Here’s what’s worth reading today, Wednesday, April 24, 2019:
Report: Proposed LNG plants would undo ocelot conservation efforts in Rio Grande Valley: Ocelots have not been seen in the Port of Brownsville since the 1990s, but a new report says that three liquefied natural gas export terminals proposed along the deep South Texas waterway would permanently cut off a wildlife corridor considered critical for the survival of the endangered cat.
High-speed boat chase, convenience store deer hunting highlight Game Warden notes: You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be glad you’re not mentioned here. Texas Game Wardens summarized some of their more, well, interesting, interactions with the public in the last few months, including an investigation into three so-called hunters who bludgeoned a whitetail deer to death in a convenience store parking lot.
Fishing lure company owner pleads guilty to leaving investors on the hook: A Shawano County man has pleaded guilty to three counts related to a fishing lure business scheme that left investors on the hook. Andrew J. Reyment of Cecil pleaded guilty to three counts of embezzlement, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Investigators said he embezzled about $325,000 from investors for a fishing lure company. Some of that money was used to fuel a gambling habit, according to the DOJ.
Connecticut bill equates possession of African taxidermy to manslaughter: Connecticut Sen. Bob Duff’s (D-Norwalk) Senate Bill 20 bans the import, sale, transport and possession of the so-called “Big Six” African animals. Hunters commonly refer to African elephants, lions, leopards, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo as “The Big 5.” Senator Duff’s bill would also include giraffes, referring to them collectively as “The Big 6.” While anti-hunting legislators in several states have authored similar import/possession ban bills, Senate Bill 20 is remarkable in its penalty. Violations of the new law would be a felony and subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to two years – the same penalties given to a person guilty of manslaughter.
Introducing newcomers is a rewarding benefit to hunting: He was a star football player and wrestler. After graduation he became a Marine. Tyler Burns is an All-American guy, but nothing he experienced up to that point in his young life prepared him for being face to face with a strutting wild turkey 30 yards away.
Hunters might be required to carry bear spray: Conservation organizations submitted petitions recently to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and Idaho Fish and Game Commission proposing rules to require hunters in grizzly bear habitat to carry bear spray. The proposals follow years of high grizzly bear mortalities due to hunter-related conflicts.
Conserving tiny forage fish, the heroes of our shared ocean ecosystem: Why should we care if Puffins can’t find the fish they need for their young pufflings? The tiny forage fish they live on — including sardines, anchovies, herring — are the heart of the entire marine food web. Dozens of species of sea birds, whales and other sea mammals can’t live without them. The multi-billion dollar recreational and commercial fishing industries that support millions of American jobs depend on them. The economy of every state in the country — whether it touches an ocean, or has waterways that feed into oceans — is impacted by the health of forage fish.
Reminiscing about reels and fishing with dad: One of the nice things about hunting and fishing experiences is how they remain alive in one’s mind for years. I struggle to recall the three items my wife sends me to the store for but I can clearly recall what color of plastic worm I was using, where I was in the boat, how hard the wind was blowing, and the look on my dad’s and my son’s faces when one summer day 20 years ago I pulled in seven nice bass in eight casts on Turtle Creek Lake.
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