Fly Fishing Notebook: March 20, 2009

Fished Roaring River. 10:30am to 4:00pm. Partly cloudy/sunny, high 64, moderate wind. Landed 14 rainbows, all but three on a size 18 Tim's Fly Shop beadhead pheasant tail, fished under a 1/2-inch Thingamabobber indicator with a #6 shot about 2.5'-3' deep. One on a size 20 BWO parachute, two on a size 20 Adams parachute. Good midge/BWO/caddis hatch from 1:00-4:00. Caught most fish between in park between low-water bridge and catch/release section.

Wetlands 101

The following column appeared in the July 19 Pittsburg, Kan. Morning Sun:

Since Woods Edge was part of the Pittsburg Garden Tour last month, we have received several letters and e-mails requesting additional information about the diversity of habitats we have developed.

For us, the goal was to become better stewards of the plot of Earth we’re borrowing for our lifetime. To achieve that we had to help it become healthy.

A key characteristic of healthy communities is biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem. Ask yourself this question: Would you expect to see more wildlife on a Bermuda grass football field or in a section of Ozark forest of the same size? A more diverse plant community attracts a more diverse animal community and so on.

We continue to strive to create biodiversity at Woods Edge. Even though our domain encompasses a mere two acres according to the County Clerk, we are fortunate to be caretakers to several ecosystems — albeit small and fragmented ones — typical of southeast Kansas habitats, including a small tall-grass prairie and a wetland.

The prairie and wetland may be small, but they create a fragment of biodiversity to offset some of the acres of manicured golf course-style lawns in Crawford County.

Four years ago we utilized the technical expertise of Mark Sooter at the Natural Resources Conservation Service to engineer a wetland ecosystem in a low-lying area of our backyard.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, wetlands are areas that are covered by shallow water or have waterlogged soils for long periods during the growing season. As such, wetlands are the transition zone between land and water. Wetlands must possess indicators in all three criteria including hydrology, soils, and vegetation.

Wetlands are often referred to as “nurseries of life” because they host a tremendous diversity of plants and animals. Most wetlands dry up during part of the growing season, providing suitable conditions for growth of plants suited for moist-soil areas.

At our Woods Edge wetland, we release water in the late spring through a water control structure to mimic natural conditions and stimulate moist-soil plant growth. In early fall, we use wooden boards to block the outflow pipe and impound any runoff rainwater. This, in turn, provides a resting spot for migrating waterfowl.

Sometimes the autumn rains come, sometimes they do not, so it is a bit of a management gamble. But, then, nature is not a series of planned events, either.

Many species of frogs, turtles, snakes, birds, and mammals visit our wetland throughout the year. The diversity of plants that grow there attracts a very diverse array of both aquatic and terrestrial visitors seeking food, water, and shelter.

The barn swallows that nest each year under our patio eaves fly hundreds of insect bombing runs over our wetland — and neighboring properties — every day in order to feast from an insect buffet.

Likewise, Gambusia affinis, better known by their common name of “mosquito fish,” gorge themselves on mosquito larva in the shallow water. In the twilight hours, Little Brown Bats can consume half their body weight in mosquitoes each night. Scientific studies have revealed that a single colony of bats can eat 6.3 billion insects per year … that’s billion with a “b.”

Other benefits:
• Wetlands slow the movement of storm water, thus protecting against erosion and flooding.
• As water goes out of a wetland it is filtered and most of the bacteria and other harmful substances are cleaned out.
• Wetlands also filter pesticides, wastes, nitrogen, phosphorous, and agriculture fertilizers from adjacent land, which means they are kept out of larger bodies of water.

From a certain “golf course” point of view, the Woods Edge wetland, and its surrounding native prairie buffer, may look a bit ragged. But take a closer look and one will find a unique ecosystem teaming with biodiversity, one that contributes to the environment rather than takes away from it.

June 28 Outdoor Column

"Dancing the farm bill two-step"

We have all heard the old saying, “Two steps forward, one step back.” The Farm Bill passed this May is, in my opinion, a darned good example of Congress two-stepping across the habitat dance floor with conservation in tow.

This should not come as much of a surprise to anyone, as each time gas nears $4 per gallon at the pump President Bush strikes up the More Oil Band for a rousing rendition of the Oil Barrel Polka.

All together now, “Roll out the barrel, we’ll dig in A.N.W.R. for fun.”

A.N.W.R. is the political buzzword acronym for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is President Bush’s favorite bull’s eye for increasing domestic oil production … and, of course, destroying some pristine wildlife habitat to boot.

I digress, back to the Farm Bill.

Even the most dogmatic biologists and ecologists will not argue the value of our nation’s agricultural land in providing food and food products to the U.S. and many other nations around the globe.

But I would imagine that one could convince even the most staunch politicians and plutocrats that some land is simply not suitable for production of crops. In southeast Kansas, many areas are too wet. Travel across the border toward the Ozarks and rocky soil limits tillable crop acreage.

So why, you ask, is Congress relaxing the rules on some crucial conservation programs? Good question.

Following are just a few of the impacts that the new Farm Bill will have on conservation:

1. Prairie Grasslands. The northern Midwest contains slightly more than 20 million acres of the last remaining native prairie in the U.S. Booming grain prices, compounded with Federal incentives that discourage setting aside marginal agricultural land, are literally cutting into those 20 million acres of native prairie to the tune of approximately 2 percent loss each year.
Both the House and Senate pledged support for the “Sodsaver” provision of the Farm Bill that removed certain incentives for farming grasslands. The final Farm Bill language, however, only applied to certain states and even then deferred the decision to the states’ governors as to whether or not to adopt the program.

The result: Ducks Unlimited scientists estimate that 3.3 million acres of native prairie will be lost in the next five years.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), originally developed with the 1985 Farm Bill to restore grasslands, also got a kick in the shin from the new Farm Bill. CRP acreage will be reduced by 18 percent, despite the proven track record of providing valuable upland habitat and protection of topsoil in highly erodible areas.
High demand for grain, such as corn used in ethanol production, is providing a financial incentive that outweighs CRP subsidy payments to agricultural producers. Prepare to say goodbye to 4 million acres of CRP grasslands in the next four years. Nice work, Mr. Congressman.

2. Wetlands. The new Farm Bill reduced the amount of land eligible for enrollment in the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) from 250,000 acres per year to 153,000 acres per year. WRP subsidizes costs to landowners for development of wetlands on their land. In addition to providing diverse wildlife habitats, wetlands serve as flood control buffers by storing floodwater in runoff events and releasing it slowly.

The silver lining in the 2008 Farm Bill is that there still are viable conservation components in the 2008 Farm Bill. Even though both the Conservation Reserve Program and the Wetland Reserve Program took a load of buckshot, the U.S. is still leaps and bounds ahead of most other nations in the area of conservation. We have more than 39 million acres of restored grasslands that we would not have without CRP. Nearly 2 million acres of wetlands have been created through WRP that would otherwise quite possibly be marginal cropland.

So, I challenge all conservation-minded readers of At Woods Edge to remain informed about conservation programs at the national level. E-mail or write our U.S. Representatives and Senators to express your thanks for their continued support of conservation and to remind them that you will be keeping an eye on their votes on conservation programs.

March 29 Outdoor Column

At Woods Edge
The Morning Sun
Pittsburg, Kan.
March 29, 2008

Last Sunday evening, Older Son and I were traveling home to Woods Edge when we spotted a flock of wild turkey across the highway from Four Oaks Golf Course. Peering out the window, Older Son asked, "Dad, why are those two turkeys all puffed up like a balloon?"

"Because they are showing off for the girl turkeys," I quickly replied.

With the innocence of only a 7-year-old, he then inquired, "Why do they make themselves look fatter if they are trying to get a girlfriend?"

He did make a good point. Unfortunately, the biology, anatomy, and physiology of the wild turkey are anything but normal, at least by human standards.

Spring is a great time to view these majestic birds as the large flocks of winter disperse into small groups of hens, bachelor bands of young males commonly called "Jakes," and mature males, or "Toms" who often roam their home range alone.

As male wild turkeys actively seek female companionship for breeding, they commonly travel outside of their normal home range, which creates more viewing opportunities for birders.

This week as I ventured out each morning to the kennel of our Wonder Labrador, I heard the crisp gobbling of a few Tom turkeys in the woodland near Woods Edge.

If a nature lover never has had the opportunity to hear a male wild turkey gobble in the woods on a crisp spring morning, I would highly recommend adding it to your "to do" list. Recruit the assistance of a hunter or local Audubon club member to guide you to the spring turkey woods. You will not soon forget the experience.

The gobbling call of the male wild turkey is used to broadcast the male's location to any hen within earshot. Wild turkeys roost in trees at night so their elevated platform projects the sound of a male's gobble call much farther than when they sound off on the ground.

Once that vivacious Tom turkey completes his spring morning ritual of roost gobbling, he flies to the ground and immediately begins a quest for the female of the species.

Wild turkeys are polygamous as one male may breed with several females during spring mating season. So, in spring, Tom turkeys have only three things on their mind: breeding, breeding, and breeding. Male wild turkeys often lose five or more pounds of body weight as they frequently skip feeding for, you guessed it, more breeding.

Once they locate a hen or group of hens, Toms will "strut" by puffing out its feathers and fanning its tail in order to display for the hen or hens. This is the behavior that Older Son witnessed on our recent drive.

Toms will often strut for hours on end during the peak of the spring mating season. Muscles involved in puffing out the male wild turkey's feathers consume vital nutrients, thus compounding the effects of reduced food intake.

Increasing day length primarily triggers this breeding behavior in spring, but warm or cold weather events also may accelerate or slow breeding activity.

Now, go set your alarm for 4:30 a.m., tramp into the woods in the pre-dawn darkness, and await the raucous gobbling call of one of America's most unique birds. You could also Google "wild turkey gobble sound" on the Internet and hear it in your easy chair, but it really is not the same!

I dedicate this column to my good friend and hunting partner, Chris Miller, the biggest turkey (hunter) I know. I expect he'll be calling soon to schedule his annual spring turkey hunt in southeast Kansas, which ought to provide fodder for a future column. Meanwhile, may his woods overflow with the sound of wild turkeys.

March 8 Outdoor Column

AT WOODS EDGE

'Lost in translation'

By Brad Stefanoni | SPECIAL TO THE MORNING SUN

One evening this past week, the Woods Edge Boys and I enjoyed a "boys only" supper while Mrs. Woods Edge was out instructing her Zumba fitness class. Supper-time conversation included a debate on which Star Wars movie is the best and a lecture from Dad on why eating a single green pea does not exactly meet minimum daily requirements for vegetables.

Suddenly, we heard the raucous honking of Canada geese as they glided in for a landing on the Woods Edge wetland. Younger Son inquisitively asked, "Daddy, why do the geese talk so much when they land on our wetland?"

Over the past month or so, anywhere from two to a dozen Canada geese have been visiting our little wetland each day and night. Sometimes they stay the day and leave at night. Sometimes they arrive in the afternoon and have "sleepovers," as the boys like to call it.

Being the Tall Tale Teller that I am, I seized the opportunity for a teachable moment and disguised a simple lesson about communication in a yarn about goose talk.

"Well, boys, when the geese come in for a landing what they are really saying is, 'Help, I can't stop, I'm flying too fast now get out of the way before I run you over,'" I said without so much as a upward glance from my dinner plate.

They both immediately peered out the window and listened as the geese made their final approach and landed in a chorus of goose babble. I could not hold back a grin as I imagined the gears turning in the boys' minds as they pondered the validity of that.

I knew the had taken the bait when Older Son said, "Yeah, those other geese did swim out of the way right before the other ones landed."

Now it was game on for the storyteller.

"And boys, when the geese walk up on the bank to eat the corn you throw out for them, that murmur sound you hear them make is actually them burping," I instructed, "just like when you eat too much too fast."

Younger Son quickly piped up, "But they don't say 'excuse me' when they burp like we do."

Older Son then queried, "Daddy, what are the geese saying when one tries to get on another one's back out in the water?"

Oops, a backfire! This line of questioning teetered dangerously close to the edge of the Canyon of The Birds and The Bees!

Luckily, a squabble broke out amongst the dozen geese just then and they chased each other around the water clucking noisily with outstretched necks and wings. This caused both boys to drop their silverware and run to the back door for a ringside seat.

"What are they saying now, Daddy?" shouted Younger Son.

"Well, you see boys, geese have recess just like you do at school and now they are playing a game of Dodge Goose, kind of like when you play Dodge Ball. The only difference is that they bite each other on the rear-ends instead of throwing a ball at each other."

"That tall goose is the P.E. teacher just like Mr. Mahnken at your school at Lakeside," I stated, finishing off what I thought was quite a masterpiece of a tall tale.

As we finished supper that evening, the boys and I discussed how animals communicate with each other just like people do. Their communication may sound and look different from ours but, nonetheless, they must communicate in order to survive in their ecosystem.

As the boys carried their empty plates to the dishwasher, Older Son commanded to his younger brother, "Come on, Jack, Daddy is done making up goofy stories about the geese, let's go take our bath."

Februry 23, 2008 Outdoor Column

AT WOODS EDGE

Seeing the forest for more than the trees

By Brad Stefanoni | The Morning Sun

You may have read of my annual sojourns to the watered woods of Arkansas for some of the finest green timber duck hunting found anywhere in the United States, but few other than Mrs. Woods Edge know that shooting mallards is not my primary motivation for making the trip.

Arkansas' Grand Prairie region lies within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. This vast alluvial wetland area once encompassed more than 24 million acres of the Mississippi River's floodplain, stretching from southern Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. A mere 20 percent of those original 24 million acres remain intact today after America's thirst for more agricultural lands swallowed the majority of those original historic bottomland hardwood forests.

To give one an idea of the significance of this floodplain, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley drains nearly 40 percent of all rain that falls on the continent of North America.

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley serves as the primary wintering ground for mallard ducks in North America. A duck hunter needs only to spend an hour in a flooded bottomland hardwood forest to realize that hunting mallards is an extremely nearsighted view of the impact this vanishing habitat has on wildlife diversity.

Prior to the agricultural revolution, heavy fall rains in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley caused creeks and rivers to swell with runoff water and overflow their banks. The hardwood forests that bordered those waterways would naturally be inundated with water, thus exposing new food sources such as acorns, moist soil plant seeds, and a smorgasbord of aquatic invertebrates.

Mallard ducks would flock to these areas by the thousands to feed, rest, and seek thermal protection from cold winter winds. And, where one finds ducks one finds duck hunters.

Most, if not all, duck hunting in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in the early 20th Century took place in the woods. Duck hunters soon realized that calling to the ducks with their mouths or primitive duck calls would help bring the ducks closer to their "honey holes." Decoys evolved next as artisans began to carve wood into the shapes of ducks.

As simply as that, a tradition was born.

The sport of duck hunting has seen a myriad of changes in the last 100 years - from battery powered spinning wing decoys to Gore-Tex to duck calls made from acrylic and polycarbonate. But, when you step into the flooded timber around Stuttgart, Ark., you take a step back into a simpler time reminiscent of days gone by. A realistic-sounding duck call, a handful of decoys, and some good friends are the only ingredients needed for a sensory feast of the natural world.

I fear that, as these critical wetland areas continue to disappear, the next generation of duck hunters may not have the opportunity to watch the sun rise in a flooded pin oak forest. The Father of Wildlife Management, Aldo Leopold, called such places "great possessions" in his book A Sand County Almanac. He once wrote, "There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot."

Mrs. Woods Edge and I fall into the category of the "some who cannot." We hope we can demonstrate to our two boys a conservation ethic that helps to ensure their generation - and many to follow - have the opportunity to see an amber sunrise in the flooded timber.

January 12, 2008 Outdoor Column

In business the three key words are, "Location, location, location." In sustaining viable wildlife populations all the ingredients can be boiled down to one word: Habitat.

Webster's Dictionary defines habitat as "The type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs."

Any wildlife biologist worth his waders will label food, water, shelter, and adequate space as the four critical keys to thriving wildlife populations. Now, take away three of those crucial components (food, shelter, adequate space) to begin to get a feel for the impending threat to wildlife that depend on Conservation Reserve Program grassland ecosystems for their very survival.

Ducks Unlimited waterfowl biologist Mike Checkett blogged recently about the new energy bill's impact on the Conservation Reserve Program and the wildlife that call those ecosystems home.

According to the Ducks Unlimited website, the Conservation Reserve Program was born via the 1985 Farm Bill with the mission of paying agricultural producers to retire marginal cropland from production for 10 years. Habitat created to provide cover for upland species also would significantly contribute to nesting cover for prairie nesting species of waterfowl like mallards and pintails.

Since 1985, literally millions of acres of erodible farmland have been converted to native grass prairies, field borders, and riparian buffers to provide critical wildlife habitat while, at the same time, preventing soil erosion. Both game and non-game species benefited from this significant boost to available habitat.

Fast forward to January 2008, when many early Conservation Reserve Program contracts are eligible for expiration. Biologist Checkett reports Federal figures show North Dakota alone converted 420,000 acres of Conservation Reserve Program habitat back into tillable farmland in 2007.

Checkett also reports that South Dakota has lost 214,314 acres (14.3 percent) of Conservation Reserve Program land since Sept. 30, 2007. Montana lost more than 159,000 acres since that date.

Why?

Most of the aforementioned reductions in Conservation Reserve Program acres can be attributed to increasing prices in the commodities market. Currently, this market is surging ahead due to increased demand for corn and oilseeds to be used in the production of biofuels.

Now, therein lies a whale, or, in this case, a bison of a dilemma. Turn on the television to any channel and one can view many commercials promoting the latest biofuel-powered vehicle or other bio-based products. Personally, I can pump E-85 Ethanol into my Ford Ranger and feel pretty good about not burning fossil fuels and contributing to the raging petroleum industry? or can I?

As a wildlife biologist, where does my allegiance lie? Do I burn corn-based ethanol to save fossil fuels while knowing that Conservation Reserve Program acres may be tilled to do so? Do I fill up with petroleum-based unleaded before driving to a 20 year-old Conservation Reserve Program field to protest the plow cutting into the native switchgrass and big bluestem?

The column inches provided by this outdoor page are not nearly sufficient to begin this debate. All I hope is that it serves a springboard to further investigation of other credible resources.

I encourage followers of At Woods Edge to visit www.ducks.org and click on "Biologist Blog" for a good jumping-off point on the current and future of the Conservation Reserve Program.

I'm writing this column while looking at a piece of antique barn wood hanging on the wall at Woods Edge that is inscribed with the words, "Home is Where Your Story Begins." Habitat is the "home" of wildlife. I hope our future generations have a story with a happy ending.

January 26, 2008 Outdoor Column

As the Woods Edge boys pushed our cart through the store this past weekend, I heard one of my all-time favorite wintertime comments from a fellow shopper.

"Boy, it is sure cold outside, glad I'm not a duck standing out on the ice freezing my toes off!"

I cringed, but kept rolling the cart toward the cereal isle with one hand on the handle and the other over Older Son's mouth to squelch the words I knew were about to come out of his mouth.

"Dad, didn't you say duck's feet don't get cold, 'cause they have those 'circle veins' in their feet to keep them warm?" spouted Older Son as I removed my hand at a distance I deemed out of earshot.

It's true.

In fact, why wouldn't one want to be a duck — to be able to be outside in the dead of winter completely and utterly stark naked and not be the least bit cold?

And, for the record, ducks actually only have three 'toes' as their hind 'toe' is called a hallux.

The feet and legs of ducks are absolutely crucial to their capacity for thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is simply maintaining body temperature. Both cold-blooded animals (reptiles, amphibians) as well as warm-blooded animals like ducks, physiologically maintain their body temperature to adapt to the particular atmospheric conditions in which they live.

Cold-blooded animals' body temperatures may range near freeing to more than 100 degrees, while warm-blooded animals maintain a constant and relatively high core body temperature.

It is, actually, a very simple process by which ducks use "counter-current" circulation to warm their feet and legs:

1. Veins take blood away from the feet where it is recycled through the lungs and heart.

2. In the duck body's warm core, the blood is recharged with oxygen while being warmed to near 100 degrees.

3. Arteries return this warmed blood to the duck's legs and feet. In a duck's feet and legs, arteries and veins lay alongside each other so the warm, arterial blood radiates heat to the cooler blood in the veins, thus limiting heat loss in the duck's tootsies through this "counter-current."

This does not mean that a duck's legs and feet are a toasty 100 degrees like their core temperature, however. Some heat loss does occur when their extremities are exposed to sub-freezing temperatures - so a duck's feet may be closer to 40 degrees than 100 degrees. But, as long as the temperature in a duck's legs and feet does not drop below the freezing mark, they will incur no soft tissue damage.

Ducks also conserve heat through other methods, such as standing on one leg to reduce exposure and reducing blood flow to their legs and feet in very cold weather in order to keep heat loss to a minimum.

Drive by Lakeside Park in Pittsburg the next time Playter's Lake is iced-over and I almost guarantee a sighting of a handful of Canada geese balancing on one foot on their frigid arctic abode.

It is now 19 degrees Fahrenheit at Woods Edge. I think I will run outside barefooted to test how long my "non-counter-current" human feet can stand the frozen front lawn. Mrs. Woods Edge says I have "duck on the brain" half of the time, anyway.

I hope she doesn't lock the door.