MIKE BRAUN DU banquet focus on Gilboy wetland

This year's Ducks Unlimited Mahoning Valley Chapter banquet will mark the final year for donations to the M. Daniel Gilboy life sponsorship fund-raising effort.
The banquet will be Sept. 19 at St. Mary's Assumption Social Center, 356 S. Belle Vista Ave. in Youngstown.
Atty. M. Daniel Gilboy was the heart and soul of the local chapter. His death several years ago was a large blow to those who have dedicated themselves locally to the conservation and promotion of waterfowl via DU.
Dave Brown, a member of the local chapter's banquet committee as well as a close friend of Danny's, said that so far, the sponsorship effort has collected $8,000.
"Without a doubt we will accomplish our goal this year," he said. "Then we will have to petition DU and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to get a wetland named in honor of Danny." A wetland site in Northeast Ohio is being sought to bear Danny's name.
Ticket prices for the banquet are the same as last year, Brown noted. "As long as we get people to come to the banquet, we won't have to raise the prices," he said, adding that prices have remained at the same level since 1997.
Admission is $50 for singles, $80 for couples, $40 for greenwings (age 17 and younger), $300 for sponsor status and $325 for couple sponsorship. There will be raffles, auctions and other fund-raising efforts -- including a Danny Gilboy raffle -- as well as refreshments and a buffet-style dinner. There are also several before-banquet specials available for those who buy tickets early.
Brown added that the chapter was presented with the Top Flight Award for the 2002 banquet by the DU national office. The award denotes a chapter that is very efficient in fund raising.
"We were honored by DU for turning in more than 70 percent of every dollar collected from our banquet," Brown said. "We were one of only three chapters in the northern part of the state to do that."
For more information on the banquet, DU or the local chapter, call (all 330 area codes) 533-2455, 533-9766, 533-6638, 533-9865 or 726-7788.
Snap decision
Concern for schoolchildren brought Youngstown city police and Dave Nelson, Mahoning County humane agent, to Kirkmere Elementary School on Thursday.
A neighbor reported a snapping turtle in the 2100 block of Kirk Road and expressed worry that the reptile would harm kids walking home from school.
Nelson said the turtle likely came from Mill Creek Metropolitan Park via a small runoff creek behind the school.
"I've dealt with about 14 to 18 of these snappers in the past few weeks," Nelson said. He said that since snappers lay their eggs in the spring, it was likely the reptiles have been on the move because rainy conditions have flooded their dens.
He said a number of the critters have been spotted in the area around Schenley Avenue, and Price, Bear's Den and Volney roads. "We even had one over on I-80," Nelson said.
The Kirkmere snapper was found to be in excellent health and "very aggressive," and was returned to Mill Creek Park, Nelson said.
According to information from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the common snapping turtle is the largest in Ohio with some large specimens reportedly weighing more than 35 pounds and with a carapace (shell) more than 14 inches long.
One reason snappers are popular is that they usually provide the "fixings" for turtle soup.
A DOW information sheet says that "great caution should be exercised when handling these exceptionally bold and aggressive reptiles. When you intend to keep them for soup, carry them by the tail, with the plastron (lower shell) toward your body, and well away from your legs. However, if you are planning to release them, this method may injure their spine. So place your left hand on the rear of the carapace and your right hand on the tail. Keep them close to the ground so they don't fall far if you lose your grip."
Whatever you plan to do, the watchword when it comes to snapping turtles is caution.
District 3 changes
Personnel changes are brewing in District 3 of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. This district covers Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and 16 other counties in Northeast Ohio.
Vickie Ervin, DOW communications manager in Columbus, reported that Dave Kennedy, wildlife officer supervisor, is retiring. Fellow supervisor Bill King will assume Kennedy's duties in Mahoning, Columbiana, Portage, Stark, Summit, Medina and Trumbull counties.
King's vacated position -- Lorain, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Ashtabula counties -- will be filled soon, Ervin said.
Brian Banbury, the state wildlife officer in Trumbull County, will be transferring to Ashland County. A replacement for Banbury will be made from one of five new wildlife officers who are serving at-large across the state.
And finally, Bill Beagle, who deals with the press and handles DOW information at the District 3 office in Akron, is moving to another state to be closer to family. His position is expected to be filled soon as well.
braun@vindy.com