Although it hasn't affected the Finger Lakes yet, an outbreak of a waterfowl disease has experts asking the public to avoid feeding waterfowl as a precaution against the spread of disease.
A dozen Canada geese were found sick or dead on a pond in northern Clinton County last week. The stricken geese were disoriented and unable to fly, and all are expected to die. A necropsy of the dead geese determined that they were infected with Aspergillosis, a fungus that grows in the birds' lungs and air sacs causing respiratory distress and, eventually, suffocation.
Aspergillosis is transmitted to waterfowl by the ingestion of moldy grain, such as bread or livestock feed. It has been known to cause large-scale mortality in waterfowl. Aspergillosis is not contagious and does not present a health risk to humans.
The Department of Environmental Conservation is asking the public to not feed geese, ducks, and other waterfowl to help prevent this disease. Feeding causes poor nutrition, overcrowding, unnatural behavior, delayed migration, and facilitates the spread of diseases.
Farmers should keep grain piles covered and dispose of moldy grain or silage by burial or tilling into the soil. Ducks and geese must be discouraged from using areas where moldy agricultural products have accumulated.
Report diseased or dead waterfowl to your nearest DEC Wildlife Office. The phone number of the nearest DEC wildlife office may be obtained from the DEC Web site at www.dec.ny.gov/about/558.html.
The Cornell Outdoor Education program is offering a Wilderness First Responder class, certified by Wilderness Medical Associates, Jan. 8-16, on the campus.
The class is open to students from all schools and if three or more participants enroll together, they will be extended the Cornell student rate.
For information, go to www.coe.cornell.edu/ goto.jsp?course=WFR-WIN09.
Out of Pennsylvania's 55 licensed elk hunters, 42 filled their tags during the Sept. and Nov. seasons. The state licensed 10 hunters for the Sept. season, two of which killed antlerless animals, and 40 of the 45 license holders for the November season filled their tags.
The largest antlered elk was a 799-pound, 7x7 taken on Nov. 3, in Covington Township, Clearfield County. A 653-pound 7x7 and a 652-pound 7x7 were taken the same week elsewhere in the same county.
The heaviest antlerless elk was taken by James Misti, of Lyndonville, who harvested a 435-pound antlerless elk on Nov. 4, in Clinton County.
Elk licenses are distributed by drawing from a pool of more than 10,000 applicants each year.
If you are interested in whitetail deer, be advised that both New York and Pennsylvania provide information.
Information about deer vision and hunter safety in New York can be found on the DEC Web site at either www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9186.html, or www.dec.state. ny.us/website/dfwmr/sportsed/ safety.html.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has created a new 30-minute deer management DVD that helps explain the complexities of managing deer, satisfying the many stakeholders who are influenced by deer, and addressing why too many deer are not good for the deer herd or its habitat.
A DVD was recently posted as a video on YouTube under the account name “PAGameCommission.”
To access the offerings, go to www.pgc.state.pa.us and click on either the “White-Tailed Deer” icon, which is a link to a variety of information about deer management, or “Deer Mgmt. Video,” which provides access to the three 10-minute video segments on YouTube.
The Web site also features an “Ask The Deer Biologist” section, which enables individuals to pose a question to the agency's deer management team, as well as review a series of questions already asked and answered. As it grows, the agency will use responses as frequently-asked questions (FAQs) to help visitors find fast answers to the most commonly-asked questions.
Henderson is The Journal's outdoors columnist; his columns appear on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you have any questions, comments, or data pertinent to the column or outdoors calendar, send it directly to: Henderson's Outdoors; 202 Prospect Street; Endicott, NY 13760; Or e-mail it to dddhender@aol.com.
