OHIO

OHIO
Wildlife rulesmeeting planned
The meting schedule for the 2003 Ohio wildlife rules and regulations proposals is as follows:
Jan. 8 -- Wildlife Council meeting, proposals presented to council
members; Feb. 12 -- Wildlife Council meeting, review of proposed deer regulations; March 2, open houses in each Wildlife District (for public to review and comment on proposals); March 12 -- Wildlife Council meeting; March 13 -- statewide fish and wildlife hearing ( 3 council members must be present) at District 1 conference room (open to public); April 9 -- council votes on regulations; April 20 -- earliest date that proposed rules could be effective if no revisions were filed.
Waterfowl symposium
The League of Ohio Sportsmen's annual Waterfowl Symposium will be held Feb. 1 at 9 a.m. at the Our Guest Inn and Suites in downtown Port Clinton.
HUNTING
Va. congressman seeks to end bearhunting using bait
A Virginia congressman has announced his intention to pass legislation that would ban bear hunting using bait on all federal lands. According to state wildlife officials, baiting is needed to help control bear populations.
According to the Associated Press, Representative Jim Moran (D-Arlington, Virginia) plans to introduce the legislation in 2003. Moran claims he will pursue either a standalone bill or an amendment to a spending bill.
Currently, the U.S. Department of Interior defers to state wildlife agencies on such matters. As a result, hunting bear using baiting is allowed on federal lands in nine states. These states are Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The proposed legislation would set a dangerous precedent by disrupting the cooperative efforts between federal and state wildlife authorities.
Moran has the support of animal rights groups including the Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest anti-hunting organization.
Leading bear biologists from the states also oppose the ban.
Karen Noyce, a bear researcher with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said it would be difficult to hunt bears in the state's woody terrain without using bait. She goes on to say that bear baiting has helped to keep the population in check.
Population controls, including baiting, have helped cut down on crop damage and other nuisance problems caused by bears, said Dave Evenson, the state deer and bear specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Alliance launches assault on animal rights forces
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is preparing to launch two nationwide legislative campaigns that may prove to be the largest steps yet taken to bring about the ultimate defeat of the animal rights movement.
The Alliance will work on two fronts to defeat the anti's.
First, it will work with key legislators to introduce model bills to help states prosecute animal rights terrorists and organizations. The Alliance will also campaign for model legislation that will outlaw unproven birth control methods for wildlife.
For example, anti-hunters continue to pressure local lawmakers to permit birth control as a wildlife management tool. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is leading the fight against the anti-hunting threat.
None of the drugs used in birth control projects on wildlife are approved for human consumption by the FDA or the USDA, despite the fact that venison is the most popular game food. Whether the drugs are safe for the deer or other wildlife is another concern. Research by Rutgers University and other institutions shows that birth control methods are not effective on free-ranging animals and could be detrimental to wildlife.
Over the next year, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance will work with state wildlife agencies, key legislators and professional lobbyists to introduce model legislation that requires these health concerns be addressed before permits for future projects can be issued.
Sponsors in Ohio and West Virginia are poised to introduce the bill in their states. The Alliance is also working to line-up sponsors in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
REFERENCE
New Ohio elevation map now available
A new, shaded elevation map of Ohio that dramatically depicts the state's hills, valleys and plains, as well as the depths of Lake Erie, is now available from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The full-color, wall-size map was digitally produced by the ODNR Division of Geological Survey.
Many of Ohio's landscape features that have influenced the state's industry, agriculture, and cultural settlement can be clearly seen on the map.
These features include the southern boundary of the Ice Age glaciers, which covered nearly three-fourths of the state; chains of small, irregular hills deposited by the last glacier as it retreated from the state about 15,000 years ago; a portion of the ancient Teays River valley in south-central Ohio; and the flat plains of northwestern Ohio, which were once the lake bed beneath former, higher stages of Lake Erie.
A page-size version of the shaded elevation map of Ohio is available for viewing or downloading from the ODNR web page at ohiodnr.com.
The wall-size map is offered in two different color options -- one using bold spectral colors to emphasize elevation contrasts, and the other using earth-tone hues to reflect the state's natural appearance from space.
Copies of the detailed, wall-size version of the map may be ordered (specify "spectral" or "earth-tone coloration" preference) for $10 plus $3.08 tax and mailing (add $1.50 for mailing a rolled copy) from the ODNR Division of Geological Survey, 4383 Fountain Square Drive, Columbus, Ohio, 43224-1362, telephone: (614) 265-6576.