be better if those areas were allowed to
do their thing. Lots of programs that can help restore
these areas on your farmer ranch through the NRCS, the
Farm Bill, and state level programs. So on top of
the monetary incentives, you get the mental incentives of managing
your property in a way that produces waterfowl, wildlife, pollinators,
(04:53):
and a big old smile on your face when you
get out there and fire up the combine. Numbers. Wise,
and this is speaking very generally, we are going to
see a fine waterfowl season. We have some marginal drops
and breeding populations of species, and marginal gains, including an
over twenty percent jump in surveyed pintail pairs. And what
is not counted is young of the year which hopefully
(05:15):
have survived fat enough to make the flight down to
see us from the northern tips of our flyways to
these southern tips at the bottom of the migration routes.
I'll tell you how this information impacts old Snorticus, and
I it won't. We are hunters. We will be out
as much as possible. If we see very few of
a particular species over the course of our season, we
(05:37):
won't try to pound on that species. We'll try to
take limits of other species that seem to be in abundance,
like gadwall, which is a darned tasty duck. As our
late season northern shovelers, both of whom or which are
reporting great numbers. You know what, I'm getting excited, so
(05:58):
excited by the way, I'm heading to our Low Gallaton
Valley Ducks Unlimited banquet this evening. Probably gonna spend money
I don't have on raffles, just like everybody else anyway, Last,
but not least, thank you so much for sharing our
auction house of oodities for the Wildcat Bend Public Access
project we chose for this year's land Access Initiative. Final
(06:19):
numbers are not quite in, but even if you could
not contribute a dollar to the LAI project this year,
I'm sure you spread the word on social media and
that helps a ton two. I cannot thank you enough
Access Man more Land gotta have it for the future.
Another great example of our community raising each other up.
(06:43):
Gives me warm and fuzzies inside. Thank you so much
more to come on this, but we better get on
with the news. Washington State hunters were understandably up in
arms last week when one of the members of the
state's Fish and Game Commission said that hunter's quote should
be nervous. You may have already heard that clip, but
(07:03):
I want to play Commissioner Melanie Rowland's comment in context.
While she pays lip service to serving the needs of hunters,
she also exemplifies the nationwide movement to marginalize hunters and
anglers in the crafting of wildlife policy.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Take a listen at this point. We have a very
significant portion of the public who want the Department of
Fish and Wildlife to be conserving, protecting, perpetuating, and yes, preserving,
because that's in our statue. We're following the law and
(07:39):
the law requires us to do that. And yes, you
can interpret those words. They don't all have exactly the
same meaning, but they are our statutory responsibilities, and there
are many of us who believe that the Commission and
the Department have not been fulfilling those statutory responsibilities when
(08:00):
the basic focus and the basic constituency is hunters and fishers.
That is not to say there is no room for
hunting and fishing. Clearly, hunting and fishing is part of
our statute too. That is legal, and we are to
manage it, and we are directed to manage it that way.
(08:23):
So I understand that the hunters of fishers could be
getting nervous, and I think they should be getting nervous
because they have been pretty much in complete control for
a very long time.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
This has been a debate in wildlife policy circles for
many years, but it's coming to a head. In Washington State,
the Commission will be voting later this year on charges
to its conservation policy that many believe will open the
door to further restrictions on hunting and angling in the state.
The Commission has repeatedly canceled the state's spring black bear hunt,
despite a total lack of evidence that the spring hunt
(08:59):
present any threat to the population. They made this decision
based largely on the mindset Rowland articulates, rather than maximizing
hunting opportunities, the Commission should consider the thoughts and feelings
of the non hunting public when making its decisions. Because
anti hunting activists are often the loudest voices among that
(09:20):
non hunting public, Some commissioners believe they had a responsibility
to cancel the spring hunt even though the science didn't
demand it. At least that's how I read this situation,
and I'm not alone. Justin's rule volunteers with the Backcountry
Hunters and Anglers Armed Forces Initiative or AFI, and he
urged the Commission to reject rolland stance and maximize hunting opportunities,
(09:43):
especially for veterans.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Some of our veterans are fighting a game of inches,
and I, for one want to give them every advantage
that I can. When you reduce or close seasons for
reasons that are knocked back by science, you take away
one more tool that my team or a veteran has
when using out doors for adjunct therapy. A government agency
telling my members that they should be nervous when they're
(10:06):
now back home and trying to readjust and finding a
healthy activity to enjoy and a new mission and conservation,
in my mind, is unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Great quote. I would love to have Commissioner Rowland on
the podcast to give her the opportunity to clarify her comments.
Would she consider herself anti hunting? Does she plan to
limit hunting opportunities even though our wildlife populations can sustain them.
If she doesn't want to listen to hunters anymore, who
does she want to listen to instead. I've reached out
to the Commission but have yet to receive a response.
(10:37):
If anyone knows how I can get in touch with
one of the commissioners, send me a note at askcal
at the meaeater dot com. This is one of the
most serious threats we're facing as hunters and anglers, and
I guarantee this won't be the last time we touch
on this topic. If you live in Washington State, now
is the time to get involved. The Commission will be
voting later this year on the new conservation plan, and
(10:59):
it's crucial you speak up and let them know that
you don't want hunters and anglers marginalized. I'll keep you
posted on those meeting times and let you know about
ways to comment. Moving on to the crime desk, wildlife
criminals often escape jail time, but every once in a
(11:20):
while they get what they deserve. This week saw several
cases that landed poachers behind bars. In Wisconsin. For example,
a forty one year old man named Eric Fevel we'll
spend five years in the clink for what one prosecutor
called the biggest poaching case in the state of Wisconsin.
Fevil and his partner, a man named Travis vander Heyden,
(11:41):
poached more than thirty deers since twenty nineteen. They spotlighted
the deer at night and usually shot them with a crossbow.
Game wardens first approached the pair after getting tipped off
about a decapitated buck that had been left in a field.
They pulled the men over after finding them driving around
slowly at night, and the dynamic duo eventually admit to
their crimes. Fevil's lawyers said he first joined vander Heyden
(12:04):
because he needed food, but he continued with his crimes
because he was quote fueled by greed. His plea deal
got forty five of his fifty one charges dismissed, but
he was still hit with nearly ten thousand dollars in
fines and a lifetime revocation of his hunting license along
with prison time. His partner is another story. Vander Heyden
high tailed it to Texas as soon as he was charged,
(12:26):
and he hasn't returned to face the music. Wisconsin can't
extra didem because he isn't being charged with any felonies,
but it's safe to say won't be going to any
Packers games if he wants to remain a free man.
He's allegedly hiding out in the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa.
Thanks to Andrew Whitman for sending us that story. Our
next jumpsuit wearing poacher is headed to jail for two
(12:48):
years for poaching abalony and possessing fentanyl. Fifty eight year
old Leroy Nichols Robles of Santa Barbara, California, admitted to
poaching abalony and selling them on the black market. He
says that's been his prime primary source of income since
twenty twenty, and he was caught on two separate occasions
with bags full of the valuable mollusc Leroy was first
arrested in March with thirty one abaloni and over fifteen
(13:11):
grams of fentanyl. He was released, but then arrested again
in April with fifteen more abaloni. He was convicted of
being involved in a criminal black market abaloni conspiracy, and
he'll be spending the next twenty four months in state prison.
His sentence was likely so harsh because he's a repeat offender.
In those Northern California folks don't mess around when it
comes to abalony. Big thanks to listener Alyssa Sarvinski for
(13:34):
sending us that story, and a big hello to her
fisheries and aquaculture class. A New Jersey man will be
spending thirty days in jail for repeatedly violating wildlife laws
and ignoring previous sentences. Laine. Angus had already had his
hunting license revoked in twenty twenty one, but decided it
would be a good idea to kill an eight point buck.
(13:54):
In October of twenty two, game warden seized Angus's deer
and rifle and hit him with two mens demeanor charges.
Subsequent investigation revealed he had also spotlighted a deer and
shot it from a vehicle. He pled guilty to the charges,
but failed to pay the fines as required by his
plea agreement. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and
he found himself back in a squad car. In July
(14:14):
of this year, a judge ordered him to spend thirty
days in jail quote due to his continued disregard for
the court and state environmental conservation law. If I was
a betting man, I'd say there's a fair chance we'll
hear about old Angus again on the podcast. But you know,
prove me wrong. Angus, prove me wrong. Moving on to
the wolf desk, the US Fishing Wildlife Service announced last
(14:39):
week it would begin introducing red wolves to an area
along the North Catrolina coast. Again, I guess you might
call this a re reintroduction. The Fish and Wildlife Service
didn't make this decision on its own. The agency agreed
to publish and implement annual red wolf release plans for
the next eight years as part of a settlement with
wildlife advocacy groups. These settlement calls for more wolves on
(15:01):
the landscape, coyote mitigation efforts, and programs to reduce human
cause mortality. Red wolves were placed on the endangered species
list in nineteen seventy three and declared extinct in the
wild in nineteen eighty. In nineteen eighty six, the Fish
and Wildlife Service established a non essential experimental population in
North Carolina. They put wolves in the Albemarle Peninsula. Go
(15:23):
ahead and right into askcl that's Ascal at the medeater
dot com and tell me how to pronounce Albemarle. Anyway,
Intensive management was needed to make sure that that project
was a success. Believe it or not, Coyotes are one
of the biggest threats to red wolves, not because coyotes
kill wolves, but because coyotes breed with them and create
wolf coyote hybrids. And let's be honest, the coyotes are
(15:46):
getting a bad rap here because we all know it
takes two to tango. Okay, that's how it works. Ask
your mommies and daddies. This phenomenon, known as genetic swamping,
would replace wolves with hybrids and eliminate what you might
call a pure red wolf from the landscape. So biologists
sterilized coyotes in the area for over a decade in
the early two thousands, and the wolf population grew to
(16:08):
over one hundred animals. But then biologists noticed an uptick
in wolves being shot by people. You might assume this
trend was driven by local anti wolf sentiment, and I'm
sure there was some of that, but doctor Mike Chamberlain
told Meat Eater he believes the real explanation is less sinister.
He says it was around this time that coyote killing
became more trendy in white tail circles, and red wolves
(16:30):
were being accidentally gunned down by coyote hunters. The wolf
population wasn't very large to begin with, so it didn't
take much mortality to exceed natural reproduction. Biologists weren't able
to effectively combat this new threat, and the Fish and
Wildlife Service gave up reintroduction efforts entirely. In twenty fifteen,
doctor Chamberlain doesn't believe this new reintroduction program will be
(16:51):
successful unless gunshot mortalities can be reduced. If anything, coyote
hunting is more popular now than it was in the
early two thousands, The Fish and Wildlife Service will have
their work cut out for them. They're scheduled to release
details on this year's red wolf management plan on December first.
In other wolf related news, the Wisconsin Department of Natural
(17:12):
Resources recently released the revised draft of its twenty twenty
three wolf Management Plan. The agency says the plan represents
a shift in the d n r's focus from wolf
recovery to the long term future of wolves in the state.
The plan does this by balancing two factors present in
the management of almost every species, the maintenance of a
healthy wolf population with the concerns of the people who
(17:34):
have to live alongside those animals. The new plan updates
the draft first proposed in twenty twenty one. Agency officials
took public input into account, and they say the new
plan adds clarity to several questions that were raised. For example,
it includes a simple chart showing that as long as
wolves are listed as endangered by the federal or state governments.
(17:54):
Only non lethal control methods are allowed, except in the
case of human health and safety conflicts. Once the species
is downgraded to threatened, lethal controls will be allowed. There
is currently no hunting season in Wisconsin, but once wolves
are listed as neither endangered nor threatened, a public hunting
and trapping season will be permitted. When that season is opened,
(18:17):
licenses will be issued on a zone specific basis rather
than for the entire state. While the plan advocates for
an adaptive management strategy rather than a numeric population goal,
it does put hard numbers on its aims. The updated
plan calls for a statewide population of between eight hundred
and twelve hundred wolves. Fewer than eight hundred wolves would
(18:39):
guide efforts to grow the population, while a statewide population
of more than twelve hundred wolves would lead to efforts
to reduce the population. A survey released in September estimated
that the state wide wolf population was at nine hundred
and seventy individuals. This final draft of the plan will
be voted on by the Natural Resources Board in October.
(19:01):
Our final wolf story comes from California, where biologists say
new gray wolf pack was just discovered a full two
hundred miles south of the nearest known pack. The wolves
were discovered in Tillai County in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains,
and biologists say this is the farthest south wolves have
been in California in over a century. The California Department
(19:22):
of Fish and Wildlife first received reports of wolves in
the area in July of this year. DNA analysis of
hair and scat samples revealed the evidence of at least
five new female wolves in the area, which is why
biologists believe this is an entire pack rather than just
a few far ranging loners. If you're wondering how an
entire pack could form without anyone noticing, you should spend
(19:44):
some time in the Sierra Nevadas looking for an intelligent, shy,
mostly nocturnal animal that'll give you some idea. Moving on
to the public land desk. If a river floods someone's
private property, should the public be able to access that
flooded area by boat? That's the basic question the Wisconsin
(20:04):
courts will consider over the next few months as one
landowner's civil suit works its way through the system. A
landowner named Thomas Rice, issuing the Wisconsin Department of natural
resources for what he says is illegal and unconstitutional guidance
related to public access of navigable waterways. Rice owns a
parcel of land along the Rock River in southern Wisconsin.
(20:26):
When this river floods, which it's been doing regularly over
the past few years, some people drive airboats across his land.
He doesn't claim that these folks are damaging property or
doing anything else illegal, only that their presence is keeping
him from enjoying his land. Wisconsin allows public access long
waterways even if those waterways go through private property, but
(20:47):
the DNR has issued guidance that also allows the public
access to flooded areas of private land. Rice argues that
this guidance contradicts the Wisconsin Constitution and established law. He
cites several court cases that permit the Wisconsin DNR to
regulate only those waterways below the ordinary high water mark.
On any navigable waterway, Since his land is located above
(21:10):
the ordinary high water mark, he claims the DNR has
no right to give the public access. The suit says
quote DNR's authority to implement and enforce the public trust
doctrine is limited to navigable lake extremes. Slews, buyous and
marsh outlets. Flooded yards do not fit into these categories
and are not subject to DNR's public trust jurisdiction. Nor
(21:31):
does the public trust doctrine authorize the DNR to regulate
private wetlands above the ordinary high water mark. The DNR
has declined to comment on this case specifically, but it
has issued several documents that explains its stance on this issue. Basically,
the agency has advised public land users that as long
as they keep their feet wet, they're good to go.
(21:52):
When the water level on a river or wetland or
lake is low, the landowner has exclusive access to the
land below the high water water mark. However, when the
waterway floods private land, the public can use that water
as long as they keep their feet wet, either in
a boat or using waiters. DNR attorneys also allegedly told
Rice's lawyers that they do not believe the courts have
(22:14):
offered clear guidance on this issue. They say they do
not have a regulatory role and they have never advised
any member of the public to access Rice's land. This
is a sticky issue that may take a long time
to sort out. I can see both sides, but it's
worth pointing out a few things. First. If you look
at Rice's land on on X, you can see it's
covered in lakes, ponds, and wetland areas, some of which
(22:36):
connect directly to the Rock River. The fact that these
water bodies appear on satellite imagery suggests that this isn't
just an occasional flooding. I found an article from twenty
twenty one where residents complain that the Rock River is
constantly flooded due to an increasing amount of rain. In
other words, we're not talking about a river that's usually
well defined and only floods occasionally. It's understandable why the
(22:58):
public would assume it could travel across this area. In
that same twenty twenty one article published by Fox six Milwaukee,
Rice is interviewed because he operates two hydroelectric dams on
the Rock River in the town of Watertown. Rice says
that the dams don't have much impact on flooding do
the lands topography. But isn't it just a little strange
(23:19):
that the same guy who operates a dam in a
town called Watertown is suing to have exclusive use of
a wetland created by that flooded river. Maybe I don't know.
You tell me. Here's what I do know. Airboats are
incredibly obnoxious. They are so loud. They're an incredibly awesome tool.
(23:41):
At the same time, if you're a user, operate with
common sense. If you're going in there to let's say,
duck hunt, don't go ripping across this guy's flooded lawn
at four am. All right, that's obnoxious and as you
can see with this lawsuit, your preferred means of access
could cause all of us to lose our access. From
(24:05):
what I'm seeing here, great example of something that never
should have gone to court. That's all I've got for
you this week. Thank you so much for listening, and
remember to write in to ask c al if that's
an asscal at the meateater dot com and let me
know what's going on in your neck of the woods.
You know I appreciate it. And as fall approaches, I
(24:26):
cannot tell you how much I depend on a clean, quiet,
battery operated chainsaw underneath my truck seat. When you want
to get to your hunting spot and there's a tree
down across the road, don't you want to cut it
out instead of turning around? Going home. If so, track
down a knowledgeable steel dealer near you. Go to www
(24:48):
dot steel dealers dot com. They're gonna get you set
up with what you need and they won't try to
send you home with what you don't. Thanks again, and
I'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
When the room was ten, often behave his treasure
From Mediators World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is
Cal's weekend review, presented by Steel. Steel products are available
only at authorized dealers. For more, go to Steel Dealers
dot com. Now here's your host, ryankel Callahan.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Raccoons aren't known for having refined palettes, but in Germany
at least the masked bandits have developed a taste for
some of the world's best beer. Can't blame them for that.
According to several German and British newspapers, raccoons have been
breaking into homes and cities throughout Deutschland, damaging property, eating
petfish and rabbits, and even drinking beer. Some homeowners have
(00:44):
reported over ten thousand dollars in damages, and one raccoon
was caught on video evading animal control outside the German
Parliament building. The German word for raccoon is vashbar, which
translates literally to the bear that walks and undoubtedly has
a slang meaning that we are not aware of. Be
(01:05):
careful when you google that one kids. Vashbar likely comes
from the common raccoon behavior of picking up food items
at the water's edge and washing them between their paws.
Raccoons are not native to Europe, but their populations have
been increasing in recent decades. One German newspaper described them
as a plague, and an estimated one thousand raccoons live
(01:26):
in Berlin alone. They've been spotted residing in boarding buses
and state high schools, as well as scavenging in the
city's allotment gardens. Germans should be forgiven for seeing something
sinister in these fuzzy invaders. According to urban legend, raccoons
were introduced to the country by none other than Hammond Goring,
who is you know, a horrid, horrid history figure. Anyway,
(01:51):
history buffs will recognize that name as belonging to the
founder of the Gestapo. His lesser known title was the
Master of the Hunt for the Third Reich, and he
led released the animals to hunt them for their fur.
Historians have disputed this account, but blaming nazis as totally
fine by me anyway. Speaking of hunting, the German National
Hunting Association says it's trying to control the surging population
(02:15):
and has killed a record two hundred thousand raccoons over
the course of the past year. Their efforts in Berlin
were stymied, however, when the city's Senate banned raccoon hunting
and instead encouraged residents to lock up their trash. As
with most controversies like this, I ask why not both?
This week We've got the Washington State Game Commission, public
(02:37):
lands and the ever popular Crime Desk. But first, I'm
going to tell you about my week, and my week
was super interesting. Flew out to Memphis in order to
join Ducks Unlimited for their annual live briefing around the
US Fishing Wildlife Breeding Survey. This particular survey has been
running since nineteen fifty five, and, to use the words
of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the primary purpose
(02:59):
of the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, which of
course is an acronym WBPH, is to provide information on
spring population size and trends for most North American duck species,
several populations of Canada geese, tundraswans, and American coot and
to evaluate breeding habitat conditions. This survey helps to guide
(03:21):
waterfowl management ie are yearly waterfowl regulations and habitat management.
The survey is conducted by airplane, helicopter, and ground over
a two million square mile area that covers principal breeding areas.
A couple of really interesting takeaways, of course, and all
of this is on the Ducks Unlimited YouTube channel as
(03:41):
well as the Ducks Unlimited Canada YouTube channel, But all
of these takeaways just reinforce the value of habitat. One
of these takeaways, for instance, is that water is only
a component. If an intermitt wetland, which as we all know,
is only sometimes wet but vital to the survival of hatchlings,
is tilled in the course of farming practices and then
(04:04):
fills with water, it doesn't a produce the food or
be produce the cover for birds to survive, so they
won't use it. However, that water will activate the riparian
plant seeds that are found in the seed bank in
that soil. So given enough time and the proper conditions,
that wet area, which is just a mud puddle at
this point, will eventually return to productive waterfowl production. But boy,
(04:30):
would it be better if those areas were allowed to
do their thing. Lots of programs that can help restore
these areas on your farmer ranch through the NRCS, the
Farm Bill, and state level programs. So on top of
the monetary incentives, you get the mental incentives of managing
your property in a way that produces waterfowl, wildlife, pollinators,
(04:53):
and a big old smile on your face when you
get out there and fire up the combine. Numbers. Wise,
and this is speaking very generally, we are going to
see a fine waterfowl season. We have some marginal drops
and breeding populations of species, and marginal gains, including an
over twenty percent jump in surveyed pintail pairs. And what
is not counted is young of the year which hopefully
(05:15):
have survived fat enough to make the flight down to
see us from the northern tips of our flyways to
these southern tips at the bottom of the migration routes.
I'll tell you how this information impacts old Snorticus, and
I it won't. We are hunters. We will be out
as much as possible. If we see very few of
a particular species over the course of our season, we
(05:37):
won't try to pound on that species. We'll try to
take limits of other species that seem to be in abundance,
like gadwall, which is a darned tasty duck. As our
late season northern shovelers, both of whom or which are
reporting great numbers. You know what, I'm getting excited, so
(05:58):
excited by the way, I'm heading to our Low Gallaton
Valley Ducks Unlimited banquet this evening. Probably gonna spend money
I don't have on raffles, just like everybody else anyway, Last,
but not least, thank you so much for sharing our
auction house of oodities for the Wildcat Bend Public Access
project we chose for this year's land Access Initiative. Final
(06:19):
numbers are not quite in, but even if you could
not contribute a dollar to the LAI project this year,
I'm sure you spread the word on social media and
that helps a ton two. I cannot thank you enough
Access Man more Land gotta have it for the future.
Another great example of our community raising each other up.
(06:43):
Gives me warm and fuzzies inside. Thank you so much
more to come on this, but we better get on
with the news. Washington State hunters were understandably up in
arms last week when one of the members of the
state's Fish and Game Commission said that hunter's quote should
be nervous. You may have already heard that clip, but
(07:03):
I want to play Commissioner Melanie Rowland's comment in context.
While she pays lip service to serving the needs of hunters,
she also exemplifies the nationwide movement to marginalize hunters and
anglers in the crafting of wildlife policy.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Take a listen at this point. We have a very
significant portion of the public who want the Department of
Fish and Wildlife to be conserving, protecting, perpetuating, and yes, preserving,
because that's in our statue. We're following the law and
(07:39):
the law requires us to do that. And yes, you
can interpret those words. They don't all have exactly the
same meaning, but they are our statutory responsibilities, and there
are many of us who believe that the Commission and
the Department have not been fulfilling those statutory responsibilities when
(08:00):
the basic focus and the basic constituency is hunters and fishers.
That is not to say there is no room for
hunting and fishing. Clearly, hunting and fishing is part of
our statute too. That is legal, and we are to
manage it, and we are directed to manage it that way.
(08:23):
So I understand that the hunters of fishers could be
getting nervous, and I think they should be getting nervous
because they have been pretty much in complete control for
a very long time.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
This has been a debate in wildlife policy circles for
many years, but it's coming to a head. In Washington State,
the Commission will be voting later this year on charges
to its conservation policy that many believe will open the
door to further restrictions on hunting and angling in the state.
The Commission has repeatedly canceled the state's spring black bear hunt,
despite a total lack of evidence that the spring hunt
(08:59):
present any threat to the population. They made this decision
based largely on the mindset Rowland articulates, rather than maximizing
hunting opportunities, the Commission should consider the thoughts and feelings
of the non hunting public when making its decisions. Because
anti hunting activists are often the loudest voices among that
(09:20):
non hunting public, Some commissioners believe they had a responsibility
to cancel the spring hunt even though the science didn't
demand it. At least that's how I read this situation,
and I'm not alone. Justin's rule volunteers with the Backcountry
Hunters and Anglers Armed Forces Initiative or AFI, and he
urged the Commission to reject rolland stance and maximize hunting opportunities,
(09:43):
especially for veterans.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Some of our veterans are fighting a game of inches,
and I, for one want to give them every advantage
that I can. When you reduce or close seasons for
reasons that are knocked back by science, you take away
one more tool that my team or a veteran has
when using out doors for adjunct therapy. A government agency
telling my members that they should be nervous when they're
(10:06):
now back home and trying to readjust and finding a
healthy activity to enjoy and a new mission and conservation,
in my mind, is unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Great quote. I would love to have Commissioner Rowland on
the podcast to give her the opportunity to clarify her comments.
Would she consider herself anti hunting? Does she plan to
limit hunting opportunities even though our wildlife populations can sustain them.
If she doesn't want to listen to hunters anymore, who
does she want to listen to instead. I've reached out
to the Commission but have yet to receive a response.
(10:37):
If anyone knows how I can get in touch with
one of the commissioners, send me a note at askcal
at the meaeater dot com. This is one of the
most serious threats we're facing as hunters and anglers, and
I guarantee this won't be the last time we touch
on this topic. If you live in Washington State, now
is the time to get involved. The Commission will be
voting later this year on the new conservation plan, and
(10:59):
it's crucial you speak up and let them know that
you don't want hunters and anglers marginalized. I'll keep you
posted on those meeting times and let you know about
ways to comment. Moving on to the crime desk, wildlife
criminals often escape jail time, but every once in a
(11:20):
while they get what they deserve. This week saw several
cases that landed poachers behind bars. In Wisconsin. For example,
a forty one year old man named Eric Fevel we'll
spend five years in the clink for what one prosecutor
called the biggest poaching case in the state of Wisconsin.
Fevil and his partner, a man named Travis vander Heyden,
(11:41):
poached more than thirty deers since twenty nineteen. They spotlighted
the deer at night and usually shot them with a crossbow.
Game wardens first approached the pair after getting tipped off
about a decapitated buck that had been left in a field.
They pulled the men over after finding them driving around
slowly at night, and the dynamic duo eventually admit to
their crimes. Fevil's lawyers said he first joined vander Heyden
(12:04):
because he needed food, but he continued with his crimes
because he was quote fueled by greed. His plea deal
got forty five of his fifty one charges dismissed, but
he was still hit with nearly ten thousand dollars in
fines and a lifetime revocation of his hunting license along
with prison time. His partner is another story. Vander Heyden
high tailed it to Texas as soon as he was charged,
(12:26):
and he hasn't returned to face the music. Wisconsin can't
extra didem because he isn't being charged with any felonies,
but it's safe to say won't be going to any
Packers games if he wants to remain a free man.
He's allegedly hiding out in the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa.
Thanks to Andrew Whitman for sending us that story. Our
next jumpsuit wearing poacher is headed to jail for two
(12:48):
years for poaching abalony and possessing fentanyl. Fifty eight year
old Leroy Nichols Robles of Santa Barbara, California, admitted to
poaching abalony and selling them on the black market. He
says that's been his prime primary source of income since
twenty twenty, and he was caught on two separate occasions
with bags full of the valuable mollusc Leroy was first
arrested in March with thirty one abaloni and over fifteen
(13:11):
grams of fentanyl. He was released, but then arrested again
in April with fifteen more abaloni. He was convicted of
being involved in a criminal black market abaloni conspiracy, and
he'll be spending the next twenty four months in state prison.
His sentence was likely so harsh because he's a repeat offender.
In those Northern California folks don't mess around when it
comes to abalony. Big thanks to listener Alyssa Sarvinski for
(13:34):
sending us that story, and a big hello to her
fisheries and aquaculture class. A New Jersey man will be
spending thirty days in jail for repeatedly violating wildlife laws
and ignoring previous sentences. Laine. Angus had already had his
hunting license revoked in twenty twenty one, but decided it
would be a good idea to kill an eight point buck.
(13:54):
In October of twenty two, game warden seized Angus's deer
and rifle and hit him with two mens demeanor charges.
Subsequent investigation revealed he had also spotlighted a deer and
shot it from a vehicle. He pled guilty to the charges,
but failed to pay the fines as required by his
plea agreement. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and
he found himself back in a squad car. In July
(14:14):
of this year, a judge ordered him to spend thirty
days in jail quote due to his continued disregard for
the court and state environmental conservation law. If I was
a betting man, I'd say there's a fair chance we'll
hear about old Angus again on the podcast. But you know,
prove me wrong. Angus, prove me wrong. Moving on to
the wolf desk, the US Fishing Wildlife Service announced last
(14:39):
week it would begin introducing red wolves to an area
along the North Catrolina coast. Again, I guess you might
call this a re reintroduction. The Fish and Wildlife Service
didn't make this decision on its own. The agency agreed
to publish and implement annual red wolf release plans for
the next eight years as part of a settlement with
wildlife advocacy groups. These settlement calls for more wolves on
(15:01):
the landscape, coyote mitigation efforts, and programs to reduce human
cause mortality. Red wolves were placed on the endangered species
list in nineteen seventy three and declared extinct in the
wild in nineteen eighty. In nineteen eighty six, the Fish
and Wildlife Service established a non essential experimental population in
North Carolina. They put wolves in the Albemarle Peninsula. Go
(15:23):
ahead and right into askcl that's Ascal at the medeater
dot com and tell me how to pronounce Albemarle. Anyway,
Intensive management was needed to make sure that that project
was a success. Believe it or not, Coyotes are one
of the biggest threats to red wolves, not because coyotes
kill wolves, but because coyotes breed with them and create
wolf coyote hybrids. And let's be honest, the coyotes are
(15:46):
getting a bad rap here because we all know it
takes two to tango. Okay, that's how it works. Ask
your mommies and daddies. This phenomenon, known as genetic swamping,
would replace wolves with hybrids and eliminate what you might
call a pure red wolf from the landscape. So biologists
sterilized coyotes in the area for over a decade in
the early two thousands, and the wolf population grew to
(16:08):
over one hundred animals. But then biologists noticed an uptick
in wolves being shot by people. You might assume this
trend was driven by local anti wolf sentiment, and I'm
sure there was some of that, but doctor Mike Chamberlain
told Meat Eater he believes the real explanation is less sinister.
He says it was around this time that coyote killing
became more trendy in white tail circles, and red wolves
(16:30):
were being accidentally gunned down by coyote hunters. The wolf
population wasn't very large to begin with, so it didn't
take much mortality to exceed natural reproduction. Biologists weren't able
to effectively combat this new threat, and the Fish and
Wildlife Service gave up reintroduction efforts entirely. In twenty fifteen,
doctor Chamberlain doesn't believe this new reintroduction program will be
(16:51):
successful unless gunshot mortalities can be reduced. If anything, coyote
hunting is more popular now than it was in the
early two thousands, The Fish and Wildlife Service will have
their work cut out for them. They're scheduled to release
details on this year's red wolf management plan on December first.
In other wolf related news, the Wisconsin Department of Natural
(17:12):
Resources recently released the revised draft of its twenty twenty
three wolf Management Plan. The agency says the plan represents
a shift in the d n r's focus from wolf
recovery to the long term future of wolves in the state.
The plan does this by balancing two factors present in
the management of almost every species, the maintenance of a
healthy wolf population with the concerns of the people who
(17:34):
have to live alongside those animals. The new plan updates
the draft first proposed in twenty twenty one. Agency officials
took public input into account, and they say the new
plan adds clarity to several questions that were raised. For example,
it includes a simple chart showing that as long as
wolves are listed as endangered by the federal or state governments.
(17:54):
Only non lethal control methods are allowed, except in the
case of human health and safety conflicts. Once the species
is downgraded to threatened, lethal controls will be allowed. There
is currently no hunting season in Wisconsin, but once wolves
are listed as neither endangered nor threatened, a public hunting
and trapping season will be permitted. When that season is opened,
(18:17):
licenses will be issued on a zone specific basis rather
than for the entire state. While the plan advocates for
an adaptive management strategy rather than a numeric population goal,
it does put hard numbers on its aims. The updated
plan calls for a statewide population of between eight hundred
and twelve hundred wolves. Fewer than eight hundred wolves would
(18:39):
guide efforts to grow the population, while a statewide population
of more than twelve hundred wolves would lead to efforts
to reduce the population. A survey released in September estimated
that the state wide wolf population was at nine hundred
and seventy individuals. This final draft of the plan will
be voted on by the Natural Resources Board in October.
(19:01):
Our final wolf story comes from California, where biologists say
new gray wolf pack was just discovered a full two
hundred miles south of the nearest known pack. The wolves
were discovered in Tillai County in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains,
and biologists say this is the farthest south wolves have
been in California in over a century. The California Department
(19:22):
of Fish and Wildlife first received reports of wolves in
the area in July of this year. DNA analysis of
hair and scat samples revealed the evidence of at least
five new female wolves in the area, which is why
biologists believe this is an entire pack rather than just
a few far ranging loners. If you're wondering how an
entire pack could form without anyone noticing, you should spend
(19:44):
some time in the Sierra Nevadas looking for an intelligent, shy,
mostly nocturnal animal that'll give you some idea. Moving on
to the public land desk. If a river floods someone's
private property, should the public be able to access that
flooded area by boat? That's the basic question the Wisconsin
(20:04):
courts will consider over the next few months as one
landowner's civil suit works its way through the system. A
landowner named Thomas Rice, issuing the Wisconsin Department of natural
resources for what he says is illegal and unconstitutional guidance
related to public access of navigable waterways. Rice owns a
parcel of land along the Rock River in southern Wisconsin.
(20:26):
When this river floods, which it's been doing regularly over
the past few years, some people drive airboats across his land.
He doesn't claim that these folks are damaging property or
doing anything else illegal, only that their presence is keeping
him from enjoying his land. Wisconsin allows public access long
waterways even if those waterways go through private property, but
(20:47):
the DNR has issued guidance that also allows the public
access to flooded areas of private land. Rice argues that
this guidance contradicts the Wisconsin Constitution and established law. He
cites several court cases that permit the Wisconsin DNR to
regulate only those waterways below the ordinary high water mark.
On any navigable waterway, Since his land is located above
(21:10):
the ordinary high water mark, he claims the DNR has
no right to give the public access. The suit says
quote DNR's authority to implement and enforce the public trust
doctrine is limited to navigable lake extremes. Slews, buyous and
marsh outlets. Flooded yards do not fit into these categories
and are not subject to DNR's public trust jurisdiction. Nor
(21:31):
does the public trust doctrine authorize the DNR to regulate
private wetlands above the ordinary high water mark. The DNR
has declined to comment on this case specifically, but it
has issued several documents that explains its stance on this issue. Basically,
the agency has advised public land users that as long
as they keep their feet wet, they're good to go.
(21:52):
When the water level on a river or wetland or
lake is low, the landowner has exclusive access to the
land below the high water water mark. However, when the
waterway floods private land, the public can use that water
as long as they keep their feet wet, either in
a boat or using waiters. DNR attorneys also allegedly told
Rice's lawyers that they do not believe the courts have
(22:14):
offered clear guidance on this issue. They say they do
not have a regulatory role and they have never advised
any member of the public to access Rice's land. This
is a sticky issue that may take a long time
to sort out. I can see both sides, but it's
worth pointing out a few things. First. If you look
at Rice's land on on X, you can see it's
covered in lakes, ponds, and wetland areas, some of which
(22:36):
connect directly to the Rock River. The fact that these
water bodies appear on satellite imagery suggests that this isn't
just an occasional flooding. I found an article from twenty
twenty one where residents complain that the Rock River is
constantly flooded due to an increasing amount of rain. In
other words, we're not talking about a river that's usually
well defined and only floods occasionally. It's understandable why the
(22:58):
public would assume it could travel across this area. In
that same twenty twenty one article published by Fox six Milwaukee,
Rice is interviewed because he operates two hydroelectric dams on
the Rock River in the town of Watertown. Rice says
that the dams don't have much impact on flooding do
the lands topography. But isn't it just a little strange
(23:19):
that the same guy who operates a dam in a
town called Watertown is suing to have exclusive use of
a wetland created by that flooded river. Maybe I don't know.
You tell me. Here's what I do know. Airboats are
incredibly obnoxious. They are so loud. They're an incredibly awesome tool.
(23:41):
At the same time, if you're a user, operate with
common sense. If you're going in there to let's say,
duck hunt, don't go ripping across this guy's flooded lawn
at four am. All right, that's obnoxious and as you
can see with this lawsuit, your preferred means of access
could cause all of us to lose our access. From
(24:05):
what I'm seeing here, great example of something that never
should have gone to court. That's all I've got for
you this week. Thank you so much for listening, and
remember to write in to ask c al if that's
an asscal at the meateater dot com and let me
know what's going on in your neck of the woods.
You know I appreciate it. And as fall approaches, I
(24:26):
cannot tell you how much I depend on a clean, quiet,
battery operated chainsaw underneath my truck seat. When you want
to get to your hunting spot and there's a tree
down across the road, don't you want to cut it
out instead of turning around? Going home. If so, track
down a knowledgeable steel dealer near you. Go to www
(24:48):
dot steel dealers dot com. They're gonna get you set
up with what you need and they won't try to
send you home with what you don't. Thanks again, and
I'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
When the room was ten, often behave his treasure
Host
Cal Callaghan
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