Earlier this year the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen (BCLS) voted to send two youths to the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp (MJCC) at the Moses Scout Reservation in Russell, MA. The MJCC is a two-week overnight summer camp for girls and boys ages 13 -17.
Conservation subjects taught include Fish & Pond Life, Forestry, Soil Conservation, and Wildlife Management. Outdoor skills taught include Archery, Basic Camping, Fly & Spin Casting, Orienteering, Riflery and Shotgun. These courses are taught by certified instructors in their respective fields. Additional MJCC curriculum includes the Massachusetts Hunter Education Program and Small Boat Safety, which may require online learning prior to camp attendance. All sections of these courses must be completed, and attendance for the entire camp session is required in order to earn certificates.
The camp this year had 98 youngsters, 23 girls and 75 boys. The BCLS wanted to send one girl and one boy but no girls were entered. The League sent two boys instead. It gladly coughed up the $2,200 from its meager treasury to send them ($1,100 each) with the stipulation that they come to a League meeting afterward and tell the delegates of their experiences there. The two boys were 15year-old Liam MacNeil and 14 year-old Tatum Oates.
They gave talks on their experiences there. Liam said this camp was “one of his best experiences. Being at this camp, I was with many kids my own age who enjoy and appreciate all the outdoor sporting activities.” He brought trophies that he won for placing 2nd in the camp for rifle shooting and he caught the 3rd largest bass. Considering he competed against a possible total of 98 anglers, he didn’t do too badly.
He took classes that included forestry, rifle shooting, shotgun, black powder, map and compass and air rifle. He chose fishing and blacksmithing as his elective weekend activities. He caught a 14-inch rainbow trout out of the Westfield River on a fly that he tied. He couldn’t thank the League enough for choosing him to attend “this awesome camp.” “Your continuous support of kids like me helps grow the outdoor community. I will always remember this experience for the rest of my life.”
Tatum thanked the League for choosing him to go to the camp and he also had a wonderful time. He told of all the classes that he took; map and compass, rifling, black powder and archery. For his elective he chose fishing and black powder. He caught the 4th largest bass. “They taught me first aid, how to properly track a deer, gut a fish and deer, stuff about bird dogs, how to hunt a turkey, build a shelter, start a fire and find food in the wilderness.”
MA Fish and Wildlife Board Chairman Steve Sears was at that meeting and he reported that the MA Outdoor Heritage Foundation agreed to provide new compound bows for the camp.
Outdoor violators, beware!
In my June 19, 2021 column, I did an article about a bill filed that would enter Massachusetts into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, a network that seeks to reduce wildlife poaching through information sharing across state lines and reciprocal recognition of license suspensions and revocations for fishing, hunting, and trapping. This legislation would update the Commonwealth’s outdated penalties for illegal hunting, some of which have not been updated in a century and currently amount to little more than a slap on the wrist.
Simply put membership protects wildlife, supports law-abiding hunters and anglers, and provides the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) additional resources to combat poachers and other wildlife criminals.
It similarly updates fines and license suspensions for other violations unchanged since the 1930s. For context, a fine of $50 in the 1930s would, keeping up with inflation, be about $800 today. The (proposed) updates are more modest.”
At the November meeting of the BCLS, Lt. Kara Carlow of the MEP reported that in August, 2022, Governor Baker signed a bill authorizing Massachusetts Fish & Game Commissioner Ron Amidon to join that Compact. It was scheduled to go into effect in early November of this year. From now on, if you break the law and lose your license in MA, it will be reciprocated in every other state and vice versa. Also, fines will be increased, doubled in some cases. It would allow for the suspension of licenses for up to three years for a first offense and up to 10 years for a third offense.
Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant program
The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant program funds a variety of conservation projects in Massachusetts. To remain eligible for these grants, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs must submit a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) every five years. Input from the survey will be included in the next SCORP and will help determine how LWCF funding will be distributed over the next five years. The Survey is available at https://www.mass.gov/news/outdoor-users-let-your-voice-be-heard.
Since the program was established in 1965, more than $100,000,000 has been awarded to projects in every county in the state for the acquisition of conservation and park land, development of new parks, or renovation of existing parks. If you have questions or comments related to the survey, email SCORP.2022@mass.gov.
I know for a fact that the Berkshires has previously benefitted from this Fund. I’ll write about it in a future article.
Incidentally, there is another survey going on. A group of random anglers were recently invited by MassWildlife to take a Freshwater Fishing Survey. The Survey invitation comes via email and uses the Novi software system.
BCLS officers chosen
That same evening, the League delegates elected the officers for the upcoming year. All were re-elected to their previous positions. Wayne McLain of the East Mountain Sportsmen’s Club was reelected President. Bob McCarthy also from the EMSC was reelected VP, Dan Kruszyna of the Cheshire Rod & Gun Club was reelected Treasurer and this scribe, representing the Berkshire Beagle Club, was reelected Secretary.
Taconic Chapter of TU elections
The officers of Taconic Chapter of Trout Unlimited were elected at its annual meeting which was held on October 27. The officers are: President – Justin Adkins of Williamstown, VP Henry Sweren of Lanesboro, Secretary – Fran Marzotto of Pittsfield and Treasurer -Bruce Collingwood of Pittsfield.
Talk to be given on regional wildlife corridor
Laura Marx, a Climate Solutions Scientist from The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, will speak at the Berkshire Environmental Action Team’s (BEAT) November Pittsfield Green Drinks event on Tuesday, November 15, at 6:00 PM via Zoom. She’ll be talking about The Staying Connected Initiative and the cross-border effort to protect and connect wildlife habitat across the Canadian Acadian Mountains and the Northern Appalachian Mountains of New England.
Since 2013, various partners in Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and Connecticut have been working on a portion of this regional wildlife corridor called the Green Mountains to Hudson Highlands (or Berkshire Wildlife Linkage.) You are welcomed to join Laura Marx to hear about some of the recent work this group has done; how it has built upon data gathered by wildlife trackers, culvert surveyors, and GIS gurus; and how they continue to protect land and improve wildlife and water passage under roads in the Berkshires and beyond.
Marx leads the chapter’s work on natural climate solutions – better management and protection of forests, wetlands, and farms to reduce and remove carbon emissions. As part of her work on how forests are impacted by – and can help fight – climate change, Laura leads the Regional Conservation Partnership and works to improve state policies relating to land conservation and forest management. Laura has a PhD in Forest Ecology from Michigan State University and can be contacted at lmarx@tnc.org.
Pittsfield Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the third Tuesday of the month. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. You are encouraged to bring your curiosity and questions.
This event will take place on Zoom. Registration is required to join. You can register at: tinyurl.com/Nov2022-Green-Drinks
Pittsfield Green Drinks is sponsored by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). For more information (and photos) regarding Pittsfield Green Drinks, contact Chelsey Simmons, chelsey@thebeatnews.org, (413) 464-9402.