It’s easy to see as you read through this issue of the Tri-State Outdoor News that spring is not too far off.

From turkey hunting to crappie fishing, Hoosier outdoor writers are turning their pens from fall pursuits to those of warmer weather. I’m all for that.

Those around me can attest that I’m a news and weather junkie. I constantly hop from channel to channel in the evenings trying to catch what weathermen to north of Vincennes are predicting compared to those to the south. One thing that they all agree on – based on what is called “the meteorological winter” (measured Dec. 1 -Feb. 28), this past winter was the third coldest in the last 30 years.

Now, in my own defense, I have no influence on the weather, no one does, but I was accused of being a jinx by a fellow duck hunter because I wrote a column last fall about what was then an upcoming duck season, one that looked to be promising. But as it turned out, the ducks were late in coming because the weather had been so mild, and when winter did begin to show its face, it did so in full force. There was no “easing it into it.” Any place a duck would want to be was frozen solid almost before the season began. And it stayed that way the entire duck season, but the ice fishermen went into overtime mode.

Ice fishermen haven’t seen a winter like this in years. I remember when they were

common, pretty much an annual event to some degree – and I’m not all that old. I tried to explain to my eleven-year daughter Evelyn that “back when I was a kid, we ice skated nearly every winter,” much like our fathers told us of trudging to school through 12 inches of snow. Just try to find a pair of ice skates these days. In my day, there was always a supply at local department stores of the time.

But as I said in the beginning, spring isn’t too far off. Already one can see the effects of the thaw. One exciting example was the more than 1,000 sandhill cranes that spent a couple of weeks just north of Vincennes on the Illinois side of the Wabash River in Lawrence County. Local birders can’t recall there ever being so many sandhills in the area at one time. These are the types of numbers one generally finds at Goose Pond FWA or down in the Patoka River National

Many feel that birds are the harbinger of spring, matter of fact, on page 12 you’ll find a piece on the upcoming Southwest Indiana Bird Festival timed perfectly for a spring migration of birds returning north.

Of course spring wouldn’t be spring without a little crappie fishing and on page 8 you’ll find a few tips from Ken McBroom for locating this member of the perch family. And take note of the picture, a young girl holding up a nice-sized crappie. This spring would also be a great time to take a kid fishing. I’ll be taking mine.

And of course turkey season is also on the minds of a great deal of sportsmen. As turkey hunting continues to grow in popularity, many hunters are hunting these sly birds with a bow, or at least thinking about it. Writer Joe Martino passes a long a few tips on bow hunting a gobbler on page 6.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention perhaps the number one springtime activity

– mushroom hunting.

Now if we are to believe what the old timers say -that a good mushroom season requires a heavy snow cover in the winter -well then, we should have lots to look forward to this year.

Oh yes, one more thing; that’s all fine and dandy that the weather pundits have “meteorological winter” by which to compare things, but we all know that March can be quite the lion and still capable of dishing out one or two more

Wildlife Refuge. It was impressive to say the least.

The issue of antlerless permits be it too many, too few, or just the right amount, is one discussed throughout the state. Casual observation, however, indicates that a great deal of hunters feel that Indiana is simply too liberal with bonus-county permits.

When we read the email from Pike County resident Alan Nelson, it really contained nothing this magazine hasn’t heard before; hunters are seeing far fewer deer these days. Many blame the state’s excessive use of bonus-county permits, others blame two summers of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) that took a heavy toll on southern Indiana deer herds. Astute critics blame both plus the state for not responding to EHD die-offs by reducing the number of bonus-county permits.

But the message that came through more than anything was the letter writer’s disgust at how he and others in a coalition (that included two state representatives) were treated by the DNR staff that  included its Director, Rob Carter and eight others.

“They were arrogant, paid little attention to us. They were rude and already had their minds made up to ignore any and all suggestions made by us,” said Alan Nelson of Winslow.

Nelson is part of a group of nearly 30 hunters from Pike, Gibson, Knox, Warrick and Vanderburgh counties who have come together to discuss Indiana’s deer management, and other areas of DNR management as well.

Nelson said the group came together a couple of months ago and have met twice to discuss DNR management, primarily deer management, but other issues have been raised as well, such as supplemental fish stocking on DNR properties.

Three representatives, that included Nelson and two others along with state representative Mark Messmer and state senator Lindel Hume, sat down with the DNR in Indianapolis to air the groups concerns.

“It was clear by the DNR’s reaction that they weren’t going to listen to us and at one point simply told us ‘we’re not going to change a thing,’” Nelson said.

Nelson added even the two state representatives commented that they too were dismayed at how the DNR treated them and indicated that maybe it’s time for an overhaul of the Indiana DNR.

“Lindel Hume wasn’t happy at all with how the DNR conducted themselves,” Nelson said.

The core of the current unhappiness lies with what many see has a deer population in trouble simply because the DNR wants to sell deer tags. While the DNR touts record population levels, deer hunters and deer processors disagree.

“I know there are areas of Indiana that still have high numbers of deer, but from what I’m hearing from other deer hunters throughout the state, the numbers aren’t as high as the DNR wants us to think,” Nelson said.

Nelson cites his own experience on several hundred acres of prime deer habitat that he alone hunts and the fact he only saw two deer in 27 outings this year. Others tell him the same type of stories.

“We were hit hard by EHD two years in a row down here (Pike County). It really slammed us,” Nelson said.

Nelson went on to add that he also consulted with a friend in the insurance business that researched car-deer collisions and found these to be down 43 percent. When Nelson called 10 area deer check stations they all said their check-ins were way down and area deer processors also indicated fewer deer. But Nelson said it was the deer processors who really opened his eyes when these folks reported that the average weight of deer being processed was only 60 pounds.

“Where are the big does?” Nelson asked. In his mind, two years worth of EHD claimed these.

But deer hunting isn’t the only issue the group is taking to task. Nelson said they also asked about the state doing supplemental fish stockings because a lot of the guys are fishermen and have seen the quality of fishing decline on several of the public lakes. He said the DNR’s reception to this idea was also one of arrogance and rudeness.

Nelson said the Pike County group isn’t alone in their thinking. “I was talking to Rep. Messmer following our meeting with the DNR and he told me a group of sportsmen from Dubois County have also gathered and signed a petition to send to the state.”

“Indiana has really started to whack the sportsman with fees,” Nelson said citing the cost of deer tags and other fees such as boat registration, trailer tags, launch fees and lake enhancement fees just to list a few. “It’s cheaper to go to Kentucky to fish than it is here,” he said. “Plus they have a lot more to offer.”

Nelson said that it’s becoming clear that the Indiana DNR is more about making money on deer tags than it is in preserving the quality of hunting, and they do this by way of bonus-county permits.

“We’re just rallying the hunters right now,” Nelson said. “We’re taking on the state and this group is going to take off and we’re going to have to use politics to do it,” Nelson said in reference to the DNR’s administration that is based on the politics of the sitting Governor.

“We’re beginning our petition process and we’re focusing our efforts on the Governor. We’ve already got two state representatives behind us,” Nelson said.

Nelson is inviting anyone who concerned about deer hunting and other DNR matters to attend a meeting on Feb. 16, 2010 at the Trading Post located south of Winslow on St. Rd. 61. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Those who can’t attend the meeting can get involved by contacting on of the following: Alan Nelson, 812-789-2860 or by email at alannelson28@ msn.com; Ron Beadles, 812-789-3054 or by email at truearchery@aol.com or Todd Harker, 812-766-9050 or by email at trappertodd@psci.net.

News of the shooting first hit Operation Migration’s web site (www.operationmigration.org) on Dec. 3, 2009, the day whooping crane #217 was found dead in Vermillion County near the town of Cayuga by tracker Eva Szyskoski. Eva is Tracking Field Manager for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCRP) and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Vermillion County is a traditional migration stop for this crane and its mate, #211.

News of the death was quite saddening to say the least. When I was first alerted to the death and the fact that it had occurred in our neck of the woods, my first thought was, ‘Please let it be natural or a coyote kill.’ On Dec. 9 the dreaded news release came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Whooping crane #217 died of a gunshot wound.

“This is likely the most important bird in the entire Eastern Migratory Population,” said Operation Migration CEO Joe Duff. “We are all saddened by the loss and troubled by the motive behind the act.” This particular crane and her mate were the only whooping cranes in the eastern Migratory Population who thus far have successfully reared young.

The shooting occurred sometime between Nov. 28, when trackers last recorded her, and Dec. 1, when her carcass was found. During an aerial search the male whooper was spotted but #217 was not visible. Her transmitter signal was tracked to a location a few miles away.

Was this most dreadful act committed by someone calling himself a hunter? It is not yet known, but soon after I heard the news, I telephoned a journalism colleague of mine, Dave Staver, who is also a birdwatcher and golfer extraordinaire, and this is what he had to say; “Crow, we have a saying in golf. ‘There are people who are golfers and people who play golf.’ Likewise, there are hunters and people who hunt. People who hunt are generally idiots with guns who like to shoot things, whereas hunters are people who respect the ethics and nuances of hunting. You’re a hunter and I’m a golfer.”

All whooping cranes are special, but #217 was really special. She and her mate were the parents of #W601, the first whooping crane born in the wild in more than a century. The three of them were dubbed The First Family. A second chick, W602, was also born to the pair, but was unfortunately predated in the late summer of 2006. At least predation is a more respectable death than being shot out of the sky by some idiot with a gun.

Maybe the killing was just an act of cruel, juvenile vandalism or perhaps a hunting mistake. But even if she had been mistaken for a mute swan (legal game in Indiana) and shot by someone hunting (I would suspect a duck or goose hunter), a mistake of this magnitude should never occur. I am outraged and ashamed that shooter might consider himself a hunter.

The odds of ever finding out what really happened are slim. Perhaps the $10,000 reward will entice someone to speak.  Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents are conducting a joint investigation into the shooting. In addition to the Endangered Species Act, whooping cranes are protected by state laws and

The initial reward of $2,500, leading to information, arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, has grown to $10,000 and includes contributions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife (a national non-profit conservation organization), and the Indiana Turn in a Poacher or a Polluter Program, plus one anonymous contributor.

“To kill and abandon one of 500 remaining members of a species shows a lack of reverence for life and an absence of simple common sense,” said John Christian, FWS Assistant Regional Director for Migratory Birds. “It is inconceivable that someone would have such little regard for conservation.”

Sadly, this isn’t the only senseless and reckless setback the whooping crane reintroduction crew experienced last fall. On Nov. 20, 2009, unknown individuals broke into the airplane hanger at the Necedah, Wisconsin airport and did more than $30,000 damage to ultra-light aircraft and other equipment used to lead first year whooping cranes south for their first migration. Operation Migration is based out of the nearby Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, whooping crane lovers (also called ‘craniacs’) and various other groups have come together to make up for that loss through generous donations.

Some readers may not fully understand my appreciation for whooping cranes. Many of you will remember the large photo spread in April 2009 as seven of these birds made a stopover at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Indiana is in a rather unique position, geographically, when it comes to migrating whooping cranes – we’re in the heart of their migration route.

At the time this issue of the Tri-State Outdoor News went to press, there were still 28 whooping cranes in the Hoosier state including the counties of Knox, Greene, Vermillion and Vigo counties, the heart of this magazine’s circulation area. The Vermillion County bird is the widower of the crane that was shot. Gibson County is also a favorite area although no birds have been sighted there this fall. Many of the birds are repeat visitors.

Folks in eastern Illinois are also fortunate as Operation Migration is now leading birds south using an Illinois route. There were two cranes listed in Wayne County also as of this printing.

Bringing back endangered species such as the whooping crane, whose numbers had dwindled to as few as 15 in the 1940s, takes time and money, with most of the tab being picked up by generous corporate and individual donors. Each year, like so many other conservation projects, Operation Migration never knows if it will have the needed funds to cover their expenses. But thanks to these generous donors who sponsor migration miles, and more recently began contributing to the “Give a Whoop!” Fund for as little as $10 per whoop (see web site for more information), another year’s class of whooping cranes find their wings causing the population to grow.

Anyone with information of the shooting should call the Indiana DNR’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-TIP IDNR (800-847-4367), or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 317346-7016. Callers can remain anonymous.

(The class of 2009 has 20 first year flyers, and at the time of this writing is in Franklin County Alabama, halfway through their journey south to Florida.)

While not a flamingo – although flamingos would be quite at home with it – what showed up was a Roseate Spoonbill – plus a couple of other tropical goodies as well.

“Hands down, this is the oddest sighting we’ve had (at the Goose Pond),” said property manager Brad Feaster. “We’ve had other birds more significant, such as whooping cranes, but the spoonbill is by far the oddest.”

What makes the spoonbill sighting so unique isn’t its status in the bird world. The bird isn’t considered rare, threatened or endangered. What makes seeing this bird in Indiana so special is the simple fact that it’s way of its normal range. The bird simply isn’t supposed to be here, although historical records indicate they have been spotted in the state before.

The roseate spoonbill is a member of the ibis family and fairly common along the Gulf Coast and breeds mainly in South America and Caribbean. In fact, the Gulf Coast is about as far north the bird generally ventures although there have been sightings inland along the southern tier states and along the eastern coast as far as Delaware.

Its main food is shrimp, which is where it gets its pink color. And although Indiana lacks shrimp, Feaster said there are numerous microinvertebrates the bird can feed on in addition to small crawfish.

Feaster’s first reaction was, “No way,” when Lee Sterrenburg called about the sighting. Sterrenburg, a retired English professor, is a lifelong birder who volunteers a great deal of time monitoring Goose Pond bird species and helps compiles the official species list for the area along with Ken Brock and James Cole.

Feaster, who was on a bike ride that evening, missed seeing the bird by five minutes but did see the photos taken just before the bird took flight. Subsequent searches for the spoonbill in the following days failed to locate the misguided bird elsewhere on the 8,000-acre property. Those birdwatchers that did get to see the brief visitor were a few of the lucky ones to have such an opportunity to see such a wayward bird.

Feaster said it was about nine or ten days later when he got a second call telling him that the spoonbill had returned. It seems that the bird had taken up with a group of Great Egrets that had found their way to the Goose Pond as well. It’s only speculation that the spoonbill followed the egrets from Florida.

The bird did another disappearing act on the morning of Father’s Day only to reappear on June 30. It’s of no real surprise since the Goose Pond covers 8 square miles. Some areas, such as the main pool, are 2 miles from corner to corner giving avian visitors large areas of recluse.

“It probably had never left,” Fester said. “It was probably just hiding out.”

It didn’t take long for word of the spoonbill’s return to hit Indiana’s Birding List on the Internet. Birders from throughout Indiana and beyond began flocking to the Goose Pond for an unheard of viewing for a bird that’s supposed to spend its entire life along the Gulf of Mexico. Numerous birders have seen the spoonbill in Florida, but to see it in Indiana and add the spoonbill to an Indiana “bird list” is rare treat.

“The traffic and cars pulled off the highway was almost constant the whole time the bird was here (the second time),” Feaster said. Now that the bird has surfaced a third time, he expects traffic to pick up again.

Feaster said when it showed up the second time, his reaction wasn’t so much shock as it was excitement.

“I was just glad it’s here and in a place where so many people can see it. At one time I counted nearly a dozen vehicles pulled over with people out looking at it. Normally, I might see one or two cars a day but the spoonbill attracted a lot of attention, especially from the media,” he said.

Feaster added that he ran into one bird watcher who drove from East Lansing, Michigan the day he heard about it. “He heard about the spoonbill in the morning and was here that very evening,” Fester said.

As Feaster said, this is the first official documentation of the Roseate Spoonbill in the Hoosier state. He said historical records show that spoonbills were “recorded” in the 1800’s after at least one of the birds was shot near Vincennes. He added that even though there is this account, there is no physical evidence such has a skin or any other body part.

As Feaster said, even though unique, the spoonbill was only mildly significant when compared to other species of birds that have found their way to the Goose Pond, such as the Whooping Cranes. An while those birds attracted a lot of attention, their arrival is generally not publicized due to their endangered status.

Along with the arrival of the spoonbill, a handful of other birds, rather ducks have also been attracting a lot of attention. And like the spoonbill, these birds aren’t generally found in Indiana but found in good numbers in Florida and further south into the tropics.

Although more frequent to Indiana than the spoonbill, both the Fulvous Whistling duck and Black-bellied Whistling duck can be found at the Goose Pond this summer. These ducks have also been in the area for several weeks and it appears as though they may spend the summer.

“It’s pretty unique to see Fulvous ducks in Indiana,” Feaster said. “The last Indiana sighting was in 2002 but no where in Indiana has there been a place you can go and see both the Fulvous and Black-bellied Whistling duck in the same day.”

And while we’re on the subject of birds more common to the Gulf States, as of June 30, Feaster reports a batch of American White Pelicans have appeared. While pelicans are fairly common in Hoosier birdscape during spring and fall migrations, to have a bunch in the summer is just another morsel of unique species generally not seen in southern Indiana during the summer.

The Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area is undoubtedly turning out to be everything and more when it comes to unique wildlife habitats. Its 8,0000 acres, most of which are restored wetlands, was named early on as a “significant birding area” by the National Audubon Society. The official list of birds sighted here since 1999 tops out at 212 and when one scans the categories this list contains, it appears as though a revised list for the Goose Pond should list a “you never know” category. Because with the sighting of an odd looking pink bird thousand miles or more outside of its normal range, you really just never know what you’ll see at the Goose Pond.

A little more support from you, the reader, wouldn’t hurt either. If all goes according to expectations, it appears as though the Patoka Refuge might under go a 1,1150-acre growth spurt by the end of this year. For the first time since fiscal year 2005, the Patoka Refuge received a $500,000 appropriation from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the primary funding mechanism for land acquisition for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Money for this fund comes primarily from offshore oil leases. Getting a piece of that pie depends greatly upon legislative support in Washington D.C.

“It’s a good start but not nearly enough,” said project manager Bill McCoy.

“Hopefully, by the end of the year, another $1 million will be coming our direction with the passage of the 2010 fiscal budget.”

Just being a part of the fiscal budget is big news given the refuge has received very few appropriations since it was created in 1994. Getting on that annual list of refuges to be funded takes work. It takes work by the public and our federal representatives. The icing on the cake for fiscal year 2010 is that McCoy is hearing that the Patoka will also be on the President’s list of requests for funding raising the status of the Patoka even higher when it comes to appropriations. But even at that, the President’s budget is only proposed and the Patoka could still be removed if the support isn’t there. If the Patoka does remain in the President’s budget, it will be the first time ever.

“I think we’re in the budget because of a small group of people making the contacts,” McCoy said. “Fortunately we have a hardcore group plus we now have a congressman (Democrat Rep. Brad Ellsworth, both a gun owner and hunter) who is sympathetic to the refuge’s need. I feel more hopeful now than ever.”

The group McCoy was speaking of is the “Friends of the Patoka River Refuge,” a group of folks just like you and me who truly care about seeing the refuge grow to its fullest potential.

McCoy said the Friends group is doing a bang up job of working with legislators and the U.S.F.W.S on getting the word out on the neglected refuge that is losing potential acquisitions to private parties due to the lack of funding.

McCoy said that because of the work of the Friends Group, along with the Evansville Audubon Society, even Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh seem to be taking a renewed interest and are talking about the Patoka a little more these days.

“Lugar and Bayh have always been supportive of the refuge,” McCoy said. “But I don’t believe they’ve necessarily seen the level of public support they would like. That’s been changing due to the work of various groups and individuals,” he said.

What’s at stake here is a vital piece of the refuge puzzle – 1,150 acres known as the Columbia Mine Site adjacent to Snakey Point Marsh just outside of Oakland City. That tract is now owned by Peabody Energy and announced last year its intentions to sell the ground if the refuge couldn’t come with the cash – and soon. The land is currently leased to private interests. But in November 2008, when the refuge got word of the $500,000, the outlook grew a bit brighter and Peabody agreed to wait just a little while longer. Could it be their wait is nearly over?

But the fact remains that any future appropriations, including the proposed $1 million for 2010, could be jerked away if our legislators and President fail to see dedicated public support for the refuge. As mentioned, as of now, only a handful of groups have taken the initiative to write letters and make phone calls and among those are the Evansville Audubon Society, the Izzaac Walton League, Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited and the newly formed Friends of the Patoka River. And while these groups represent their members, individual support still needs to grow.

McCoy commented that one thing he’s noticed is how the bird watching and habitat conservation groups have hit the ground running both in an organized fashion and on an individual basis. What he doesn’t see or hear about are the hunters and fishermen doing the same.

“People are aware of the Columbia tract but few are doing anything to help,” McCoy said. “I’ve been getting a lot of hunters and fisherman stopping by to see if we’ve bought the Columbia Mine Site and I have to simply tell them ‘not yet’,” McCoy said. “And then when I ask whether they’ve contacted their congressman, most say no. But when I ask the same question to a birdwatcher, I generally get a positive response.”

That’s a sad commentary when you consider that hunters and fishermen are considered consumption users but fail to give back by writing letters and making phone calls. These folks truly are a silent group of users who will most certainly cry the loudest if the funding fails and the Columbia Mine is lost.

But even if all the cash comes through, McCoy said the money still isn’t enough when you look at the big picture and overall goal of the refuge. That goal is 22,472 acres but only 5,946 have been acquired in 15 years – that’s only an average of 396 acres per year. And in recent times, that 396-acre average is also the amount of acreage being lost annually as weary landowners who have waited for 15 years begin selling to private interests.

“We’re going to take $1.3 million, or thereabouts, and spend it all in one place. That much money doesn’t go far but that 1,150 acres is significant. I’ve still got dozens of other landowners who would sell today if we had the money.”

What the Patoka won’t be getting this year is money from the recent federal stimulus bill, or at least not any for acquisition. The refuge did get some money from the federal economic incentive plan to host a Youth Conservation Corps Camp this summer. With this money, McCoy will be able to hire high school students to work at the refuge doing a variety of jobs from setting fence posts to aiding biologists in a plant and animal inventory project in addition to eradicating invasive species.

“That’s about the extent of the federal stimulus money for the Patoka,” McCoy said. “But as we acquire more land, we’ll be in a better position to compete for any future stimulus dollars. But for now, I’d just as soon get money to buy land than build a visitor’s center or anything else. Land is what we need at the Patoka. We need places to go, that’s why land is so important.”

Once acquired, McCoy said the Columbia Mine would be available for public use almost immediately. “We don’t need to do much to the ground because of the habitat work already done by coal company. In fact, they were recognized nationally for the quality of that restoration. It’s a great place for birding and will become part of our ‘Wild Drive’ auto tour with interpretive stops not mention the fact that it includes the whole eastern shoreline of Snakey Point.”

There’s still a lot of letter writing and phone calling to do to ensure our legislators fully understand the importance of the Patoka River Refuge. And while it’s good to see a few groups leading the charge on this front, the question begs, “What have you done for the Patoka Refuge?”

Mrs. Hart was the head of the Maffitt Bird Course, a program sponsored by the Linton Civic Garden Club many years ago. The participants in the course were provided with pictures of birds to color and then were marched across the road to view several other more common species of wild birds. On this particular day, they were coloring a large, beautiful white bird with a scarlet head and black-tipped wings. Mrs. Hart went on to explain to the class: “It won’t be long before that species will be extinct!”

That was over 45 years ago, but Barbara Simpson, now of Indianapolis and one of the kids participating in the class on that day, never forgot those words. And on the day I met her, she was back in Greene County looking at a bird she thought she would never see as an adult.

This story actually began a few weeks back while I was browsing the bird watching forum on tristateoutdoornews.com. On that day, two words jumped off the computer screen and caught my attention: whooping cranes! A fellow birder from Knox County had been on a day outing to the Goose
Pond Fish and Wildlife Area near Linton and happened across these endangered birds. I couldn’t clear my day and get on the road fast enough.

This was not my first “wild goose” chase for this magnificent bird. Over the last couple of years I had received other reports of this bird in our area. The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge was home to one such sighting in 2007; the other was at the Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Unit in western Gibson County where I managed to see a lone whooper as it flew over at dusk. But still, that sighting was only a brief glimpse and not under good light.

When the report from the Goose Pond came in I was certain this would be my day to observe and photograph one of the most endangered of North American birds – the whooping crane; but who could have known the opportunity that lay ahead.

The forum report mentioned two rather unusual species of birds. In addition to the whooping cranes, white pelicans were also seen. These birds, mostly associated with our coastal areas, have also been sighted in southern Indiana in past years, again in the Patoka Refuge area.

I made a quick call to a fellow birder and could tell by the excitement in her voice that she would be ready to go in a heartbeat. Whatever she had on her plate for the day would quickly be put aside for the trip to Greene County, and knowing which sections of Goose Pond they were in would make locating the birds much easier, we hoped.

As we pulled into the parking area at GP8, the seven white pelicans were easy to distinguish from the many other species of waterfowl. Seven of them were huddled together, snoozing in the afternoon sun. A few days later they were joined by four more. The whooping cranes, however, were a different story. Also expecting them to be obvious, there were none to be found but we still had several thousand acres to scour in order to find the whoopers.

Just a week prior we had seen sandhill cranes numbering in the thousands at the Beehunter Marsh area (one count totaled around 5000), so I had a pretty good hunch the whoopers may be hanging out with the sandhills.

I wanted to get some pictures of the pelicans despite the distance between us, a good 500 yards at least. The day was very windy and even though the temperature was in the high 40’s, the wind was creating a chill, so I parked the truck in such a way to provide us a wind block. As I was setting up the tripod and camera, my cohort whispered, “Mark, look over there, quickly!” There, in the cornfield, not 60 yards away, stood two whooping cranes and three sandhills, just kind of checking us out. The parking of the truck as a wind block had also blocked our view of a field behind us.

Had they been there the whole time? We didn’t know, and we didn’t care, either. We were getting our first real look at whooping cranes. Soon their necks were outstretched and whoosh! Up they went and back down into the marsh and landing near the pelicans. They were soon joined by the three sandhill cranes who didn’t seem to want to let them get too far away, like they were traveling buddies, maybe.

Although the web report only indicated two whoopers, a call to the property had revealed the presence of five others. (That number would climb to nine by the weekend.) After some quality viewing time and many photos later, off we went to Beehunter for another surprise.

Again, we thought we would be searching hundreds of acres of wetlands for the rest of the birds, but the whoopers had other plans for us. As we made our way down a gravel road, suddenly, not more than 50 yards from the truck, standing in a harvested cornfield, stood two more cranes, poking around in the corn stubble. They didn’t seem to be alarmed at our presence and were unusually tolerant. What an opportunity! They were right there in our faces, as if to say, “Well, here we are. How do you like us now?”

A little further back in the same field were two more. We now had seen six of the seven. Not only did we have extended viewing of the whooping cranes, but we also had a very up-close viewing. Could it possibly get any better than this? Well, actually yes! Number 7 would present itself before our search would end that day. Later correspondence with the people at Operation Migration would alert us to the fact that we all needed to keep a distance of at least 500-600 yards. Here at Beehunter that was hard to do in that the birds were quite comfortable with the slow moving vehicles, the occupants of which were getting views from 50 yards – and occasionally the vocalization these birds are known for.

Various whooping crane reintroduction organizations have put the actual number of whooping cranes on the North American Continent at around 380. Only about 86 of these are east of the Mississippi River and belong to the Eastern Partnership. Nine of these birds all in one place during the northern migration is almost as rare as the bird itself.

Many readers will probably remember some past stories in this magazine about the whooping cranes that have made their way through Indiana in recent years. If you have followed the plight of these birds, then you undoubtedly have seen the major news reports of Operation Migration, wherein young whooping cranes are lead south on a migration route behind an ultra-light airplane, with several strategically chosen areas along the route for overnight lodging. The birds at Goose Pond were some of those birds and seeing them in Indiana really shouldn’t be a total surprise; the Hoosier state has been on this migration route since they began in 2003. A new route, started last year, is now bringing first year birds south by way of Illinois.

Operation Migration has been instrumental in taking the whooping crane, whose numbers had dwindled to a mere 15 in the 1940’s, to their current numbers. These folks, along with the Bring Back the Cranes Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have slowly been rebuilding the wild population. There are now several breeding pairs making their own migrations between northern Wisconsin’s Necedah Wildlife Refuge and their wintering grounds in Florida.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of these whoopers is their identifying leg bands… a combination of red, green and white. I had received a master list of the birds and their bands, which made identifying the birds quite the challenge. While reading field reports on operationmigration.org, one entry indicated that a particular bird, #519, was thought to have met it’s demise sometime between leaving Florida and the locating of its mate in Tennessee. I contacted Operation Migration with the good news that #519 was alive and well in Indiana. Their response was to please forward any photos I might have of any of the birds. Fortunately, I had at least one photo of each bird and Operation Migration confirmed that #519 was alive.

The following weekend found me back at the Goose Pond with my 10-year-old daughter, Evelyn. I wanted her to have a chance to see these lily-white birds with the scarlet faces. On that day, we parked on the road, along with several other vehicles, and watched seven of them feeding in that same cornfield. It was there that we met Barbara Simpson and heard the story of the vanishing cranes. What a shame it would have been had these magnificent birds vanished into extinction. The whooping crane has come a long way since Barbara colored her first picture of this magnificent bird in the days of Mrs. Hart and the Maffitt Bird Course.

As I stood with my daughter and watched the whooping cranes feeding so placidly in those restored wetlands, I thought to myself, “Someday, Evelyn may live to see this bird come off the endangered species list, just like the bald eagle has.” We topped off the day by visiting a bald eagle’s nest and seeing one of the pair incubating the new eggs.

As the afternoon wore on, many of the sandhills began lifting off the marsh except this time they weren’t heading out to feed in the nearby fields. As we stood there it became clear they were “thermaling” on the rising heat and taking advantage of the south wind. Soon, a lone whooper joined the party and did the same. It wasn’t long before he, and the sandhills , disappeared out of sight. The birds obviously had decided it was time to head north.

Reports from Operation Migration in late March indicate one more whooping crane had made a stopover in Greene County bringing the total number to 10 birds. Another eight whoopers have also been seen in Indiana as well. The good news is that six of the nine of the whoopers written about here have all returned safely to the Necedah NWR in Wisconsin with the remaining three still in Greene County. We bid Godspeed to the whoopers.

There are many sites you can visit to read more about the whooping cranes and their comeback, here are a few of the links: operationmigration.org and bringbackthecranes.org

“We were hungry,” one of them answered with a laugh.

“No, I mean what brought us to this restaurant?”

Again, with a quirky response, “Your truck?”

Just as I realized that they were missing the point, one of them said, “Cane Ridge.”

“Sort of,” I said. “But what about this meal?”

I could tell by their looks that the point I was trying to make was close but not exactly finding its mark. One thing that was obvious was that we had just driven 30 miles to have lunch and do some bird watching at the Cane Ridge Least Tern and Wildlife Area just across the Wabash River in Indiana.

That was the point I was trying to make – our afternoon of bird watching and wildlife viewing was having an economic impact on the city of Mt. Carmel, albeit a small one, but still a contribution to the economy in a time when our economy has slowed down.

A few weeks back, I was reading through the most recent Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Associated Recreation that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts every five years. In the 2006 survey, a most interesting trend surfaced, and it was that little factoid that popped into my head as we sat in the restaurant: The economic impact of hunting and fishing now lags behind that of wildlife viewing; the very purpose of our Sunday afternoon drive.

As I sat savoring some delectable coconut shrimp, it occurred to me that just like the hunter (of which I am one) who plops down a ten dollar bill for a box of ammo or the fisherman who spends five dollars on live bait, our ten bucks worth of gas and lunch at an out-of-town restaurant, combined with a recently purchased spotting scope and binoculars, our bird watching activities were having a positive economic impact – both locally and on a much larger scale.

Based on data compiled in the 2006 survey, more than 87.5 million people spent $122.3 billion on outdoor recreation. So you can see that outdoor recreation has a definite following as well as an economic impact.

For decades, hunting and fishing were the prime outdoor objective, but over the last 15 years, the number of people who hunt or fish has declined. What has increased is the number of people involved in wildlife viewing – be it a Sunday drive along the back roads your hometown, or a day trip to a specific area such as Cane Ridge. And for many folks, wildlife viewing includes overnight trips as well.

Of those 87.5 million people, 71 million were wildlife viewers who spent $45.7 billion of the $122.3 billion on feeding, photographing and observing wildlife. Compare this to the 30 million anglers who spent $42 billion on their interests, and the 12.5 million hunters who spent $22.9 million on their pursuits. For the wildlife viewers, this was an 8 percent increase over the 2001 survey.

The survey also shows that when it comes to wildlife viewing, 50 percent of the spending was on equipment while the other half was spent on transportation, lodging and meals. Sounding familiar?

So what’s the point? Well, the point is that wildlife viewing, be it bird watching or seeing how many deer you can spot during a pleasant drive through the country, is relatively cheap and educational fun. All you need is a pair of binoculars, suitable nature books, a camera if you like to take pictures, and you’re set.

It could be that since wildlife viewing is not an expensive form of fun and recreation compared to other outdoor pursuits, more people have taken up wildlife viewing and bird watching. Another good impetus has been the focus on endangered and threatened forms of wildlife and a new awareness of our environment – the reintroduction of the bald eagle and its success is one such example. Just 20 years ago someone living in southwestern Indiana would have had to drive hundreds of miles to get a chance to see our American symbol. Nowadays, a drive along any river, or a visit to one of our reservoirs or wildlife areas, will often lead to a sighting. We saw two eagles that day and nesting eagles at that.

The bottom line is that wildlife viewing is not expensive and you never quite know what you will see because you can do it all year long – unlike hunting and fishing. But more importantly, even more timely, is that this simple form of outdoor recreation carries with it tremendous economic impacts even though you might not notice it yourself.

Take for instance our stop at the Mt. Carmel restaurant. We had planned a Sunday afternoon outing for that day. The subject of lunch came up before we hit the road and it was mentioned that there was a very good restaurant near our destination. Having never been there, and being a great lover of Chinese buffets, I was all for it. But it never occurred to me at the time just how significant that decision would be and how our choice of lunch stops would actually fall in line with the economic survey on outdoor recreation.

Now multiply this several times for each trip we might make on a Saturday or Sunday, most involving a meal or two, and definitely some fuel, and it starts to become clear that our love for the outdoors is much more than just outdoor recreation — it’s helping our economy in troubled times even if it is just $10 or $20 at time.

It’s no secret that we are in the midst of a recession and people aren’t spending money like they did just a couple of years ago. And because many people are scaling back on summer travel plans, now is a perfect opportunity to discover what can be found in their own backyards via shorter trips to places such as the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area, Pike State Forest, Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area, Martin State Forest, Wesselman Nature Preserve, Beall Woods or Red Hill State Park, just to name a few. All of these are great wildlife viewing areas and give you the chance to have an economic impact on your own area simply by stopping at a local restaurant and having lunch or dinner.

The survey takers like to refer to these as the ‘multiplier effect,’ where the money we spend on outdoor recreation creates additional economic flow by way of jobs and such. Again, according to the 2006 survey, the $87.5 million dollars generated by outdoor recreation multiplies into $122.6 billion when you consider the jobs, taxes, and other spinoffs.

Another important aspect to the lunch this day was the fact that it was a locally owned restaurant, just like most of the eateries we visit while on bird watching excursions. We always try to find the local spots not only because the food tends to be better, but the fact that the money is being funneled directly into the local economy.

Take for instance this magazine. We’re a direct spinoff off outdoor recreation right here in southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois. We’re also free to the reader thanks to our advertisers. And every time a reader opts to do business with one of our advertisers, not only does the money stay local, but it also multiplies out to a product you love, that being entertaining features and news about outdoor recreation right here in the Tri-State.

We’ve all heard about how tough the next year or so is going to be, but that doesn’t mean we have to abandon all forms of recreation. In fact, I would encourage readers to get out and do more wildlife viewing and stop along the way to have lunch, or maybe even visit a local retailer in that area. The worst thing we could possibly do is nothing, and that results in spending nothing. Yes, we all have to watch our pennies, but we also need recreation to keep us upbeat and optimistic, and by stopping to have lunch or buying a little gas is a great way to double the effect of wildlife viewing. We get the entertainment value while also doing just a little bit to keep the economy moving.

In regards to current events, Indiana saw a new senior citizens fishing license, a much-needed boost for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife. Prior to the creation of this special license, those over the age of 65 didn’t need a fishing license, which was great for senior citizens, but very costly for Indiana. By not having a fishing license, this older generation simply was not counted, translating into tens of thousands of dollars not coming our way from proceeds derived from Dingell-Johnson funds – the excise taxes paid on fishing and equipment and returned to states based on the number of fishing licenses sold. Now, with the creation of the $3 license (or the $17 fish for life), thousands of dollars are now being returned to the Hoosier state for fishing programs.

In the down side of current events within the DNR, it appears as though the loss of the Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area is imminent. Failure to reach an amicable land deal with Peabody Energy has caused the DNR to re-think a purchase of the now leased area. In fact, Peabody has even increased that lease price from a mere $99 to more than $80,000 a year. A purchase plan was in place when at the last minute Peabody wanted to maintain the surface mining rights on this 8,000-acre area. We applaud the DNR’s foresight to see that this isn’t a deal at all, although they are still seeking an agreement to finally put this land into the public domain.
But what about the other things we’ve been watching this past year?

I, for one, have gained a new appreciation for birds. Now, I’ve always found fascination with the big birds – the raptors, such as eagles, ospreys, red-tailed hawks and others. Then there are the more rare birds such as least terns, blacknecked stilts and whooping cranes – birds that are considered threatened but are making a comeback due to the marvelous habitat work being done right here in southern Indiana by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge. But it wasn’t until a very good friend of mine, Julie St. John, introduced me to the little brown jobbies (LBJs in birding lingo), or the little chirpy birds and I called them, did I really begin to see and understand birds. A sparrow is not just a sparrow. There are swamp sparrows, field sparrows, grasshopper sparrows, savannah sparrows, tree sparrows, lark sparrows… how does she keep them straight? With a lot of diligence and experience, that’s how. But when it comes to waterfowl, I’m one up on her there, mostly because I’ve been hunting them for many years and it helps to know what you’re shooting at.

Since December of 2007, I’ve participated in several organized bird counts with Julie and others, including David Staver, a fellow journalist I worked with for more than 15 years at the Vincennes Sun-Commercial. A count I helped with in Lawrence County last spring netted over 130 different species! I had no idea there were so many birds in our area. If you’ve always had an interest in birding but didn’t know how to go about it, just get a pair of binoculars and a good bird book, and have at it, you won’t be disappointed.
But without a doubt, it was counting – or rather listening to – frogs and toads that I found to be most fascinating. When I would tell people that I was counting frogs, the looks were at times just as amazing as the frogs themselves. Some of them, such as Julie’s friend, Brenda, simply laughed at us and called us ‘weird’.

You may wonder why, and how, a seemingly rational guy, such as myself, would count frogs. Well, for one, frogs are a very good indicator as to the health of the overall ecosystem of which we are a part. And secondly, it’s challenging and fascinating.

Last summer, Julie and I got involved with the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (administered by Indiana’s Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Non-Game and Endangered Species Program). The goal of the NAAMP is to monitor frogs and toads in order to gauge their abundance and to use that information as one of several environmental monitors. But how do you count frogs and toads? By listening, that’s how! And though it’s not an extremely difficult task, two sets of ears are definitely better than one, so I enlisted the help of my birding mentor, Julie.

We first had to learn the sounds of 18 different species of frogs and toads and then pass a listening test before we could be certified. On their own, individual species can be learned fairly easily. Using her own system of made-up phonemes that she employs when identifying bird sounds, Julie came up with similar analogies with the frogs and toads. It’s not until they start throwing multiple species into the same sound track do things get a little more difficult. You have to quickly identify the strongest calls and then “listen through” to hear the other notso- obvious calls.

Counting these frogs and toads is a nighttime activity – a late nighttime activity. Beginning 30 minutes after dark and concluding before 1 a.m., there are 10 stops along a prescribed route. Our route took us through Daviess County.

American Toads, Fowler’s Toads, Spadefoot Toads, Northern Cricket Frogs, Spring Peepers, Northern and Southern Leopard Frogs, Pickerel Frogs, Eastern and Cope’s Treefrogs, Green Frogs, Crawfish Frogs and everyone’s favorite, the American Bull Frog. That’s a lot a to keep straight when all you have to go on is sound. But we heard nearly every species, just not all at the same time. Some are noisy in the spring, some early summer, and some late summer – each triggered by the air temperature.

But of all these frogs it was the Eastern Spadefoot that caught the attention and excitement of Julie and I as we stood in the darkness on our first night of counting. You see, some of these frogs are endangered or threatened or have a very limited range and the Eastern Spadefoot is one such frog.

We were at stop nine of our ten stops on the first trip out. We had to divert nearly 25 miles due to flooding that had closed State Road 257 between Washington and Otwell, but we had to hit nine out of ten to make the count valid. Stops nine and ten were on the other side of the floodwater.

Standing there in a creek bottom close to midnight, we heard the common toads and frogs, but off in the distance in the middle of a field was a chorus of frogs sounds hard to distinguish – we needed a better vantage point. As we walked into the field a ways, the sound became deafening. A few steps further took us to a flood pool of wheat teaming with little amphibians. It didn’t take long for us to come to the same conclusion – Spadefoots. Had it not been for the visual verification, I would’ve been reluctant to make such an assessment. There were hundreds of them puffing their throats and making the most unique call. My only regret, no camera! Who would have thought I’d need my camera along at night to listen to frogs?

Since our literature didn’t list the area as a known range for this threatened species, the next day I shot an email off to Angela Garcia, who works for the DNR, questioning the find. The reply was “Yes,” she knew of the Spadefoots in that area. In fact, she was currently working on a research project involving Spadefoots in the same vicinity.

A few weeks later, during the second observation window, I went prepared, camera in hand, hoping the toads would still be there – and they were. This time they were accompanied by a few Crawfish Frogs, also considered threatened.

Well, spring is just around the corner and so is another season of watching, and listening, and counting. So be it birds, frogs and toads, or current events, 2009 will be another eventful year of outdoor activities and I hope that you can all join in and stay informed, right here in the Tri-State Outdoor News.

This worldwide web thing has been around for a while now and many of our readers probably think we’ve been a little slow to establish a presence on the world wide web, and that’s true. The idea of the Tri-State Outdoor News on the web has been kicked around for sometime but limitations with the web provider for Tri-State Media, the parent company of this publication, offered us a limited presence at best. We wanted our web site to be something more than just a place to go read our monthly publication. We wanted tristateoutdoornews.com to be a place where our readers would come back to on regular basis. I think we’re off to a good start.

We in the publishing business refer to the web as “new media.” But what the heck is “new media?” For print publishers, the web gives us the opportunity to bring to readers, in this case readers of the Tri-State Outdoor News, a variety of features ranging from online video, user forums and links to other locations on the internet. Something ink on paper can’t do.

So is tristateoutdoornews. com going to be just another hunting and fishing web site? In some regards, yes, but what we want to offer is a web site geared towards outdoor recreation right here in our own backyard.

Take for instance our forums area. No matter what your outdoor interest maybe, we’ve tried to develop a forum area for your niche of interests. That includes everything from hunting, to fishing, to camping and birdwatching. Got a great recipe you want to share? Then post it in our recipe forum.

And what about those pictures of big bucks, big fish or your first buck or fish? Just up upload that photo with a little information for all to see. A few of these pictures will be spotlighted on our print versions of On the Wall.

Of course, you’ll also find all the features we carry each month in the Outdoor News as well. But what I’m most excited about is our ability to update information on a daily basis. So many times the information sent to use by various DNR agencies doesn’t see print due to our publication cycle, but by providing a web site, we can post bulletins and other DNR news as it crosses our desk.

And how about those links? No web page would complete without a links section. What you’ll find in our links section are paths to DNR agencies, the National Weather Service and just a bunch of other web sites that outdoor recreationists will find useful. If you have a group you’d like listed, drop us an email and we’ll get you added.

Is there something missing from our web site? I’m sure there is but that’s where the readers can get active. Just let us know what you would like to see on tristateoutdoornews. com and we’ll try get it up there. We want tristateoutdoornews. com to be the complete web site for people who love outdoor recreation in southwest Indiana, southeast Illinois and just across the Ohio River in Kentucky.

So click on over to tristateoutdoornews.com.

We’ll be waiting.

I guess the first thing on my Christmas list would be funding for the Patoka National Wildlife Refuge in Pike and Gibson counties. The Patoka Refuge has been the neglected step-child of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for far too long. While other refuges have found bundles of cheer to brighten their days (read regular funding for land acquisition), the Patoka Refuge has seen little.

The Patoka Refuge has reached a crucial time in its life where funding is desperately needed in order to preserve the integrity of this project in terms of its initial intent – to preserve one of Indiana’s most unique ecosystems
providing needed habitats for numerous species of plant and animal life, some of which are considered endangered or threatened, and to provide for public-access recreation be it wildlife viewing, hunting or fishing.

What is at stake here, if you read our November issue, is nearly 1,200 acres adjacent to the refuge’s Snakey Point Marsh. Within the next year, this tract of ground that contains upland grasslands and numerous lakes could easily fall into private ownership if funding isn’t made available now. Instead of refuge visitors overlooking a marsh and grasslands, they could soon be overlooking a marsh and homes on the other side. Instead of looking for short eared owls and Henlsow’s sparrows, they might be looking at gates and no trespassing signs.

My wish here is that readers will respond with letters to federal lawmakers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a show of support for our slow-to-grow refuge.

My second wish is for a suitable purchase agreement between the DNR and Peabody Energy for the acquisition of the Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area in Sullivan County. This isn’t something that can be put off any longer.
If you detect a sense of urgency, well, you’re correct. This is a most urgent matter that could affect the future of the refuge as a whole. There are people lining up at a shot to buy land within the proposed refuge boundary, some has already been sold off. The refuge simply cannot afford to loose this tract of ground – nor can we.

The DNR has worked so hard for so many years to find a way to purchase this 8,000 acres instead of a simple lease that has been thecase for well over a decade. Deals have been close in the past and reached it’s closest point just two years ago when all the funding was in place. At the final hour, the coal company decided it wanted to retain surface mining rights after the sale. The deal went sour, and perhaps that was best – for now. That doesn’t mean, however, efforts to acquire the area should go idle.

The only good news in this is the fact that a new lease agreement has been reached that will keep the area in DNR control, albeit at much higher lease price than before. But until the mining company negotiates the surface rights, Minnehaha faces the same uncertainty as it has for years.

The third item on my wish list is that every reader of this magazine return a small portion of their income tax return to the Indiana Non-Game and Endangered Species Program. It’s easy to do, just check it off on your state tax return. Contribute as much as you like or as little – just contribute a little something.

This program has been around for two decades now and has achieved some marvelous successes – all thanks to the Income Tax Checkoff. Bald eagles are now a common sight throughout the state and river otters are back home after being absent for decades. Bobcats have also returned and our state’s wildlife biologists now know so much more about other threatened and endangered species thanks to this fund that has made possible all sorts of research studies. Many species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians are now better off than they were 20 years ago, most of which we never think about. This is a fund where both hunters and nonhunters can come together because of the wide impact non-game work has on thecomplete ecosystem.

Along these same lines, another wish I have is to see more of those blue Heritage Trust license plates on our roads. Sure, there’s an additional $35 involved when you register your vehicle, but the payoff is great. Unlike the
Non-game and Endangered Species Program, the Heritage Trust Program targets our environmental heritage such as nature preserves, state parks and outdoor recreation, but it is also designed to preserve our cultural heritage be it an area of archeological significance or historic building worth saving.

Live greener. It might be the vogue thing now, but we all can live a little greener and reduce our carbon footprint. Be it as simple as turning off a light, using paper instead of plastic or recycling, there are all sorts of things
we can do on a daily basis to become urban conservationists.

Take for instance the new, insulated coffee cup I purchased the day I wrote this column. I drink coffee throughout the day and many of those cups come from across the street from my office. Now, instead of a Styrofoam
cup (many I save and reuse for my daily commute) that will eventually find its way into a landfill, I took the step at reducing my contribution of this long-lasting trash – not to mention that the refill is cheaper. Not only
did I reduce landfill material, but now I won’t be in the “demand loop” for these cups, and that’s less energy to make those cups.

And the same goes for bottled water.

Another wish is for each of us to introduce someone to the outdoors. Be it a kid or an adult and be it hunting, fishing or bird watching, every time we introduce someone to the outdoors the benefits are many. Not only do we pass along our heritage such as hunting and fishing, but the outdoor world benefits by more people becoming aware of the issues that affect our environment. People who participate in outdoor recreation are more apt to contribute to conservation causes and this particularly true amongst hunters who have paid for the bulk of conservation by way of groups such as Quail Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation and more.

And finally my last wish: That everyone get active – and I don’t mean get active by getting outside and doing things. The activity I speak of is right there in front of your computer and has been the central theme to this wish
list. Get active by writing letters, emails and making phone calls to our state and federal legislators and agencies. Let them know that our environment is important, not just from a healthy living standpoint reducing our carbon footprint, but in terms of demanding that things such as the Patoka Refuge and Minnehaha FWA be funded to put more land in the realm of public access.

Get active by introducing someone to the outdoors and get active by contributing a few dollars here and a few there to conservation groups that share the same goals as you and I. But importantly, get active so that our children and grandchildren will have the chance to see and experience the outdoors and all it has to offer.