PLAY OUTDOORS TODAY INTERVIEW WITH ED WILEY, and with MUSIC BY THE GIVING TREE BAND

This show was recorded on April 29th, 2009, and features the music of the Giving Tree Band, with a phone in interview with Ed Wiley, an activist in West Virginia hoping to save 240 children at a school in Rock Creek, W.V., as well as put a stop to the pollution and destruction of the Appalachian Mountains.

Play TED NUGENT INTERVIEW ON OUTDOORS TODAY

Buddy Bill and Rich Reardin interview Ted Nugent live on Outdoors Today on WGCL on May 29th, 2007

PLAY SEGMENT 1 from 5-29-08

Buddy Bill , Don Jordan and Rich Reardin talk about some Bee problems, and the lake report, etc.

PLAY PODCAST HERE

Guest is Dr. Larry Barber / Bloomington Fly Fishers
Discusses the issue of the Yellowood Lake problems

Expert Ice Fishing Safety Advice

from the U.S. Army and Michigan DNR

SWIMMING AND ICE FISHING DON’T MIX- By Don Jordan

Unless you are a polar bear, or a member of one of those “polar bear” swim clubs, the idea of mixing an ice fishing trip with a January swim probably leaves you cold.

And well it should. A sudden plunge through the ice on an ice fishing trip will almost certainly cool you down to cadaver temperature. “Going through” means you die in about 30 minutes of hypothermia, if you don’t drown first.

Those who have read “Inside Outdoors” for a while will recognize this column. I write about ice fishing safety every year, because it seems to do some good. I have only had to report two ice fishing deaths lately. So, here is this year’s set of ice fishing tips; first, from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.:

*Leave information about your plans with someone — where you intend to fish and when you expect to return.

*Wear a personal floatation device and don’t fish alone.

*Ice varies in thickness and condition. Always carry an ice spud or chisel to check ice as you proceed. Go to http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/ierd/ice_safety/safety.html for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers table on ice thickness vs. loads.

*Be extremely cautious crossing ice near river mouths, points of land, bridges, islands, and over reefs and springs. Current almost always causes ice to be thinner over these areas.

*Avoid going onto the ice if it has melted away from the shore. This indicates melting is underway, and ice can shift position as wind direction changes.

*Waves from open water can quickly break up large areas of ice. If you can see open water in the lake and the wind picks up, get off!

*Carry a set of handspikes to help you work your way out onto the surface of the ice if you go through. Holding one in each hand, you can alternately punch them into the ice and pull yourself up and out. You can make these at home, using large nails, or you can purchase them at stores that sell fishing supplies.

*Carry a safety line that can be thrown to someone who has gone through the ice.

*Leave your car or truck on shore. Every year several motor vehicles go through the ice people have drowned as a result.

*Heated fishing shanties must have good ventilation to prevent deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Open a window or the door part way to allow in fresh air.

Here are some ice safety tips from the Michigan DNR and the U.S. Army:

*According to the U.S. Army, a 200-lb. Human needs two inches of ice to support the load, with 17 feet between similar loads. Remember, ice does not freeze with uniform thickness. Where it is two inches in one spot, it might be one inch just a few feet distant.

*Avoid “dark ice” because it almost always thin. Good ice is white/blue.

*Don’t become a victim yourself trying to recklessly save your buddy. Use something to reach across suspect ice to victims who have gone though — a long limb, a ladder or even a rope will work. Lie down flat and extend the device to the break.

*Don’t congregate around large numbers of other anglers or drill several holes close together. The combined weight of several 200-pound anglers and ice that has been weakened by having many holes drilled in close proximity can ruin your day.

*If you do go through, don’t panic. Turn toward the shore, or the direction you were coming from when the ice broke. Ice in that direction supported you and is your best bet. Use your ice spikes to pull yourself. Once you are out, DO NOT STAND UP. By lying flat and dispersing your weight you can avoid another break. Polar bears use this method. They low-crawl over thin ice, keeping their entire body flat to the surface for weight dispersal. The Michigan DNR advises you to roll away from the break toward where you were walking.

One last thing. Leave your car or truck keys back at the vehicle. Be sure both you and your fishing partner know where they are. The truck isn’t going to be much of a refuge if the keys are on the bottom of the lake in your drowned pal’s pocket.

By Allen Madison

Why Does the National Rifle Association Leadership Support Congress’s Biggest Opponents?

As the self-proclaimed “largest pro-hunting organization in the world,” the National Rifle Association has long claimed to represent America’s hunters and shooters in the fight to protect one of America’s oldest traditions. The NRA’s bylaws include an article setting a core goal “to promote and defend hunting…as a viable and necessary method of fostering the propagation, growth and conservation…of our renewable wildlife resources.”

But it turns out that its by-laws are just empty rhetoric.

A report released today by the American Hunters and Shooters Association (which I founded in 2006) reveals an ugly truth: the NRA’s leadership is spending its Members’ money to support the campaigns of the biggest conservation opponents in Congress. Contrary to its stated goals and assurances to the hunting community, our unprecedented analysis shows that NRA’s leadership overwhelming supports Members of Congress with the worst conservation voting records.

For example, 144 House Members supported the Roadless Conservation Act of 2007, which seeks to limit road construction and corporate development in our National Forests. Those 144 members received and average grade of D minus from the NRA. Alternatively, the 291 House Members on the other side of the issue averaged B pluses – and seven times as much campaign money from NRA.

Did the NRA’s leaders even take a position on the Roadless Conservation Act of 2007? No. They are flat-out ignoring conservation issues.

Given this, it’s not surprising that since 2000, the NRA’s leaders have contributed $4,085,277 in campaign money to support the 193 Members of Congress who received poor ratings from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and only $390,897 – more than 10 times less – to the 245 Members of Congress who have received high ratings from LCV.

The NRA’s campaign contributions, endorsements and ratings of Members of Congress expose the organization’s strong anti-conservation bias. Despite their lofty bylaws and forest friendly taglines, the NRA is standing by silently as its allies in Congress are helping to destroy America’s wilderness.

Hunting is an American tradition that depends on conserving America’s wilderness and wildlife. To fully enjoy our rights and heritage, hunters and shooters deserve leadership that will protect our guns and our land. America’s hunters are beginning to ask whether anyone in Washington recognizes that.

The American Hunters and Shooters Association, unlike the NRA, is dedicated both to protecting the gun rights of Americans and preserving America’s hunting heritage through conservation and responsible wildlife management. We understand the crucial relationship between protecting our rights as gun owners and protecting the lands we love.

So, for the three million NRA Members who are tired of seeing their $25 dollar contributions wasted by an NRA leadership supporting anti-conservation Members of Congress and Wayne LaPierre’s $900,000 salary, we offer a different choice.

And, for 77 million gun-owning Americans who are not Members of NRA, we invite you to join an organization that is steadfast in protecting our Second Amendment rights, conserving our environment, and will support common sense efforts to keep guns away from criminals.

America’s hunters and shooters should no longer stand by the NRA because it’s clear the NRA has long stopped standing up for them. And by the way, my salary is a dollar a year.

Don just returned from his cabin in Montana.

Destroying the Mountains for your Electricity.  What is the cost of energy? Priceless.