Harrisburg, PA — White-water boating enthusiasts once again will converge on Bucks County’s Tohickon Creek Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, when the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources releases water from Lake Nockamixon into Tohickon Creek.

Releases are historically scheduled on a semi-annual basis, usually occurring on the third weekend in March and the first weekend in November. The water releases from the Nockamixon State Park dam provide suitable white-water boating conditions downstream through Ralph Stover State Park from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. each day.

Water releases begin at 4:00 A.M. Several hours later, the release, consisting of millions of gallons of water moving down the waterway, will create whitewater conditions at Ralph Stover State Park, according to park officials. Suggested hours for viewing the release and boating activity are from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. at Ralph Stover. Read more

The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) has begun its search for a new executive director. Resumes will be accepted through February 28, 2020. The executive director is responsible for the overall management of the organization and for leading and directing the implementation of the organization’s philosophy, mission, and strategic goals and objectives. The POMA executive director reports to the board of directors and shall help enable the board to fulfill its function in governing the organization. Read more

Firearms and Ammunition Industry to Oppose Antigun State Attorneys General Effort to Stop Jobs-Creating Rules Going Into Effect

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, and a small Washington state business filed a motion in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington in Seattle to intervene in a lawsuit filed by 23 state attorneys general to block two recently announced rules by the Trump administration. The rules changes would create jobs and reduce onerous and costly regulations on small businesses.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and 22 other state attorneys general, are suing to halt export reforms due to go into effect March 9 following the final rules moving export licensing of sporting and commercial firearms and ammunition products to the Commerce Department from the State Department. The export reforms were begun during the Obama administration and only recently completed. The attorney’s general complaint centers on claims the technology for 3D printing of firearms would be “de-regulated.” However, their complaint seeks to block the reforms in their entirety. These rules would end punitive registration fees on small businesses that do not export firearms or ammunition products. The motion filed this week asks the court to allow NSSF, as the firearms industry’s trade association, to intervene in the case to defend its members’ interests. Read more

COLUMBUS, Georgia, Feb. 10, 2020 — ? The MOJO® Handwarmer in Realtree Timber Camo is designed to keep your hands toasty warm and nimble when you’re hunting in frigid weather. Read more

Last month, the DNR approved nearly $2 million in Recreation Passport grant funding. Eighteen communities across the state were awarded these funds for local park development and improvement projects, which included playgrounds, sports and fitness facilities, walkways, trails and more.

The purchase of a Recreation Passport not only gains you vehicle access to park, trails and waterways, but 10 percent of the funds go toward the local grants program and back into local communities. View a full list of the 2019 grant recipients.

Thanks to a true team effort between the DNR and snowmobile grant sponsors, more than 120 miles of state-designated trails in Chippewa and eastern Mackinac counties have been cleared and are ready to welcome back snowmobilers. A storm that began in late December dumped ice and snow across the eastern Upper Peninsula, snapping power poles, breaking branches and leaving many miles of trail impassable because of the debris.

“I’ve never seen a storm like that,” said Rob Shields, a DNR forest fire supervisor based in Sault Ste. Marie. “On top of ice, we were hit with 6 inches of wet, sloppy snow and ice on top of that. It just started snapping trees.” Read more

LAS VEGAS — NSSF today announced that its annual pre-SHOT Show golf outing to benefit the charity Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) raised $50,000. HAVA is a 501(c)(3) organization formed by companies in the shooting and outdoor industry that raises money to support disabled veterans as they work through the healing process and reintegrate into civilian life through guided hunts, target shooting events and other outdoor sports activities. Read more

Stronger than steel, fire-resistant and sustainable, mass timber is an emerging building material catching the interest of architects and tradespeople throughout the U.S. and Europe. Closer to home, building industry leaders, tradespeople, lumber manufacturers and forest managers will meet April 20-21 at the Michigan Mass Timber Summit in East Lansing to explore new, innovative possibilities for wood-based construction.

Mass timber framing uses large solid or engineered wood columns. These techniques allow for tall buildings to be created out of renewable timber instead of concrete or steel, meaning that future skylines could include wooden skyscrapers. Read more

Eight people are confirmed dead after an overnight fire Sunday destroyed dozens of boats docked at Jackson County Park in Scottsboro, the authorities said. Read more