By George Rowe
Outoor Writer - Petoskey News Review
The Beaver Island Chamber provided us with a press release from a new organization on the island, sure to attract support around the area. The Beaver Island Conservation Club has been founded by Jared Pike, Todd Ireland and Gavin West. Among their ambitious plans is a full-fledged Quality Deer Management program, complete with the DNR regulations to support that effort. They also have, as a goal, an effort to â??rehabilitate, expand, maximize and sustain the world-class smallmouth bass fishery.â?
They have a very ambitious plan that is sure to benefit the island in the near future â?? to learn more, see their website at www.beaverislandconservatiion.org or write them at Beaver Island Conservation Club, PO Box 334, Beaver Island MI 49782.
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The Beaver Island Conservation Club is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Their listing can be found here:
http://www.beaverisland.org/hunting-and ... index.html
â??The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce endorses adoption of Quality Deer Management as defined by the Quality Deer Management Association.â? - See www.qdma.org for details.
Introducing the Beaver Island Conservation Club
Moderator: Gillespie
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Chamber of Commerce
- Posts: 1274
- Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2005 11:35 am
- Location: chamber@beaverisland.org
- Contact:
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gavin.west
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:56 pm
Thanks to all the calls and emails of support and inital members who joined today! Like anything on the island, we all need to pitch in to make a difference. Please join us. Visit our website at
www.beaverislandconservation.org and click on the join / donate button to find out how.
www.beaverislandconservation.org and click on the join / donate button to find out how.
BICC
Can someone explain to me the need for the Wildlife Club AND the Conservation Club? I am not a hunter, of anything, so I don't claim to know a lot about any of the 'hot topics'. Just seems to me that the two organizations have too much in common to NOT be one. I would be more likely to support an effort, both in word and deed, if I weren't so confused by the fact that there is NO mention of the pre-existing Wildlife Club. Is this an oversight?
Are the two organizations in agreement about what is 'best' for the island wildlife? Is this new Conservation Club being endorsed by our current Wildlife Club? If so, I'd sure like to know that. If not, I'd sure like to know why before I make a decision to support or not support.
Cynical...I hope I didn't come off that way. Suspicious...maybe a little. Confused...most definitely!
Are the two organizations in agreement about what is 'best' for the island wildlife? Is this new Conservation Club being endorsed by our current Wildlife Club? If so, I'd sure like to know that. If not, I'd sure like to know why before I make a decision to support or not support.
Cynical...I hope I didn't come off that way. Suspicious...maybe a little. Confused...most definitely!
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Bernadette Green Cole
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:04 pm
Re: BICC
Deb,debrob2 wrote:Can someone explain to me the need for the Wildlife Club AND the Conservation Club? I am not a hunter, of anything, so I don't claim to know a lot about any of the 'hot topics'. Just seems to me that the two organizations have too much in common to NOT be one. I would be more likely to support an effort, both in word and deed, if I weren't so confused by the fact that there is NO mention of the pre-existing Wildlife Club. Is this an oversight?
Are the two organizations in agreement about what is 'best' for the island wildlife? Is this new Conservation Club being endorsed by our current Wildlife Club? If so, I'd sure like to know that. If not, I'd sure like to know why before I make a decision to support or not support.
Cynical...I hope I didn't come off that way. Suspicious...maybe a little. Confused...most definitely!
I think what is happening here is a philosophical difference of opinion that has led to the creation of an organization with similar scope.
For the record the Beaver Island Wildlife Club is responsible for the establishment of the walleye fishery in Lake Geneserath and most recently at a Michigan DNR Cormorant Coordination Committee meeting the Beaver Islands were voted to be the number #1 priority for cormorant control in the state of Michigan, which could lead to a massive reduction in the number of cormorants in the archipelago and a drastic subsequent improvement in our fisheries.
We have worked to establish and suport through feeding programs the Wild Turkey population on the island.
In the area of White-tailed Deer management, the BIWC has for many years conducted habitat improvement programs by planting on private and public lands, has conducted a volunteer deer biological check to determine the health of the deer herd, conducted deer driving surveys to assess deer numbers on the island.
As for Quality Deer Management the BIWC has lobbied for at least a decade with the Michigan DNR to have some components of a Quality Deer Management plan implemented on Beaver Island, although at our last meeting we developed a policy to present to the Michigan DNR the we do not believe at this point due to the drastic reduction in numbers of deer that antlerless hunting on Beaver Island should have a moratorium as we believe due to our driving surveys and hunter reports that deer numbers have been drastically reduced over the last few years and the herd needs at least of year of reduced hunting pressure to rebuild its numbers.
Also we have serious doubts about certain antler restrictions on bucks on the island as marginal nutritional factors in many areas on the island preclude bucks from reaching 8 points as they age and many times bucks are observed at advanced age with only 4 or 6 points in certain areas on the island.
The BIWC plans to continue to utilize its volunteers and limited resources to work for the benefit of the fisheries and wildlife on Beaver Island.
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Jimmy McCafferty
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:31 am
Beaver Island Conservation Club
Excuse me Mr Gillespie for a person as busy as you are you seem to have a ot of free time posting asinine responses. We live in a free country where we are free to express our opinions. So delete this Mr Self Rightous sick it up where the son does not shine. Shut up Richie no one ahas any regard for you opinion, regardless of what you think of yourself
Deb,
The BICC and the wildlife club do have many of the same goals and we look forward to working with all groups on the island, including the Eco tourism board, both townships, the wildlife club and the Chamber. We applaud the wildlife club for its efforts on the cormorant control front we have publicly and privately thanked Jeff for all his hard work. Our goal is to take on some of the projects that the wildlife club does not have the time or the resources to complete. The BICC is a 501c3 nonprofit which gives us the ability to compete for government grants in order to generate the funding needed for some of the more expensive initiatives. In addition we are a proud member of the MUCC and look forward to utilizing their help and support in working hand in hand with the DNR to complete our goals.
For the moment we have a difference of opinion on how to proceed with Whitetail management however many wildlife club members have already found QDM to be the best approach moving forward. We hope we can supply more information on that front with our informational speaker on March 6th and we encourage everyone to attend. Our intention is bring a new generation of conservation to the island through education and hard work. We have posted a website, produced many informational packets and emails, and plan to continue to do so in the best interest of doing all we can to give back to the island.
Todd Ireland
The BICC and the wildlife club do have many of the same goals and we look forward to working with all groups on the island, including the Eco tourism board, both townships, the wildlife club and the Chamber. We applaud the wildlife club for its efforts on the cormorant control front we have publicly and privately thanked Jeff for all his hard work. Our goal is to take on some of the projects that the wildlife club does not have the time or the resources to complete. The BICC is a 501c3 nonprofit which gives us the ability to compete for government grants in order to generate the funding needed for some of the more expensive initiatives. In addition we are a proud member of the MUCC and look forward to utilizing their help and support in working hand in hand with the DNR to complete our goals.
For the moment we have a difference of opinion on how to proceed with Whitetail management however many wildlife club members have already found QDM to be the best approach moving forward. We hope we can supply more information on that front with our informational speaker on March 6th and we encourage everyone to attend. Our intention is bring a new generation of conservation to the island through education and hard work. We have posted a website, produced many informational packets and emails, and plan to continue to do so in the best interest of doing all we can to give back to the island.
Todd Ireland
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gavin.west
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:56 pm
The Beaver Island Conservation Club applauds the work of Jeff Powers and several other members of the Wildlife Club. Jeff has personally led the effort to control Cormorants - he deserves our admiration and respect for that issue. The Conservation Club and the Wildlife Club agree on many issues, and we will support the Wildlife Club on many of their goals. However, there are several issues on which we part ways. The adoption of Quality Deer Management is one. We invite everyone on the forum to learn about QDM and have an informed opinion about it. Please educate yourselves so that in March we can have a real public debate about the future of wildlife management on the island - starting with the Whitetail herd. Science has shown that QDM is a proven and successful program that can benefit the island. Visit www.qdma.org to learn more.
As for Mr. Chapmans aspersions against that new Conservation Club. I invite him to join the Conservation Club. It is open to all who live, vacation, hunt and fish on the island. If his concerns are that we are not truly a democratic and open organization I invite him to join us....our ranks are open to him and everyone else. John, will you join us? Please call or email me to discuss. We welcome you and everyone else.
We want an educated and science based discussion about the future of the island. Everything we do will be for public debate and consumption. We want every islander to participate in this discussion. Please join us and have a voice. www.beaverislandconservation.org.
As for Mr. Chapmans aspersions against that new Conservation Club. I invite him to join the Conservation Club. It is open to all who live, vacation, hunt and fish on the island. If his concerns are that we are not truly a democratic and open organization I invite him to join us....our ranks are open to him and everyone else. John, will you join us? Please call or email me to discuss. We welcome you and everyone else.
We want an educated and science based discussion about the future of the island. Everything we do will be for public debate and consumption. We want every islander to participate in this discussion. Please join us and have a voice. www.beaverislandconservation.org.
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gavin.west
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:56 pm
Here is an introduction to on QDM to all interested parties. You can learn more at www.qdma.org. Please learn all you can so we can have a public discussion about it.
What is Quality Deer Management?
Quality Deer Management (QDM) is a management practice that units landowners, hunters, and resource managers in a common goal of producing healthy deer herds with balanced adult sex ratios and age structure. This involves protecting you bucks while
harvesting appropriate numbers of female deer to maintain herds within existing environmental and social constraints
What are the advantages of QDM?
Quality Deer Management (QDM) has several advantages that can be brought to Beaver Island. First, the herd ratio of bucks to does becomes more natural. In the wild, does and bucks are found in a nearly 1 to 1 ratio. Currently on the island, we have found that the ratio is 8-10 does for every buck. That means if we have a 1000 deer herd, only about 100 would be bucks. Through QDM we can move that ratio closer to 1 to 1 and have as many as
500 bucks on the island with the same size herd! Second, by protecting younger bucks we can create a herd with many older and larger bucks. Under normal hunting pressure only
5% of bucks make it to 4 1/2 years of age or older. However, deer donâ??t reach their maximum antler size until at least 41/2 years. By protecting bucks until age 2 1/2 or older we allow
more deer to grow and become true trophy animals. Third, with more mature bucks in the herd, less immature bucks breed. This results in less stress on them through the winter and
it allows more of them to survive in a tough northern climate. Fourth, by better controlling the overall number of deer we keep the herd below carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of deer for a given geographical area based on the amount of food available. This helps to keep the deer bigger and healthier, enables fawn survival, and helps prevent
the winter die offs that have plagued the island.
How does QDM work?
QDM consists of 4 parts: Herd Management, Hunter Managment, Habitat Management, Herd Monitoring
Herd Management
Quality Deer Management uses Herd Management to control the number and type of bucks and does harvested. This is done to achieve the sex and age balance within the herd. The most common methods used to achieve herd management are antler
restriction for bucks, and the use of doe permits / cull hunts for does. By holding the deer herd to itâ??s carrying capacity, and harvesting the correct amount of bucks and does we
create a healthy, balanced, and mature herd.
Habitat Management
Quality Deer Management uses Habitat Management to maximize the nutrition availableto the deer herd. Two common methods exist and both would be a huge benefit to the
island. First, QDM uses food plots to provide both summer and winter forage for the deer.A food plot can provide as much as 10 tons of additional food per acre! Imagine what 100
acres of food plots could do for island wildlife! Second, proper forest management can provide both food and cover for deer. By conducting limited and responsible forest harvest
it allows new growth to be generated that can provide food and bedding habitat for not only deer, but turkey, rabbit, other small game, and countless songbirds. Only 1-3% of land
needs to be developed for habitat management to have a dramatic positive result.
Hunter Management
Hunter management includes educating all hunters on the different aspects of QDM, proper aging and sexing of deer, respect for established regulations, and participation In the overall QDM program.
Herd Monitoring
Herd monitoring refers to the collection of data needed to sustain a QDM program. By monitoring the size, age, ratio, and health of the herd the island can make adjustment to
QDM policy to improve our results. This data is what allows us to scientifically establish the best polices for the island maximizing both the deer herd and the hunting experience.
What is Quality Deer Management?
Quality Deer Management (QDM) is a management practice that units landowners, hunters, and resource managers in a common goal of producing healthy deer herds with balanced adult sex ratios and age structure. This involves protecting you bucks while
harvesting appropriate numbers of female deer to maintain herds within existing environmental and social constraints
What are the advantages of QDM?
Quality Deer Management (QDM) has several advantages that can be brought to Beaver Island. First, the herd ratio of bucks to does becomes more natural. In the wild, does and bucks are found in a nearly 1 to 1 ratio. Currently on the island, we have found that the ratio is 8-10 does for every buck. That means if we have a 1000 deer herd, only about 100 would be bucks. Through QDM we can move that ratio closer to 1 to 1 and have as many as
500 bucks on the island with the same size herd! Second, by protecting younger bucks we can create a herd with many older and larger bucks. Under normal hunting pressure only
5% of bucks make it to 4 1/2 years of age or older. However, deer donâ??t reach their maximum antler size until at least 41/2 years. By protecting bucks until age 2 1/2 or older we allow
more deer to grow and become true trophy animals. Third, with more mature bucks in the herd, less immature bucks breed. This results in less stress on them through the winter and
it allows more of them to survive in a tough northern climate. Fourth, by better controlling the overall number of deer we keep the herd below carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of deer for a given geographical area based on the amount of food available. This helps to keep the deer bigger and healthier, enables fawn survival, and helps prevent
the winter die offs that have plagued the island.
How does QDM work?
QDM consists of 4 parts: Herd Management, Hunter Managment, Habitat Management, Herd Monitoring
Herd Management
Quality Deer Management uses Herd Management to control the number and type of bucks and does harvested. This is done to achieve the sex and age balance within the herd. The most common methods used to achieve herd management are antler
restriction for bucks, and the use of doe permits / cull hunts for does. By holding the deer herd to itâ??s carrying capacity, and harvesting the correct amount of bucks and does we
create a healthy, balanced, and mature herd.
Habitat Management
Quality Deer Management uses Habitat Management to maximize the nutrition availableto the deer herd. Two common methods exist and both would be a huge benefit to the
island. First, QDM uses food plots to provide both summer and winter forage for the deer.A food plot can provide as much as 10 tons of additional food per acre! Imagine what 100
acres of food plots could do for island wildlife! Second, proper forest management can provide both food and cover for deer. By conducting limited and responsible forest harvest
it allows new growth to be generated that can provide food and bedding habitat for not only deer, but turkey, rabbit, other small game, and countless songbirds. Only 1-3% of land
needs to be developed for habitat management to have a dramatic positive result.
Hunter Management
Hunter management includes educating all hunters on the different aspects of QDM, proper aging and sexing of deer, respect for established regulations, and participation In the overall QDM program.
Herd Monitoring
Herd monitoring refers to the collection of data needed to sustain a QDM program. By monitoring the size, age, ratio, and health of the herd the island can make adjustment to
QDM policy to improve our results. This data is what allows us to scientifically establish the best polices for the island maximizing both the deer herd and the hunting experience.
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gavin.west
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:56 pm
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kerriegillespie
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 5:04 am
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Judging by Mr. Jimmy McCafferty's post that is dripping of ignorance, i would have to assume he is attempting to make waves and get a rise out of someone rather than provoking intelligent thought and/or constructive criticism. That's too bad, but i suppose that's his issue. Again, this is a private forum. So if you don't agree with the way the webmasters (including my father) manage it according to the criterion the creators of this forum came up with, then you are free to leave. You are also free to start your own forum. Those are your rights, and that is your choice. If you choose to stay, then now you know that the forum will be censored when the forum creators deem it necessary to avoid further slander, or libel, rather.
More generally---Maybe you haven't noticed, but purposeful thought on this forum is often destroyed by the personal attacks people make. What are you people doing?! Wake up!! Provoke thought, not CONFLICT! IF you have a question or an opinion there IS a way of being heard without using sarcastic, snide remarks or making personal attacks. If your question isn't answered, try asking it again. If it isn't answered for a second time, do your own research and find out why! Couldn't it be possible that no one yet knows why the two groups aren't one? Maybe that's why the question wasn't answered at first, and people freaked when they didn't receive an immediately gratifying answer. Instead of jumping to conclusions, if you really care about the issue, go find out! Then you can report back to the rest of the group on what you discovered, and the sources you collected the information from. If you want to 'talk the talk,' then you're going to have to 'walk the walk.'
If the point is to learn, understand, and rally either for or against a cause, since when was being sarcastic and snide productive?
More generally---Maybe you haven't noticed, but purposeful thought on this forum is often destroyed by the personal attacks people make. What are you people doing?! Wake up!! Provoke thought, not CONFLICT! IF you have a question or an opinion there IS a way of being heard without using sarcastic, snide remarks or making personal attacks. If your question isn't answered, try asking it again. If it isn't answered for a second time, do your own research and find out why! Couldn't it be possible that no one yet knows why the two groups aren't one? Maybe that's why the question wasn't answered at first, and people freaked when they didn't receive an immediately gratifying answer. Instead of jumping to conclusions, if you really care about the issue, go find out! Then you can report back to the rest of the group on what you discovered, and the sources you collected the information from. If you want to 'talk the talk,' then you're going to have to 'walk the walk.'
If the point is to learn, understand, and rally either for or against a cause, since when was being sarcastic and snide productive?
Kerrie Consuela Gillespie
"At the end of the day, who you are is completely up to you."
"At the end of the day, who you are is completely up to you."
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gavin.west
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 3:56 pm
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kerriegillespie
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 5:04 am
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Although this post was in reference to township matters, i find it an interesting, contradictory read since the BICC is also dedicating their personal time for the good of Beaver Island through research and conservation efforts. And judging by the material posted thus far by BICC members and their website that already seems thorough and elaborate for a start-up non-profit, I'd say they too have "seriously considered the welfare of Beaver Island." And they don't even get paid! (Like township officials do)Jimmy McCafferty wrote:I would like to publicly want to thank the people who have the courage and civic responsibility to serve as township officials .. It is very interesting to me as a former resident of the Island to read the mudslinging against dedicated people who sacrifice their personal time for the good of Beaver Island . Please exam your conscience before you post any comments against the people who are seriously considered about the welfare of Beaver Island .
Perhaps this is why censorship occurs. To deter reckless, hypocritical thought disguised as "opinions."
And on that note, goodnight!
Kerrie Consuela Gillespie
"At the end of the day, who you are is completely up to you."
"At the end of the day, who you are is completely up to you."
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Sheri Timsak
- Posts: 357
- Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:38 am
- Location: Beaver Island, MI
I totally agree with Kerrie and I think we should give this new group a listen, but i also agree that maybe the wildlife club should open its ears also and realize that that both groups are for the common good of the island. I don't think that the BICC is out to eliminate the coyotes on the island but i do know that there is a definite need for some control/conservation of our island animals. I also think that most people would take comments seriously from people that post their names with their comments. I don't however agree with Mr. McCafferty but as Kerrie said, that is his issue. This forum should never be used to voice nasty, offensive or hurtful remarks, lets all remember that we are civilized human beings and not stoop to mudslinging because some very important issues get lost in the mud!