Raccoon State Recreation Area will host a Trapper Education Course on Nov. 4-5. Members of the Indiana State Trapper’s Assoc. (ISTA) and Indiana conservation officers will provide instruction. The class runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. both days at the property office.

The course covers safety, rules and regulations, conservation ethics, trap selection, preparation and maintenance, furbearer biology, scouting for furbearer signs, trap sets for land and water and fur handling. Instruction includes demonstrations and hands-on experiences to enhance learning.

Lunch will be provided by the ISTA both days, and primitive camping is available. Participants may register at www.register-ed.com/events/view/110497

For more information, call Stu Grell of the ISTA at 765-572-2207. Raccoon State Recreation Area is located at 1588 S. Raccoon Parkway, Rockville, IN 47872.

Saw-whet owl banding at Indiana Dunes SP

Bird lovers and naturalists can see wild saw-whet owls up-close during an annual banding project and education station at Indiana Dunes State Park this fall. On Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Nov. 19, visitors will have a chance to see owls during banding sessions at the Nature Center.

Sessions begin at 7 p.m. local time this week, and at 6 p.m. after Nov. 4. Presentations are free after paying the standard gate fee. Banding sessions are weather-dependent, and visitors should call ahead to confirm banding will take place on any public night.

Sessions start with an educational component, and visitors will wait at the Nature Center as the banding staff check the nets set in the park for owls. The park provides hot cocoa and marshmallows as visitors wait to see if any owls have been caught.

The Indiana Audubon Society is sponsoring the project and providing licensed banding staff. The Indiana Dunes State Park banding station is one of the most visited owl banding stations in the country, with more than 1,500 visitors each year.

A special behind-the-scenes program will be offered on Nov. 5. Visit https://indianaaudubon.org/events to register or, for more information, call 219-926-1390. Indiana Dunes State Park is located at 1600 North 25 E. Chesterton, IN 46304.

REI grant to improve Turkey Run State Park trails

Indiana’s Turkey Run State Park’s Trail 3, which leads to Rocky Hollow-Falls Canyon Nature Preserve, is on its way to becoming more user-friendly. The coming improvements are thanks to a recent $10,000 grant to the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation (INRF) for work on the trail.

“The Foundation is excited to partner with REI because of their commitment to the protection and preservation of our natural resources,” said Jody Kress, INRF executive director. “We greatly appreciate their generosity and look forward to working with them on important projects through the DNR (Department of Natural Resources).”

The nature preserve protects hundreds of acres of old-growth upland and floodplain forest, as well as one of the highest concentrations of scenic rock-walled gorges found in Indiana. Rocky Hollow-Falls Canyon offers hikers the chance to readily experience cliff-dwelling and Northern plants and animals in abundance. Examples include the state-endangered Canada yew and the walking fern.

“Tens of thousands of visitors experience this amazing natural area annually through the park’s trail system," Kress said.

DNR and partners awarded fish habitat grant

Fish at Cecil M. Harden Lake (aka Raccoon Lake) will have more habitat thanks to a $1,500 grant from the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership and King Enterprises. The grant will pay for Mossback Fish Habitat structures simulating trees and aquatic vegetation with natural colors, textured surfaces and flexible limbs. Harden Lake currently lacks natural habitat.

The Mossback structures are very “fishable” and will last a lifetime. DNR staff will place them around the fishing pier, near the beach, this winter.

Grant recipients were the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife and two of its biggest partners in aquatic habitat development – the Indiana Bass Federation and Bass Unlimited. The grant coincides with efforts to improve habitat at Harden Lake through a new DNR Fish & Wildlife initiative called the Reservoir Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Program (RAHEP).

RAHEP volunteers and DNR staff are building additional structures during a workday on Nov. 4, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the DNR office in Raccoon State Recreation Area. Volunteers should dress for working outside and bring snacks and water, protective eyewear, gloves and cordless drills.

Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership is a national organization promoting the conservation of habitat for fish and other aquatic species in reservoirs. King Enterprises manufactures Mossback Fish Habitat structures.

Fish virus blamed for Roush Lake carp kill

The mystery behind the July carp kill at Roush Lake in Huntington County has been solved. The fish kill resulted from a virus only affecting common carp and koi, according to DNR fisheries biologists. Fish collected from the lake and sent to Purdue University tested positive for koi herpes virus (KHv).

On July 20, DNR officials received reports of dead carp in the lake. Five days later, fisheries biologist Jed Pearson collected dead carp and captured six live carp and transported them to Purdue’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab in West Lafayette.

The lab suspected KHv and sent tissue samples to the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa. On August 20, NVSL reported it recovered KHv from gill and kidney tissue.

KHv only affects common carp and koi, an ornamental carp. The disease does not infect humans, and outbreaks can occur from late spring to early fall. Young carp are most susceptible, but a major kill could include up to 90 percent of adults.

Symptoms include mucus, white patches, gill damage, lethargy, loss of equilibrium and signs of suffocation. Skin hemorrhaging may or may not be present. When terminal, a bacterial infection will have developed.

An additional stress event is necessary to cause a fish kill in infected fish. Stressors include spawning, fluctuating temperatures, low water levels, stagnant water and low oxygen levels.

To prevent the spread of KHv, anglers and boaters should clean, rinse and dry boats, fishing gear and all equipment contacting infected water. (And fishermen – don’t forget the bilge and live well.)

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.