Wingfoot Lake State Park is finally opening next Friday, said John Hunter, acting chief of the Ohio Division of Parks and Recreation. Reservations are being accepted for the six shelter houses at Ohio's 74th state park.
Wingfoot Lake State Park is finally opening next Friday, said John Hunter, acting chief of the Ohio Division of Parks and Recreation. Reservations are being accepted for the six picnic shelter houses at Ohio's 74th state park.
Wingfoot Park is at 993 Goodyear Park Blvd., off Waterloo Rd., near Suffield in Portage County.
There has been a great deal of interest by anglers wanting to fish the 444-acre lake. Shore fishing is limited. Boat anglers are restricted to 10-horsepower outboard motors. Largemouth bass will be in the spotlight, as well as walleye, crappie, bluegill and catfish. Small boats, pontoon boats and paddle craft will be rented.
Purchased in 2009 from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for $3.2 million, dignitaries will gather to dedicate the new state park on Thursday evening. The park has paved parking and a launch ramp, walking paths, playgrounds, mini golf and disc golf courses, tennis and basketball courts, baseball diamonds and sand volleyball courts.
A state wildlife area with fishing and hunting is adjacent to the new state park.
Cast a fly in Ireland: Stellar fly fishermen John Protasiewicz and Evan Maynard will fly the banner of Case Western Reserve University when they head to County Mayo, Ireland this week for the inaugural Lough Corrib World Varsities Trout Fly Fishing Competition on Aug. 28-29. Protasiewicz is a professor of chemistry at CWRU. Maynard is a second-year student from California majoring in aerospace engineering.
"The only other U.S. team invited was from the University of Montana," said Professor John Orlock, who leaves for Ireland today to scout Lough Corrib, one of the finest wild trout fisheries in Ireland. Orlock will also cast a fly before the competition begins, and chronicle the event on video.
The deans at CWRU have been very supportive, and Blair Cameron of the local Orvis store is subsidizing Maynard's expenses, including competition fees, lodging and food, said Orlock, who teaches a flying fishing class at CWRU.
"It's an opportunity for the Case campus to see itself in a different light as an urban university that still has a serious connection with the out of doors on a scholarly and a physical level," said Orlock.
The competition is hosted by the Limerick Institute of Technology, called the MIT of the British Isles.
"I asked organizer Dr. David Sutton how he came up with the idea," said Orlock. "He told me he'd been spending too much time alone in the boat. Seriously, Sutton thought it would be a great opportunity for universities around the world to share and network."
Acting chiefs in vogue: It's going to be an interesting few months for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The agency seems to be tap dancing in place heading into the November gubernatorial elections, with ODNR Director Sean Logan yet to confirm new chiefs in the divisions of parks, wildlife and natural areas and preserves.
The Division of Wildlife is in total flux, with Chief David Graham and four other top officials on administrative leave. It is the result of a never-ending investigation concerning Brown County wildlife officer Allan Wright, who admitted selling a resident hunting license in 2006 to a visiting South Carolina wildlife officer. Acting wildlife chief Jim Marshall had planned to retire last spring from his post as assistant chief, but was asked to put his departure on hold.
Tony Celebrezze is acting chief of the Department of Natural Areas and Preserves, a cash-strapped division the ODNR wants the Division of Wildlife to absorb. John Hunter assumed the title of acting chief of the Division of Parks and Recreation 10 months ago.
Look for changes, no matter who wins the governor's race in November.
Expensive court case: The Brown County court case that began in early April has become expensive as Brown County prosecutor Jessica Little wrangles with defense attorneys. The five top executives of the Ohio Division of Wildlife on paid administrative leave in the case make an annual total of about $460,000. Assistant Chief Miller ($99,341) and Chief Graham ($98,155) lead the way, followed by law enforcement chief Jim Lehman ($90,043), head of human resources Michele Ward-Tackett ($89,710) and district supervisor Todd Haines ($81,910). The wildlife division is paying almost $9,000 a week to keep them on the sidelines.
Miller new supervisor: Law enforcement head of the northeast Ohio district office of the ODOW since 2001, Doug Miller was named district manager on Wednesday. He replaces Jeff Herrick, who retired earlier this year. Miller joined the wildlife agency in 1993.
Poachers pay again: Ohio's wildlife agency has a nifty new way to increase funding. A restitution law has paid off in a big way in the last year. Poachers are required to pay the ODOW for the value of an illegally-killed trophy deer according to the score of the deer's antlers using Boone & Crockett Club standards.
Tyler Nye, 22, and Derek Depinet, 20, of Republic, Ohio were the latest. pleading guilty to illegally killing deer after dark with a .22-250 rifle in 2009. Nye had to pay $4,625 in restitution for a trophy buck, as well as $1,656 in fines in Tiffin Municipal Court in July. Nye's Ohio hunting privileges were revoked for life. Depinet was fined $1,513, with a two-year revocation of hunting rights.