The Cure for Cabin Fever at Fort River

Winter fun for everyone!

Winter is here, and so are cold temperatures and snow. During the winter months in the Northeast, many people find themselves feeling restless with “cabin fever”. Thankfully, the National Wildlife Refuge System provides fun winter activities at the Fort River division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Hadley, Massachusetts throughout the winter! Whether it be snowshoeing the trails of the refuge, tracking wildlife through tracks and signs in the snow, wildlife viewing and photography, learning about the subnivean zone, hunting, or visiting the Connecticut River exhibit and watershed demonstration table at the Springfield Science Museum, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge provides winter fun for everyone!

Snowshoeing at the Fort River Division trail allows you to continue your outdoor adventures all year long, and get a first hand look at wildlife in the winter. Snowshoeing is a great way to access and explore areas that would otherwise not be accessible during the snow-covered winter months in New England.

Who goes there? Winter is a great time to find out! While exploring the trail of Fort River, keep an eye out for animal tracks and sign in the snow to discover the wildlife present and their behavior. Tracking may reveal an animal’s size, gate, diet, and habits, and is a source of wonder and imagination. A 2 page animal track identification guide will be available for viewing in the main kiosk at the start of the trail – use this visual to help you identify the wildlife tracks left in the snow.

Evidence of an owl hunting prey under the snow.

Raccoon tracks.

When planning a visit to the Fort River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, don’t forget to pack your binoculars and camera! The Fort River trail offers picturesque views of birds and other wildlife, providing us with the opportunity to see the natural world differently through a camera lens. Allow yourself to be still, silent, and humbled at the multiple overlooks along the trail, where you’ll have the perfect vantage point for wildlife viewing and photography. A bird identification guide is in the main kiosk at the start of the trail – use this visual as a guide for identifying the birds you see from the trail.

Male and female northern cardinals.

For the winter months, the story book kiosks along the Fort River trail will feature “Over and Under the Snow” by Kate Messner, a children’s book that explores the secret kingdom under the snow where animals live throughout the winter – the subnivean zone. Be sure to check the Friends of Fort River Facebook page to keep updated on books featured in the story book trail kiosks!

An illustration of animals living in the subnivean zone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hunting is a fun activity that offers a sense of freedom and self-reliance that cannot be matched.” The Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge offers regulated hunting opportunities at Fort River and other divisions of the refuge, including the Nulhegan Division in northern Vermont and the Pondicherry Division in New Hampshire. It is essential that all hunters understand and comply with both refuge-specific and state hunting seasons and regulations. Wondering how regulated hunting contributes to conservation and the mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service? Check out A Non-hunter’s Guide to Hunting to learn more!

A mother and calf moose at the Nulhegan Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge.

On days where you’d prefer an indoor expedition, check out the Connecticut River Exhibit at the Springfield Science Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts! The exhibit features 5 interactive educational kiosks, including a salmon game, a grip strength comparison between your hand and the talon of an American Eagle, and fun facts about the Connecticut River Watershed. Don’t miss the Conte Refuge’s watershed demonstration table, where you can learn what defines a watershed, how watersheds are formed, what ecological services watersheds provide, and how you can do your part in ensuring watersheds stay healthy and clean for wildlife and people alike.

Part of the Connecticut River Exhibit at the Springfield Science Museum.

 

Beach Day for Beetles!

The largest-ever reintroduction of an endangered tiger beetle happened quietly in the morning of October 19th, 2017, on a foggy beach in the Connecticut river. These beetles are the rare Puritan Tiger Beetle, Cicindela puritana , or “PTB” as tiger beetle experts call it. This species is listed as federally threatened and state endangered due to a century of human use that has changed the Connecticut River’s flow. This change has reduced desired habitat, and left only one viable population of PTBs in New England. This reintroduction of more than 700 laboratory-reared PTB larvae is only part of a multi-year, team-project to establish sustainable populations of PTB in the Connecticut River.

Endangered Puritan Tiger Beetle male.

This project, which is supported by the Cooperative Recovery Initiative program and based at the Richard Cronin Aquatic Resource Center in partnership with Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, unites a seasoned team of over 30 Federal & State wildlife officials, professional Biologists, Academic partners, students, and generous volunteers. Together, this group is pioneering methods to acquire land, captive-rear larvae, manage habitat, and use field-techniques to ensure the survival of PTB throughout one of the largest rivers in the Northeast.

Volunteers from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Student Conservation Association, and the University of Massachusetts prepare a plot before larva reintroduction.

To restore a healthy river ecosystem that includes these tiny apex predators, lab-reared PTB reintroductions are key to establishing new populations. To do this, the PTB team uses aerial “butterfly” nets to carefully collect adult beetles from the single source-population. The adult beetles mate and lay eggs in the lab, which hatch into larvae that grow progressively larger through 3 growth phases, called instars. In the wild, it takes about 2 years for PTB larvae to reach their third instar, but in the lab, this time can be reduced to just a few months.

Rodger Gwiazdowski moistens the top layer of soil with river water at 1 of 7 reintroduction plots.

The reintroduction sites were carefully selected by the PTB team. Finding good habitat requires expertise to determine sediment size, beach slope, and the abundance and diversity of prey that PTBs prefer. To be reintroduced, PTB larvae are transported to the site, each in their own small sand-filled vial, and released into plotted-areas on the beach where they immediately dig vertical tunnels in the sand to develop through their instar stages. 

Volunteers release PTB larva into the sand.

Over the next 2 years, the PTB team will revisit the reintroduction sites to count the number of PTB burrows and adult beetles, which will indicate the success and survival rate of the lab-reared PTBs.

Stay tuned for 2018 updates on the PTBs!

Breaking barriers: Hunting in the black community

Today we discuss diversity in hunting with Eric Morris, an avid hunter, fisherman, and all-around outdoorsman. His passion inspired him to found the Black Wolf Hunting Club in 2011, with the mission to promote the sport of hunting in the African American community, and to increase representation of African Americans in the outdoors. Eric’s goal is to close the gap between communities and access through education, written media projects, and hands-on hunting, shooting, and other outdoor experiences. In addition to founding the Black Wolf Hunting Club, Eric has travelled the country to speak about diversity in hunting, met with the National Shooting Sports Foundation to discuss the topic, taken entire families on guided hunts, served as a hunting mentor, and is currently writing a book on the subject.

Q: Did you grow up in an urban or rural setting? Was hunting a popular sport in your community?
A: I grew up in a town of 17,000 people, and like many places in Alabama, hunting was naturally a part of my community.

Q: Did you grow up hunting or fishing? If so, who did you hunt with?
A: Growing up, I participated in fishing more than hunting. When I did hunt, it was small game in my backyard and in the surrounding neighborhood. Several of my uncles and cousins hunted, and though my Daddy was not a hunter, he did purchase a .22 rifle and took me squirrel hunting when I was 12 years old.

I became fascinated by stories of Native Americans being in nature and matching their skills against wildlife. I loved the idea of being able to hunt and survive off the land.

Q: What initially inspired you to pursue the sport of hunting?
A: I believe that some hunters, myself included, are born with an interest in the outdoors, which leads to an interest in hunting. While in elementary school, I became fascinated by stories of Native Americans being in nature and matching their skills against wildlife. I loved the idea of being able to hunt and survive off the land. I learned my great-grandmother was part Creek Indian, and I was even further intrigued.

Q: Where did you primarily hunt? Did you have access to public lands where you grew up?
A: Though I had access to public lands, Daddy grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s, where racism and stereotypes were prevalent, so as an African American, he was somewhat uncomfortable hunting on public lands. I primarily hunted in my backyard, wooded areas in my neighborhood, and on my uncle’s 40 acres of land since the age of 12 until I graduated college.

Q: Where do you hunt now that you live in Atlanta? How is your access to local hunting sites?
A: Now that I live just outside of Atlanta, I hunt all over the United States. To date, I have hunted in 10 different states, including Alaska. Locally, there are roughly 15 public hunting areas consisting of more than 140,000 acres within a two hour drive from Atlanta. Despite the availability of local areas to hunt, if a person never takes time to learn of these hunting areas, they can say “I don’t know where to go” as the reason why they do not hunt.

Life has shown me that the love and passion for hunting trumps all social and racial differences.

Q: Based on your personal experience, why do you think the sport of hunting is not more diverse?
A: From my personal experiences, there are four reasons why hunting is not a diverse activity. The first reason is that America has a long history of excluding Blacks and other minorities from the hunting scene, and even today the perceived message in those communities is that hunting is an activity that only White people do. While this may not be the intended message, many minorities feel that hunting is a White-only sport.

The second reason hunting is not more diverse is because many minorities do not feel welcomed in some hunting groups, since the faces and culture of these groups do not reflect them. Additionally, most hunting advertisements do not show diversity.

The third reason, and perhaps the most significant, is “mentality.” What a person thinks about hunting, whether or not they grew up with hunters, their self-image, where they see themselves in the food chain, and internal fears all play a part in an individual’s mentality. Despite the adversity surrounding hunting, life has shown me that the love and passion for hunting trumps all social and racial differences. When two hunters meet and share their experiences, it can seem as if they are new best friends.

Lastly, from my involvement in several conservation groups, I have noticed that White hunters seem to have a greater sense of responsibility than Black hunters for leaving an outdoor legacy, protecting the environment, and continuing the family tradition of hunting for their children and future generations. I have yet to see this level of involvement from the minority hunting community as minority participation in conservation groups is almost non-existent. Social and racial issues going on within our society also contribute to the lack of hunting diversity.

Q: In your opinion, what do you think are the main obstacles for people living in urban communities to engage in hunting?
A: I believe that people who live in urban areas, where there is the largest concentration of minorities, have a different outlook and mentality about hunting, and see hunting as a rural or backwoods activity. Urban and rural communities also dress differently, think differently, have different interests, and have a different view of guns. Another significant obstacle is introduction to the sport of hunting. For many, their families do not hunt, and no one has ever introduced them to hunting. Those who are interested in hunting may be suspicious or untrusting of those who want to introduce them to the sport.

The time has come to stop just talking about diversity, and shift into taking action on increasing diversity in hunting.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about hunting?
A: Many companies and organizations within the hunting industry realize the financial gain from tapping into the minority market. In 2016 alone, hunting expenditures amounted to $25.6 billion, and $36.3 billion in 2011.  However, the reasons and motivations for wanting to diversify hunting should be genuine and sincere, and come from a place of passion for diversity rather than money. The task of increasing diversity in the sport of hunting is not an easy one, nor can it be solved by a large sum of money; it is going to take a concentrated effort, led by experienced Black or Hispanic hunters, to get other minorities involved in hunting. The time has come to stop just talking about diversity, and shift into taking action on increasing diversity in hunting.

Hunting is a fun activity that offers a sense of freedom and self-reliance that cannot be matched. It is sad that hunting is not as important in American culture today compared to 100 years ago. This may be because the American landscape has changed and so have societal views on hunting. In my opinion, Americans have become increasingly more reliant on convenience and technology rather than self-sufficiency and self-sustenance.

Q: In your opinion, how can public land agencies provide increased opportunities for hunters, regardless of where they live?
A: With well over 100 million acres of public hunting land available to the public, finding a place to hunt is not an issue. I think that public land management agencies should first identify their target audience, then sincerely and deliberately gear their efforts towards that audience.  In regards to outdoor diversity, public land agencies should invest time and resources into targeting minority markets by having outdoor days on public lands, having introduction to hunting days, offering a free hunting day, or offering select permits to hunt on public lands that would otherwise be off limits. In addition, having strong representatives from the minority community to spearhead the effort is a great way to showcase opportunities on public lands.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we continue this conversation with Eric!