Minutes from Schoharie County Conservation Association Meeting held at SUNY Cobleskill Curtis Mott Hall On September 25, 2003

* -Fellow Sportsmen & Sportswomen- Dave Wood called the meeting to order at 7:15 with a salute to the American flag. Present were representatives from: Middleburgh, West Fulton Rod & Gun Clubs, Central Bridge and Richmondville Fish and Game Clubs, Trout Unlimited, SUNY Fish & Wildlife Club, several SCCA associate members and Schoharie County Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited. Treasure’s Report – The monthly budget was discussed, reviewing the expenses and receipts. A motion to accept was made and then passed. Secretary’s Minutes – Inquires or questions concerning the minutes were asked for, with none being made. A motion was made to accept and was then passed. Carl Stefanik - Open Space Advisory Committee: Carl spoke about a meeting held to form a four person committee (Animal Response Team) to discuss Bio-terrorism for dealing with livestock such as flooding, poison water, or air pollution causing large numbers of carcasses. New York State Conservation Council - Fall Convention: 70th Annual Meeting Ray Zeh reports big changes in DEC because of budget problems. He has applications for the different committees, such as fish, big game, and small game. These committees are set up to discuss different issues, goals, and objectives, as well as developing and implementing initiatives to accelerate the protection of air, land and water quality. Keith Isles, an Environmental Conservation Officer who is a member of the K9 unit assigned to Region 4, was named “Encon Officer of the Year”. New York State Conservation Council: Currently we have a 2003 membership drive push. If you are not a member please visit our website at: http: www.nyscc.com to join. If you are a member please encourage others to sign up. These memberships would also make excellent gifts for friends and relatives – boys & girls. The cost is $25 for Guardian, $60 for Defender and $250 for Life Membership. This includes a monthly newsletter with your membership. The Council is pushing sporting clubs that are in cities throughout the state to join as well. Any Clubs that are interested in getting permits to hunt watershed lands should contact Jennifer A. Cairo, NYCDEP at (845-340-7517) or e-mail jcairo@dep.nyc.gov. Representative Ed Zamjohn (234-2098) - Ed reported on the Trailblazer Adventure Program coming to New York for the first time. The U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance Foundation invites Boy Scouts and their families to join the fun at Thompson Lake State Park, on October 18. Families will be involved in a range of outdoors activities and can sign up to participate in the Trail Master mentoring program. Through Trail Master, they will work one-on-one with a local sportsman who can teach them the ropes of outdoor sports. Upon completion of the Trail Master Program, Scouts will be honored with a Trail Master Patch at next year’s Trailblazer Adventure Day. Volunteers are needed for the program to assist the young trailblazers in the archery program. The point of contact for the event is Frank Price at (614) 888-4868 ext: 202 and web site address is http://www.trailblazeradventure.org Fish & Wildlife Management Board – The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 22nd at the Middleburgh Diner. Representatives Dave Wood (landowner) & Mike Zeh (Sportsmen) for Schoharie County will attend. NYSCC ALERT YOU DID IT!!! Bill S2725A, called the "canned shoots" bill was delivered to the Governor's Office on August 14, 2003 for signature after being passed by both houses, and the Governor…vetoed the bill. Bill S1977A, the “blaze orange” bill was delivered to the governor for signature as well and it was…vetoed as well. Bill S1068A- Provides that traps set for the taking of wildlife shall bear information that the department of environmental conservation determines is necessary Last Act: 09/09/03 VETOED MEMO.136 The NYS Conservation Council sent a special message to Governor Pataki asking for this veto. According to the NYS Trappers Association there was wording in the bill, which would have created problems. They do plan on reintroducing this bill with some minor adjustments. Everyone who contacted the governor’s office in regards to these bills should be proud of their work and Thank You All When contacting the Governor’s office or our state Senators & Assemblymen make sure you thank them for all their support. Update: House Passes Pro-Sportsmen Resolution New York Republican Congressmen James Walsh and Sherwood Boehlert led the charge to enact a sportsmen's appreciation resolution prior to National Hunting and Fishing Day to express congressional support for America's millions of hunters and anglers. House Resolution 362 was introduced shortly after Labor Day with a bipartisan group of 37 original cosponsors and passed the House earlier this week by unanimous consent. With the enactment of the resolution, Congress officially recognizes the importance and contributions of sportsmen to American society; supports the traditions and values of sportsmen; supports the many conservation programs implemented by sportsmen; recognizes the many economic benefits associated with outdoor sporting activities; and recognizes the importance of encouraging the recruitment of, and teaching the traditions of hunting, trapping, and fishing to future sportsmen. Update: New York Governor Vetoes Trapping Privacy Bill New York Gov. George Pataki has vetoed legislation that would allow traps to show identification numbers assigned to a trapper rather than the sportsman's name and address. The bill was intended to protect the privacy of trappers in New York by keeping personal information out of anti-hunters' hands. In the past, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance says these groups have harassed trappers and vandalized their personal property. Nonresident Idaho Deer and Elk Tags Still Available Idaho wildlife officials say nonresident deer and elk tags are still available for 2003. Licenses and tags can be bought on the Idaho Fish and Game Web site, by calling (800) 554-8685 or over the counter at license vendors statewide. -New Jersey's first black bear hunt in more than 30 years took another step forward last month when the state Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) distributed permit applications for the 6-day December hunt. -Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) officials have begun using personal digital assistants (PDA) to record tissue sample information from deer and elk heads submitted for chronic wasting disease (CWD) tests. -In related news, researchers have shifted to excrement and saliva in an attempt to determine how CWD is spread among deer and elk. Middleburgh Rod & Gun Club – John Bloomer and Linda Rivenburg are running Trap Shooting on Friday nights. December 2003 Raffle tickets are available and you can call Bob Britton at 827-7024 for tickets or more information. The Rod & Gun Club has a new Internet website: http://www.middleburghrg.com and we need help with information to update this website. Call John Osisinki 827-5429 or Pete Lucas 827-7620. Central Bridge Fish and Game Club – Skeet shoots every Sunday morning, starting around 10:00 am. There is also shooting on Monday nights and Wednesday nights. Meetings are held the 1st Friday of each month. There was a club picnic held Sept 21 with two of the youths sent to DEC Camp giving a heads up on there adventure. Also a membership drive was held. Thanks to Nelson Back for all the work moving grass this pass summer and fixing the skeet building. West Fulton Rod & Gun Club – Meetings are held every month on the 1st Tuesday at 7:00 P.M. The Tim Murphy Run was held on Columbus Day weekend October 11, thank you to all the members that assisted in making it a success. The Big Buck Contest will be on again this year ending on Dec 6, on which there will be a diner held at the new West Fulton Firehouse. The club also has a fall raffle to help raise some needed funds to help pay the club’s liability insurance bill for 2004. SUNY Cobleskill Fish and Wildlife Club – The club held a pig roast on September 27. Everyone had lots of food & fun. The club is planning a lot for the year to come. One activity, which is being considered, is a club fishing trip. The wildlife club’s ATV raffle did not go as planned, therefore it has been cancelled and refunds will be mailed out. Trout Unlimited – Reported that students from SUNY Cobleskill would continue looking at the Upper Catskill Creek. Various things were being examined, with possible improvement projects to follow. Whitetails Unlimited – The annual banquet and Live/Silent auctions were held at the Best Western in Cobleskill on September 21. They held a special fundraiser for Dylon Foland, auctioning an item and raising $210.00. The banquet and auction were both enjoyed by 145 in attendance and a great success for the club. A donation is planned for DEC. Maybe a new Night Scope or some other needed item. Brad Sherwood won the big raffle (Armsco Over/Under 20 Gage Shotgun) SCCA NEWS – A special thanks to Ray Zeh, Carol Torrington and Bob Siple who really pushed tickets for the Dylon Foland Fund Raiser. They sold all the remaining tickets at the Annual Wildlife Festival on Saturday, September 27, held at the New York Power Authority. Pheasant stocking has begun for the fall season and will be occurring throughout the season, look for announcements weekly. Land has been found between Esperence and Sloansville for a boat launch. The areas are being reviewed currently. Reminder – On November 1st you can reapply for a Doe Management Permit. The state will be issuing out the ones that originally were not issued. The next meeting will be held again at SUNY Cobleskill Curtis Mott Hall on the October 23 at 7:00. Our guest speaker will be Norm McBride from the Stamford DEC Office.

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