From many outdoor enthusiasts' standpoint, 2006 was somewhat of an atypical year. There wasn't an abundance of snow. Spring weather came a month earlier than usual, but then faded quickly. Summer was largely a washout that also produced a record flood. Autumn weather was more like that of a normal Spring, and Winter's arrival got stuck out West and remains a no-show here. But the weather was just part of the events that occurred last year that affected outdoor activities.
For angling enthusiasts, a new virus that was presumably ushered in by improperly flushed ballasts of ocean-going ships before they entered the St. Lawrence Seaway was the latest bad news for the Great Lakes system, which has been bombarded by exotic species introduction since the Seaway opened. Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is new strain of VHS and in early 2006 was determined to be the cause of a kill of freshwater drum and round goby in Lake Ontario's Bay of Quinte (Ontario, Canada) and muskellunge in Michigan waters of Lake St. Clair. The disease causes the hemorrhaging of the fish's tissues, including internal organs.
This same strain of VHS has now been confirmed in a number of non-salmonid species in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Conesus Lake in New York State. The virus has now affected round goby, burbot, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, pumpkinseed, rock bass, bluntnose minnow, emerald shiner and walleye in just about all infected waters in the state. Although infected fish often have ugly body sores, hemorrhaging in and around the eyes, and their internal organs may be visible, DEC says that it is not dangerous or infectious to humans.
To date, the DEC is unsure just how widespread or damaging the VHS will be in the state's waters, but a federal order prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec and interstate movement of the same species from eight states bordering the Great Lakes has been enacted. The DEC also is prohibiting the commercial collection of bait fish from waters of the state where VHS has been detected.
For landlubbers, one of the biggest complaints last year (and also in prior years) was the steadily shrinking access to land on which to hunt, hike, bird watch, etc. As a result sections of public land are becoming increasingly crowded. During his eight-year reign, Gov. Pataki's insatiable desire for the State to "acquire" more land came very close to reaching the one million acres he was reportedly seeking to add.
Seems fine on the surface, but why do we need more vast tracts of public land in the North Country and Adirondack Park when the majority of it seldom sees human visitors?
Most of the Pataki-acquired land is in the Adirondacks, where the State already holds a form of title to perhaps two-thirds. For example, in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties, State easements comprise nine percent of the remaining private holdings while also outright owning 2.5 million acres in the Adirondack Park. The tax base strain this places on Adirondack residents is taking its toll, as only the wealthier landowners and residents can afford to live there now. Meanwhile, areas in other parts of the state, where access is shrinking, see public land areas either being overused or the habitat there not enjoying any form of management or improvement. Thanks a lot, George.
When rifle hunting for deer became legal in our area in 2005, most hunters rejoiced while pessimists fretted about the safety issues. It turned out that shooting-related incidents actually declined, even setting a record for the fewest. But a lack of permits to harvest antlerless deer in 7M, our local unit, that year was supposed to result in a 2006 deer population increase in what DEC termed a "below-target deer population" in the unit. Naturally the 2005 harvest of deer was the lowest in over a decade, but 2006 was expected to be much better. However, most hunters said they saw fewer deer last fall than the previous year.
No doubt the DEC can blame it on the weather, deer hunters not hunting long or hard enough, or whatever. But the impact of rifles could have also played a part, as hunters were able to shoot farther and more accurately. And then there's the access problem, which has created a huge imbalance in deer densities, depending on location and availability to hunt where the most deer are. While bowhunting appears to be the best solution to that, the state continues to prohibit the use of crossbows as another solution to attracting more hunters to help manage overabundant deer in problematic areas where firearms hunting is impractical. Speaking of weather, the battle to stop the New York Regional Interconnect powerline project should have received a major boost last year from Mother Nature, when record flooding occurred along much of the proposed routing of the mega-line. If the line had been constructed and operational when the flood hit, who can tell what would have happened.
Last year was also a good one for local black bear sightings, and this trend should continue as the local bruin population increases. Once rare in our region, sightings of resident sows with cubs is becoming increasingly commonplace, proving the bears are residing and reproducing here now rather than traveling through. Last week, well known local trapper Ed Phetteplace stopped at my place to show me a section of tree trunk he'd cut that had deep claw marks where an adult boar had marked as a perimeter of its territory.
Reports of mountain lion sightings have persisted for years in our region, and last year was no exception. However, lacking evidence such as photographs, tracks, hair or scat, leaves these sightings subject to question. As far as I know, the only verified evidence of a local lion was from photographs I took of a large male lion's tracks in the snow near Balsam Pond years ago. These were identified by DEC biologists as being made by a mature tom weighing 140-170 pounds. The DEC assumed the lion was an escapee or had been released by parties unknown. A later sighting near Lake Ludlow that year was never supported by any physical evidence.
What we may hope for this year are: more "normal" seasonal weather, a solution to the VHS dilemma, better management of public lands outside of the Adirondacks, NYRI permanently withdrawing its application, a healthy deer and black bear population, creative solutions to the disappearing access problem, and maybe solid proof that born-in-the-wild mountain lions are, indeed, present the state. If any or all these things happen, 2007 would truly be a Happy New Year.