Latest news with #WestVirginiaDivisionofNaturalResources
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Once again, people are asking if there are mountain lions in the Mountain State
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — After a few locally viral Facebook posts, people are once again questioning whether the Mountain State is home to mountain lions. Snake season: What to do if you find a snake in your yard Todd Dowdy, Wildlife Biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, said no, there are no native mountain lions remaining in West Virginia. He said, if there were, someone would have gotten more concrete proof, especially in this day and age. 'Most hunters use trail cameras at this point so there's thousands of trail cameras on the landscape here in West Virginia every fall. We have several houndsmen that pursue bears with dogs and raccoons. So, these sportsmen are gonna run into a mountain lion at some point, if there were mountain lions on the landscape,' said Dowdy. Dowdy said in the 25 years he has been with DNR no one has provided hard evidence of a mountain lion in the state. He said hard evidence would be a very good quality photo, a print or casting of a track, mountain lion scat, or the full mountain lion carcass. Dowdy said it would be hard to mistake a creature that is nearly seven feet long, tip to tail, and weighs upwards of 80 pounds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Catch a huge fish in West Virginia? You might qualify for recognition even if it's not a record
Video shows new state records for largemouth bass and blue catfish that were caught in May 2025. CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) offers Trophy Fish Citations to recognize anglers with especially impressive catches. Anglers who catch the longest or heaviest fish in state history in certain categories are recognized as state record holders, given a certificate and often honored with news coverage. If an angler misses the record but meets certain length criteria, they could also be recognized, if they fill out an application. The fish must 1. Meet the length requirement listed below, 2. Be caught legally by a licensed angler, 3. Be measured in front of a witness or photographed. Brook Trout – 15 inches Blue Catfish – 35 inches Brown Trout – 21 inches Bullhead Catfish – 16 inches Rainbow Trout – 21 inches Channel Catfish – 25 inches Golden Rainbow Trout – 21 inches Flathead Catfish – 35 inches Tiger Trout – 21 inches Crappie – 15 inches Largemouth Bass – 21 inches Sunfish – 10 inches Smallmouth Bass – 20 inches Chain Pickerel – 20 inches Spotted Bass – 14 inches Northern Pike – 32 inches Rock Bass – 10 inches Walleye – 28 inches Striped Bass – 30 inches Sauger – 17 inches Hybrid Striped Bass – 24 inches Yellow Perch – 13 inches White Bass – 15 inches Freshwater Drum – 22 inches Muskellunge – 45 inches Fallfish – 18 inches Tiger Musky – 40 inches Common Carp – 31 inches Fish for free without a license at West Virginia's Free Fishing Days The application for a Trophy Fish Citation is available online here. It must be filled out and mailed to the following address within 60 days of the catch: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources324 4th Avenue | Room 306South Charleston, WV 25303 The citations for trophy fish in West Virginia include colorful, original artwork by Joseph Tomelleri. An angler can receive one trophy citation for each species of fish per calendar year. Think you caught a fish that is a state record? A record catch must be certified by the WVDNR witness and this form must be filled out. You can see the current records online here, which includes multiple records that have already been broken in 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Coopers Rock opens expanded campground
BRUCETON MILLS, (WBOY) — The long-awaited expansion at the Coopers Rock State Forest McCollum Campground is finally complete. West Virginia State Parks announced Friday that the campground's new sites are open earlier than originally expected and are available to reserve for last-minute Memorial Day weekend getaways. The new sites double the size of the McCollum Campground, which now has a total of 50 sites. Each side is compatible for RV or tent camping and has 50-amp electric service, water hookup, a picnic table, fire ring and grill. Clarksburg Splash Zone opening delayed 'These new campsites are a great addition to one of our popular state forests and come at the perfect time for campers looking to make the most of a long holiday weekend,' Brett McMillion, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, said in the release. 'Whether you're coming for the scenic views, hiking trails, or just a peaceful night under the stars, Coopers Rock has something for everyone.' Reservations can be made online here or by calling 833-WVPARKS. The award-winning Stargazing Cabins at Coopers Rock still haven't opened but are expected to be completed this summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
West Virginia fisherman breaks state record for black crappie
STILTNER, (WBOY) — Another West Virginia fishing record has been broken! The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) announced Monday that a Lincoln County fisherman has broken the state weight record for black crappie. According to a release, Jerry Porter of Harts, caught a 3.6-pound, 17.7-inch black crappie on May 7 in East Lynn Lake in Wayne County. He used a minnow-tipped jig on a six-pound test line to make the catch, which was later confirmed by WVDNR Assistant District Fisheries Biologist Jake Whalen. Million dollar Powerball ticket sold at West Virginia casino The previous weight record was set in 2024 by Dwight Priestley at Woodrum Lake in Jackson County with a 3.15-pound crappie. That fish was 17.76 inches long and still holds the record as of Monday. Porter's catch is the third record-setting one of 2025 as of May 12, with the others including a 24.57-inch, 5.75-pound redhorse sucker and 12.44-inch, 1.60-pound redear sunfish, which were both reported in April on the same day Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Morrisey signs bill allowing West Virginia DNR to issue wildlife rehabilitation permits
Rebecca Perry Franks, director of animal care and eduction at Heritage Farm in Huntington, approached lawmakers with the idea about making wildlife rehabilitation legal in West Virginia. (Heritage Farm | Courtesy photo) A bill approved by Gov. Patrick Morrisey this week will allow the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources to issue permits to people to rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife. Morrisey signed House Bill 2836 on Monday. Rebecca Perry Franks, director of animal care and education at Heritage Farm and Museum in Huntington, helped champion the bill through the legislative session. A Huntington native, Franks said she fell in love with caring for sick and injured wildlife while interning at the Ohio Wildlife Center during college. She's certified through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council but hasn't been able to do that work since she returned to her home state. That made her start looking into how to change state law to make it legal for professionals here, she said. 'It's not something that everybody should be trying to do,' Franks said. 'It takes training and careful consideration to make sure everybody is healthy, both people and animals throughout the process, but I truly believe that it has been hugely beneficial for the native wildlife of our surrounding states, and will be for ours as well.' Under current West Virginia law, possession of wildlife outside of hunting season is illegal, said deputy DNR director Wendy Greene. The exceptions are avian centers, which are licensed by the federal government. Franks also runs a nonprofit wildlife hotline that takes questions from people who come across wild animals that are in danger or in need. Last year she fielded more than 270 calls between April and August, she said. 'It continues to be very frustrating to have to tell everybody 'hey, it's currently illegal in this state to rehabilitate wildlife. All I can tell you to do is how to help keep it comfortable in its wild environment,'' Franks said. 'Obviously that's not the answer people like to hear. They want to be able to help. And a lot of people were taking matters into their own hands, against professional advice.' The bill authorizes the DNR to establish rules for the wildlife rehabilitation permit program. While the bill is effective July 10, Greene said the DNR will have to establish rules and have them approved by the Legislature before it can accept applications. That won't happen immediately, she said. 'We won't have anything definitive in place for several months,' Greene said. '…the law is passed, but it doesn't mean folks can go out right now and grab up wildlife.' The wildlife would be required to be returned to the wild unless it's permanently impaired, the bill says. Heritage Farm currently has a nature center that educates visitors on native wildlife and domestic livestock. Once the application process is open, Franks hopes to be permitted to do wildlife rehabilitation and release as a part of her work there. 'We're an Appalachian history museum,' she said. 'We celebrate natural history and cultural history, and why not help preserve our native wildlife as a part of that mission?' The bill was sponsored by Del. Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell, who said the bill is a good way to help wildlife and, in the case of Heritage Farm, educate children who visit the Huntington attraction. 'I think we all hope that it will help injured wildlife and also increase awareness of veterinary sciences,' Rohrbach said. 'I could see a young child, perhaps visiting Heritage Farm, for instance, although it could be just as easily the [Oglebay] Good Zoo in Wheeling or other places, but seeing some of this being carried out, and then a young girl or young boy might get interested in veterinary science, go to veterinary school because of their exposure to something like this.' The DNR intends to make the requirements the same as those of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, Greene said. According to the bill, permits are prohibited for people who have been convicted of charges related to wildlife, animal cruelty or animal welfare. A fiscal note says the new program will cost the DNR about $92,000 per year. The division plans to assign a wildlife biologist and a secretary to work the program during half their time. The money for the program will be reallocated from other parts of the agency, the fiscal note says. Greene said the number is purely an estimate. 'We have no idea how many people want to apply, how many people will be qualified,' she said. 'We anticipate part of the application process being our biologist will go out to inspect facilities. So we were just guessing at how many we would have to process and inspect. It could be lower, it could be higher.' Greene said the new law puts West Virginia in line with other Appalachian states that allow wildlife rehabilitation. 'We were the only state in Appalachia that didn't have a rehabilitation program for wildlife,' Greene said. 'I think that, as an agency, we will be focused on rule development. We'll be focused on making sure we're still able to effectively control disease management. That would be one of our bigger concerns.' Specifically, the DNR is concerned about chronic wasting disease, a fatal contagious disease in deer. She said the statute will allow the agency the authority needed to control the disease. 'I don't know what that's going to look like exactly,' she said. 'My biologists — and I'm not a biologist, so I'm not going to speak for them — but they are currently working and looking at what we would need to do, whether that's to control movement of different wildlife from different locations, or education. We'll just have to see where we go with that.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
