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From a game department press release…

VDGIF Acquires Short Hills Wildlife Management Area

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) announced that it has acquired Short Hills Wildlife Management Area, a 4,232-acre tract in Rockbridge and Botetourt counties. The acquisition involved The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation who combined resources to provide interim funding to assist the VDGIF with the acquisition. 

VDGIF Executive Director Bob Duncan noted, “Without the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia this acquisition could not have been possible.”

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation used a grant from The Virginia Land Conservation Bond Funds to purchase the northern half of the Short Hills tract with the ultimate intention of transferring the property to VDGIF. The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia purchased the southern half of Short Hills using loan funding from The Conservation Fund and held the property until VDGIF had accumulated the necessary funds to purchase the southern tract.

VDGIF purchased that parcel for $3 million and closed on the property on July 2, 2010. The remainder of the tract was acquired when the Virginia Outdoors Foundation donated it to the Department in conjunction with the purchase.

The Short Hills WMA consists of an approximately 10-mile long ridgeline, known as Short Hills Mountain, which runs from just south of Lexington north to Natural Bridge. The property contains habitat for game and non-game species including black bear, deer, turkey, ruffed grouse, songbirds, raptors, and rattlesnakes.

A management plan is being developed for the site. Information about public access will be available once that plan is finalized.

For more information about the Department’s Wildlife Management Areas and wildlife work in Virginia visit the agency website at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov.

It is the mission of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to maintain optimum populations of all species to serve the needs of the Commonwealth; to provide opportunity for all to enjoy wildlife, inland fish, boating, and related outdoor recreation and to work diligently to safeguard the rights of the people to hunt, fish and harvest game as provided for in the Constitution of Virginia; to promote safety for persons and property in connection with boating, hunting and fishing; to provide educational outreach programs and materials that foster an awareness of and appreciation for Virginia’s fish and wildlife resources, their habitats, and hunting, fishing and boating opportunities.

Today’s column focuses on the new 8-mile trail race that’s part of next weekend’s Maymont Cross Country Festival. I think the Sports Backers were smart for a couple of reasons to change the half-marathon they had been offering to this 8-miler. For one, the half wasn’t nearly as trail dependent as this race will be. This race will really highlight the Butterbank Loop (as I like to call it)—Buttermilk Trail on the south side of the James and the North Bank trail on the north. It will also borrow Belle Isle’s so-called Lost Trail for a small section. Secondly, the Sports Backers already put on two other half-marathons—the Patrick Henry half and the McDonald’s half. Three seems like overkill.

If you’re an area runner who trains on the trails anyway, why not enter this race and see what you’ve got?

Seriously, this is an underappreciated fruit. Your paw paw education should start with a guy named Neal Peterson. His website has a ton of information. The facts page is especially enlightening.

If you hurry, you might be able to make it to the 12th annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival (apparently, they spell it without the space).

They make a lice shampoo with paw paw extract. It says so right here.

Don’t know what a paw paw looks like? Click here.

Virginians can help preserve native tree species by collecting acorns and seeds from nine species and delivering them to the nearest office of the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).

“Generally, the best time to collect acorns is the last week in September through the first week of October,” said Josh McLaughlin, nursery forester.  “Every bag of acorns and seed collected by citizens will help us keep Virginia beautiful.”

The species most needed are: Black Oak; Chestnut Oak; Chinese Chestnut; Northern Red Oak; Pin Oak; Sawtooth Oak; Swamp Chestnut Oak; Swamp White Oak; Willow Oak, and White Oak.

“Lawns or paved areas are ideal collection sites,” McLaughlin said.  “A single tree located in these areas makes identifying the acorns easier.”

McLaughlin reminds anyone who is interested in collecting acorns or seed to: not use plastic bags to hold the acorns or seed; identify the tree species on the non-plastic bag, and to not combine acorn or seed from different tree species in the same bag.

To learn more about acorn collection, visit the VDOF website at http://www.dof.virginia.gov.

Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County.

    Virginia State Parks continued its year-long trend of record-setting holiday weekends with a Labor Day weekend attendance increase of 16 percent above last year.

    The Sept. 3-6 attendance of 204,531 was an increase of 16 percent over Labor Day weekend 2009. The attendance was the busiest Labor Day weekend on record, surpassing the 2007 record of 202,319.

    The award-winning Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

    “Initially, we had concerns that Hurricane Earl might affect visitors’ travel and vacation plans, but the impact of the storm was clearly marginal,” said DCR Director David Johnson. “Across the Commonwealth, the weekend weather was glorious, and our parks saw not only an increase in attendance but increased visitation to cabins, campsites, swimming pools and beaches, too.”

    Through Aug. 31, year-to-date visitation has increased 5.6 percent over last year, from 5,442,249 visitors to 5,744,917 visitors. Last year there were a record high 7.5 million visits, a 4 percent increase over 2008.

    “We’re very confident that 2010 will be another record-setting year in Virginia State Parks,” said DCR’s State Parks Director Joe Elton. “Our campsites remain open through the fall, and cabins and family lodges, which are open year-round, are popular well into the winter. Our parks will continue to draw healthy numbers for the fall foliage season and for winter getaways. We take reservations 11 months in advance, so now is the time to make plans for Independence Day weekend, 2011.”

    Increases in other park offerings also continued through the weekend. Swimming revenue increased 21 percent over Labor Day weekend last year. Merchandise sales were up 10 percent, and food and beverage sales jumped 27 percent.

    “Total revenue for Labor Day weekend was $467,381, an increase of 7 percent over last year,” Elton said. “In this uncertain economic climate, Virginia State Parks remain a reliable vacation option that’s close, convenient and affordable. Our parks also remain an important force in Virginia’s overall economy.”

    The statewide estimated economic impact of Virginia State Parks in 2009 was $175 million.

    Virginia State Parks continue to offer festivals and educational programs well into the fall and winter.

    For more information about state park activities and amenities, or to make reservations in a campsite, cabin or family lodge, call the Virginia State Parks Reservation Center at (800) 933-PARK or visit http://www.virginiastateparks.gov.

In today’s column I write about fishing with my nephew Brayden. We didn’t have a camera for the big smallie he caught at the end of our James River excursion, but we caught a pretty respectable bass at the beginning. Here’s that pic. I’ve got the whole crew with me.

That’s Sam in the backpack, Brayden in the back and Brooks up front.

Navigating the rocks with Brooks and Brayden.

There was much from my conversation with Matt Knox, DGIF deer project leader, that I couldn’t shoehorn into today’s column.

He talked at length about the snow cover in the western part of the state that led to sporadic die offs. He said that deer can become so desperate for sustenance, they’ll eat food that doesn’t really do them any good.

In the mountains they’ll eat rhododendron and mountain laurel. It requires as much energy to digest it as they get from it. It’s a net wash. At that point they’ll eat about anything.

He said that fawns starve first. Buck fawns starve before doe fawns because they weigh 2-5 pounds more and have a higher metabolic requirement. Just that 10 percent in weight matters.

Knox also said that on his 7-acre farmette in Bedford County, acorns started falling 10 days ago. He got a call from a citizen in Chesapeake that said acorns are already on the ground. I have seen a few here in Richmond. All good signs for a quality mast crop. After last winter, the deer need it.

I asked him if he could only hunt in one place in Virginia, where would it be? He answered that if you want to see deer, Bedford plus the Northern Virginia Counties are the best. For big deer he named two places: 1) the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, that’s from Rappahannock all the way down to Patrick County. I think it’s got to do with hunter access. It’s not wilderness like people think of wilderness out West but it’s just remote and rugged.

And 2) peanut country, specifically Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Isle of Wight countie. They have really big deer. The problem is it’s all private land. You have to be a member of a club.

Those dog hunters practice quality deer management. They don’t shoot small bucks.

So you’re combining a management philosophy that puts bucks into an older age class and an agricultural underbase, that’s soybeans and peanuts. You combine those two things and you’ve got a lot of big bucks.

Richmond’s Larus Park.

If you read today’s column on the value of urban trees, then you’re probably here looking for a little more edification. Allow me to oblige.

The city’s Urban Forestry page can be found by clicking here. On it you’ll find a really interesting survey of city street trees done by Peter Girardi, a former city arborist and current vice president of True Timber Tree Service. Click here to go directly to that.

The U.S. Forest Service has an interesting section of their website devoted to urban forestry. It has a ton of information on urban trees, including much on how homeowners can care for trees in and around their city properties.

The International Mountain Bike Association maintains a list of “Epic Rides,” which they define rather widely.

From the IMBA website: Many Epics are remote backcountry journeys that feature adventurous riding and incredible vistas. We also spotlight riding opportunities that break the mold and deliver innovative solutions, like Ray’s Indoor Bike Park. The essential components of great trails include engaged land managers, skilled trailbuilders, community involvement and dedicated volunteers, so many Epics feature engaging backstories that highlight these elements.

Did you catch the last part of that, the part about skilled trailbuilders and community involvement? We definitely have that here in Richmond, especially in the James River Park System. What we also have down there is one of the best urban tracks in America. Seriously. So click here to vote for the Butterbank Loop (Buttermilk and North Bank together) as an IMBA Epic Ride.

I read about skishing for the first time in a book about striper fishing I just finished: On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast by David DiBenedetto. For the uninitiated, the idea behind skishing, as the Outdoorpressroom.com reports, is to “get in the water with [a] rod and reel wearing a wetsuit and flippers…hook a big fish and get towed through the water.”

Click here for the Wall Street Journal article about it.