4th Annual North Central Ohio Wildlife Management Conference to be held

Naturalist and author, John Muir, observed "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." Then it stands to reason our affinity for and connection to our soil, the streams and rivers, wildlife, and each other. And I rarely encounter a person who has no fascination for wildlife whatsoever.

Whether you like to take to the woods, wetlands, or thicket in pursuit of wild game or just like to observe our furry and feathered friends, you won't want to miss the opportunity to see, hear, and learn about wildlife management and conservation during the 4th Annual North Central Ohio Wildlife Management Conference.

The event will take place on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Firelands BGSU, Cedar Point Center, hosted by the Erie and Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District's and the OSU Extension. Among this year's featured presenters is freelance writer, editor, photographer, and speaker is Chip Gross. Chip worked for the ODNR Division of Wildlife for 27 years, first as a State Wildlife Officer, then moving on to the position of Wildlife Education Officer.

Chip became the Editor for the ever popular Wild Ohio and Wild Ohio for Kids magazines, garnering the prestigious James P. Barry Award for Editorial Excellence in 2001. It was during his years with the Ohio DNR that Gross began freelance writing and honing his outdoor photography skills.

Chip has gone on to sell hundreds of articles and photos to national, regional, and state outdoor publications, such as Home, At Last, Is the Hunter, Pro Tactics: Steelhead and Salmon, the Ohio Wildlife Viewing Guide, and Young Beginner's Guide to Shooting and Archery. Chip will conduct an outdoor/wildlife photography workshop during the conference and will offer to critique photos brought in by individuals who attend his session. (Please keep photo submissions to a maximum of five due to time constraints)

Presenting on the "Eastern Wild Turkey and Its Management in the Midwest" will be Randy Showalter with the National Wild Turkey Federation. Randy is the Director of Conservation of Operations and the Regional Wildlife Biologist for Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. He will bring to light some of the successes and future outlook for the wild turkey in our region.

Marne Titchenell and Dave Apsley, both OSU Extension Wildlife Specialists, will be speaking about human/wildlife conflicts and woodland wildlife management. Their presentations will provide landowners with a better insight on dealing with nuisance wildlife issues and concerns, as well as providing management tips for creating and maintaining optimum wildlife habitat with regard to their timber stands.

Jeff Finn, Private Lands Biologist for the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service, will offer recommendations for dealing with nuisance vegetation control, such as phragmites, purple loosestrife, and other undesirables. Staff from Zink Calls will also be joining us again to hold an afternoon session for turkey hunters who want to improve their calling skills, increasing their chances of possibly attracting the old "boss" Tom!

Lake Erie is renowned for being of one of the premier fishing spots in the world. Therefore, it's only fitting to showcase several of the proven techniques to improve the chances of "limiting out" or landing a "bragging rights" specimen. Travis Hartman, Fisheries Biologist with the ODNR Division of Wildlife, Sandusky Fish Research Unit, will be on hand to offer his expertise on catching "trophies", whether it's walleye or other sport fish, like the toothy and tenacious muskellunge.

Travis is also a member of the West Basin Sport Fisherman's Association and a Charter Captain. Among his accomplishments include the Lake Erie Walleye Trail season points champion in 2006 and 2007 and 11 top 5 finishes in walleye tournaments over the last five years. You can check out a few of Travis's "helpful hints" by going to the WBSA website or to his personal website at http://www.hartmanfishing.com/resume.html.

Field staff from Zink Calls will be joining us once again at our conference. Founded in 2001 by Fred Zink, their company has become nationally-recognized for their expertise in waterfowl and turkey calling. Zink's wish is to help hunters "be more successful afield, whether that success is translated to into birds on the ground or memories to be cherished for a lifetime". If you interested in picking up a few tips to entice that "Boss Tom" or bring in that "honker" to your layout, you definitely won't want to miss those afternoon sessions.

Other topics of interest that will be covered during the conference include food plot establishment to not only attract wildlife, but cause them to want to hang out at your place! And for those who enjoy the bounty of the harvest, we'll have a session just for you on making tastier venison summer sausage.

Pre-registration for the 4th Annual North Central Wildlife Management Conference is required and will include a continental breakfast, lunch, door prizes, and most importantly, the opportunity to network with experts in the area of natural resources, conservation, and wildlife management.

Registrations received by December 31, 2009 are $25; after that date the registration fee is $30. The deadline to register for the conference is January 22nd, 2010. Checks can be made out to the Erie Soil and Water Conservation District and mailed to 2900 Columbus Ave., Sandusky, OH, 44870.

For more information, contact the Erie SWCD office at 419-626-5211, the Ottawa SWCD at 419-898-6431, the OSU Extension office at 419-627-7631, or visit the Erie SWCD website at www.erie-county-ohio.net/eswcd.