Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) Western District Stewardship Biologist Jacob Morris-Siegel of Dalton is a member of the MassWildlife Prescribed Firefighter Team. The 43-year older lives in Dalton and has worked in the Dalton office for 16 years.
Jacob Morris-Siegel. Picture provided by Jacob
On August 17 he volunteered to join 89 other members of the Massachusetts Interagency Wildfire Crew going out to Montana to fight their wildfires. There were 2 people from MassWildlife and 17 from DCR, (mostly DCR forest fire control folks). They were sent to western Montana to the Bowles Creek area which is 27 miles southwest of Philipsburg or about an hour south of Missoula, MT. It was a 14-day deployment with 2 travel days.
He said they stayed in tents at the fire camp which was set up outside of Philipsburg. When they got there the fire activity was very high but then they got rain and it reduced the fire intensity drastically. For the most part he was not near an active flame at all because of the rain.
On the first day they were close to an active line where a burnout operation had recently been completed. Then they did contingency line construction for a couple of days, cutting brush. After that, they were moved over to a spike camp on the other side of the fire where they were prepping for a burn out. (A spike camp is a temporary or secondary campsite for the firefighting crew closer to the fire). They hauled hoses up a mountain (His pack weighed over 60 lbs.) and then did some patrolling along the black doing mop-up of smoldering stuff along the line. (A black is the area already burned.) They patrolled the line putting out smoke and burning materials along it.
The rest of the week they ended up doing fire line construction (cutting brush before the fire hits it) and clean-up along roads. They were trying to reduce fuel like brush along the fire lines before the fire got there. They did line construction over half of the trip.
For a burnout they have a section of unburned fuel against the line, they burn that essentially trying to get the fire to burn away from the unburned stuff. That’s generally how they fight most fires.
They worked in mountains and valleys, but they were never in a dangerous situation where they could be hurt. For a few days they were on the west side of the fire where it was very hilly with deep terrains, the other side was more gradual. They worked mainly with hand tools and they had to have a certain number of certified chainsaw people in the crew.
There was no fire backtrack and, thankfully, he didn’t see anyone suffer any injuries. After the first couple of days the fire intensity went down with some smoke but nothing terrible. He wasn’t worried about getting injured because he generally had an idea of what to do. Pretty much he just stuck with his crew.
Crew Members came from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. He was the only person from the Berkshires.
Days were up to 16 hours long. Sometimes it took an hour to get where they were assigned. They went to their assigned areas, came back, ate dinner and went to bed. They had a mess (meals) at the main camp and at the spike camp on the other side of the fire. The main camp had internet, showers, meals provided, medical tent, – everything you might need.
As far as animal survival, he didn’t know, for it all depended on how fast the fire was moving. If its moving really fast, they can’t outrun it. Regarding future erosion, he said that there will be some, but they are used to it out there.
“It wasn’t that exciting, but it was interesting and I learned a bunch. You get out with a whole group of people for 2 weeks” he said.
Fall trout stocking ended last week
Unless there was an unexpected change, the following local waters were stocked with trout last week: Deerfield River in Buckland, Charlemont and Florida; East Branch of the Westfield River in Cummington, Chesterfield and Huntington; Goose Pond, Laurel Lake, Lake Buel, Otis Reservoir, Onota Lake, Stockbridge Bowl and Windsor Pond in Windsor.
Many thanks to Deb Lipa, DFW Clerk out of the Dalton Office for taking the time and effort
to prepare the listings of trout stockings for us.
Pike stocking
Incidentally, MassWildlife also recently stocked over 2,000 northern pike into Lake Buel and Quaboag Pond. These yearlings averaged 12″ long and will take 2–3 years to reach the 28″ minimum harvest size.
MassWildlife does not have a warm water hatchery in which to rear pike (esocids) but usually it obtains a small number of 3–12″ fish each year from the New Jersey Division of Fisheries and Wildlife through a cooperative exchange program.
Learn To Hunt Programs
MassWildlife offers hunting classes and online resources that teach safety and skills to beginning and intermediate hunters.
Upcoming programs include:
Virtual Deer Hunting Q&A – Looking for advice about deer hunting? Get answers from a panel of experienced hunters at one of MassWildlife’s virtual mentoring sessions. These events are designed for new hunters. Feel free to join for a few minutes or for the entire session. Register to receive a link to the event. https://www.mass.gov/learn-to-hunt
- Friday, Oct. 20, 12–1 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 2, 6–7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 5, 6–7:30 p.m.
A Small Game Hunting – On-line Class will be presented in January.
A presentation on snakes
Tom Tyning, an expert on amphibians and reptiles and an authority on New England’s natural history, will make a presentation entitled “Snakes Are More Interesting Than You Can Imagine.” It will take place at the Berkshire Green Drinks event on Monday, October 16, in person and online via Zoom.
The in-person gathering begins at 5:00 PM at The Barn at Williams Inn, 103 Spring St, Williamstown. The presentation and Zoom meeting start at 6:00 PM. If the weather permits, the in-person gathering will take place outdoors.
The life histories, annual behaviors, and evolutionary story of snakes are incredible, fascinating, and remarkable. Tom will focus on our Berkshire/New England snake species, highlighting their diversity, survival complexity, conservation status, and overall natural history. Coupled with that, the remarkable reality of just how little is known about even common species will be covered.
Pre-registration is required to attend this event. Learn more and RSVP at: https://tinyurl.com/Oct2023-Berks-Green-Drinks
Tom knows his stuff. He has been a Professor of Environmental Science at Berkshire Community College since 1999. Previously, he was a Field Biologist and Master Naturalist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society for 24 years. Tom also served for 15 years as an Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at Antioch New England Graduate School, as well as Springfield College and MCLA. For 25 years, he wrote a weekly Nature column for the Springfield (MA) Union-News. As an authority on New England’s natural history, Tom’s main research interests are amphibians and reptiles. His book, A Guide To Amphibians and Reptiles, is published by Little, Brown and Co. As a member of several professional natural history societies, he served for fifteen years as Managing Editor of the scientific journal Herpetological Review.
Tom also received the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award.
Brake for Wildlife
MassWildlife reminds motorists to be mindful of increased deer and moose activity, especially during early morning and evening hours. Moose, found in central and western parts of Massachusetts, breed in September and October. White-tailed deer breed from late October to early December.
Moose on the road are especially hazardous. The dark color and height of moose make them difficult to see in low light; moose eyes rarely shine like deer eyes because their eyes are above headlight level. In addition, long legs and heavy top bodies make moose very dangerous to motorists when struck. Observe road signs for moose and deer crossings and slow down. Do not swerve to avoid hitting a deer because it may lead to more risk and damage than hitting the deer. Moose are less likely to move from the road than deer, so stay alert and brake when you see a moose in or near the road.
Deer and moose/vehicle collisions should be reported to the Environmental Police at 1-800-632-8075.