Family-Outdoors

Southeast Lower Peninsula Lake Erie:   Walleye fishing was a bit slower but anglers still had success near Fermi and Stony Point in 20 to 26 feet in the early morning and moving out to 28 feet as the day progresses.  A couple fish were caught near the E-Buoy.  Anglers are trolling crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers or wiggle warts in fire-tiger, purple or chartreuse.  Those trolling crawlers caught quite a few freshwater drum, white perch and catfish.  Catch rates for yellow perch were hit-or-miss when using spreaders with shiners near the W-Buoy in 13 to 16 feet or near Fermi and Stony Point in 18 to 23 feet.  Shore anglers fishing the Evans Pier at Luna Pier caught bluegills and smaller largemouth bass on crawlers.  Shore anglers at Pointe Mouillee caught rock bass and freshwater drum on crawlers and shiners.  The lagoons at Sterling State Park were producing some largemouth bass.   Detroit River:   Walleye anglers are still h...

CENTRAL Hefner: July 25. Elevation normal, water 88. Spotted bass fair on jigs, crankbaits and topwater lures at 2-12 ft. around points, in the main lake and in coves. Striped bass hybrids and white bass good on Alabama rigs, grubs, slabs and gay blades at 1-20 ft. in coves, along shorelines and riprap. Flathead, blue and channel catfish good on chicken liver, minnows, shad and Danny King punch bait at 2-10 ft. in coves, along shallows, riprap and intake. Walleye slow on crankbaits and minnows at 8-20 ft. along riprap, the main lake and around points. Report submitted by Lucky Lure Tackle. Overholser: July 26. Elevation below normal, water murky to muddy. Blue, channel and flathead catfish slow on live bait, cut bait and chicken liver in the main lake and the discharge. Striped bass hybrids and white bass slow on crawfish, cut bait, worms and jigs in the main lake, the discharge and along shorelines. Carp, drum and buffalo fair on dough bait and worms in the discharge and along s...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Seeking to expand opportunities for young girls nationwide to experience nature and explore careers in wildlife conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Girls Inc. has signed a historic partnership agreement. The agreement commits the two organizations to work together to help girls, particularly those from communities of color and urban areas traditionally underrepresented in natural resource conservation fields, to explore conservation and natural resource management. Service Deputy Director Steve Guertin, who signed the agreement on behalf of the agency, called it an enormous step forward in the organization’s efforts to reach new audiences and introduce the next generation of young Americans to their natural heritage and the importance of conserving it. “We face enormous conservation challenges as we work to protect and sustain the world’s wildlife and natural landscapes for future generations. To meet these challenges we must enga...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that $1.58 million in federal funding has been awarded under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act grant program to restore sustainable populations of fish and wildlife resources, and their habitats, in the Great Lakes Basin. One regional project and seven research and restoration grant projects funded will provide $535,234 in non-federal partner match contributions. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to a collaborative vision for conservation in the Midwest Region envisioned in the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. In the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, I am pleased that we can continue to support the valuable work of our partners through this legislation,” said the Service’s Midwest Regional Director, Tom Melius. Since 1998, the Restoration Act has provided more than $24.4 million dollars in federal funding to 157 research and restoration projects. When combined with required mat...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) In our increasingly urban society, studies have repeatedly shown that access to nature and the outdoors makes us healthier and happier. This is particularly true for children and young adults. The opportunities for residents of major urban areas across the country to gain that all-important access just received a substantial boost thanks to new and expanded partnerships led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through its  Urban Wildlife Conservation Program . This initiative connects city residents with nature and engages thousands of volunteers in restoring local environments. These programs were made possible by the 2016 Five Star grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which generated over $2 million in direct contributions and matching funds from local partners. “It’s becoming more difficult for our children to grow up healthy amid the treeless concrete-scape of our burgeoning cities,” said Dan Ashe, Director of the U.S. F...

DES MOINES RIVER – Southeastern Iowa’s Des Moines River is now 40 tons of trash lighter, thanks to the efforts of 329 volunteers. This July, 329 volunteers took part in the 14th annual Project AWARE, traversing 52 miles of the Des Moines River through Wapello, Davis, Van Buren and Lee counties from Eldon to Croton. Project AWARE, which stands for A Watershed Awareness River Expedition, involves hundreds of people who spend anywhere from one to five days exploring Iowa’s rivers and picking up trash. "We were so surprised and impressed at the large number of volunteers who helped all week cleaning the trash from our river,” said Stacey Reese, Executive Director of Villages of Van Buren. “There were even a few locals who helped out. I think the magnitude of this event helped make a lot of people more aware of how important it is to be good stewards of our waterways. So now, it's up to us to keep it clean." Items removed included a motorcycle, boat, Dumpster, severa...

English: Iowa Department of Natural Resources logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Summer is all about relaxing with family and friends. Add fishing to your list of summer activities.  Plan a day trip or bring along fishing gear on your next weekend getaway or camping trip. “Fish are still biting, even in the middle of a sticky Iowa summer,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau. Like anglers, fish adjust to the heat, too. “The key is being in the right place, even when the thermometer says it’s too hot to fish.” The best fishing is early in the morning or later in the evening and after dark. Avoid the brightest, hottest part of the day. Fish might cruise the shoreline early in the morning, but will seek cover in deeper water as the sun starts beating down on the water. “Some of our best fishing is after dark,” reminds Larscheid. Look for fish in weed beds or structure, near shade during the day. They often are suspended in deepe...

Evening on Gulf of Maine from Acadia National Park Here we are three weeks into July, and with school starting earlier it seems every year, you might be thinking of one more outdoor excursion for the year...or maybe you are really ambitious and will get a few more in!  I am a high school math teacher, so even though my kids are grown, the school schedule still is a driver in our lives. One kind of cool thing is that even though our kids are grown, we still often have them with us on our adventures.  We took one big trip to the northeast just the two of us - Maine and the Adirondacks with a one day trip into NYC. It was our 30th anniversary trip, plus our unmarried son was deep into working at doing forest research down in the Missouri Ozarks before his final undergrad year as a forestry major at Mizzou. We have one more ace up our sleeve...a shorter trip of about 5 days to the Indian Peaks Wilderness area of Colorado.  Past trips we have gone further west - the Sa...

“To form a perfect conception of the beauty and elegance of these Swans, you must observe them when they are not aware of your proximity, and as they glide over the waters of some secluded inland pond. On such occasions, the neck, which at other times is held stiffly upright, moves in graceful curves, now bent forward, now inclined backwards over the body. Now with an extended scooping movement the head becomes immersed for a moment, and with a sudden effort a flood of water is thrown over the back and wings, when it is seen rolling off in sparkling globules, like so many large pearls. The bird then shakes its wings, beats the water, and as if giddy with delight shoots away, gliding over and beneath the surface of the liquid element with surprising agility and grace. Imagine, reader, that a flock of fifty Swans are thus sporting before you, as they have more than once been in my sight, and you will feel, as I have felt, more happy and void of care than I can describe.” More than 1...