LOCAL

LOCAL
Seamanship courseoffered in January
AUSTINTOWN -- The Coast Guard Auxiliary will teach about safe boating through the Basic Skills and Seamanship Course starting in January at First United Methodist Church, 6749 Mahoning Ave.
For more information, call Ed Straub at (330) 727-3005 or Ray Calzo at (330) 799-8744 or George Davis at (330) 337-7742.
Christmas party set
LOWELLVILLE -- Lowellville Rod & amp; Gun Club will have a Christmas party for children at 1 p.m. Dec. 11.
The party is free and open to the public; reservations are required. Call Claire Kopcsos at (330) 757-9020.
New Web site for hunters
A new Web site -- www.huntersonly.com -- has been created for hunters to share stories, photos, ideas and advice and to list items for trading, buying or selling.
For more information, call Olen Grimes at (610) 444-6544.
Gun, knife, military showset at Lake Milton hall
LAKE MILTON -- A gun, knife and military show will be held Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 16465 Milton Road.
Admission is $5. Profits return to the community in the form of child welfare, scholarships and children's Christmas and Easter parties.
For more information, call Terry Davis at (330) 654-8571.
OHIO
Increase in bag limitsapproved for 2006
COLUMBUS -- Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch anglers will enjoy an increased bag limit next year as the fishing proposals for 2006 were approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
The daily bag limit on walleye will increase from three fish to four between March 1 and April 30, with a six-fish bag limit the remainder of the year. The existing 15-inch size limit will remain.
Council also approved an increase for yellow perch from the current 30-fish daily bag limit to 40. Perch populations, which have been low since the mid-1990s, have rebounded to healthier levels since the bag limit was reduced in 1995.
State wildlife biologists will continue to monitor the walleye and perch populations and work with state and provincial partners to ensure the continued vitality of the Lake Erie fishery.
Finally, a proposal allowing anglers to keep only one channel catfish larger than 28 inches and one flathead catfish larger than 35 inches in a day was approved.
Fall color update
COLUMBUS -- Ohio's woodlands continue to surprise fall foliage enthusiasts with peak color conditions reported at many state parks, nature preserves and forests across the Buckeye State.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) says this may be the best weekend to get out and enjoy Ohio's forest fireworks.
"This year marks the latest fall color season in recent memory," said Casey Munchel, fall color specialist with the ODNR Division of Forestry. "Usually by the first week of November, a majority of trees have shed their leaves. But this year we are experiencing a later season -- with some trees in southern Ohio just beginning to turn."
Munchel noted that barring heavy wind or rain, fall color is likely to linger in some southern areas for another couple weeks.
Colors are starting to fade at Malabar Farm State Park in Richland County where the first Hearthside Cookery Workshops are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday. Cooking students will prepare a traditional Thanksgiving feast over an open fire, then stay to savor the fruits of their labors. Call (419) 892-2784 to register.
The trees at Mary Jane Thurston State Park in Wood County will be reflecting peak color during its winter bird-feeding clinic at 10 a.m. today in the day lodge. The same clinic is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Nature Center at Van Buren State Park in Hancock County.
Hueston Woods State Park in Preble County, where fall foliage is also at its peak, will host a Veterans Day Celebration in the campground today. Veterans will be honored with a parade, recognition ceremony and a pig roast.
Call 1-800-BUCKEYE for updates on the best fall color viewing locations across the state. Internet users can also find fall color information by visiting discoverohio.com.
Ohio's 74 state parks, 20 state forests and 130 state nature preserves provide excellent locations to sample fall color.
PENNSYLVANIA
Black bear seasonon the horizion
HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials believe the state's three-day black bear season, which opens Nov. 21, should provide great hunting opportunities, has the potential to be one of the state's best ever, and surely will produce some exceptionally-large bears. However, to participate in the statewide three-day season or extended bear season in specific Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), hunters must buy the general hunting license and bear licenses.
"Barring poor weather that would limit hunter or bear movements, there's always a chance Pennsylvania's bear hunters will set a new bear harvest record, especially since the extended bear season has been added to the fall hunting schedule of several Wildlife Management Units," noted Vern Ross, Game Commission executive director. "The Commonwealth's bear population has been between 14,000 and 15,000 for the past three years. The record harvest was set in 2000, when hunters took 3,075 bears. In 2004, hunters took 2,972 bears.
Pennsylvania forests have the ability to support an even larger bear population, noted Mark Ternent, Game Commission black bear biologist.