Friday, January 6, 2017 The Colebrook Chronicle Page 15
Outdoors
Registration is now open for“ Beyond Becoming an Outdoors Woman” workshop courses based around winter hiking. Courtesy photo.
OUTDOOR WOMAN REGISTRATION
Registration is now open for a new Beyond Becoming an Outdoors-Woman( BOW) workshop called“ Explore Winter Hiking.”
Course dates are Feb. 15 and March 1, from 6-8 p. m.( classroom setting); Fox State Forest Education Center, 309 Center Rd, Hillsboro; and March 4 at 8:30 a. m.( day hike) Wapack Trail, Mountain Rd, Greenfield.
Registration forms are available at www. nhbow. com. Those interested in attending are encouraged to sign up early. Only registration forms received by postal mail will be accepted; no e-mails, faxes or walk-ins please.
Cost for all three sessions is $ 55. Participants must provide their own backpacks, winter clothing, hiking boots, boot traction devices, lunch and water for the hike. Winter hiking is not a beginner course, so recent hiking experience and moderate fitness level is required.
“ Winter hiking is rewarding, yet challenging, and requires preparation, detailed planning and specialized equipment. In this three-session course, you will learn what gear is needed and how to prepare for a winter hike, including safety concerns map reading and calorie requirements. Then you’ ll hit the trail for a winter hike,” reads a recent press release.
New Hampshire BOW programs are co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department( www. wildnh. com) and the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation( www. nhwf. org), a nonprofit group that advocates for the promotion and protection of hunting, fishing and trapping, as well as the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat.
MOOSE COLLARING UNDERWAY
Northern New Hampshire residents may see a helicopter overhead in the coming weeks as approximately 45 moose cows and calves are collared for the third year of a four-year study of moose mortality and productivity.
The N. H. Fish and Game Dept. has contracted with Native Range, Inc., to collar the moose. Activity will be weather-dependent, but could begin as early as the first week of Jan. 2017. During this time, residents of Success, Berlin, Milan, Cambridge, Dummer, Millsfield, Second College Grant, Wentworth’ s Location and Errol may notice a low-flying helicopter. Residents with questions can call Fish and Game ' s Wildlife Division at 271- 2461.
The collaring will take place in Wildlife Management Unit C2, the eastern side of WMUs B and C1, and southern A2.
The capture crew will use net-guns and tranquilizer darts to capture the moose so that they can be collared. Blood and other samples collected during the collaring process will help evaluate the health of the moose. The collared animals will be radiotracked for four years and monitored for as long as the collars keep transmitting. One graduate student and several field technicians from the University of New Hampshire( UNH), which is partnering with Fish and Game in the study, will track the moose, recording how long the individual moose live, and when a moose dies, getting there as soon as possible to determine the cause of death.
Fish and Game’ s moose project leader Kristine Rines indicates that this year the capture crew will be collaring moose in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, as the three states work together to learn how moose density and weather interact to boost tick-caused moose mortality and reduce moose birth rates.
“ In comparing mortality and productivity from the New Hampshire study conducted in 2001-2006, versus the work done to date in New Hampshire from 2014-2016, we know that ticks are causing increasingly negative impacts to adult cow productivity,” said Rines.“ In addition, as our winters become consistently shorter, more ticks are surviving and calf mortality is remaining high. We are also seeing clear evidence that tick loads are directly correlated to both moose density and shorter winters.”
The study, funded by federal Wildlife Restoration dollars with the support of matching funds from the University of New Hampshire, may help answer what is in store for New Hampshire moose.
“ While regional moose populations are indeed facing some serious threats, moose are not on the verge of disappearing from the New Hampshire landscape, but they are declining,” said Rines.“ We don ' t know what the future holds, but as our winters continue to shorten, it may be best for moose if they are held at much lower densities. Based on our own work, we know that ticks have far less impact when moose densities are 0.25 / square mile or less.” Current moose densities in the New Hampshire study area range from 1.43-1.73 moose / square mile.
For more information on the study, visit www. wildnh. com / wildlife / moosestudy. html.
FISHING AND HUNTING LICENSES AVAILABLE New Hampshire fishing and hunting licenses for 2017 are now available. Licenses are good for the calendar year, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017. Purchase online at www. nhfishandgame. com, at the N. H. Fish and Game Department in Concord, or from a Fish and Game license agents across the state.
The annual hunting or fishing license – or a " combo " license – is a year-round ticket to the state’ s great outdoors. Seacoast anglers will need a saltwater recreational fishing license to fish in coastal or estuarine waters.
After receiving a license, folks are encouraged to check out the 2017 New Hampshire Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing digests. Read them online at www. fishnh. com / fishing / publica tions. html, or pick up a copy at license agents or Fish and Game Department offices. These publications include summaries of important fishing rules and regulations, photos for identifying
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