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According to MassWildlife, just under 7 million people share roughly 7 million acres of land and water with wildlife in Massachusetts. Roadways crisscross much of the landscape, impacting both people and wildlife. The most obvious impacts are vehicle collisions. Less obvious—but perhaps more influential to wildlife populations—is habitat fragmentation and degradation caused by roads.
MassWildlife and MassDOT have partnered since 2008 to provide safe passages for both wildlife and people, and to address the conservation needs of vulnerable species listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. This partnership helps incorporate the needs of fish, wildlife, and plants that might have been ignored otherwise during the planning process and maintenance of roadways.
The partnership also has a website where you can report animals you see on the road. If you see roadkill, or a turtle or amphibian crossing the road, consider visiting linkinglandscapes.info to submit information. To submit your findings, click the major project that best fits what you see: reducing turtle roadkill, mapping amphibian crossings, or mapping wildlife roadkill. Fill out the short survey, with detailed location information. There is a Google Map at the bottom of the survey that can be zoomed in and panned to a specific location. The information provided on the website helps MassWildlife and MassDOT determine priority areas to mitigate wildlife-human interactions and how best to manage them.
The agencies suggest that there is another way you can help wildlife on the road and that is to be an alert driver. If you see a turtle crossing a road—and if it’s safe to assist—move the turtle in the direction it’s going. Don’t put it where you think it should go. Slow down if you see a moose or deer on the side of the road or crossing the road. If the animal is crossing the road, don’t swerve around it. Wait patiently for it to cross.
DFW Western District Land Acquisition
MassWildlife recently acquired 150 acres along East Washington Road in Hinsdale. This parcel connects the Hinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Area to the Tracy Pond Wildlife Management Area. It has fields, young forest, old orchards and mature woods, good habitat for most of our wildlife.
All lands acquired by the DFW are open to hunting, fishing, trapping, bird watching, hiking and other forms of passive recreation. The use of motorized vehicles is not permitted.
New Catch & Release State Record Walleye caught
Congratulations to Mike Taylor who recently caught a 29.5″ walleye out of the Connecticut River. Mike is now the catch & release state record holder for walleye.
According to Mass DFW, in the past, they made an extensive yet unsuccessful effort to stock walleye in dozens of waterbodies across the state, but survival rates were low and there was little, if any, natural reproduction. (They even tried stocking them in Stockbridge Bowl in the 1930’s or 1940’s with no reproduction success).
The DFW says that if you’re looking for places to catch walleye in the State, the Connecticut and Chicopee Rivers, as well as the Lakeville system in the southeast, provide good opportunities.
Basic Hunter Education Course

There will be a Basic Hunter Education course held at the Worthington Rod & Gun Club, 458 Dingle Road, Worthingon, MA on July 23, 24, 26 and 27. All four sessions are from 5:30 to 9:00 pm.

You must attend all class dates and times to successfully complete the course. If you are interested in this course and wish to enroll, call (508) 389-7830 immediately; students are enrolled first-come, first-served, and courses fill quickly.

Get those kids outside. Please!
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are certainly doing their share. Recently, they announced that they will be donating some 50,000 rods and reels nationwide this summer in an effort to get kids outside. Recently, Masswildlife accepted a generous donation of 400 rods to its Angler Education Program at the Massachusetts Cabela’s.

They are EPOs, but I still call them game wardens
What this column needs is a good game warden story every now and then. Game wardens (now called Environmental Police Officers in Massachusetts) are very important and are an integral part of our hunting and fishing lore. When I think of the old-time game wardens, I conger up visions of him in his Smokey the Bear Hat, sneaking through the woods and peeking through some pines observing a person fishing right next to a “No Fishing” sign. I am partial to game wardens as my father was once a deputy game warden in the 1920’s and he used to relate some interesting stories to my brothers and me which I hope to pass on in future columns.
In the meantime, let’s start off with this one from nearby New York. Three hunters charged with illegally killing eight bucks in Columbia County, NY, last December have been fined a total of $16,300, according to New York Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the union that represents the officers who made the arrests.
As reported in the Times Union, Environmental Conservation Officer Jeff Cox received an anonymous tip last Dec. 16 that a poacher had illegally shot a buck after dark on Friday evening. Cox and his partner, Officer James Davey, went to the alleged poacher’s home to investigate and found 19-year-old Hunter Ordway of Chatham preparing several antlered deer for processing and display. During an interview, Ordway admitted he had shot the two larger deer that Friday night and did not tag a third he’d also killed, the PBA said in a statement. Ordway named 41-year-old Jeremy Schemerhorn of Chatham and 24-year-old Ryan Bishop of Niverville as accomplices.
Schemerhorn and Bishop “eventually implicated each other in a variety of illegal hunting activities” in subsequent interviews the PBA said.
The officers seized eight bucks in total: one 10-point trophy, three 8-pointers, one 6-pointer, two 5-pointers and one spike. The meat was donated to the Columbia County Hunters for the Hungry Program.
The deer were killed by hunters who baited, stalked and shot the animals after dark with the aid of a light and night vision eyewear, the union said. The three men were ticketed for various offenses and also charged with a total of 10 misdemeanors, the police union said.
Ordway pleaded guilty on April 25 to six misdemeanor counts involving the illegal taking of deer and was sentenced on May 23 to $12,400 in fines and court costs.
Schemerhorn pleaded guilty on March 5 to three misdemeanors involving the illegal take of deer and paid a total of $3,225 in fines and court surcharges.
Bishop pleaded guilty on Feb. 28 to four violations: hunting deer over bait, failure to tag a deer, failure to possess an archery license and failure to wear backtag. He paid $675 in fines and court surcharges.