Thursday, January 28, 2010
Bill Cochran's Field Reports: Chrinic Wasting Disease in Virginia
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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It was bound to happen. Chronic Wasting Disease finally has shown up in Virginia’s deer herd.
Last week I reported that 62 deer have tested positive for CWD in West Virginia, just a rifle shot or two from the Virginia border. I said none had been detected in Virginia.
That changed the next day when the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announced that a deer killed by a hunter in Frederick County, less than one mile from West Virginia, had tested positively for CWD.
The surprising thing: it took so long for the disease to show up in Virginia. West Virginia registered its first case in 2005.
The infected animal taken in Virginia was a doe, the only one to test positive thus far out of nearly 5,000 that have been tested in the state since 2001, DGIF officials say.
Now that Virginia has CWD, what happens next? I plan to explore that later, but right now you can find a bunch of information on the disease and what Virginia is doing about it on HuntFishVA.com.
BILL
DGIF WATCHING ITS PENNIES IN TIGHT ECONOMY
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is delaying the start of some capital improvement projects, due to the tight economy. But thus far the agency has avoided the kind of governor-mandated budget cuts that have been imposed on other resource agencies. The Virginia Department of Forestry, for example, has been saddled with massive cuts and placed on a four-day work week to reduce costs.
“We are not under any specific restrictions concerning our budget, like a four-day work week, but we are continuously ensuring that our sportsmen’s dollar is well utilized,” said Matt Knoh, chief operating officer of the DGIF.
Funding for the agency has been holding up well, considering the nation’s financial conditions. Most of the agency’s money comes from hunting and fishing license sales, boat registrations and federal tax money imposed on hunting and fishing equipment.
“Only our revenue from boat registration and titling is coming in lower than we expected,” Knoh said. That drop reflects a decline in the sale of recreational boats.
Some capital improvement projects have been delayed “until we have better clarity around legislative budget action,” Knoh said. “Once those decisions are made, we will begin work on our top infrastructure needs. One project in the hopper is the construction of a new agency headquarters in Richmond.
“We believe this conservative approach is prudent given the uncertainty of future budget decisions,” Knoh said.
BILL
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
- Legislation in the Virginia General Assembly that would bring Virginia into compliance with the new federally mandated National Saltwater Registry has been assigned a bill number. It is SB 668, introduced by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk. (See last week’s Cochran Column).
- A new study shows that many of the white marlin being caught along the Atlantic Coast aren’t white marlin at all. They are a look-alike species called the roundscale spearfish. DNA testing revealed that nearly one-third of the 26 fish registered as white marlin in an Ocean City, Md., tournament proved to be roundscale spearfish. This has startled the scientists who wonder if white marlin are being misidentified to the point that their population may not be as healthy as first believed.
- Extreme cold temperatures have baitfish dying in some areas of Smith Mountain Lake, according to Dale Wilson, a fishing guide. Striped bass have been feeding on the baitfish, which means competition for the lures and bait of anglers. Most of the striper are being found in the mid-and-lower sections of the lake’s main rivers, Wilson said. This week, gobs of muddy water flowed into the 20,000 acre lake following rain and heavy runoff.
- The Women’s Bassmaster Tour has been discontinued, sending some female anglers to Bassmaster Open events. Judy Wong, who won the WBT Championship in 2007 and 2009, has entered the Bassmaster Central Open Circuit.
- Two U.S. Fish and Wildlife waterfowl biologists -- Ray Bentley and Dave Pitkin -- were killed in a plane crash near the Oregon Coast while conducting a mid-winter waterfowl survey.
BILL
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Winter Wildlife Festival, Virginia Beach, Jan. 30, information form Jeff Trollinger.
Quail and squirrel seasons close Jan. 30.
Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show, Feb. 12-14, Virginia Beach Convention Center.
Grouse season closes Feb. 13.
Bass master Classic, Feb. 19-21, Lay Lake, Birmingham, Ala.
The Greater Virginia Sporting and Big Game Show, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Feb. 19-21. Includes Hunters for the Hungry turkey calling contest. Feb. 20 1 p.m. vasportsshow.com.
Custom Building Fishing Rod Exposition, Feb. 20 and 21, High Point, N.C.
Western Virginia Sporting Show, Augusta Expoland, Fishersville, Feb. 26-28
Rabbit season closes, Feb. 27
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. March 2 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Appalachian Highlands Chapter Ruffed Grouse Society Sportsmen’s Banquet, March 13, 5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 101 W. Springbrook Drive, Johnson City, Tenn.; information from Spencer Young.
Youth spring turkey hunt day, April 3, 2010.
Spring gobbler season, April 10-May 15, 2010.
BASS Elite Blue Ridge Brawl, April 15-18, Smith Mountain Lake.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. April 20 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
NRA annual meeting, May 14-16, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, N.C.
North Carolina State University Sport Fishing School, May 30-June 3, 2010, Hatteras, N.C.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. June 8 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. July 13 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. August 17 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board meeting, 9 a.m. October 5 at the agency’s headquarters, 4000 W. Broad St., Richmond
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
