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News
Bear shot in Selkirk
Posted by WpgJim on Friday, September 25, 2009 (18:08:54) (13 reads)
Discovered animal destroyed after public safety deemed at risk
By Mark T. Buss
A 300-pound male black bear was shot and killed within Selkirk city limits early Wednesday morning as the public’s safety was deemed at risk.
Selkirk RCMP Const. David Obirek said the time of day, the proximity to area schools and the options available to officials forced the hand of Conservation officers to kill the animal and dispose of the carcass.
“It is unfortunate but in a heavily populated area like this the only option was to destroy the bear,” Obirek said.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, Mounties and Conservation officers converged on the 400-block of Sinclair Avenue following a report of a bear sighting.
Wilf Huebsch at 401 Sinclair said he received a call from a family member letting him know of the situation. He said he went to his back door to look in the yard only to see the bear sleeping approximately 50 feet away.
Huebsch noted the wild animal had no fear of him – not a good sign in a residential area, he said.
“I opened the door and there he was,” Huebsch said. “He wasn't acared of me at all. He looked at me and put his head back down.”
He said it wasn’t long after Conservation officials showed up and made the decision to kill the animal.
Huebsch – himself a retired RCMP officer and former St. Andrews emergency co-ordinator – said authorities made the right decision. He said if they tried to tranquilize the animal, the bear could have bolted and caused untold damage.
“We’re half a block from the elementary school, we’re a block from the high school, people are walking to work ... you don’t know what would have happened if he started to run,” Huebsch said. “The response was quick and I have no complaints.”
The incident involving the bear actually began 10 hours earlier. Officials attended reports of a bear milling about in the 400-block of Nelson Avenue around 11 p.m. Tuesday night. The animal was reported to have crossed back and forth across the roadway from yard to yard.
Obirek said once on the scene, officials chased the animal south. Watching it jump fences and plow through backyards, authorities lost sight of the animal behind the Sunova Credit Union on Main Street. They continued the search but to no avail.
Obirek said discussions with Huebsch’s neighbours after the animal was put down led them to believe the three or four-year old large bear was rooting through garbage and gardens in the area as well as feasting on fruit trees through the night.
The animal's carcass was taken to a landfill for dispossal.
Wednesday’s incident raises the fall bear report count to over 60 with one month to go. Last year, 41 reports were forwarded overall.
Some area residents believe bears have become more brazen as they continue to forage for food following a poor summer for berries and other items.
Conservation officials say homeowners have a role to play in limiting bear sightings by managing their properties so bears aren’t attracted to them. Garbage and food should be secured in a manner that doesn’t allow odours to escape and attractants like compost piles and beehives should be covered.
Bird feeders and garbage are reportedly responsible for 70 per cent of calls.
Source: http://www.selkirkjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1763794
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Wildlife boot camp
Posted by WpgJim on Saturday, August 29, 2009 (14:43:41) (15 reads)
Petersfield teen digs in at Oak Hammock Marsh camp
By Hayley Brigg
A local teen had the chance to fuel his inner conservationist last week.
Zachary Clemons, a 13-year-old Grade 8 student from Petersfield, spent a week-long excursion at Oak Hammock Marsh Aug. 11-14 after being selected to participate in Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) 14th annual Great Greenwing Adventure.
Clemons, along with 10 other youth from across Canada and two from the U.S., were handpicked by DUC to participate in an all-expenses-paid trip to Oak Hammock from for what DUC calls the ‘eco-adventure of a lifetime’.
“It’s an opportunity for kids who may already been involved and interested in the environment to build on and foster that interest,” said Rick Witsherd, education manager for Oak Hammock Marsh. “The hope is that eventually they might go on to pursue studies or careers in the environmental or conservation field.”
The group spent the week visiting not only Oak Hammock Marsh, but Delta Marsh north of Portage la Prairie to work alongside University of Manitoba biologists, learning how to study wetlands and waterfowl.
“They’ve been able to do some really great things like participating in a small bird and waterfowl banding program,” said Witsherd. “They’ve even had the opportunity to learn how to use wildlife radio telemetry.”
In addition to the educational side of the camp, the students had the opportunity to have fun, learning how to make decoys, use a GPS system, canoe, skeet shoot and do water and invertebrate sampling.
Clemons said he was encouraged by his parents to apply for the camp, submitting a personal essay detailing his experience with environmental-related activities and explaining why he felt he deserved to be selected.
“Conservation is important to me because I want it to be around for my children and grandchildren,” he said. “I respect the wetlands in my area and I enjoy going duck hunting, especially at Netley Marsh. I always make sure that when we hunt, we only leave our footprints behind.”
For Clemons, he says the experience he had at the camp was not only an enjoyable one, but it ignited a more profound interest into pursuing a environmentally-related career.
“I want to become a conservation officer,” said Clemons. “I have always thought about being one but this has made me want to do it a lot more.”
Source: http://www.selkirkjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1713417
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Wildlife association revived
Posted by WpgJim on Thursday, July 02, 2009 (14:39:15) (19 reads)
The Lac du Bonnet Wildlife Association is experiencing a revival, thanks to a new executive that’s been formed to take the reins of the long-dormant club.
A meeting was held last week at the Lac du Bonnet Community Centre to help bring some public attention to the club and the new executive’s plans to bring it back to life.
“It went great,” new association president Gerry Arbez said. “We had 30 people sign up as members and I think we’re on the right track to getting the club started up again.”
The new eight-member board is composed of Arbez, Bruce Williams, Ed Klassen, Devin Orvis, Art St. Amant, Devin McMurren, Ken MacMaster, and Neil Jack.
The wildlife association has existed since the 1970s, and for many years was active in the community and contributed to many wildlife-related projects including fish and bird counts, walleye spawning ground development, feeding deer during harsh winters, and a lot more.
However, membership dwindled in later years to the point where the club had virtually no members. Its only event for the past several years has been the annual Sno Golf tournament, which remains very successful. The association also recently donated $25,000 to the Lac du Bonnet Charitable Foundation.
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Arbez, who’s had a cottage in Pinawa Bay for the past 30 years, said the initiative to revive the club began when he and a few neighbours got together and started mulling the idea over.
“We thought it was a real crime that Lac du Bonnet didn’t have an active wildlife association,” he said. “We felt the club was needed and wanted to see what we could do to get it re-activated.”
So, the group spoke to past club president Pete Humble, who is now ready to turn over the wildlife association mailbox and bank account to the new executive. The bank account holds some funds that will be used to help get the newly-revived club off and running.
“I think it’s really great that this new group has stepped forward to breathe some life back into the club,” Humble said. “For awhile there didn’t seem to be any interest, but it looks like that’s changed and that’s great to see.”
Arbez said the club’s first activities have yet to be finalized, but could possibly include a club canoe trip, a mock turkey shoot using paper targets, and a post-hunting season dinner and awards night.
He said the executive also wants to investigate the possibility of the club gaining access to a shooting range. There is currently one in Seven Sisters that was briefly discussed.
“Whatever we do, we have to involve the youth,” Arbez said. “There’s a lot of possibilities in that regard.”
Membership fees to the new club have been finalized, and are set as follows:
—Family membership is $45 for 18 months
—Single membership $40 for 18 months
—Youth membership $10 for 18 months
Six-month memberships are also available.
Anyone with questions about the club can contact Arbez at 345-8956 or public relations director Ken MacMaster at 345-2925.
Membership inquiries can be directed to membership director Art St. Amant at 345-2161.
Source: http://www.lacdubonnetleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1629819[img]
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Conservation officers suspect crossbow hunter at work in Vernon, B.C.
Posted by WpgJim on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 (15:13:16) (3 reads)
VERNON, B.C. - Conservation officers in B.C.'s North Okanagan fear someone in the Vernon area is using an usual and deadly weapon to hunt black bears.
Officer Josh Lockwood says four razor-sharp hunting bolts from a crossbow have been found in a field.
He says there have been complaints about bears in a local alfalfa field and he suspects the bolts, which are similar to arrows, were fired at a bruin grazing there.
Lockwood says shooting the bolts is illegal and an investigation suggests they were fired by a Vernon-area resident.
He is also trying to determine who used a firearm to shoot and kill one black bear in Coldstream, just east of Vernon, and wound another near Killiney Beach, southwest of that city.
Lockwood says bears may not be shot without a licence unless there is immediate danger to humans or livestock.
By: THE CANADIAN PRESS
9/06/2009
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/greenpage/environment/Conservation-officers-suspect-crossbow-hunter-at-work-in-Vernon_-B_C_-47450597.html
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Hunting in West St. Paul?
Posted by WpgJim on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 (18:58:54) (3 reads)
Conservation suggests lifting weapon bylaw to combat wildlife problem
By Hayley Brigg
The province is willing to take aim, but West St. Paul council won’t pull the trigger.
Representitives of Manitoba Conservation met with council this spring to discuss the problem of coyotes in the RM and were told that hunting was not the way council wanted to deal with coyotes.
Manitoba Conservation has expressed interest in working with the RM of West St. Paul to make amendments to their current firearm bylaw, in an effort to solve current wildlife issues within the municipality.
Winnipeg wildlife allocations manager Brian Hagglund and Gimli regional wildlife manager Brian Joynt attended a council meeting to discuss the municipality’s ongoing wildlife issues.
The RM has been battling a pesky coyote problem for many months.
During their presentation Hagglund and Joynt provided an overview of wildlife issues in and near urban areas such as West St. Paul, and were looking to team up with the municipality to come up with a solution to the ongoing problem.
“Hunting is a big part of our game species management,” said Hagglund.
“If there is no hunting within the municipality, it allows species to grow and become a nuisance very much the way it has become here in West St. Paul.”
During the discussions, Hagglund and Joynt hinted towards hunting in the RM as a possible resolution to the problem, but were met with roadblocks from the RM.
The current West St. Paul firearm bylaw prohibits the use of any weapon within the municipality, making hunting illegal.
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Though Hagglund and Joynt cited hunting as being a valuable tool to help regulate wildlife populations in urban areas, Mayor Cliff Dearman and council saw more negatives than positives in the suggestion.
“Our municipality is too small, and our houses are too close that I don’t think we want to take chances in allowing hunting within the area,” said Dearman.
“It’s just not the right place for it.”
Though Conservation agreed the use of firearms within the more urban areas of the municipality would be a safety issue, they suggested the RM look into amending the bylaw to allow hunting in more rural areas.
“We understand that the RMs have to balance the desires of their ratepayers,” said Hagglund. “If they don’t want hunting here, we can’t force them to do anything.”
However, Hagglund pointed out that by taking hunting off the table, the municipality might run into problems later on.
“The municipality has to be prepared to deal with the complaints that are associated with wildlife nuisances,” said Hagglund. “If there are no hunting seasons in the RM and we aren’t allowed to use firearms, it sort of handcuffs us for what we’re able to do to solve the problem.”
Dearman says although he recognizes there has been a wildlife problem he doesn’t feel the situation requires any additional attention.
“This is a semi-rural are so there is always going to be wildlife. Their presence here isn’t going to stop and we don’t want it to stop either, it’s one of the features of our municipality,” said Dearman. “We don’t want to go about creating new bylaws for a problem that is already being handled.”
Dearman explains the municipality relies on the services of Manitoba Conservation, bringing in skilled trappers to capture problem animals and release them into the wild.
Though trapping is a viable option, Hagglund says that some trappers aim to kill rather than capture.
“The thing with some trapping is that it’s an offense to waste the meat,” said Hagglund. “At least with hunting you have hunters that are out there for a purpose and not being wasteful.”
“I think if we brought hunting into the mix it would just do more bad than good,” said Dearman.
“If there is a problem I think we’d like to leave it to the professionals rather then allowing residents to deal with the problem themselves.”
Though the municipality seems firm in its position regarding hunting, Hagglund says the offer to re-work the bylaw will continue to be on the table.
“If and when the RM wants to look at redeveloping a new bylaw, we’re happy to go out there and work with them,” said Hagglund.
Article ID# 1572360
Source: http://www.selkirkjournal.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1572360
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