LOCAL

LOCAL
Hunter safety course
NILES -- A hunter education course is scheduled for Oct. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Western Reserve Fish and Game, 1058 W. Third St.
Attendance at both sessions is mandatory.
Preregistration is required. To register, call Dave Ruby at (330) 793-3260 or Bill Murphy at (330) 544-4270.
Trumbull Ducks Unlimited
NILES -- The Trumbull County Ducks Unlimited's annual event will be Oct. 21 at Ciminero's Banquet Centre.
For more information, call Jim at (330) 393-4636.
OHIO
Wildlife trainingfor Ohio educators
COLUMBUS -- Ohio educators are invited to become trained Project WILD and Aquatic Project WILD facilitators during a workshop sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The workshop will be held Nov. 9-10 at Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center in Carroll County.
The popular international wildlife education programs combine conservation and environmental education materials focusing on wildlife. The curriculum is designed for classrooms of all grades, youth groups, nature centers and other educational outlets.
Workshop registration forms can be downloaded at ohiodnr.com/wildlife and mailed to the ODNR Division of Wildlife, Project WILD Coordinator, 2045 Morse Road, Bldg. G, Columbus, OH 43229. Cost for the workshop is $50 and includes food, lodging and materials.
Participants must commit to hosting at least one educator training workshop within a year of this training.
The Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center is located at 2650 Lodge Road in Dellroy, west of Carrollton.
Better equippedto fight wildfires
COLUMBUS -- Foresters and firefighters from throughout the state recently returned from the Mid-Atlantic Firewise Community Conference in Gettysburg, Pa., better prepared to fight the more than 800 wildfires that strike Ohio each year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Ohio participants included three foresters with the ODNR Division of Forestry as well as a representative from Wayne National Forest and several volunteer firefighters. The conference was sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact.
The national "Firewise" program was established to help wildland firefighters provide residents in areas vulnerable to wildfires with information to make their homes and businesses safe from wildfire.
Some measures property owners can take to guard against wildland fires include:
UInstall a nonflammable roof
URake leaves and remove burnable debris at least 3 feet away from buildings
UClean gutters and mow grass regularly
UHave 30 feet of defensible space around buildings so that fire vehicles have easy access
ULandscape with less flammable material
Most of Ohio's wildfires are attributed to escaped debris that is being burned outdoors. Ohio law prohibits outdoor burning from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 1 through Nov. 30. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also has burning regulations. Visit www.epa.state.oh.us for more information.
Wildfire prevention and education efforts are supported by sales of Smokey Bear license plates, which can be purchased through local deputy registrar offices, on the Internet at OPLATES.com or by calling 1-888-PLATES3 (752-8373).
PENNSYLVANIA
Youth essay contest
HARRISBURG -- Young hunters ages 12 to 18 from throughout Pennsylvania are reminded all entries for the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Youth Essay Contest must be postmarked no later than Oct. 31.
The theme for the contest is: "How I Support Wildlife Conservation!"
The prize list features grand-prize winners in the junior (ages 12-15) and senior (ages 16-18) divisions taking expense-paid trips to Texas and Wyoming, respectively, provided by the Pennsylvania chapters of Safari Club International (SCI).
Entrants must be Pennsylvania residents, have successfully completed an accredited hunter-trapper education course and possess a current hunting or furtaker license.
Entries must include: full name; mailing address with zip code; telephone number and area code; year, state and county where hunter-trapper education course was successfully completed; current hunting or furtaker license number; and age and date of birth.
Essays must be printed or typed double-spaced and contain no more than 300 words. Mail entries directly to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Hunter Education Youth Essay Contest, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.
Better grouse hunting?
HARRISBURG -- Many Pennsylvania Game Commission field officers expect ruffed grouse hunting to be better this fall. Others aren't as optimistic. Even the agency's grouse biologist is reluctant to speculate on what grouse hunters can expect to find afield this fall.
"Last fall, I projected that grouse hunters should find slightly higher numbers of grouse, but the statewide flushing rate among cooperating hunters dropped 10 percent, hitting the lowest point we've recorded in the 40 years that the agency has gathered flushing rate information," explained Bill Palmer, Game Commission grouse biologist. "Prior to last year, when hunters recorded a grouse-flushing-rate of 0.95 birds per hour, the lowest flushing rate year on record was 1976, when hunters posted a 1.04 birds per hour rate.
Grouse in most areas of the state had decent weather for nesting, and recruitment into the existing population should be good, according to Palmer.