DNR is closing down the channels of communication
If things continue as they are, don't expect any bad news from the Department of Natural Resources in '92 -- not that there won't be any, mind you -- but the department will be doing its best to control the flow of all information.
At the Chesapeake Sportsfishing Show, I asked DNR's respected rockfish hatchery chief Ben Florence about plans for '92's program. Florence apologized, citing new policy prohibiting his responding directly to The Evening Sun. I had to go through channels to get public information from a personal friend of long standing -- a scientist I've dealt with openly for 25 years.
All of the media face the same restrictions. One Washington newsman spent much of a day trying to get two simple figures -- last spring's trophy rock catch, and the number of fish killed unintentionally by those fishing for trophies. The answers eventually turned out to be 149 caught, 6,100 killed.
The columnist was denied this information directly from his long-standing DNR contact (not Florence), and had to keep calling to get the answers from the information staff, which had to call the contact he originally sought for the answer. They then relayed it to him -- in pieces.
Robb Gould is the new information officer, the department's official spokesman. He has no credentials in natural resources. Personnel are rigged with beepers to facilitate inter-departmental official response to queries, which insulates those-in-the-know from personally offering details to anyone outside the department -- including you.
There will be no more access in coverage of late-breaking matters after working hours, no more home inquiries. It's now office-hour responses -- through Gould.
Some disgruntled employees, who have dealt with the media directly in the past, attribute the new policy to Gov. William Donald Schaefer's insistence on first knowing the answers. Because of his limited background in complex natural resources issues, spokesman Gould has already made a few blunders with the electronic media.
Where in all of this is DNR's outspoken and otherwise capable secretary, Torrey C. Brown, who has a record of plain speaking himself, and allowing his staff to tell it like it is? It's a dangerous precedent for a service-oriented department, which incidentally has the largest information staff (more than 20) of any in the state. It's a blatant gag rule. Enough said.
This weekend ...
The next best thing to fishing is the eighth annual edition of BASS Expo, which opens a three-day run tomorrow at the Cow Palace of Timonium Fairgrounds where there will be literally tens of thousands of bass baits on display -- most for sale.
Also featured will be many booths manned by guides and other bass'n experts, bassboats, outboards, bow motors and about anything else associated with fishing.
Saturday's highlight will be the state finals of the BASS Master BP Casting Kids Contest. Among pro bass fishermen offering seminars will be Woo Daves, Shaw Grigsby, Randy Romig and Greg South, a second-place finisher in the BASS Masters Classic in 1984. Romig finished second last year, and Daves, third.
Tomorrow's hours are 2 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 to 9, and Sunday, 10 to 6. Admission is $5 for adults; $2 for youngsters 10 to 14, and those under 10 are free. Call 574-6139.
Calendar ...
Saturday: Molson Challenge and Mid-Atlantic Snowboard Series, Wisp Ski Area, Deep Creek Lake. Call 334-1948.
* Tuesday: Trail guide training sessions at Oregon Ridge Nature Center. Call 887-1854.
* Wednesday: Washington Boat Show opens a six-day run, Washington Convention Center, call 1-703-569-7141.
* Wednesday: Keith Walters, author of Chesapeake Stripers, will speak at a 7:30 p.m. public meeting of Freestate Fly Fishers at Hillsmere Elementary School, Annapolis. Call 1-410-798-1194.
Planning ahead ...
Jan. 17: Dodge Morgan, who at age 53 set the world record for the fastest solo, non-stop sail around the world, will describe his 150-day trip in a lecture at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel, Annapolis. Admission, $10. Call 1-800-937-BOAT.
* Jan. 18-26: Opening of the eighth annual International Auto Show, Baltimore Convention Center. Many 1992 outdoor type vehicles will be on display. Call 321-8733.
* Jan. 18: Central Maryland BASS Masters Fishermen's Flea Market, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Freedom Community Center, Route 32 just south of Liberty Road. Call 442-2323.
* Jan. 19: Annual trout fishing clinic of the highly popular Potomac-Patuxent Chapter of Trout Unlimited, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wheaton High School Cafeteria, 12601 Dalewood Drive, Wheaton, off Randolph Road, just west of Georgia Avenue. Admission, $3. Call Ruth Novick, 410-384-0424.
* Jan. 19: DNR Junior Rabbit Hunting Course, youngsters 12 to 15, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Howard County Fairgrounds. Pre-registration required. Call 461-3007.
* Jan. 23-26: Mid-Atlantic Outdoor Sportsmen's Show, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium.
* Jan. 24-26: Delaware Sportfishing Show (featuring Delaware Bay and ocean fishing), NUR Temple
Shrine, New Castle, call 1-301-841-6974.
* Jan. 26: Opening of the new four-day Mid-Atlantic Sportsmen's Show, Maryland State Fairgrounds. Call 1-717-676-9900.
* Feb. 1-9: Chesapeake Bay Boat Show, Baltimore Convention Center, call 1-215-449-9910. Also, Virginia Boat Show, Richmond Centre, call 1-301-385-1800.
* Feb. 8-17: Eastern Outdoor Show, State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg. Call 717-234-8091.
* Feb. 14-16: Maryland Fishing & Hunting Show, Pikesville Armory, call 841-6974.
* Feb. 14: Opening of 27th annual Maryland RV Show, Timonium Fairgrounds. Continues through Feb. 16; reopens Feb. 21-23. Call 687-7200.
Ongoing ...
If you like to fish, but have no friends who do and you don't belong to a fishing club, sign on with Fish Busters Club, which conducts trips in which all participants share the cost -- no dues and no meetings. A full schedule is planned, the first of which is a sea bass, ling and tautog trip at Cape May, N.J. The fee is $65 for members; $75 for non-members. There are prizes for the best fish on all trips including offshore runs for tuna and marlin as well as Chesapeake and Delaware bays. Call 1-410-292-8377.
Names and places ...
The success rate of Maryland's muzzleloader hunters in their season that closed Saturday was down. With still a few checking stations to report, the recent season's bag stands at 4,272 as compared to 4,640 the previous year.
Following is the unofficial kill, with last year's bag in parentheses. Allegany, 473 (550); Anne Arundel, 54 (114); Baltimore, 217 (207); Calvert, 61 (67); Caroline, 59 (61); Carroll, 312 (253); Cecil, 139 (133); Charles, 156 (191); Dorchester, 86 (78); Frederick, 426 (553); Garrett, 712 (790); Harford, 90 (81), Howard 85 (95).
Also, Queen Anne's, 154 (141); St. Mary's, 89 (119); Somerset, 45 (43); Talbot, 78 (107); Washington, 598 (599); Wicomico, 57 (48); and Worcester, 54 (52).
* The Maryland gill netting season for rockfish in the Atlantic Ocean has been extended until the end of the month. About 15 commercial fishermen are involved, said Frances McFaden, who added they had failed to meet their quotas.
* Maybe Maryland hunters now bag more deer than those hunting in Maine, but Maine's hunter success rate for moose is an astounding 95.6. One thousand permits were issued for the 1992 hunt -- a record 959 were taken. For information on non-resident permits, call 1-207-289-2871.
Latest readings ...
Three new worthwhile books for area outdoorsmen:
* Fishing the Rivers of the Mid-Atlantic by Western Marylander Bill Anderson, 175 well-illustrated pages, covers species in detail (not just bass), baits and rivers of the Mid-Atlantic area, $14.95. A great book that goes into detail from carp and catfish to muskies and bass. Lots of maps and directions to 125 launching ramps. Call 1-800-638-7641.
* Twentieth annual Guide to Cruising Chesapeake Bay, a 352-page large format publication with countless maps and illustrations for boatmen, $27.95. Included is information for those who travel by water, including more than 300 secluded anchorages and 402 marinas, and directories for food, lodging, shoreside recreational and tour opportunities, and boating services. It can also be invaluable for bay fishermen. Call 1-410-263-2662.
* Thirty-ninth annual Fishing In Maryland, an excellent 170-page angling guide with detailed illustrations and many color maps and photos covering angling opportunities in Maryland, $6.95. New this year is a catch-and-release program in cooperation with the DNR, also many articles written by Maryland's best fishermen. Of special interest is a trout fishing piece by Leo Tims. Call 243-3413.
Question box ...
A recent question by James Wagner brought up the use of four-wheel drive vehicles in Maryland. We advised him to contact DNR for specific details about the designated areas in which he is interested. Now further information comes from Preston Stevens, past president and currently land use director of Baltimore Four Wheelers, which includes members from New York to West Virginia.
Stevens suggests Potomac-Garrett, Savage River and Green Ridge state forests, and further advises anyone interested in the sport to contact the following: Baltimore Four Wheelers, 882-6036; United Four Wheel Drive Association, 1-800-44-UFWDA, Steve Hamilton of Potomac Garrett State Forest, 1-301-334-2038; Francis Zumbrun of Green Ridge State Forest, 1-301-777-2345; Larry Maxim of Savage River State Forest, 1-301-395-5759.
There is a difference between off highway vehicles (OHV) and off road vehicles (ORV), wrote Stevens. Wagner and others should make it plain they are talking four-wheel drive use, not all terrain vehicles (ATV), added Stevens. He also urges such users to join a club, which is pushing for responsible four-wheel drive access on public lands -- and BFW is signing on members.
* NOTE: To have an item or question included in the Outdoor Journal, write Bill Burton, The Evening Sun Sports Dept., 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278-0001.