NORTH CENTRAL OHIO WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

The 4th Annual North Central Ohio Wildlife Management Conference will take place on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Firelands BGSU, Cedar Point Center. Hosted by the Erie and Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District's and the OSU Extension, this conference will feature some of the top professionals in their fields. If you enjoy nature and wildlife, you won't want to miss this opportunity to see, hear, and learn about wildlife management and conservation.

Among this year's featured presenters is freelance writer, photographer, speaker, and editor, Chip Gross. Chip worked for the ODNR Division of Wildlife for 27 years, first as a State Wildlife Officer, then moving on to the position of Wildlife Education Officer. Chip became the Editor for the ever popular Wild Ohio and Wild Ohio for Kids magazines, garnering the prestigious James P. Barry Award for Editorial Excellence in 2001.

It was during his years with the Ohio DNR that Gross began freelance writing and honing his outdoor photography skills. Chip has gone on to sell hundreds of articles and photos to national, regional, and state outdoor publications, such as Home, At Last, Is the Hunter, Pro Tactics: Steelhead and Salmon, the Ohio Wildlife Viewing Guide, and Young Beginner's Guide to Shooting and Archery. Chip will conduct an outdoor/wildlife photography workshop during the conference and will offer to critique photos brought in by individuals who attend his session.

Presenting on the "Eastern Wild Turkey and Its Management in the Midwest" will be Randy Showalter with the National Wild Turkey Federation. Randy is the Director of Conservation of Operations and the Regional Wildlife Biologist for Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. He will bring to light some of the successes and future outlook for the wild turkey in our region.

Marne Titchenell and Dave Apsley, both OSU Extension Wildlife Specialists, will be speaking about human/wildlife conflicts and woodland wildlife management. Their presentations will provide landowners with a better insight on dealing with nuisance wildlife issues and concerns, as well as providing management tips for creating and maintaining optimum wildlife habitat with regard to their timber stands.

Jeff Finn, Private Lands Biologist for the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service, will offer recommendations for dealing with nuisance vegetation control, such as phragmites, purple loosestrife, and other undesirables. Staff from Zink Calls will also be joining us again to hold an afternoon session for turkey hunters who want to improve their calling skills

Lake Erie is renowned for being of one of the premier fishing spots in the world; therefore it's only fitting to offer tips on how to improve your outings and hopefully, catch your limit.

Waterfowl, wildlife food plots, wild game processing....

Conference attendees will be treated to a continental breakfast, lunch, and an opportunity to receive a door prize. Pre-registration is required. Registrations received by December 31, 2009 are $25; after that date the registration fee is $30. The deadline to register for the conference is January 22nd. Checks can be made out to the Erie Soil and Water Conservation District and mailed to 2900 Columbus Ave., Sandusky, OH, 44870.

For more information regarding the 4th Annual North Central Ohio Wildlife Management Conference, contact the Erie SWCD office at 419-626-5211, the Ottawa SWCD at 419-898-6431, the OSU Extension office at 419-627-7631, or visit the Erie SWCD website at www.erie-county-ohio.net/eswcd.