Ohio is beginning to see the arrival of the drought-driven Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) with 13 captively raised deer in Middlefield Township having recently died from the almost-always fatal disease.
Mike Tonkovich, the Ohio Division of Wildlife's deer management administrator, says that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has confirmed the 13 deaths from a herd of about 120 captively raised animals.
This herd is located in Geauga County's Middlefield Township.
It is the state's Agriculture Department which now administers captive deer-breeding operations.
What's more, says Tonkovich, a northern Portage County landowner has reported seeing several dead deer along the Upper Cuyahoga River, just downstream from Geauga County.
Other dead deer have been found along a water course in Monroe County as well, says Tonkovich.
"That would be a good indicator of the presence of EDH though not for certain," Tonkovich says. "We need a freshly dead deer to confirm this."
EHD is a typically fatal viral disease. It is found in wild ruminants
like deer, causing extensive internal bleeding and is transmitted solely
by a midge, a flying critter about the size of a course-ground black
pepper flake.
A characteristic of the disease is its sudden onset. An infected deer
loses its appetite and fear of humans, grows progressively weaker,
salivates excessively, and finally become unconscious.
Due to an accompanying high fever, an infected deer is often found sick or dead along or in bodies of water. And it is here where the disease is carried by midges, super-tiny insects that need a blood host.
Importantly, however, biologists also say, there is no evidence that humans can contract the EHD virus.
The previous serious EHD outbreak that happened in Ohio were in 2005 and 2007, Tonkovich said in an earlier posting on the subject.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Fieldkorn
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Walleye date night for Old Men and Liars Club
The meeting of the Old Men and Liars Club was called to order at 6 a.m. amongst the thunderous applause of, well, thunder.
Bright flashes of lightning played across the sky to the north, over Lake Erie , threatening the cancellation of the meeting. This in spite of the fact a quorum was present.
A roll call was requested and found to include long-time members Steve Pollick (recently retired), Paul Liikala (retired), Ed Moody (retired ages ago), Mike Mainhart (not officially retired but might as well be), and the group’s underpaid, underappreciated, and still officially working, recording secretary.
All are likewise affiliated with outdoor writing, each perfecting their craft through expressions in one venue or another.
Joining the group was club initiate, Mark Winchell, the executive director of the Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The club had been called together to discuss the relative merits regarding the fine walleye fishing found off Geneva State Park. A fact-finding mission was therefore deemed necessary; Mainhart had said when he organized the meeting.
To guide the troupe of Old Men and Liars Club members was John Gribble, owner/operator of DB Charters and a heralded Lake Erie charter skipper of some renown.
Gribble decided to pilot his Baha fishing boat north, hoping to get as far away from land as possible. In this case, not setting up until the vessel’s array of electronics displayed 70 feet of water and was marking clouds of colorful blips that would indicate schools of walleye.
Setting the planerboards and snapping fishing lines to them, Gribble ensured that each rig came complete with a Contender spoon. It was one of these very same spoons that foiled the new Ohio
“These are heavier than Stingers and come in only 10 colors,” Gribble said.
Gribble’s “dark days/dark lures, bright days/bright lures” mantra was on this meeting’s agenda, too.
Yet even before all of the lines were set the meeting was interrupted. One of the starboard side planerboard lines became unhitched and swung to the stern of the boat. Being the gracious and magnanimous gentlemen that they are, the club's members permitted plebe Winchell to winch in the day’s first fish.
A handsome walleye, the fish was deposited into the cooler with a little fanfare.
However, distracted by something or another, Liikala missed out on what species it was that Winchell had caught.
“Sheepshead,” Winchell said.
And with that, Winchell immediately qualified as a member of the Old Men and Liars Club.
Of course, truth-slaying is an art form that must have regular maintenance and honing. And no one is better at oiling and greasing the truth than is Liikala who took Winchell under his wing in order to fine-tune the latter’s fledging abilities.
Liikala also knows how to reel in a fish or two when given half a chance. And during this meeting Gribble ensured that each of the members had several chances.
When Liikala finally managed to recover a walleye a few kind remarks passed the lips of one or two members. Even so, those statements of encouragement were drowned out by an even louder call for an authenticity check.
After all, membership in the Old Men and Liars Club requires truth-stretching as well as poking holes in everyone else’s ego. Otherwise a suspension in rights and privileges is required.
Gribble had his hands full, and not just baby-sitting a bunch of old geezers, either.
No way could Gribble turn the boat around in order to pilot the vessel back over the pods of walleye now receding in the distance.
“In the troughs the speed of the lures is about 2.2 to 2.4 miles per hour, which is optimum for walleye,” Gribble said. “On the peaks the speed is more like 2.8 miles per hour. Walleye don’t like that; they want consistency.”
Still, exceptions can prove the rule. And the rule was broken 15 times before Gribble said the winds and waves were at the point a decision was needed whether to continue or else end the meeting.
A vote was taken and the recording secretary’s “go for it” vote was overruled by the rest of the membership. Bunch of ‘fraidy cats, if you ask the recording secretary.
The boat trip back to the Geneva State Park
All the time the Old Men and Liars Club members were polishing their art. Not as outdoors writers, however, but as persons of some advanced age and of some advanced fibbing.
Back at port the (and only after the members had extracted themselves from the boat with some age-related difficulty) walleye were divvied up and placed in their respective coolers.
It had been a fine day. In fact, a great day. And not just about the fishing or the catching.
Once again the Old Men and Liars Club had met without any body blows being struck besides some hearty handshakes and back-slapping.
About the most serious injuries were to several overly sensitive egos.
But, when all things are considered, that’s really why the meetings are held in the first place.
Respectfully submitted,
Recording Secretary, Old Men and Liars Club.
P.S.: The membership was mindful that the last time it met the meeting took place aboard “Thumper,” a charter boat operated by Ron Johnson, who died of cancer a few months later. Fair skies and following seas, Captain Ron. The Old Men and Liars Club misses you.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
Twitter: @Fieldkorn
Friday, August 10, 2012
Wildlife chief says more officers' investigations are posible
Ohio Division of Wildlife Chief Scott Zody is expressing concern that more investigations into alleged misconduct by state wildlife officers may be forthcoming.
Zody made the remarks in an informal August 3 memo to a number of Ohio pro-sportsmen organizations.
The agency chief noted that Ground Zero for much of what has surfaced has originated in Wildlife District Five (southwest Ohio.)
Zody also reviewed some of the Wildlife Division's other activities, such as the appearance of Asian carp in the Ohio River and the status of this spring's wild turkey poult production.
Yet it is the matter of the affairs in Wildlife District Five that has garnered the most attention by sportsmen throughout the state.
Indicted July 19 were Wildlife Division field supervisor David Warner and Matthew Roberts, state wildlife officer assigned to Clinton County. Both men work out of the Wildlife Division’s District Five office in Xenia.
Warner and Roberts were indicted in the Brown County Court of Common Pleas for theft in office, a fifth degree felony, and tampering with records, a third degree felony. Warner was also indicted for dereliction of duty, a second degree misdemeanor.
The charges stem from the pair’s alleged activity of hunting while on duty, and for allegedly turning in bogus time slips that supposedly showed they were on duty when they were allegedly hunting with former state wildlife officer Allan Wright, who had been assigned to Brown County.
Both men pleaded not guilty this week with a second court hearing scheduled for each officer later this month.
Warner and Roberts were indicted in the Brown County Court of Common Pleas for theft in office, a fifth degree felony, and tampering with records, a third degree felony. Warner was also indicted for dereliction of duty, a second degree misdemeanor.
The charges stem from the pair’s alleged activity of hunting while on duty, and for allegedly turning in bogus time slips that supposedly showed they were on duty when they were allegedly hunting with former state wildlife officer Allan Wright, who had been assigned to Brown County.
Both men pleaded not guilty this week with a second court hearing scheduled for each officer later this month.
Here is the full text of Chief Zody's August 3 comments:
"Guys –
"I hope this will be the beginning of regular updates that I provide to you. It has been brought to my attention by a couple of folks that the Division (meaning me) needs to do a better job of communicating with our stakeholders and keeping you informed of happenings in Columbus and around the state.
"My apologies if I have not met your expectations in this regard, and I will do my best to rectify the situation moving forward.
"As you all probably are well aware, we continue to face internal challenges with a few staff, particularly in Southwest Ohio in District 5.
"I have attached a copy of an email I sent out last week to the troops following the latest. Not much more to say there other than the investigation continues and unfortunately there may be more to come.
"I do ask that you and your organizations continue to support our officers and staff in our efforts to stay focused on fulfilling our mission and restoring honor and integrity to the Division. It will be a long road, but we will get there.
"Duck and Goose season regulations will be announced soon, but I can tell it is looking very positive for both this year.
"Turkey hatch is looking good, but we were expecting better – right now, according to surveys and observation reports, the average poult to hen ratio is 3-1. Like I said, good, but expected better.
"Legislative activity has been slow with summer recess and this being an election year, but I do want to bring to your attention HB 575, which would require the Division to issue free hunting and fishing licenses to any honorably discharged veteran, regardless of disability status (currently we issue free licenses to permanently and totally disabled vets).
"Our conservative estimate is that this legislation could result in a loss of revenue to the division of between $4-5 million per year. Thanks to USSA and the League for their early opposition and contacts with legislators.
"The State Fair has been very successful this year with big crowds and lots of interaction with the public. We have an internal team working on a Marketing Plan that we should have in draft form to roll out to our stakeholders for review and input later this year.
"Your participation will be welcome and critical to our success.
"We continue to a see a lot of turnover in Senior positions due to retirement – John Daugherty in D-2, Mark Hemming in D-4, Roger Knight from Lake Erie, and Dave Scott is leaving to go to the USFWS in Minneapolis next month. Lots of big shoes to fill.
"Those are some of the hot topics right now – just wanted to try to give you a quick update.
"As always, anytime you have a question or concerns – DO NOT hesitate to call me. Trust me, I would welcome it.
"Take care,
"Chief Z."
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
Twitter: @Fieldkorn
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Lake Metroparks picks controlled archery hunt participants, announces hunt changes
Lake Metroparks’ controlled archery deer hunt at its River Road property in Madison Township will this year feature fewer stands and hunters in an effort to increase the number of animals the agency wants to see taken.
While that course of action may seem to be a contradiction, it’s really not, says Tom Adair, Lake Metroparks’ natural resources manager.
“We decreased to number of stand sites from 10 to eight because we’ve increased the area that each existing site will have; we believe this will make it safer and more comfortable for the selected hunters by supplying them a larger area,” Adair said, who noted that last year hunters shot 15 deer.
Last year assigned hunters had to stay within 20 yards of their supplied ladder stand and game feeder.
New this year is that each selected hunter can place either a ground blind, a ladder stand or climbing stand within 50 yards of the agency-supplied feeder/two-person ladder stand site.
“We’re hopeful that this change will better enable the selected hunters to shoot deer, which is our ultimate goal,” Adair said.
In all, Lake Metroparks has selected 72 hunters who will participate in nine two-week segments and gleaned from a field of 312 applicants. This compares to the 90 hunters who were selected for the same nine, two-week period last year in which 412 people applied, Adair said also.
The listing of those persons selected is slated to be posted Friday, Aug. 10, on Lake Metroparks web site: www.lakemetroparks.com, and then to the “wildlife management” link.
Removed were stands Number One and Number 7. The first stand was located at the eastern most portion of the 492-acre reserve. Meanwhile, stand Number 7 was situated about three-quarter of a mile west of the maintenance building complex.
“These stands were not very successful anyway, with only one deer being taken from stand Number 1 and no deer taken from stand Number 7,” Adair said. “Actually, stand Number 2 was the most successful with four deer having been taken there. This also is our handicap-accessible stand and might even be better because of the change.”
Other new rules include that hunters must shoot an antlerless deer before shooting a buck.
“We believe that based on the feedback from hunters that others were passing up on does, a change was warranted,” Adair said. “We’re hopeful that this change will reflect the need of reducing the deer numbers at River Road.”
The other significant change is allowing the selected hunter to choose a substitute to hunt in the selectee’s place.
That is, so long as the partner completes an application, pass the same proficiency test and attend one of the two required pre-hunt meetings, Adair said.
“There will be a sign-in sheet that everyone will be required to complete,” Adair said. “Our rangers will be patrolling to help ensure that hunters don’t abuse this privilege.”
The required pre-hunt meetings are set for 2 p.m., Sept. 16 for those assigned to groups 1 through 5, and 2 p.m., Nov. 11 for those hunters selected to participate in groups 6 through 9.
Also, this year the meetings will be held at the agency’s headquarters, Concord Woods Nature Park, 11211 Spear Road, Concord Township.
“After each meeting, participants will be allowed to access the River Road property so they can become familiar with their area,” Adair said.
While that course of action may seem to be a contradiction, it’s really not, says Tom Adair, Lake Metroparks’ natural resources manager.
“We decreased to number of stand sites from 10 to eight because we’ve increased the area that each existing site will have; we believe this will make it safer and more comfortable for the selected hunters by supplying them a larger area,” Adair said, who noted that last year hunters shot 15 deer.
Last year assigned hunters had to stay within 20 yards of their supplied ladder stand and game feeder.
New this year is that each selected hunter can place either a ground blind, a ladder stand or climbing stand within 50 yards of the agency-supplied feeder/two-person ladder stand site.
“We’re hopeful that this change will better enable the selected hunters to shoot deer, which is our ultimate goal,” Adair said.
In all, Lake Metroparks has selected 72 hunters who will participate in nine two-week segments and gleaned from a field of 312 applicants. This compares to the 90 hunters who were selected for the same nine, two-week period last year in which 412 people applied, Adair said also.
The listing of those persons selected is slated to be posted Friday, Aug. 10, on Lake Metroparks web site: www.lakemetroparks.com, and then to the “wildlife management” link.
Removed were stands Number One and Number 7. The first stand was located at the eastern most portion of the 492-acre reserve. Meanwhile, stand Number 7 was situated about three-quarter of a mile west of the maintenance building complex.
“These stands were not very successful anyway, with only one deer being taken from stand Number 1 and no deer taken from stand Number 7,” Adair said. “Actually, stand Number 2 was the most successful with four deer having been taken there. This also is our handicap-accessible stand and might even be better because of the change.”
Other new rules include that hunters must shoot an antlerless deer before shooting a buck.
“We believe that based on the feedback from hunters that others were passing up on does, a change was warranted,” Adair said. “We’re hopeful that this change will reflect the need of reducing the deer numbers at River Road.”
The other significant change is allowing the selected hunter to choose a substitute to hunt in the selectee’s place.
That is, so long as the partner completes an application, pass the same proficiency test and attend one of the two required pre-hunt meetings, Adair said.
“There will be a sign-in sheet that everyone will be required to complete,” Adair said. “Our rangers will be patrolling to help ensure that hunters don’t abuse this privilege.”
The required pre-hunt meetings are set for 2 p.m., Sept. 16 for those assigned to groups 1 through 5, and 2 p.m., Nov. 11 for those hunters selected to participate in groups 6 through 9.
Also, this year the meetings will be held at the agency’s headquarters, Concord Woods Nature Park, 11211 Spear Road, Concord Township.
“After each meeting, participants will be allowed to access the River Road property so they can become familiar with their area,” Adair said.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Two indicted Wildlife Division officers plead not guilty as agency appoints new southwest law enforcement administrator
The two Ohio Division of Wildlife officers indicted last month on state felony charges have each pleaded not guilty to the charges in Brown County Court of Common Pleas.
Indicted July 19 were Wildlife Division field supervisor David Warner and Matthew Roberts, state wildlife officer assigned to Clinton County.
Both men work out of the Wildlife Division’s District Five (southwest Ohio) office in Xenia.
And it is this office which also saw the appointment last week of the Wildlife Division’s first-ever female law enforcement administrator.
Warner and Roberts were indicted in the Brown County Court of Common Pleas for theft in office, a fifth degree felony, and tampering with records, a third degree felony. Warner was also indicted for dereliction of duty, a second degree misdemeanor.
A fifth degree felony is punishable by a jail term of six to 12 months, a maximum fine of $2,500 or both. A third degree Felony is punishable by a jail term of one to five years, a maximum fine of $10,000 or both. A third degree misdemeanor is punishable by a jail term of not more than 60 days, a maximum fine of $500 or both.
The charges stem from the pair’s alleged activity of hunting while on duty, and for allegedly turning in bogus time slips that supposedly showed they were on duty when they were allegedly hunting with former state wildlife officer Allan Wright, who had been assigned to Brown County.
The indictments were handed down by Brown County Prosecutor Jessica Little. It was Little who in 2010 brought charges against five current or former Wildlife Division officers.
Wright was sentenced July 17 in federal court for violating the federal Lacey Act, and will be called by Little as a prosecution witness against Warner and Roberts.
For his part, Warner pleaded not guilty Aug. 1 and is being represented by attorney David P. Mesaros who also requested a pretrial conference. That meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., Aug. 21, according to Brown County Court of Common Pleas’ records.
Warner’s bond was posted at $20,000 but was released on his own recognizance.
Roberts entered his not guilty plea Monday and is represented by attorney Niroshan Wijesooriya. A second hearing for Roberts is set for 1 p.m., Aug. 22, said a court official.
The officer’s bond was set at $10,000 but Roberts was also released on his own recognizance.
In a related matter, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has appointed Michelle Welsh as the Law Enforcement Supervisor for the Wildlife Division’s District 5.
As such, Welch becomes the first-ever female appointed to a Wildlife Division law enforcement administrator position.
Welch began her career with the Natural Resources Department as an intern with the Division of Watercraft in early 2001. She then served as a seasonal Parks Division officer before becoming a Watercraft Division officer stationed in the Akron area in early 2002.
In Dec. 2002, Welch was accepted into the Wildlife Division’s Officers Academy.
Upon graduation, Welch was assigned to Clinton County in 2003. There she served for two years before being promoted to an agency Wildlife Investigator in 2005.
“Michelle has served with distinction in every position she had held with the Department, and we are pleased to have her leadership and integrity in District 5,” said Bethany McCorkle, the Natural Resources Department’s deputy director for communications.
“Michelle is also an avid and accomplished hunter and angler, and is an excellent ambassador for women in the outdoors.”
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Fieldkorn
Indicted July 19 were Wildlife Division field supervisor David Warner and Matthew Roberts, state wildlife officer assigned to Clinton County.
Both men work out of the Wildlife Division’s District Five (southwest Ohio) office in Xenia.
And it is this office which also saw the appointment last week of the Wildlife Division’s first-ever female law enforcement administrator.
Warner and Roberts were indicted in the Brown County Court of Common Pleas for theft in office, a fifth degree felony, and tampering with records, a third degree felony. Warner was also indicted for dereliction of duty, a second degree misdemeanor.
A fifth degree felony is punishable by a jail term of six to 12 months, a maximum fine of $2,500 or both. A third degree Felony is punishable by a jail term of one to five years, a maximum fine of $10,000 or both. A third degree misdemeanor is punishable by a jail term of not more than 60 days, a maximum fine of $500 or both.
The charges stem from the pair’s alleged activity of hunting while on duty, and for allegedly turning in bogus time slips that supposedly showed they were on duty when they were allegedly hunting with former state wildlife officer Allan Wright, who had been assigned to Brown County.
The indictments were handed down by Brown County Prosecutor Jessica Little. It was Little who in 2010 brought charges against five current or former Wildlife Division officers.
Wright was sentenced July 17 in federal court for violating the federal Lacey Act, and will be called by Little as a prosecution witness against Warner and Roberts.
For his part, Warner pleaded not guilty Aug. 1 and is being represented by attorney David P. Mesaros who also requested a pretrial conference. That meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., Aug. 21, according to Brown County Court of Common Pleas’ records.
Warner’s bond was posted at $20,000 but was released on his own recognizance.
Roberts entered his not guilty plea Monday and is represented by attorney Niroshan Wijesooriya. A second hearing for Roberts is set for 1 p.m., Aug. 22, said a court official.
The officer’s bond was set at $10,000 but Roberts was also released on his own recognizance.
In a related matter, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has appointed Michelle Welsh as the Law Enforcement Supervisor for the Wildlife Division’s District 5.
As such, Welch becomes the first-ever female appointed to a Wildlife Division law enforcement administrator position.
Welch began her career with the Natural Resources Department as an intern with the Division of Watercraft in early 2001. She then served as a seasonal Parks Division officer before becoming a Watercraft Division officer stationed in the Akron area in early 2002.
In Dec. 2002, Welch was accepted into the Wildlife Division’s Officers Academy.
Upon graduation, Welch was assigned to Clinton County in 2003. There she served for two years before being promoted to an agency Wildlife Investigator in 2005.
“Michelle has served with distinction in every position she had held with the Department, and we are pleased to have her leadership and integrity in District 5,” said Bethany McCorkle, the Natural Resources Department’s deputy director for communications.
“Michelle is also an avid and accomplished hunter and angler, and is an excellent ambassador for women in the outdoors.”
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Fieldkorn
Monday, August 6, 2012
Your house cat is a killer
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Fluffy and Tabby may like to play with balls of yarn when they're in the house but once outside they return to their killer ways.
The American Bird Conservancy has repeatedly warned about the destruction nature of cats left or placed outdoors. Now the group has a new study to back up its claims. And this report received partial funding from the National Geographic Society and conducted by a well-known state university.
Here is the take by the Conservancy:
Washington, D.C., August 6, 2012) A new study of house cats
allowed to roam outdoors finds that nearly one-third succeeded in capturing
and killing animals.
The cats, which wore special video cameras around their
necks that recorded their outdoor activities, killed an average of 2.1
animals every week they were outside, but brought less than one of every four
of their kills home.
Of particular interest, bird kills constituted about 13
percent of the total wildlife kills. Based on these results, American Bird
Conservancy and The Wildlife Society estimate that house cats kill far more
than the previous estimate of a billion birds and other animals each year.
The study was carried out by scientists
from the University of Georgia and the National Geographic Society's
Crittercam program.
“The results were certainly surprising, if
not startling,” said Kerrie Anne Loyd of the University of Georgia, who was
the lead author of the study. “In Athens-Clarke County, we found that about
30 percent of the sampled cats were successful in capturing and killing prey,
and that those cats averaged about one kill for every 17 hours outdoors or
2.1 kills per week.
It was also surprising to learn that cats only brought 23
percent of their kills back to a residence. We found that house cats will
kill a wide variety of animals, including: lizards, voles, chipmunks, birds,
frogs, and small snakes.”
Loyd and her colleagues attached small
video cameras (dubbed Crittercams or KittyCams) to 60 outdoor house cats in
the city of Athens Georgia, and recorded their outdoor activities during all
four seasons. Loyd said the cats were outside for an average of 5-6 hours
every day.
“If we extrapolate the results of this
study across the country and include feral cats, we find that cats are likely
killing more than 4 billion animals per year, including at least 500 million
birds. Cat predation is one of the reasons why one in three American bird
species are in decline,” said Dr. George Fenwick, President of American Bird
Conservancy, the only organization exclusively conserving birds throughout
the Americas.
“I think it will be impossible to deny the
ongoing slaughter of wildlife by outdoor cats given the videotape
documentation and the scientific credibility that this study brings,” said
Michael Hutchins, Executive Director/CEO of The Wildlife Society, the leading
organization for wildlife professionals in the United States.
“There is a
huge environmental price that we are paying every single day that we turn our
backs on our native wildlife in favor of protecting non-native predatory cats
at all cost while ignoring the inconvenient truth about the mortality they
inflict.”
Volunteer cat owners were recruited through
advertisements in local newspapers, and all selected cats were given a free
health screening. Each cat owner downloaded the footage from the camera at
the end of each recording day.
The new study does not include the animals
killed by feral cats that have no owners. A University of Nebraska study
released last year found that feral cats were responsible for the extinction
of 33 species of birds worldwide, that even well fed cats in so-called
“managed” cat colonies will kill, that feral cats prey more on native
wildlife than on other invasive creatures, and that most feral cats (between 62
and 80 percent) tested positive for toxoplasmosis (a disease with serious
implications for pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems).
This study was collaboration between Kerrie
Anne Loyd and Dr. Sonia Hernandez from the University of Georgia, and Greg
Marshall, Kyler Abernathy, and Barrett Foster of National Geographic’s Remote
Imaging Department and was funded in part by the Kenneth Scott Charitable
Foundation.
View video and photos from the KittyCam at
the University of
Georgia's website.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Fieldkorn
|
Friday, August 3, 2012
UPDATED: Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park named nation's "Best Campground."
Ohio can now boast of having the country's best campground, Hocking Hills State Park finishing ahead of such other go-to camping destinations as Yellowstone National Park.
The honor was awarded by Tripleblaze.com., an Internet camping/hiking portal that features campground reviews, caving reviews, camping equipment reviews, and other related subjects.
Tripleblaze.com. listed the 2,356-acre Hocking Hills State Park in southeast Ohio's Hocking County as the best of the best of 100 public and private campgrounds in the U.S.
Thus, Hocking Hills' camping features and amenities climbed over a host of national parks for the coveted Number One spot. Such national treasures as Yellowstone, Mt. Rainier, and Glacier all ranked below Hocking Hills.
Specifically, Hocking Hills State Park has 156 campsites with electricity and 13 without, 40 deluxe cabins, three rental “camper cabins” with fewer amenities, nine hiking trails of various lengths and difficulties, two mountain bike trails, a dining lodge, along with five picnic areas.
Among the park’s famous features is Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave Gorge, several waterfalls while the 9,238-acre Hocking State Forest is adjacent to the park.
Also included in its Top 100 Campgrounds, Tripleblaze.com listed Indian Lake State Park (Lakeview) in 42nd place, Paint Creek State Park (Hillsboro) in 44th place, and Tappan Lake (Cadiz/Deersville) in 45th place.
Tappan is owned and operated by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District while the other three locations are owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Parks and Recreation.
"We've ranked the best places to camp in the United States using our unique campsite popularity algorithm that accounts for the average rating and number of reviews for a campground, the number of people who have camped or wish they could camp at that campground," says Tripleblaze.com.'s web-site lead-in to its Top 100 Campground listing.
In describing its selection of Hocking Hills, Tripleblazer.com. is quoted by digitaljournal.com. (http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/819609#ixzz22XhgPuty) thusly:
The honor was awarded by Tripleblaze.com., an Internet camping/hiking portal that features campground reviews, caving reviews, camping equipment reviews, and other related subjects.
Tripleblaze.com. listed the 2,356-acre Hocking Hills State Park in southeast Ohio's Hocking County as the best of the best of 100 public and private campgrounds in the U.S.
Thus, Hocking Hills' camping features and amenities climbed over a host of national parks for the coveted Number One spot. Such national treasures as Yellowstone, Mt. Rainier, and Glacier all ranked below Hocking Hills.
Specifically, Hocking Hills State Park has 156 campsites with electricity and 13 without, 40 deluxe cabins, three rental “camper cabins” with fewer amenities, nine hiking trails of various lengths and difficulties, two mountain bike trails, a dining lodge, along with five picnic areas.
Among the park’s famous features is Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave Gorge, several waterfalls while the 9,238-acre Hocking State Forest is adjacent to the park.
Also included in its Top 100 Campgrounds, Tripleblaze.com listed Indian Lake State Park (Lakeview) in 42nd place, Paint Creek State Park (Hillsboro) in 44th place, and Tappan Lake (Cadiz/Deersville) in 45th place.
Tappan is owned and operated by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District while the other three locations are owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Parks and Recreation.
"We've ranked the best places to camp in the United States using our unique campsite popularity algorithm that accounts for the average rating and number of reviews for a campground, the number of people who have camped or wish they could camp at that campground," says Tripleblaze.com.'s web-site lead-in to its Top 100 Campground listing.
In describing its selection of Hocking Hills, Tripleblazer.com. is quoted by digitaljournal.com. (http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/819609#ixzz22XhgPuty) thusly:
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