Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1998 | 1:29 a.m.
Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at [email protected].
Waterfowl hunters headed for Wayne E. Kirch Wildlife Management Area (WMA) shouldn't be disappointed if they find clean-up burning when they arrive on the management area. If weather conditions are right, some of the vegetation burning in the fields is scheduled for fall, according to Ron Mills, area manager.
The burning is part of the intensive management to maximize the habitat available for waterfowl. With more waterfowl able to find food and shelter on management areas, there is more opportunity for recreational use by hunters.
The burning is planned for the west side of Adams-McGill Reservoir and Tule Reservoir. The burning cleans off dormant vegetation from native hayfields. This allows a greening of native grasses in the spring. Now the areas are covered with 6-12 inches of wiregrass.
"In the spring, the green-up provides a tremendous feeding area for migrant birds heading north," Mills said.
The hardstem and cattails can become so thick that they're unusable for waterfowl. When they die, they make a thick stand of dead foliage. Many times, after reservoirs are reflooded once they've been burned off, the tules don't come back.
"Two years ago we burned Dacey Slough," Mills said. "The results were excellent. The birds flock in there."
Intensive management is one of the ways to provide maximum habitat in a state where water and wetlands are at a premium.
Weather conditions were optimal for filling the reservoirs at Kirch WMA. The only unit that wasn't flooded at the opening of the season was Dacey Slough. Managers were holding off and saving it for the migrating birds that will come through the area later in the season.
"The area is in a lot better shape than usual," Mills said. "Tule is usually dry by this time in the year, but it's good. Adams-McGill has also stayed high. There's lots of habitat for the birds."
Part of that is due to the grace of Mother Nature and part is due to the deliberate manipulation of habitat to provide optimal conditions for birds.
Fall or spring are the best times to do burning. Spring time conditions often are too wet to allow burning. In the fall, however, the burning can interfere with hunting seasons.
Patience on the part of hunters will help provide better conditions for ducks and better hunting conditions in the future.
To check on local conditions at Kirch WMA before driving there to hunt, call 289-0927.
Bass on bass
Congratulations to Las Vegas angler Norm Bass for winning the state Big Bass championship, qualifying him to fish in the Big Bass World Championship. Though he fished the tournament, he didn't catch any fish that would qualify for weighing in -- a minimum 15-inch fish.
In another tournament, Byron Velvick of Boulder City fished the BASSMASTER Top 150 last week on the Lower Mississippi Delta. It would have been hard to beat tourney champ Kenyon Hill, whose 20 fish weighed in at 61 pounds, 5 ounces. Velvick's eight fish weighed 14 pounds, 5 ounces. Velvick was the only Nevadan in the tourney.
Don't miss the boat
Boat owners who have changed their mailing address in the past year can make renewing their registrations much easier if they report the change to the Nevada Division of Wildlife.
"The 1999 boat renewal forms will be mailed to boat owners in December. Boaters who have changed their mailing address can be sure they will receive their renewals by calling any of our offices," said Kathleen Teligades, regional license office supervisor.
To report changes, call NDOW's Las Vegas office at 486-5127 or the Henderson office at 486-6742.
NRA course scheduled
An NRA Personal Protection Course for adults is scheduled Nov. 14-15. This is NRA's response to Americans who own handguns for personal protection, and have a desire to learn how to use them with safety and skill, according to the Desert Sportsman's Rifle and Pistol Club. For more information, contact Randy Hunter at 368-2811 or Robert Robinson at 876-5399.
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