Florida Outdoor News

A new field guide is being distributed in South Florida, designed to stem the tide of invasive marine fishes by aiding in the detection of non indigenous species. The Field Guide to the Non indigenous Marine Fishes of Florida includes biological and ecological profiles and sightings information for 38 species of fish previously identified in South Florida estuarine and marine waters. The guide was developed in partnership with the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, the United States Geological Survey, and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation and provides a “watch list” for future invaders in South Florida and surrounding regions. The website allows users to download the full document, read about specific species, and more.

http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/Marine_Fish_ID/index.html

The 3^rd annual UF Bee College will be held in St. Augustine, FL March 12-13, 2010 at the UF Whitney Laboratory.  The two-day event will offer more than 60 lectures, classes, and workshops taught by nationally and internationally recognized experts.  New this year is the Jr. Bee College for kids ages 6-16, which also includes curriculum classes for teachers.  As always, we will be hosting our statewide honey competition and art show, training to become a certified Welch Honey Judge, African Bee Training for Pest Control Operators, first responders training and the popular honey show!  The Bee College is for beginners and experts alike!  Florida Master Naturalist Program students receive a tuition discount!

For more information or to register, visit http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/honeybee/extension/bee_college.shtml

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announces an upcoming workshop for women who want to spend a weekend learning a variety of outdoor skills.  The Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop will be March 12-14, 2010 at the Ocala Conservation Center, 7325 N.E. 170 Ave., in Silver Springs on Lake Eaton, in the Ocala National Forest, about 20 miles east of Ocala.

The workshop is held at rustic summer camp facilities with basic, modern amenities, and the lodging is dormitory style, with meals served in the cafeteria.  Sessions begin Friday afternoon and end Sunday with lunch.  

The FWC invites women, 18 and older, to attend the workshop to learn or improve their outdoors skills and enjoy a few recreational activities. Four classes, in 3½-hour sessions, teach skills associated with hunting/shooting, fishing and non-consumptive activities, such as canoeing and camping, at all levels of physical activity.

The Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program offers a fun and supportive atmosphere to experiment and enjoy the camaraderie of others who want to learn about Florida's great outdoors. Although it is designed with women in mind, the camp is open to anyone who wants to learn in a comfortable, non-threatening, non-competitive, hands-on atmosphere. The camp's instructors strive to make participants feel at ease.  

"Patience is the secret to the success of our Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program," said Lynne Hawk, director of the program. "Our instructors are here to guide people through the activities. There is no intimidation."

The cost is $175.  However, partial scholarships are available for low-income, first-time participants. Workshops are limited to 100 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sessions include introductory courses in bass-, pan- and fly-fishing; knot-tying basics; handgun shooting and hunting; shooting sports; and shotgun shooting and hunting. Also, boating, canoeing/kayaking, map and compass, and small-game-hunting basics will be offered. Participants can learn about Florida whitetail deer and turkeys and take courses in archery and bow hunting and black-powder firearms. Bow hunting and hunter certification courses are also available. Safety concerns are addressed in a personal safety course along with a course on map and compass basics and basic wilderness survival skills, wilderness first aid and reading the woods. Other courses include outdoor photography, bird watching and instruction on becoming a primitive chef. 

Information about the workshops and registration is available at MyFWC.com/BOW or by calling 561-625-5122.

Lynne Hawk

Regional Coordinator, Hunter Safety and Public Shooting Ranges
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Coordinator
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Division of Hunting and Game Management
8535 Northlake Blvd., West Palm Beach 33412
Phone (561) 625-5122      
Fax (561) 625-5139
Lynne.Hawk@MyFWC.com
Visit us on the web at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety

The Identification Guide to the Snakes of Florida is a full-color, illustrated guide for anyone who spends time outdoors in areas where snakes may be encountered.  Expert herpetologists Steve Johnson and Monica McGarrity provide critical venomous snake safety information, including tips for identifying venomous snakes, DOs and DON’Ts of venomous snake safety, and a guide to preparing for and dealing with a snakebite emergency.  Color photographs of each of Florida’s 46 snake species illustrate adult and juvenile markings and any important color variations that will help you identify these snakes in the wild.  The guide provides detailed information about the average size of each snake, habitats they are found, diet and more.  This portable, water-resistant guide is ring-bound, 138pp and measures 4”x6”.  Price = $18.00.  Call 352-392-1764 to order or visit the IFAS bookstore online at  www.ifasbooks.com.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) have released their 2010 fishing forecast.  Using data from 2009 fish analysis campaigns throughout the state the FWC has published a list of top freshwater fishing sites.

To view the forecast for your area, visit the FWC's freshwater fishing sites and forecast page at http://www.myfwc.com/RECREATION/FW_Sites.htm.

While the cold temperatures we've all been experiencing the past couple of weeks have certainly been unpleasant for us Florida residents, they've been much harder on the state's fish and other sea life populations.  Many areas of the state have been reporting widespread fish kills, and conservation and wildlife protection agencies have been working around the clock to rescue and assist sea turtles and other marine animals that have been stunned by the cold.

As a response to the fish kills, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has issued a couple of executive orders to help Florida's fish population recover from unusually cold temperatures.  One of the executive orders temporarily extends closed fishing seasons for snook statewide until September. It also establishes temporary statewide closed seasons for bonefish and tarpon until April because of the prolonged natural cold weather event that caused significant, widespread mortality of saltwater fish in Florida. The other order temporarily suspends certain saltwater fishing regulations to allow people to collect and dispose of dead fish killed by the cold weather.

For more information, please visit the FWC's website at http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_ColdWeatherSaltFishKills1.htm

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Park Service is celebrating it's 75th anniversary this year with 25 signature events that will take place at various locations throughout the state.

In addition to the announcement of the events, the DEP's Florida Park Service has also created a new series of webpages to highlight some of the state's park history.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/history/default.cfm

Florida Impressions is looking forward to participating in some of the scheduled events, and hopes everyone will take the opportunity to visit a nearby Florida State Park and support one of the greatest state park systems in the nation.

Heard some news from the IGFA today that would probably interest a lot of Florida anglers.  Last summer a Japanese angler caught a 22lb. 4oz. largemouth bass on a lake in Japan, and submitted it as a potential world record catch for largemouth bass.  After a considerable amount of research and investigation the IGFA is ready to announce their decision tomorrow as to whether or not that catch qualifies as a new world record.

The current world record is held by George Perry and was set way back in 1932.  I spent quite a bit of my time bass fishing in various small ponds around Florida when I was younger, and I always wondered myself if that record would ever be beaten.  My buddies and I used to dream about what we would do with the sponsor money we would get after pulling a world record bass out of one of the backwoods ponds we used to fish.  I don't think any of us would have imagined that we would have to travel to Japan to do it!

Even though the fish is no doubt a monster sized fish, there has been some controversy about the methods used to catch it, so no matter what the decision is it should be interesting how it all plays out.  According to the IGFA's site they plan on announcing the decision tomorrow at 1:30 PM EST...

http://www.igfa.org/Records/World-Record-Largemouth-Bass.aspx

Definitely looks like a hog in the video...

http://www.igfa.org/theater/IGFA-Fishing-Hall-of-Fame-and-Museum/Manabu-Kurita-Potential-World-Record-Bass.aspx

Should be interesting to see how it all plays out. 

Florida Impressions is proud to announce the launch of it's new and improved website.    The new website features an improved photo gallery, a new video gallery and the return of the location finder database. 

We're also working on finishing up some new website features which will include:

• A Florida Event Calendar
• A New Online Store
• A Community Forum
• Product and Location Reviews
• An Outfitter Database
• And more!