mike rossi

The link to the Humane Society of the US – New York: https://www.facebook.com/HSUSNewYork Did you know that the NY DEC has a Facebook page as well, that was launched in May of this year? https://www.facebook.com/NYSDEC While you’re at it, stop by and “like” our two pages: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NY-Dove-Hunting/365031743546569?ref=hl https://www.facebook.com/CookingDovesOtherGamebirds?ref=hl

http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/North_Zone/Great_Swamp_Complex/Shawangunk_Grasslands/DeerHunting2013.pdf http://www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/NewYork.html The vast majority of NY’s 700,000 resident and non-resident hunters are unaware or uninterested in the national wildlife refuge system. In NY there are 10 refuges, two of which are open to hunting and one of which is pending public comment for a special archery deer season, see below. The national wildlife refuge system is extensive and a large portion of it has been purchased with duck stamp funds, official known as migratory bird hunting and conservation stamps. As hunters’ numbers exhibit a long term decline, the number of non-shooting public engaged in conservation is growing. State natural resource agencies, such as the DEC and the US Fish and Wildlife Service; have embarked in formal long term programs to expand the engagement of the non-shooting public in conservation. Although hunters have led conservation efforts since the 1930’s, due to the sheer number of non-shooters, that 75 year head start will be overtaken in much less years. The sporting community is largely unaware of this and will be surprised to learn the amount of money and volunteer hours logged by the non-shooting public. Entrance fees to a single national wildlife refuge often exceed one million dollars in the summer months alone. Below is the Entrance Fees to one of refuges: An entrance fee is required of all visitors to the Refuge unless they posess an annual pass ($12), a Duck Stamp ($15), or a lifetime passport. Fees are waived for Environmental Education activities. Please contact the Refuge Headquarters for a waiver form. Private vehicle - $4.00 Pedestrian - $2.00 Bicyclist - $2.00 Commercial van or bus up to 20 passengers - $15.00 21 or more passengers - $25.00 NY alone has nine refuges, seven of which are open to the public. Two of these nine refuges are open to hunting and trapping and one is pending an archery deer season, see below. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Deer Hunting on the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge July 16, 2013 Attention Hunters Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge intends to open to deer hunting (archery only) in Fall 2013, per New York State Hunting Regulations. The opening of new refuge lands to hunting must be completed through an approved Opening Package (submitted in Spring 2013). The opening of all new nation-wide lands to hunting is collectively announced in a Final Rule (50 CFR Part 32, 2013–2014 Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations; Final Rule). We anticipate that the Final Rule for 2013-2014 may be issued sometime in September 2013; however, until this rule is issued, the refuge remains closed to hunting. We are dedicated to hunting the refuge in 2013 and are working to issue permits at the earliest possible time. Hunters wishing to participate in the 2013 hunt should contact the refuge as soon as possible; 9 permits will be issued on a first-come first-served basis. In order to be considered for the 2013 hunt, please contact refuge staff directly at 973-702-7266 (extension 10). Staff will walk hunters through the application process, which includes a $20 permit application fee (charged only if a permit is issued). Permits will be issued as soon as the above-mentioned rule is published. Refuge-specific regulations and maps will accompany the refuge hunting permit. We are hopeful that hunting at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR will be approved in time for the October 1, 2013 archery opener. However, we have no control over the timing of the rule’s publication. Hunters should not expect any guarantees as to the timing in which permits can be issued. We thank you for your understanding and your cooperation in this matter. _____________________________ Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1999, is located in the Hudson Valley of New York. Public hunting is permitted on more than 4,291,000 acres in New York during specific times of the year. The hunting program is administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in cooperation with NY’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Sources: http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/North_Zone/Great_Swamp_Complex/Shawangunk_Grasslands/DeerHunting2013.pdf http://www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/NewYork.html Key words: Federal funds, conservation fund, CFAB, DEC, FWS, Migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp, duck stamp, National Wildlife Refuge System, access, geographic equity, conservation, wildlife management, hunting, trapping, Ducks Unlimited, NY Dove Hunting, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, public hunting areas, Pittman-Robertson Act, Dingle Johnson Act, Federal Aide in Fish Restoration Act, Sport Fish Restoration, Federal Aide in Wildlife Restoration Act, Wildlife restoration, PR funds, DJ funds, Wallop-Breaux, Wetland Loan Act

OK, but are you seriously misunderstanding my point? The DEC is recommending banning hunting preserves from releasing swine for ecological reasons, and the humane society is characterizing this ban as for animal rights reason, ie. to keep the swine from getting shot... Also, notice that this national organization announced in this blast that it just launch a New York face book page.

I don't know if this is you, but some of the same people who complain about access complain about the license fees being too high. What can I say? I see broader problems as well. Sportsmen are buying less licenses and contributing less money and volunteer labor to conservation every year. Meanwhile non-shooters are becoming more engaged in conservation and hunters are still chanting about how they pay for conservation. Hunters are generally unaware that the FWS, DEC, and each FWS refuge in the US, 3 of which are in NY, have active, formal long-term campaigns to engage the non-shooting public at large. One FWS refuge posted on its face book page ten women holding up the duck stamps they bought to promote buying them. The stamp has been used as an entrance fee for refuges the past 10 years or so and MILLIONS of non hunters buy them annually or pay an entry fee to the FWS. Hunters have been the conservation leaders since the 1930s; but we will be outspent in not very long due to the sheer numbers and active promotion to attract the public at large, again meanwhile hunting license sales continue their downward spiral. And have hunters tempered their swagger and stopped arrogantly boasting about paying for conservation? I am not wealthy. Yet I have managed to by all my sporting licenses every year since the 1970s. I have also made cash donations to conservation organizations and have also donated a portion of my spare time to volunteer for conservation projects. There are many other hunters who do the same. Others however fail to see that money & labor are needed to sustain both access and game populations. Others may understand that, but don't care.

That is their e-mail blast, not my writing.

How New York Protected Animals The New York state legislature adjourned on June 20 after passing three critical measures for animals. Lawmakers approved bills to: protect sharks by banning the sale of their fins; end the possession of feral pigs at canned hunts; and strengthen laws that regulate crowded, filthy puppy mills. Additionally, they defeated a law that would have legalized the harmful trapping of snapping turtles, the official state reptile. We will continue to work with legislators and other animal advocates over the interim so that we are ready when the legislature reconvenes in January. Now that the legislative session is over, your elected officials are home in their districts. It’s the perfect time to call them and ask for a meeting. Let them know you care about the protection of animals. To find out more, check out our Advocate Toolkit here. You can also follow our state legislative efforts on our New York Facebook page, and stay informed on the humane movement by subscribing to my blog

I don't know anyone named Emily, but I think you will like these links, they are from the DEC website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/77118.html

If you decide to go at it by yourself, line up several alternate spots that look "ducky" and allow both legal and physical access. Watch the spots right before you plan to actually hunt them, best is the day before if possible. Set up accordingly based on what you see. Try to get on what is known in waterfowling as the "X". The x is where they want to land to feed, drink, grit, loaf. Dont think you don't need decoys just because you are on the X, you need those birds to lite within 40 yards, trust me 90% of the time to do that you need at least a few blocks. Don't confuse the x with a roost. A roost is where they sleep usually at night, but sometimes they feed nocturnally and roost during the day. If you hunt the roost you risk running the birds out of the area for the entire season or indefinetly. The next best thing to the X is near a "Pass". A pass is a bird highway in the sky. If you don't hunt the x or a pass you are pursuing what is known as "traffic birds". Very hard to decoy or call and this is when "sky busting" or sky blasting" which is frowned upon is done. If you cant find a spot, time is better spent scouting than hunting traffic, but it can be done, but taking 45 yard Hail Mary shots isn't the way to go about it. The DEC and the FWS does have some controlled hunts in New York. Some are "free roam" and require scouting. The others you are restricted to a location which is either a numbered marker or an actual blind. Don't get too excited about the DEC or FWS hand picking a hunting spot for you, this is set up so hunters don't crowd each other, not because they are giving you a semi-guided hunt. There are special regulations that differ for each area, by reservation or lottery, and some areas require you have a boat or a boat or a dog, or 3 decoys or 5 decoys, limit on how many shells you can carry, etc. On the FWS lands at least, you need to have taken the DEC waterfowl ID course and they charge $10 or so per hunt. Its all on the DEC website. I am not sure, but I think there is a controlled hunt downstate.

Every time I buy a new mask, I make sure it moves with me, otherwise it hinders your eyesight. They protect from the bugs, sun, rain, snow. But they do present problems when you need to look down, as to get shells out of your vest or something. They also don't allow you to wear shooting glasses, because the glasses fog. Glasses not only protect you from firing your gun, stray pellets from another hunter, brush, and sun, but aid in seeing game and when shooting moving game - acquiring the target faster, especially if you match the lens color with the color of the target. Also yellow lenses collect more light, so are great at the first and last part of legal shooting time, but don't wear them in full sun, since they collect sun they will burn your eyes, use in low light only. I opt for the mask though , but back to the glasses, when face camo isn't needed, like in upland game, I do use the glasses for both safety and to acquire the target faster. Also helpful to spot dogs on point or the occasional squatting bird or cottontail. I don't know how guys with prescription glasses deal with masks, but I would like to hear, As far as the expensive glasses that don't fog, that's too much for me and besides I scratch them up in the brush - better than my eyeballs though. My wife uses both a mask and paint around her eyes because her face structure is different than mine, so a check in the mirror is a good idea.

Ontario DNR (Canada) just announced its upcoming migratory bird seasons and that it established a mourning dove hunting season in the regions central and south hunting districts. The daily bag limit is 15 and the possession limit is 45. Since most doves, and probably all Canadian doves migrate,the birds shot in Ontario will be the same birds that the humane society has been telling our senate & assembly to protect and the same birds that have been shot in PA for years. No doubt the Canadian hunters will be recovering bands from the NY DEC, NJ DEP, and other eastern seaboard states that do not allow dove hunting yet are under mandate to band doves for the FWS that is not funded nor is there revenue derived from dove hunting...

Cyanobacteria, aka: blue green algae, blue green bacteria. HAB = harmful algae bloom... Interesting stuff. Not an algae, not a vascular plant, but an bacteria that feeds itself like a plant... It produced the almighty crude oil, the atmosphere, and had a role in what life forms became extinct and which survived. It is being studied for weoponization, biofuel, and a source of electricity! It produces a deadly poison, but also has use in medicine in stopping viruses and cancer. Not a plant or a true algae, but a bacteria which like plants produces oxygen during the day, but at night produces carbon dioxide thus when it is over populated will deplete oxygen from water bodies and cause fish kills… Does it kill dogs? Yes. Does it kill people? Yes. Does it kill waterfowl? Yes. Can it be harmful to eat waterfowl that ingested a sub-lethal dose? Maybe... Per the DEC website: "The toxin accumulates in the tissues of any animals that eat the dinoflagellate and may be present in high concentrations in shellfish. Eating shellfish that may have consumed Alexandrium may pose a health threat for animals and humans". Studies which back up the DEC: Henriksen P, Carmichael WW, An J, Moestrup O (1997) Detection of an anatoxin– a(s)–like anticholinesterase in natural blooms and cultures of cyanobacteria/ blue–green algae from Danish lakes and in the stomach contents of poisoned birds. Toxicon 35(6):901–913 Saker ML, Eaglesham GK (1999) The accumulation of cylindrospermopsin from the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in tissues of the Redclaw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Toxicon 37(7):1065-1077 Saker ML, Metcalf JS, Codd GA, Vasconcelos VM (2004) Accumulation and depuration of the cyanobacterial toxin cylindrospermopsin in the freshwater mussel Anodonta cygnea. Toxicon 43(2):185-194 Sipiä VO, Kankaapää HT, Pflugmacher S, Flinkman J, Furey A, James KJ (2002) Bioaccumulation and detoxication of nodularin in tissues of flounder (Platichthys flesus), mussels (Mytilus edulis, Dreissena polymorpha), and clams (Macoma balthica The WHO (World Health Organization) doesn’t mention direct poisoning from consuming animals or bioaccumulation in animals we eat: "People are mainly exposed to cyanobacterial toxins by drinking or bathing in contaminated water. Other sources include algal food tablets. Some species form a scum on the water, but high concentrations may also be present throughout the affected water. Surface scums, where they occur, represent a specific hazard to human health because of their particularly high toxin contact. Contact, especially by children, should be avoided".

Our her daughter...

I just skimmed some stuff on blue green algae aka cyanobacteria, but that doesn't qualify me to lecture about it, however I did notice some things asked here and also noticed that I misspoke. It seems that is without a doubt does kill waterfowl, but another source said waterfowl may spread it - probably when it is not in a toxic state. The effect of the botulism bacteria on waterfowl is more well-known, but that is not the same bacteria nor the same toxin. Maybe because cyanobacteria thrive in clear water exposed to the sun and waterfowl like weedy, muddy, and shady areas or at least standing trees or cattails nearby? That would make sense because the botulism bug likes the same real estate as waterfowl. Interestingly, lab mice will select toxic blue green algae over its normal food and even over harmless algae. Off course this kills the mice... Dogs, sheep, horses and pigs are said to die within 1 to 24 hours of eating the stuff. The abstract of the paper says "animals" are thought to select the cyanobacteria, usually in science the term animal is not restricted to mammals, but it did not specify if they meant birds as well. The complete report is not available for free, if anyone wants to send me a check for $31.50 I will order the complete report and summarize it. I said incorrectly that the name cyanobacteria comes from cyanide poison, which is wrong. It comes from the blue pigment the bacteria uses to photosynthesize like a plant. The stuff also is credited with creating the earth's atmosphere. I think that means it does produce oxygen. I think it is the botulism bacteria or other decomposers (anaerobic bacteria?) that remove the oxygen and smother the fish. A little too much info, but since we strayed there I thought it was a good idea to make corrections. (This topic should be devoted to its own thread sometime). For our previous discussion, I would say waterfowl are known to be killed by cyanobacteria, if they are like mice they would be attracted to it and choose to eat it before corn or native foods, and if they are like the mammals mentioned would die within 24 hours. On the other hand, another source suggested that waterfowl spread it from water body to water body, even if true, they may be spreading it during a non toxic phase, but that is just a guess, the complete report wasn't available and the abstract/summary did not express that - its a guess. If (if) the birds ate it and got deathly sick and die within 1 - 24 hours, I am not sure how likely they will fly into your decoys, but then again, anything is possible... Eating birds was also questioned, there was a number of human health impacts listed, but nothing about eating contaminated birds. It did say that eagles have died after feeding on ducks exposed to cyanobacteria.

Federal Funds being held In August 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011 aimed at cutting the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years by mandating automatic caps on federal government spending. That bill requires that 7.6% of the nation’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs and Boating Safety Trust Fund—collectively called the Trust Funds—be “sequestered” or withheld from distribution to the states. Sequestration would equate to a loss of $74 million to states in FY2013! The Trust Funds are the collection of excise taxes paid by industry to the federal government from the purchase of bows and arrows; guns and ammunition; fishing tackle and equipment; and motorboat fuel. They are the lifeblood of state fish and wildlife agencies’ day-to-day operating budgets. State agencies use their Trust Fund apportionments exclusively to restore and manage fisheries and wildlife and their habitats, open and maintain recreational access, and deliver hunter and boating safety education. Ask Congress (US Senators and US Representative – not the same as NY state senators and NY state assembly) to ‘Keep the Trust’ and exempt the Trust Funds from Sequestration! The Budget Control Act of 2011 requires that 7.6% of the nation's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs and Boating Safety Trust Fund-collectively called the Trust Funds-be "sequestered" or withheld from distribution to the states. Sequestration would equate to a loss of $74 million to states in FY2013. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Trust Funds are not taxpayer dollars derived through federal income taxes. These funds are raised through excise taxes levied on bows and arrows; guns and ammunition; fishing tackle and equipment; and motorboat fuel that are paid upfront by manufacturers, producers and importers of taxable equipment, and in turn passed on as part of the retail price to sportsmen and women. The Trust Funds are the lifeblood of state fish and wildlife agencies' day-to-day operating budgets. State agencies use their Trust Fund apportionments exclusively to restore and manage fisheries and wildlife and their habitats, open and maintain recreational access, and deliver hunter and boating safety education. By withholding this money from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Trust Funds, the Budget Control Act of 2011 will adversely affect states' ability to manage their fish and wildlife resources in the public interest and cut millions of dollars available for fish, wildlife and habitat conservation and hunting, angling, boating and recreational shooting activities in each state. Currently, there is no consistent substitute or replacement mechanism for the loss of these operating funds. In previous budget-balancing actions, money going into the Trust Funds appear to have been exempt from sequestration [balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act (BBEDCA) of 1985. P.L. 99-177, Section 255, 11, (g)]. The 1985 Act specifically listed the programs and activities that were exempt from sequestration and specifically provided that "payments to trust funds from excise taxes or other receipts properly creditable to such trust funds" were to be "exempt from reduction." However, payments from such trust funds do not appear to be exempt. Because of this, the Federal Aid trust funds for Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration are scheduled to withhold 7.6% or $31 million and $34 million, respectively, in 2013. Members of the wildlife, sport fish, hunting, fishing, boating and conservation community and industry agree that sequestering the spending authority of these inviolable Trust Funds to states is a breach of faith and violates the intent of the user-pay, public-benefit system of fish and wildlife conservation and access. Congress can exempt the Trust Funds from sequestration by amending the "Exemption" provision found in Section 255 of 1985 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act so as to include appropriations from such trust funds in addition to payments to such funds.

Hillary Endorses Poaching Crack Down Hillary Clinton Joins Fight Against Elephant Poaching The news comes just a few weeks after President Obama pledged $10 million to slow illegal wildlife trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa By Amanda Taselaar July 18, 2013 Follow @timenewsfeed Despite international bans, demand for ivory from elephant tusks has grown so strong that it has devastated elephant populations in Africa. Now former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, wants to help. According to the Washington Post, Clinton has met with representatives from many environmental groups and National Geographic to formulate a plan. “She will use her political connections as America’s former secretary of state to enlist other world leaders in the effort to curtail the illegal ivory trade.” Because China buys about 40 percent of the ivory traded globally, she will focus her efforts there, according to the South China Morning Post. Clinton’s move comes just two weeks after President Obama announced new funding to curb elephant poaching: He has earmarked $10 million to combat wildlife trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa. The African elephant population has dropped from 1.2 million in 1980 to just 420,000 last year. According to the Post, about 30,000 elephants were killed illegally last year, with their tusks selling for as much as $1000 a pound. (The U.S. banned the import of ivory from African elephants in 1989, with the exception of antiques). While all elephants have been devastated, the African forest elephants are particularly at risk. These elephants are smaller than the renowned savannah African elephant and live in more open forest clearings that easily attract poachers. The Wildlife Conservation Society estimated that their population has fallen by about 76 percent in the last decade. Reuters A Kenyan wildlife ranger inscribes markings on the 775 elephant tusks, weighing around 1300 kg (2900 pounds), that was seized by the port police at the container terminal destined for Malaysia in the coastal town of Mombasa July 3, 2013. REUTERS/Joseph Okanga (KENYA – Tags: ANIMALS CRIME LAW) – RTX11B58 (MORE: Obama Moves to Fight Wildlife Trafficking in Africa. But the Real Work is in Asia) Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/18/hillary-clinton-joins-fight-against-elephant-poaching/#ixzz2Zsws9yV5

So instead of that $750 going toward conservation AND leveraging an additional $2,250 in federal funds, only $45 or less, possibly zero, will go to conservation. The other $705 is up for grabs for any NY state agency that needs it. That can be the welfare department, motor vehicles, transportation - you name it, any office except the DEC because, they don't need it...

Thanks, as I said, I am not the one to ask about it. Me, grey beard, and I am sure many others, would appreciate any more info you have about it!

I don't know what the problem is with the link, it does work when you type it in or navigate to it off of the Cornell University Human Dimension Research Unit page. Here it is again: http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/hdru/pubs/HDRU%2013_5%202012%20limits%20and%20priorities%20survey%20report.pdf

http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/hdru/pubs/HDRU%2013_5%202012%20limits%20and%20priorities%20survey%0report.pdf The Human Dimensions Research Unit at Cornell University published a report based on a two year study of state fish and wildlife agencies’ capacity to detect and respond to fish and wildlife disease threats. The report was funded by the Multistate Conservation Grant Program administered by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The authors of the report developed four steps to increase the capacity of state fish and wildlife agencies for detecting pathogens and improving fish and wildlife health programs: strengthening interagency relationships, securing resources necessary for program administration, developing communication and decision-making processes, and cultivating and maintaining public trust in state fish and wildlife agencies. Application of these steps will address factors such as inadequate funding, staffing, and public support that limit state agencies’ efforts on disease management tactics. For more information about this research, please contact Bill Siemer at Cornell University (607-255-282 or [email protected]). Sources: Human Dimensions Research Unit at Cornell University (June 2013).

I think one other thing that should be pointed out is that the guy who produced these films (Josh Fox) has been characterized by the gas industry as a film maker from France. In reality he is a guy in his thirties who has always lived and still does, in north east PA close to the NY border. He isn't very different than many of you guys or someone from upstate NY. He isn't an obsessed hunter like us, but he hunts turkeys with his buddies. One of the people he interviews is about as avid as us, with big game mounts from all over the world. I didn't know this was out on HBO or why it will be removed, but that's what is in the heading. In any event gasland 1 and this film: gasland 2 are worth watching IMO. All the Obama haters who are pro-fracking might be surprised to hear his take on fracking. If you listened to his campaign speech or debate with Romney you already heard it though...

I forgot about your question if the bacteria can be in waterfowl meat. I think it is possible that if its on the feathers the live bacteria or its toxin can be transferred to the meat when you dress the birds, why not? I would guess that if so, that washing and cooking might remove it but who knows? I don't know if it can taint the meat if the bird eats or drinks it or absorbs it through it the feathers and skin. I certaintly wouldn't eat the livers because that is the organ that warehouses toxins strained from the bloodstream. Those are good questions for the board of health and the DEC might be able to tell you if the birds avoid algae blooms in the first place... If you find anything out, let us know!

I don't see why it couldn't bloom in September. The most favorable conditions for the bloom as I said are a lot of sun in un-shaded areas, clear water, and heat for consecutive days. Another thing that favors a bloom is a high nutrient load, like sewerage or fertilizer. Those are optimum conditions, and I don't think that optimum means absolutely required. Besides, heat, sun, clear water, and nutrient abundance can occur in September. I don't want to get into the life cycle of this plant, I need to learn about it myself. But you apparently are a little confused. It is an algae plant that under certain conditions overpopulates. A kind of bacteria either feeds on it, decomposes it when the plant dies, or has some symbiotic relationship with it - I don't remember which, but whatever it is, there is a toxin that is produced as an end product of metabolism. So it is the combination of an over population of blue-green algae and this specific kind of bacteria. I also think there are other similar events with different plants with or with out a bacteria, some in fresh water and some in salt water. I really am not the person to ask about this. What concerns me the most, is that this stuff is called blue-green algae, but if you do a google search, you can see it sometimes looks brown, red, or like foam. Sometimes it looks like another plant that is harmless... This is why I just play it safe, during those favorable conditions and a week or so afterward, I just avoid water. As far as I know, the toxin doesn't persist very long, but it has been suggested it drifts around. Its like cooking meat - you can easily kill the bacteria, but the toxin produced by the bacteria isn't effected by the cooking. You probably know that the DEC closes shell-fishing around the fourth of july because the fireworks attracts boaters who flush their toilets off LI. That works its way into shellfish and perhaps causes algae blooms. The season doesn't stay closed forever, it cleans out & the dec reopens the season before the summers end. Disgusting, but when some so-called tree huggers inevitably suggested that fireworks weren't a good idea, Im sure they caught fire for it... I also need to learn about shark migration. As a waterfowler you already know the birds don't migrate the same in recent years. Biologists have documented the same thing hunters are seeing in not just migratory game birds but all migrant birds. Studies have also been done on fish and marine animals, but I haven't read them. Without knowing, the prospect of sharks makes me uneasy... By the way, the investigators (researchers) blame the altered migration on climate change, in case your interested...

This video will supposedly be removed soon, so you should watch it soon. http://youtu.be/AdlVH1IjQu4

What I am talking about is more serious than stomach problems. The blue-green algae and cyanobacteria is worse, it almost always kills the dog. They don't even have to ingest it, it can be fatal if they absorb it through their skin. I think it is similar to what is called "red tides". The cyanobacteria, which produces the toxin when it metabolizes the algae, gets its name from the poison cyanide.

Dude, I don't really know for sure how risky sharks are. Algae blooms do kill many dogs and the conditions we are having right now , of heat and sun for days on weeks creates blooms. Even if the algae is across the pond - the toxin might drift. So right now, Im keeping my dogs away from water. Besides, ducks & geese have young and the adults are flightless due to molting, so its a good conservation practice to keep dogs away anyway. Even if your dog doesn't catch any they are using energy and attracting the attention of predators when they flee domestic dogs.