Local Ducks Unlimited volunteers trying to assemble another fund-raising banquet are finding that the economy has a stranglehold on people's wallets.
The Lake County DU chapter is hosting its annual fund-raiser Saturday, April 25 at the Eastlake Croatian Lodge and Party Center. It will include dinner, raffles and auctions.
Cost is $70 per person and $95 per couple.
However, while previous DU dinners held there have drawn 200 to 300 people only about 100 tickets have been sold thus far.
That is unfortunate as DU does spend its money wisely with the funds going to help preserve and manage wetlands. These wetlands support not only ducks and geese but a wealth of other wildlife species.
To join in on the April 25 party, call 440-749-5182.
While we're on the subject of fund raisers, the March 28 Steelheaders Ball netted $10,000 for the Lake Parks Foundation which supports Lake Metroparks efforts.
Money given during the Steelheaders Ball goes toward improving angler access on Lake Metroparks holdings along the Chagrin and Grand rivers.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
20 years of zebra mussels (and still counting)
The latest edition of the Ohio Sea Grant's "Twineline" magazine has an excellent summary of the invasion by the highly destructive zebra mussel.
It may be hard to believe but this tiny invasive mussel has been causing havoc in Lake Erie for 20 years and is far from ended in the damage it has caused.
The "Twineline" article notes that Lake Erie's temperate conditions were nearly perfectly suited for the zebra mussel, whose genetics indicates it came from various European sources.
That proved bad for Lake Erie because it only enhanced the mussel's ability to swarm all over Lake Erie.
While a European zebra mussel would mature in three to five years and produce upwards of 50,000 eggs, in Lake Erie a mussel would mature in 11 months and produce up to 1 million eggs annually.
Soon - as anglers and boaters and others quickly found out - zebra mussels were everywhere, on everything and in everything.
So much so that by 1994 they were costing the region between $5 billion and $10 billion annually, clogging water intake systems, coating boat hulls and cutting fishing lines that came close to the bottom.
The mussels also alrgely killed off native mussels. The zebra mussels covered the natives, preventing the latter from opening and filtering water.
Worse, another invasive species, the round goby, found the zebra mussel quite tasty.
This proved bad because the zebra mussel's high fat content stored up heavy toxins that had been locked in the lake's sediments.
This toxic brew only accumulated in the gobies which when eaten, passed on to its chief predator - the smallmouth bass.
PCBs concentrations in zebra mussels increased from 100 parts per billion to a hefty 1,800 parts per billion in bass, the "Twineline" article notes.
All of which helped give rise to the still-on-going efforts to curtail the import of all invasive species into the Great Lakes.
It's a never-ending battle with one of the first skirmishes being with the terrible and terribly small zebra mussel.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
It may be hard to believe but this tiny invasive mussel has been causing havoc in Lake Erie for 20 years and is far from ended in the damage it has caused.
The "Twineline" article notes that Lake Erie's temperate conditions were nearly perfectly suited for the zebra mussel, whose genetics indicates it came from various European sources.
That proved bad for Lake Erie because it only enhanced the mussel's ability to swarm all over Lake Erie.
While a European zebra mussel would mature in three to five years and produce upwards of 50,000 eggs, in Lake Erie a mussel would mature in 11 months and produce up to 1 million eggs annually.
Soon - as anglers and boaters and others quickly found out - zebra mussels were everywhere, on everything and in everything.
So much so that by 1994 they were costing the region between $5 billion and $10 billion annually, clogging water intake systems, coating boat hulls and cutting fishing lines that came close to the bottom.
The mussels also alrgely killed off native mussels. The zebra mussels covered the natives, preventing the latter from opening and filtering water.
Worse, another invasive species, the round goby, found the zebra mussel quite tasty.
This proved bad because the zebra mussel's high fat content stored up heavy toxins that had been locked in the lake's sediments.
This toxic brew only accumulated in the gobies which when eaten, passed on to its chief predator - the smallmouth bass.
PCBs concentrations in zebra mussels increased from 100 parts per billion to a hefty 1,800 parts per billion in bass, the "Twineline" article notes.
All of which helped give rise to the still-on-going efforts to curtail the import of all invasive species into the Great Lakes.
It's a never-ending battle with one of the first skirmishes being with the terrible and terribly small zebra mussel.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Friday, April 3, 2009
Pro basketball goin' green (or not)
A leading environmental groups has the NBA playing ball in trying to "go green."
The Natural Resources Defense Council has teamed with the NBA in developing a more environmentally friendly profile.
The leagues supplier of uniforms - Adidas - will outfit all players with 100-percent organic cotton shooting shirts, each featuring the NBA's green logo.
Organic cotton is more agriculturally/environmentally friendly and has a smaller "carbon footprint."
And the NBA will host an on-line auction of basketballs made from 40 percent recycled materials.
But those who question the emerging green ethic says the NBA's take is something of a sham.
Each NBA games produces about 449 tons of carbon dioxide due to many factors including team and fan travel, energy at arenas, that sort of thing, says the Carbon Neutral Company.
Add up all of the NBA's home and away games and its total carbon footprint is equal to more than 46,000 SUVs.
In a nut shell, says Advocacy Ink, the NBA "is like operating a coal-fired plant for about 2.5 months per year - most ungreen of it."
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
The Natural Resources Defense Council has teamed with the NBA in developing a more environmentally friendly profile.
The leagues supplier of uniforms - Adidas - will outfit all players with 100-percent organic cotton shooting shirts, each featuring the NBA's green logo.
Organic cotton is more agriculturally/environmentally friendly and has a smaller "carbon footprint."
And the NBA will host an on-line auction of basketballs made from 40 percent recycled materials.
But those who question the emerging green ethic says the NBA's take is something of a sham.
Each NBA games produces about 449 tons of carbon dioxide due to many factors including team and fan travel, energy at arenas, that sort of thing, says the Carbon Neutral Company.
Add up all of the NBA's home and away games and its total carbon footprint is equal to more than 46,000 SUVs.
In a nut shell, says Advocacy Ink, the NBA "is like operating a coal-fired plant for about 2.5 months per year - most ungreen of it."
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Angling access (or lack thereof)
I know from where Southwick Associates speaks.
The most recent Southwick and Associate's AnglersSurvey.com report shows that 23 percent of anglers said they had lost due to closure at least one honey hole in the past three years.
That figures compares to the 25 percent of anglers who reported the same thing in January 2008.
Even so, 56 percent of the fishermen said they still fished at least as often as they did before, "presumably at other spots that remain open to them," reported Southwick, an outdoors industry consulting firm.
Not quite one year ago my two older brothers and I lost our favorite deer hunting location through no fault of our own. The landowner got upset with some other folks who could hunt the land and we just got caught up in the vortex.
But along with the loss of the hunting land I also lost fishing access to a really fabulous several-acre farm pond that was chock-full of nice largemouth bass and large bluegills.
Even so - like Southwick's survey shows - I still fish at the same level. But I switched to my primary farm pond.
Still, it remains unnerving to lose a good fishing spot not matter what the reason.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
The most recent Southwick and Associate's AnglersSurvey.com report shows that 23 percent of anglers said they had lost due to closure at least one honey hole in the past three years.
That figures compares to the 25 percent of anglers who reported the same thing in January 2008.
Even so, 56 percent of the fishermen said they still fished at least as often as they did before, "presumably at other spots that remain open to them," reported Southwick, an outdoors industry consulting firm.
Not quite one year ago my two older brothers and I lost our favorite deer hunting location through no fault of our own. The landowner got upset with some other folks who could hunt the land and we just got caught up in the vortex.
But along with the loss of the hunting land I also lost fishing access to a really fabulous several-acre farm pond that was chock-full of nice largemouth bass and large bluegills.
Even so - like Southwick's survey shows - I still fish at the same level. But I switched to my primary farm pond.
Still, it remains unnerving to lose a good fishing spot not matter what the reason.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday's outdoors musings (mostly fishing)
Tip of the hat goes to the Madison Township-based lake County Rod and Gun Club.
On Tuesday the group will donate $1,000 to the Riverside Local School District for start-up costs associated with the National Archery in the Schools program.
Students at both Riverside and John R. Williams Middle School are expected to participate in the program.
The club gave similar seed money to the Wickliffe City School District and now which sends both high school and middle school students to the state tournament each March.
And the club donates $400 for that portion of the program, too.
Lake Metroparks will stock Paine Creek at the agency's Indian Point Park in Leroy Township on April 13.
The parks system will stock the stream with approximately 500 pounds of rainbow trout, each fish weighing about one pound.
And on April 18 the Ohio Division of Wildlife also will stock Punderson Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout as part of the agency's annual inland lakes spring trout stocking program.
Though the Grand River doesn't have the walleye run like the Maumee River does each spring, the Lake Erie tributary still sees some fish make their migratory spawning dash up the stream.
Within the past two weeks Bob Ashley of Mentor has caught three walleye, each fish weighing between 8 and 10 pounds, while angling for steelhead trout.
The latest report says that muskies are on fire due to the generally dry and fairly mild March. The fish are hitting from Pymatuning to Alum Creek to Salt Fork Reservoir, says Ohio Division of Wildlife officials.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
On Tuesday the group will donate $1,000 to the Riverside Local School District for start-up costs associated with the National Archery in the Schools program.
Students at both Riverside and John R. Williams Middle School are expected to participate in the program.
The club gave similar seed money to the Wickliffe City School District and now which sends both high school and middle school students to the state tournament each March.
And the club donates $400 for that portion of the program, too.
Lake Metroparks will stock Paine Creek at the agency's Indian Point Park in Leroy Township on April 13.
The parks system will stock the stream with approximately 500 pounds of rainbow trout, each fish weighing about one pound.
And on April 18 the Ohio Division of Wildlife also will stock Punderson Lake with 2,500 rainbow trout as part of the agency's annual inland lakes spring trout stocking program.
Though the Grand River doesn't have the walleye run like the Maumee River does each spring, the Lake Erie tributary still sees some fish make their migratory spawning dash up the stream.
Within the past two weeks Bob Ashley of Mentor has caught three walleye, each fish weighing between 8 and 10 pounds, while angling for steelhead trout.
The latest report says that muskies are on fire due to the generally dry and fairly mild March. The fish are hitting from Pymatuning to Alum Creek to Salt Fork Reservoir, says Ohio Division of Wildlife officials.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wild Lake County
Don't let anyone fool you into thinking there's nothing wild left in Lake County.
Even for a lifelong (nearly 60-year) resident of the county I am always amazed at what I find.
On Friday I visited the Marsh (Hopkins) Creek corridor in Mentor for a project story.
This is one gem of a natural ribbon that runs from the Mentor Marsh and snakes off east to Heisley Road and south to the Mentor Civic Center complex.
Steelhead trout were running up the creek, too, which contained as well a large flock of Canada geese and mallard ducks.
In the backyard of one residence I was invited to visit were 18 fox squirrels, a small gathering of white-tailed deer along with a flock of wild turkeys, including three mature toms.
But I've seen this same thing as far west as Eastlake where deer now regularly reside off Erie Road where I once lived.
And if you really want to get lost visit Lake Metroparks' Hell Hollow Reservation or the depths of the agency's Girdled Road Reservation.
And don't forget lovely Mill Creek at Hogback Ridge Park in Madison Township.
Every spring it also seems we are visited by black bears on Little Mountain while the Grand River is host to river otters and while a pair of American bald eagles have taken to nesting at Lake Metroparks' Pleasant Valley Park in Willoughby Hills.
There's a lot to see wild in Lake County. Even for an old geezer like me.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Even for a lifelong (nearly 60-year) resident of the county I am always amazed at what I find.
On Friday I visited the Marsh (Hopkins) Creek corridor in Mentor for a project story.
This is one gem of a natural ribbon that runs from the Mentor Marsh and snakes off east to Heisley Road and south to the Mentor Civic Center complex.
Steelhead trout were running up the creek, too, which contained as well a large flock of Canada geese and mallard ducks.
In the backyard of one residence I was invited to visit were 18 fox squirrels, a small gathering of white-tailed deer along with a flock of wild turkeys, including three mature toms.
But I've seen this same thing as far west as Eastlake where deer now regularly reside off Erie Road where I once lived.
And if you really want to get lost visit Lake Metroparks' Hell Hollow Reservation or the depths of the agency's Girdled Road Reservation.
And don't forget lovely Mill Creek at Hogback Ridge Park in Madison Township.
Every spring it also seems we are visited by black bears on Little Mountain while the Grand River is host to river otters and while a pair of American bald eagles have taken to nesting at Lake Metroparks' Pleasant Valley Park in Willoughby Hills.
There's a lot to see wild in Lake County. Even for an old geezer like me.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Time to go fishing and other stuff
I won't give everything away because next Friday marks the restart of the weekly fishing report in the paper.
But now that you ask, the fish are beginning to bite.
In spite of the recent low water conditions, steelhead are still being caught in the Ashtabula River and Conneaut Creek though the Grand River's tributaries are pretty much too low for decent angling.
The best news is that the Grand River is fishable. Or was, until today's (Wednesday's) rains will bring the rivers up again. Hopefully that will lead to a new slug of fish entering the streams.
And while on the subject of the Grand River, Mentor resident Bob Ashley fished it Monday for steelhead but also caught a 30-inch, 9-pound female walleye. He used a Kwickfish crankabit.
One of the lingering questions is why the lower Chagrin River has seen such poor steelheading of late. No one seems to have much of an answer though these rains may bring some fish into the river's lower reaches.
Word is that the walleye bite is going well around the Western Basin's reef complex with the smaller males up on the refs while the larger females are just off of them.
I also want to tell a tale of my fishing the Ashtabula River on Tuesday.
I foul-hooked a nice steelhead, sticking the fly into the fish's tail.
When I "popped" the rod to pull out the lure, the affair came zinging back with the split shot punching my glasses.
Alas, the fly embedded itself into my cheek near the left ear. I could feel the barb in the flesh.
Not wanting to quit to find an emergency room I instead had fishing companion Paul Liikala of Cuyahoga Falls take his fishing plyers to the hook, locating the entry point. Then I told him to pull quickly.
The Otter egg fly popped out without much of a bite, though blood poured out until it was bandaged up.
The thing is, if I had waited several minutes the extraction would have been much more painful. When a hook first goes in the skin and flesh are pretty numb and it's best to "git 'er done" as rapidly as possible.
Oh, yes, I immediately went back to fishing and caught a few more trout. No point wasting a good day on the water though my wife, Bev, was none too happy.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
But now that you ask, the fish are beginning to bite.
In spite of the recent low water conditions, steelhead are still being caught in the Ashtabula River and Conneaut Creek though the Grand River's tributaries are pretty much too low for decent angling.
The best news is that the Grand River is fishable. Or was, until today's (Wednesday's) rains will bring the rivers up again. Hopefully that will lead to a new slug of fish entering the streams.
And while on the subject of the Grand River, Mentor resident Bob Ashley fished it Monday for steelhead but also caught a 30-inch, 9-pound female walleye. He used a Kwickfish crankabit.
One of the lingering questions is why the lower Chagrin River has seen such poor steelheading of late. No one seems to have much of an answer though these rains may bring some fish into the river's lower reaches.
Word is that the walleye bite is going well around the Western Basin's reef complex with the smaller males up on the refs while the larger females are just off of them.
I also want to tell a tale of my fishing the Ashtabula River on Tuesday.
I foul-hooked a nice steelhead, sticking the fly into the fish's tail.
When I "popped" the rod to pull out the lure, the affair came zinging back with the split shot punching my glasses.
Alas, the fly embedded itself into my cheek near the left ear. I could feel the barb in the flesh.
Not wanting to quit to find an emergency room I instead had fishing companion Paul Liikala of Cuyahoga Falls take his fishing plyers to the hook, locating the entry point. Then I told him to pull quickly.
The Otter egg fly popped out without much of a bite, though blood poured out until it was bandaged up.
The thing is, if I had waited several minutes the extraction would have been much more painful. When a hook first goes in the skin and flesh are pretty numb and it's best to "git 'er done" as rapidly as possible.
Oh, yes, I immediately went back to fishing and caught a few more trout. No point wasting a good day on the water though my wife, Bev, was none too happy.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
jfrischkorn@news-herald.com
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