Outdoor News Daily

Ever wish you could see a map of Arizona showing all the places to go fishing, along with what types of fish you can find and maybe even something about the facilities at each lake, river or stream?

Well, just wave a magic wand over your computer because your wish has been granted – thanks to a little computer magic from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The Game and Fish Department now has a computerized interactive fishing hole map of Arizona on its Web site at www.azgfd.gov/fishing under “Where To Fish.”

Most of the information for the interactive computerized map was taken from the popular “Arizona Fishin’ Holes” booklet published by the Game and Fish Department.
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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that a written examination for individuals interested in obtaining a license to use leashed tracking dogs to find wounded or injured big game animals is scheduled for Friday, August 22, 2008, from 10:00 AM until noon at designated DEC regional offices. All applicants for this exam must register before August 18, 2008.

Before this exam was first offered in 1990, DEC conducted experimental testing with a small group of leashed tracking dog handlers. Now there are approximately 160 licensed handlers in the State.

For further information or to apply to take the exam, please contact:
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Trout fishing in the high country during summer can enter the daytime doldrums, but monsoon-generated rain showers can radically alter the equation.

“When those billowing thunderstorms start building in the mountains, the barometer drops, the insects come out but fly low in the sky, prompting the trout to feed actively. That means it’s time to grab your fishing pole and go catch some tasty salmonids for dinner,” said Rory Aikens, the Fishing Report editor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Aikens said the most active trout will be near the surface to gobble up flying insects that have fallen into the water, or those flying just above the surface. Most traditional trout fishing techniques will work at this time, but the best fishing techniques will mimic the conditions.
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Department of Natural Resources today warned canoeists, kayakers, tubers, and those fishing that the footbridge over the Pigeon River in Cheboygan County on the High Country Pathway in the Pigeon River Country State Forest has collapsed and is blocking the river.

“River users will need to portage around the collapsed bridge until the debris can be safely removed, or completely avoid this part of the river,” said Laurie Marzolo, DNR Pigeon River Country Unit Manager.

The DNR announced in June that the Pigeon River footbridge and the Black River footbridge on the High Country Pathway were both closed for repairs. The Pigeon River footbridge has a 7.5-mile temporary reroute in place. This detour takes trail users on Campsite Road, the north spur of the Shore-to-Shore Trail and on Tin Bridge Road. Camping at Pine Grove State Forest Campground is available using a one-mile connector.
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A new federal farm program designed to enroll grassland habitat into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is aiming for 7,500 acres in Michigan, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) is targeting 18 counties in southern Michigan. Wildlife corridors of at least 10 acres or patches of habitat of at least 30 acres are being sought because they will have the most benefit for wildlife. The program, which was the result of an agreement between wildlife management agencies and conservation groups, such as Pheasants Forever and The Nature Conservancy, was announced in January.

“This is the first time in recent years that whole agricultural fields are eligible for inclusion into a CRP program,” said Mark Sargent, the DNR Wildlife Division’s private lands specialist. “This is a great opportunity for landowners to convert marginal agricultural lands into grassland wildlife habitat for species such as pheasants, turkeys, bobolinks and deer. The program will implement some of the goals of the Michigan Wildlife Action Plan.”
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