Fascinating Flyers Freedom to Hunt...Legislation Recap
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Number 2 Volume 32 July, 2004 Fascinating Flyers Freedom to Hunt..... Legislation Recap NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PAID Permit #1393 Baton Rouge, LA CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS Official Publication of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation 3 From The President and Executive Director VOL. 32 July 2004 NO.2 22 Conservation Line Editorial Creed: 30 Tibby Sez To create and encourage an awareness among the people of Louisiana of the need for wise use and proper management of those resources of the earth upon which the lives and welfare FEATURES of all people depend: the soil, the air, the water, the forests, the minerals, the plant life, and the wildlife. 4 Fascinating Flyers Magazine Staff 5 Woodpecker Project Randy P. Lanctot: Editor 6 Freedom to Hunt, Fish, and Trap 7 Lagniappe Louisiana WILDLIFE Federation magazine (ISSN 0738-8098) is the official publication 11 Coastal Restoration of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Inc. The 12 Legislative Session Recap Federation office is located at 337 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 21 White Lake 70806. All editorial and subscription correspondence should be mailed to P.O. Box 25 Butterfly Gardens 65239 Audubon Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70896-5239 (Phone/Fax 225-344- 6707;mailto:[email protected]. All manuscripts submitted for publication are subject to editing or rewriting. Postmaster: Send change of address to: Louisiana Wildlife Federation, P.O. Box 65239 Audubon Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70896-5239. Membership: For information, write to: Louisiana Wildlife Federation, P.O. Box 65239 On the Cover......... Audubon Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70896- The most sought after coastal saltwater finfish in Louisiana 5239. Phone/Fax: (225) 344-6707. is, and always has been, the spotted seatrout (Cynoscion mailto:[email protected] nebulosus). In Louisiana, it goes by the name speckled trout or just “speck.” It’s why throngs of anglers travel to the coast, especially in the summer, but really, most months of Visit Our Website the year. It stimulates a significant coastal economy, and http://www.lawildlifefed.org real estate and marine manufacturing industries by creating demand for coastal “camps” and boats, motors and trailers, not to mention beau coup fishing gear. Though they’ll take other species, most anglers are after specks, period. Redfish are for when it’s too windy or cold to find the specks. Surf fishing for specks is one of the most enjoyable angling experiences you can imagine. All it takes is a rod and reel properly rigged, a handful of artificial baits, or maybe a bait bucket with some minnows or shrimp, and a stringer or floating net basket to hold the catch. (A saltwater fishing license is required, too, but keep it somewhere it won’t get Continued on page 24 Page 2 Louisiana Wildlife Federation, July 2004 FROM THE PRESIDENT Fisheries will manage this 71,000 acres of Joe” McPherson who was standing in for his E.R. “Smitty” freshwater marsh open water and agriculture dad. Thanks “Little Joe” for those fat, tasty Smith III fields, thus affording public participation in burgers. “Little Joe” is quite the misnomer determining the programs and rules and reg- as he stands in at about 6 feet or better. Also, ulations applied to the area. A new advisory thanks to the many LWF board members board will be established that includes per- who attended and gave up half of the week- sons with scientific and technical expertise end to steer the Federation forward. capable of guiding the management of the Since my last column, I have also been property. on the road quite a bit. I represented the I can’t say thank you enough to Senator Federation at a Pesticide Advisory Wow, what a difference one year and a Joe McPherson and Randy Lanctot our exec- Committee meeting, a Coastal Advisory new administration in state government can utive director, for championing these and committee meeting, one of the Louisiana make. With backing from the Louisiana other pieces of conservation legislation down Coastal Area Study Scoping meetings, the Wildlife Federation, the just completed leg- at the capitol. Thanks also to the other legis- Black Bear Festival in Franklin and various islative session has seen a string of victories lators who supported these efforts, Governor affiliate club meetings. Some of the affiliate for sportsmen and conservation. Senate Bill Blanco, and all of you that got involved and club meetings included a trip to Crowley 2, proposing a constitutional amendment to contacted your legislators. I suspect that where I spoke at the Acadiana Sportsmen’s guarantee the “Freedom to Hunt, Fish and some of you grew tired of getting my emails League annual membership supper. I also Trap,” was passed, and will be on the harassing you to take action. But it comes attended the Southwest Louisiana Wildlife November 2nd general election ballot. with the territory. We will be at it again next Association meeting in Kinder, where my Approval by the voters would add this provi- year, and so will my spam attacks. friend and LWF District 7 At-large director, sion to the Declaration of Rights in the Besides our work down at the capitol, Jerry Haas was elected president of that orga- Louisiana Constitution, the strongest possi- we have been very busy at LWF. Our office nization. Good luck, Jerry. Most recently, I ble protection for this fundamental right of has gotten a facelift, with some much need- attended the Avoyelles Wildlife Federation citizenship in the “Sportsmen’s Paradise.” ed remodeling. Since my last column, we annual membership meeting and was treated Another major accomplishment for the state have had both an Executive Committee to a great time and some wonderful food. and the Federation was the enactment of meeting and a Board meeting. Both meet- Besides me and my wife Shawn, LWF was Senate Bill 118 which rectifies the legal and ings were very productive. The Board meet- well represented by past president Joe policy issues concerning the management of ing took place at Booker Fowler Fish Herring, 2nd VP Jay Huner and his wife the White Lake property set up under the Hatchery at Woodworth and took up the Judy, secretary Ken Dancak and executive better part of a Saturday with a morning ses- previous administration. Under the new Continued on page 20 law, the Department of Wildlife and sion and working lunch grilled up by “Little FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Randy consorted with radical environmental outdoors and to the state’s economy, and groups to engage in a political rally against that there is room for improvement here in Lanctot the President and misplaced our priorities at Louisiana and throughout the nation. That the Legislature, among other criticisms. My theme is consistent with the mission of the inclination is to dismiss such ignorant LWF and our participation was approved by charges. But I have been asked by some the LWF Board of Directors at its spring Louisiana Wildlife Federation members, board meeting the weekend previous to the shocked by this columnist’s tirade, to address rally. The rally was intentionally scheduled the most egregious assertions. It may be to be on the steps of the state capital on the As you can tell from reading President enlightening for readers to know that this eve of President Bush’s visit to the LSU com- “Smitty” Smith’s column, the Louisiana columnist was not present and therefore had mencement, to attract media attention to Wildlife Federation has had a productive no firsthand knowledge about LWF’s partic- the issues presented at the rally, and with the Spring. Our efforts have been rewarded ipation at the rally or at the Legislature. hope of getting the attention of the leader of with the adoption of important legislation Very briefly, the Louisiana Wildlife our Nation, as well as government leaders in and the recognition of our organization’s Federation was invited to participate in a Louisiana, in addressing them. Although leadership in the conservation community. rally at the capital in Baton Rouge to pro- some presenters at the rally expressed con- Despite that, our efforts have been criticized mote the importance of a quality environ- cerns with specific initiatives, or lack thereof, by a columnist with the “Louisiana ment to a sound and thriving economy. of President Bush’s administration that per- Sportsman” magazine who has maligned the Every conservationist knows how important tain to conservation and the environment, clean air, water and soil, and abundant, high LWF to his readers, charging that we have Continued on page 9 quality habitat are to our enjoyment of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, November 2003, Page 3 Fascinating Flyers Photos Courtesy Bill Dupree the cooling fins of the radiator, some intact and I walked out this morning to make a rou- well preserved enough to study and wonder at. tine, brief round of the garden before heading to Their abundance and wide distribution the office. After all the rainfall of the past 2 makes them common and therefore, taken for months, and now the heat, there’s not much left granted. They’re just part of summer, which in out there – a few peppers, a squash or two, a Louisiana is pretty much all year. Too bad. They deformed cantaloup. But the okra stands tall and are worthy of more notice. These bugs are drag- Blue Dasher onflies. adult stage which is spent flying, feeding, mating Dragonflies have many of the same qualities and laying eggs. They are carnivorous. We fond- that make butterflies and birds, especially hum- ly refer to them as “mosquito hawks” as they dart mingbirds, so fascinating. And when it comes to about the yard catching mosquitoes and other being “cool,” they are the coolest of animals.