Daily Archives: July 20, 2009

Opening Tease

So what should we make of these mountain-lion sightings cropping up throughout New England? They’re certainly noting new. The first sighting I recall hearing about was way back in the 70s when construction crews were clearing the forest on both sides of a Roaring Brook hollow for the new Whately Glen reservoir along the Whately/Conway […]

Getting By

If you want to find out where you stand physically, try following two enthusiastic English Springer Spaniels through dense, wet, tangled cover for the first few days of the pheasant season. It’ll put you in you place fast if you’ve made your living sitting behind a desk for any length of time. So I guess […]

Wingshooting Garb

The joy of bird hunting —free-wheeling through dense, wet, thorny cover behind an enthusiastic dog or dogs — is often preceded by the drudgery of preparation, something no hunter looks forward to. But a man is only good as his gear, which, unfortunately, requires consistent maintenance. Boots and bibs need regular cleaning and dressing, shotguns […]

Unlikely Guests

I was returning home from running the dogs when, as I climbed the gentle slope to my home, I spotted activity along the eastern perimeter of my yard, several vehicles, people milling about. Then, as I got closer, it was clear to me who they were. It was a salmon-stocking crew from the Connecticut River […]

Rooted

Published: Thursday, May 07, 2009 The Japanese maples out front are brilliant red, unintentionally hiding blissful cardinals singing their happy springtime tunes as moist saucer-magnolia petals fall softly to the lawn. Is there a better green than that of May? I think not, so vibrant and pure. As I watch spring unfold from my peaceful […]

Falltown Gore

I was poking around East Colrain last week, something I’ve done quite a bit lately, there and in Heath, another upland jewel in our western hills. Along the way, I bumped into a man I first met when we were both Frontier Regional schoolboys. He happened to abut the parcel I was exploring and was […]

What Eats Fawns?

Head to the barber shop, newsstand or corner greasy-spoon and you’re bound to hear discussion about coyotes — a hybrid wild canine that appeared on the local scene some 40 years ago, when loggers, hunters and farmers occasionally encountered what was then referred to as “wild dogs,” believing German shepherd-mix strays had adapted to the […]

Save the Brookies

May 2006 An alarming news release arrived in my Inbox. The headline read: “New Data Shows Brook Trout Imperiled Throughout Entire Eastern Range: Massachusetts Brook Trout Populations Threatened by Dams and Roads.” Troubling. We’re not talking here about the stocked hatchery brookies anglers have been catching in small streams this spring. No. We’re talking about […]

Why Pull the Plug?

I was e-mail queried the other day by an unknown reader who, it turned out, was a blogger interested in my opinion about continuing the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program, which began in 1967 with the now impossible goal of establishing a viable sport fishery. The question read: “Gary, is it fair to say […]

It Doesn’t Add Up?

Published: Thursday, June 18, 2009 What you see is what you get. That’s about the status of anadromous-fish passage here in the Happy Valley. If you’re content with maybe 200 Atlantic salmon and less than 200,000 American shad annually, rejoice, you’ve got it. Want more? Too bad. Ain’t happening anytime soon. Not now or ever. […]

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