Court Approves the Largest Environmental Settlement in History

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has approved the settlement reached between the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (Trustees) and BP for natural resource injuries stemming from the spill and also a settlement of the Clean Water Act violations with the United States. This settlement is the largest settlement of environmental claims in history. The Trustee Council, which includes the Alabama Trustees, will now begin implementing restoration as laid out in its comprehensive restoration plan. Read more

Fishing, Wildlife

Michigan: Second Consecutive Hunting Season With No Fatalities


For the second year in a row, Michigan recorded no fatalities in 2015 during all hunting seasons, according to reports compiled by the Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division. Thirteen incidents resulting in injuries were recorded in the state during the year, up slightly from 10 incidents in 2014. Twelve incidents occurred in the Lower Peninsula and one in the Upper Peninsula.This is part of an overall trend toward fewer hunting-related fatalities and injuries over the past several decades, a downward trend that started in 1988 when completion of a hunter education class became mandatory for all first-time hunters born after Jan. 1, 1960. Read more
Hunting

Federal American Eagle Introduces Syntech Range Ammunition


Anoka, Minnesota – Federal Ammunition is pleased to announce a whole new concept for range ammunition with introduction of American Eagle Syntech: A smoother way to shoot. Shipments of this new product are now being delivered to dealers.American Eagle Syntech is the first range-specific ammunition designed to reduce fouling and extend barrel life with a high-tech polymer bullet coating. Combined with specialized clean-burning powders, your gun will stay cleaner, longer, so you can shoot more—and shoot better. The exclusive Catalyst™ primer provides the most reliable, consistent ignition possible. The Syntech system offers target shooters the most advanced range ammunition available and the perfect way for handgun owners to protect their investment from the inside out. Read more
Ammunition

Spring is Time to Control Invasive Plants

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Gardeners and landscapers are already taking advantage of the mild weather to prepare their land for the upcoming planting season. But spring is also a great time to take control of invasive plants that may be creeping onto your property.

Invasive plants are almost always the first ones to leaf out in spring, according Elizabeth Spinney, the new invasive plant coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

“Getting rid of invasive plants makes room for Vermont native plants and helps local wildlife, and it can also make you healthier too,” said Spinney. “Areas with fewer invasive plants tend to see lower rates of infectious disease such as Lyme disease, because rodents and ticks thrive around many species of invasive plants.”

Spinney recommends starting with a few plants that are relatively easy to identify and manage, including honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, buckthorn, and garlic mustard.

Asian Honeysuckles are shrubs with white flowers, red or orange berries, and a hollow stem. They are often found at the edge of yards or abandoned farmlands. Japanese Barberry is a shrubby ornamental plant that forms dense thickets, shading out native plants. It has spatula-shaped leaves, red fruit, and yellow flowers that hang from the stem. Both plants can be pulled with the roots when the ground is soft after a rain and hung from a branch to prevent re-rooting. They can also be cut down to the stump, with the stump wrapped in burlap or plastic, periodically cutting back any new growth.

Common Buckthorn is a small tree with dark green shiny leaves, small black berries, and sharp spines at the end of twigs. It can similarly be pulled and hung, or cut with the stump wrapped in plastic or burlap. Buckthorn is one of Vermont’s most insidious invasives, requiring more aggressive monitoring and control over the long-term as shoots continue to sprout up.

Garlic mustard is an herb with white flowers and broad leaves that are tasty in salad. It is easy to pull up like a dandelion, making sure to get the entire long, s-shaped root. Read more

General

Elite Archery Adds Victory 37


West Henrietta, NY – Elite Archery, Maker of the World’s Most Shootable Bow, has added a new bow to its line, the Victory 37 (V37). 37 inches axle-to-axle and a performance driven platform proven to deliver accuracy, the V37 has taken the archery world by storm.Similar to its predecessor, the V37 is built on the same long riser with Elite’s reinforced Riser CageTM, but also boasts a 6.75″ brace height, beyond parallel limbs and extreme balance. At 330 FPS IBO speeds, the V37 delivers stability in a wide range of draw lengths thanks to the 2-track Victory cam system and forgiveness in a class of its own. The V37’s tack-driving accuracy, enhanced features and extreme shootability will undoubtedly take any shooter’s archery game to the next level. This performance-driven platform is proven to deliver shot-to-shot accuracy in the most demanding hunting or target situations and is sure to be the next stand out in Elite’s archery revolution. Read more
Archery

Turnbull Announces Limited Edition Engraved 1886 Rifle Series

Turnbull 1886 Model 9

Model 9 Receiver

Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing Co. of Bloomfield, New York is releasing a set of 4 designs based on the 1886 lever-action rifle. There will only be one of each of the four designs made, so these are destined to be genuine collectibles.

All four of the rifles will feature extra fancy American black walnut furniture, a 26 inch full octagon blued barrel and shotgun butt pads. The engraved receiver can be finished in either charcoal blue or Turnbull’s traditional method case hardening. Read more

Firearms

NSSF Releases Scholastic Shooting Sports Programs Industry Report

 

NSSF is pleased to announce the release of the 2016 Industry Intelligence Report on the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF). SSSF promotes youth development in the shooting sports, with its Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) arm focusing on sporting clays, trap and skeet and the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) working with action pistol and rifle sports.

The 2016 Industry Intelligence Report on the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation reports on the findings of a recent research project that examined the demographics, shooting habits and spending habits of those youths enrolled in the program in 2015. Indicative of the program’s success and its importance to the continued viability of the shooting industry as a whole, some of the most important findings from the report include:

From 2013 to 2015 the number of youth athletes participating in SASP grew 49 percent; growth in SCTP since the program’s inception in 2001 is an impressive 1,682 percent, with current participant numbers standing at nearly 12,500.
93 percent of SCTP parents surveyed said that the program had had a positive influence on their children; 52 percent said they saw their child’s grades improve after participating SSSF programs.

Read more

Firearms

Coast Guard Posts Reward in Laser Incident on Lake Michigan

In this stock photo, a green laser is pointed into the night sky. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Lehmann.

MILWAUKEE — The Coast Guard announces Friday a monetary reward for validated information leading to the individual or individuals responsible for the illumination by green laser of a Coast Guard boat in Lake Michigan near Grand Haven, Michigan, Saturday.

This incident follows eight others on the western shoreline of Michigan over the past year, during which a Coast Guard search and rescue vessel or aircraft was deliberately illuminated by a laser.

About 11:30 p.m. Saturday a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Grand Haven was conducting a routine patrol when the side of the vessel was illuminated with a high-intensity green laser. The Coast Guard members immediately noticed the green laser, originating from either the north or south pier head entrance light, and quickly turned away. The laser hit the side of the vessel and did not injure any of the crew members’ eyes. Read more

General
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