Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Smaller crop may greet bird hunters

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, July 26, 2001 | 9:29 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears weekly. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

The summer doldrums are here. The top water fishing for stripers is good, and stream fishing ought to be pretty good as water levels decline and the fish are more concentrated. But as the sun gets lower in the sky and the summer heat drones on, outdoors people can't help but begin to think of hunting seasons just around the corner.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited, if you're a waterfowl hunter the news isn't all that good.

Researchers are blaming dry conditions for a population decrease in nine of 10 of the most common duck species after the spring breeding season. They estimate that despite an 18 percent increase in breeding ground pond numbers, the total number of breeding ducks declined by 14 percent, falling from 42 million birds in 2000 to 36.1 million in 2001.

"This is an unusual result," says DU's Chief Biologist, Dr. Bruce Batt. "Normally, we see pond and total duck numbers moving in the same direction. This year's survey is not devastating news, but it is certainly worth keeping an eye on."

Batt says that though the numbers seem incongruous, there is an explanation.

"Even though the pond counts are up overall, it's so much drier than usual on some of the birds' most important breeding grounds, namely Western Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Montana, that habitat gains in the eastern prairies are overwhelmed by losses further west," Batt said.

When asked what hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts should expect for the fall flight, Batt said, "People in the West will generally have fewer birds in the fall flight and hunters may notice that. People in the East will probably have a similar fall flight to last year, which was good. But as always, weather will be the main factor guiding the fall migration."

Classes last eight hours and are usually held on Saturdays, with a few offered in the evenings. Courses have a home study component and require the completion of a workbook prior to attending the class.

Workbooks can be picked up from the Nevada Division of Wildlife offices at 4747 W. Vegas Drive or 744 S. Racetrack Road in Henderson after registering by phone or in person. Hunters interested in attending a course should call the Nevada Division of Wildlife at 486-5127.

Because of this, a hydrologic engineering consultant was hired to analyze the risks to the bridge from the ongoing channel erosion and to develop alternatives to stabilize the bridge.

Comments of the EA are available at the Lake Mead NRA's Internet site, www.nps.gov/lame/publicea.pdf or by contacting Nancy Hendricks, resource management specialist at 293-8756. A copy of the EA may also be requested in writing. Interested parties are asked to address their requests or comments to: Superintendent, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Highway, Boulder City, NV 89005, Attention: Las Vegas Wash Stabilization EA. The comment period is open until Aug. 17, 2001.