Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Each new Nightstick angle light model is cULus and MSHA certified Intrinsically Safe Permissible, water-rated as IP-X7 waterproof and meets requirements of NFPA-1971-8.6 (2013). Made from durable glass-filled nylon polymer, these individually serialized angle lights feature a heavy-duty stainless-steel pocket clip that eliminate slippage when attached to a firefighter’s jacket or respirator pack and include a top-mounted visible low-battery indicator that illuminates in low battery situations. Read more
BOSTON — The Coast Guard is reminding boaters and paddlers heading out on the water this month to keep safety in mind.
Weather forecasts are slated to bring unseasonably warm air, but the water can be dangerously cold. The current water temperature in Boston Harbor is 46 degrees Fahrenheit, but last winter during the coldest month it averaged 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Excited boaters and paddlers in their new canoes and kayaks will understandably want to take advantage of the mild weather,” said Walt Taylor, the 1st Coast Guard District’s recreational boating safety specialist. “The Coast Guard strongly recommends everyone boating this winter always wear a lifejacket over a dry-suit or wetsuit, carry a VHF radio, and file a float plan with someone who knows when you are leaving, where you are going, and when you plan to be back.”
The ocean and inland waterways in New England pose unique dangers in the wintertime.
“When a person falls in cold water, their body responds to initial shock with an instantaneous gasp for air,” said Taylor. “If their head is underwater, this may cause the person to swallow water and drown.”
The Coast Guard’s boating safety mobile app titled “United States Coast Guard” can be found in Apple and Google Play online stores, and is a great tool for boaters.
From a Professional Outdoor Media Association member, Gogal Publishing Company…
We are a Philadelphia based company specializing in the design, development and distribution of geographically aware mapping and navigation applications for iOS and Android platforms. Our apps deliver accurate longitude and latitude coordinates for easy driving or hiking navigation and include detailed destination specific information.
Stream Map USA is a series of eight US regional GPS mapping and navigation tools featuring searchable rivers, lakes and streams, mapped on GPS-enabled roadmaps, satellite images, and topographic maps. Stream Map USA is ideal for anglers, paddlers, hunters, hikers, and just about anyone who plays in the outdoors.
Aqua-Vu releases innovative new underwater camera/cable retrieval system
Crosslake, MN – With the release of a single, ingenious item, Aqua-Vu has immediately made underwater viewing exponentially easier, more convenient and ultimately more fun.
Coupling leading-edge fishing reel design with intricate video electronics, the new Aqua-Vu Micro Manager is an extraordinary yet simple-to-use underwater camera/cable retrieval system—another technological first from the company who engineered the original underwater viewing system nearly twenty years ago. Read more
WASHINGTON – An omnibus budget deal released by Congress early Wednesday morning increases agency funding and includes a measure that reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund – but for only three years.
The spending bill for Fiscal Year 2016 represents a hard-won – and at times bitterly contested – agreement that funds the federal government in the coming year while narrowly averting another shutdown. While acknowledging the hard work by Congress, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers reiterated the need for LWCF legislation that permanently reauthorizes and fully funds the highly successful conservation program.
“Christmas came early for sportsmen late last night when Congress passed a budget deal that not only avoided a government shutdown but also includes a provision to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund for three years at $450 million,” said BHA President and CEO Land Tawney. Read more
Tell Congress to Reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund!
We’ve been asking you to call your Congressman or Congresswoman to renew the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund for the past few weeks. This weekend, it is more critical than ever. We expect a decision, one way or the other, to be made in the next week and we want to make sure the decision is to renew this critical public land and water access program, not gut it!
Contact Representative Dan Benishek (MI-1), Michigan’s representative on the House Natural Resources Committee, and ask him to fully reauthorize the LWCF. Communities in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District alone, where outdoor recreation tourism is a major economic driver, have leveraged over $19 million in LWCF grants in its 50 years, at no cost to taxpayers!
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is the federal version of our Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. The LWCF takes royalties from off-shore gas and oil development and invests them in another non-renewable resource: public recreation land. It provides access for hunting and fishing, as well as outdoor recreation development funds at the federal, state and local level. But for the first time in 50 years, Congress failed to renew it this year. Your phone call can change that!
CWD Found at Wisconsin Captive Facility 25 Miles from Upper Peninsula Border
At both a legislative committee hearing on Tuesday and yesterday’s Natural Resources Commission meeting, DNR Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason shared that a Wisconsin captive cervid facility within 25 miles of the Upper Peninsula border had tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). He emphasized that it is critical that hunters comply with the ban on importing any live or dead deer from CWD states like Wisconsin. The DNR Law Division recently caught multiple hunters importing deer from other states.
DNR Deer Specialist Chad Stewart also shared that hunter effort in the CWD area has been “exceptional,” which is critical to the DNR having enough samples to determine how prevalent and how far CWD has spread. The DNR has tested approximately 3,500 deer with four positive results, including the recent buck from Clinton County voluntarily checked by a bowhunter just before the start of the firearm deer season. Due to this, Clinton County will be added to the CWD Surveillance Area for 2016.
Like and check out our Facebook page to read through our live notes from yesterday’s NRC Meeting
MOORESTOWN, NJ (Dec. 8, 2015) — SeaLife announced the expansion of its permanently sealed waterproof camera line with the introduction of the new Micro 2.0. Like its predecessor, the Micro HD, the new Micro 2.0 can be used above or below the surface down to 200 feet (60 meters) and is fully sealed, self-contained and maintenance-free without the hassle of O-rings or doors. Read more
