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Outdoor Oklahoma magazine calling for photos (February 21, 2013)
Outdoor Oklahoma magazine is calling on the people who experience the state's wildlife and outdoor heritage firsthand to send in their best digital photos showcasing the state's wildlife, landscapes, scenic and other outdoor imagery.
The annual "Readers' Photography Showcase" is featured in the July/Aug issue of the official magazine of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Submissions are being accepted through March 31. Participants whose photos are selected will have their photos published in the magazine and will also see their work posted throughout the year on the Department's Facebook page at facebook.com/wildlifedepartment and on its Twitter feed, @OKWildlifeDept.
"This is a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to see their photography on display in a magazine produced by and for people that love the outdoors," said Michael Bergin, information and education specialist for the Wildlife Department and associate editor of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine. "This is always a very cool issue of Outdoor Oklahoma filled with great outdoor photos of landscapes, wildlife, sportsmen in action and even cool sunsets, storms or other snapshots of nature."
Each participant may submit up to five original digital images. Each submission must include a description of the photo, location taken, name and hometown of the photographer and what it took for the photographer to get the right shot.
Photos should be in sharp focus, and images should be at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). The canvas size should be about 8 inches by 11 inches.
All submissions must be digital. Slides and print images will not be accepted. Though images will remain the property of the photographer, actual submissions that are emailed or mailed on disc or other storage device will not be returned. Selected photos may be printed in Outdoor Oklahoma magazine or posted on the Wildlife Department's website or Facebook page.
Photographers can email their entries to firstname.lastname@example.com or mail a CD or other external storage device to: Outdoor Oklahoma magazine, Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City OK 73152.
Individuals can subscribe to Outdoor Oklahoma by calling 1 (800) 777-0019. Outdoor Oklahoma is known for providing decades of outdoor entertainment to both youth and adults. Subscriptions are just $10 for one year, $18 for two years, or $25 for three years. Subscriptions also may be purchased by logging on to the Department's website at wildlifedepartment.com. Hunters who purchase a new Oklahoma Wildlife Management Area Atlas, available from the Wildlife Department for $25, also receive a one-year subscription to Outdoor Oklahoma magazine.
Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake just around the corner (February 16, 2013)
The best competitive bass anglers in the world will convene on Grand Lake of the Cherokees near Tulsa Feb. 22-24 to compete for $500,000 and the title of Bassmaster Classic champion.
The event is the Bassmaster Classic, and it is equivalent to the Super Bowl or the World Series of bass fishing. It is expected to draw 70,000 visitors and account for more than 20,000 hotel nights in the region. Even more important, the Classic should pump something to the tune of $24 million dollars into the economy of Tulsa, Grove and other communities around Grand Lake.
In addition to the prize money and the most coveted title in competitive bass fishing, the winner of the Classic can expect a range of inevitable sponsorships.
"It really is the top prize in professional bass fishing," said Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department. "It's easily the biggest fishing event that will ever come to Oklahoma."
Fans are invited to help kick off Classic competition at 7 a.m. Feb. 22 at Wolf Creek Park on Grand Lake. All 53 qualifiers will launch there on the first two days. The Feb. 24 finale will feature the Top 25 anglers, who will compete for the $500,000 first-place prize and the Classic crown. Daily weigh-ins will be at the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa, which will be filled with 15,000-18,000 spectators at each of the three events. Doors will open at 3 p.m.; the entire event is free.
Additionally, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick's Sporting Goods will take place at the Tulsa Convention Center from noon to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The Expo will feature a range of shopping and entertainment activities to visitors.
With over 15 hours of national media attention on ESPN and ESPN2, the Classic will be an enormous asset to the local economies and to the promotion of fishing in Oklahoma, according to officials with the Wildlife Department.
While expressing the magnitude of the event, Gilliland also noted that the Classic represents a tremendous opportunity for developing the region further for recreational use by anglers and boaters.
"The Bassmaster Classic is going to be a starting point for a lot of things that will be happening in the Grand Lake area and 'Green Country' in general," Gilliland said. "As big as Grand Lake is and as popular as it is, it doesn't really have big-time boat launching facilities. The City of Grove has stepped up and is cooperating with us and some other partners to try to make that possible, not only for the Bassmaster Classic, but for the future."
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will be involved in the event by helping with the live release of fish back into Grand Lake following each weigh-in, through booth participation at the event expo, as well as through an extensive project to help the host community of Grove to develop world class fishing, boating and tournament facilities on the lake.
Wolf Creek Park in Grove has been renovated to provide six boat ramp lanes, parking for up to 300, restrooms, pavilions, a drive-through weigh-in station, courtesy docks and more. The two-phase project will result in a multi-million dollar, first-class facility for the public to use.
"This facility being built at Grand Lake is not just for the big level tournaments," Gilliland said. "But the City of Grove is trying to make something that the local fishermen can use so that they have some nicer facilities to be able to do some of their weigh-ins."
Over the course of the two-phase project, the Wildlife Department will contribute about $3 million, which will be combined with several million dollars provided by the City of Grove, Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Grand River Dam Authority - which operates the lake. The second phase of the project could include other partners as well.
"It's a big deal," Gilliland said. "I'm hoping that the folks at Lake Eufaula and at Lake Texoma and Ft. Gibson and some of our other major reservoirs get really jealous about seeing all this, because we'd like to do this same kind of project at those lakes and put in some really first-class facilities at other places around the state."
A recent episode of the Wildlife Department's Outdoor Oklahoma TV show featuring the upcoming Bassmaster Classic can be viewed on the Outdoor Oklahoma Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/outdooroklahoma.
Lumberjacks, Hot Saws, Leaping Dogs and More - Much More - at
the Bassmaster Classic (February 13, 2013)
From the news editors at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation - The Bassmaster Classic is slated for Feb. 22-24 and will feature the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo in Tulsa. Make sure you come by the Wildlife Department's booth at the event. Show us your fishing license to receive a free, newly-updated "Lakes of Oklahoma" water atlas. More information is available below in this news release courtesy of B.A.S.S.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Bassmaster Classic fans can always expect a world-class fishing competition. But lumberjacks and Labrador retrievers?
Count on it - and much, much more.
With less than a month to go until the Feb. 22-24 Bassmaster Classic presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, B.A.S.S. LLC and its many partners have been building on the list of free bonus entertainment for fans lucky enough to be in Tulsa, Okla., to watch the world championship.
One of the newest additions is the Outdoor Games Zone. Its anchor is a 30,000-gallon swimming pool - for dogs, that is. The pool is for the Super Retriever Series (SRS) Eukanuba Super Dock event, a dog-jumping competition that Classic fans can watch and follow over the same three days of angler competition. Not all the dogs will be Labradors, but all can jump, and spectacularly so.
Just for Classic fans, the SRS event organizer, Dancin' Dog Productions of Little Rock, Ark., is adding an audience participation segment. Fans selected from the audience will be given the opportunity to get up on the Zone stage and experience a little something of what it takes to get a dog to jump as far as it can over - and into - water.
Other fun segments are planned, such as Ducks and Dogs and Casting with Pro Fishermen. Pool activities will change frequently.
Also in the Zone will be the Daisy Inflatable Shooting Education Range. Trained volunteers from the National Wild Turkey Federation will be on hand to show kids ages 10 and up how to safely handle and fire BBs from a Daisy airgun. The Daisy range is a fully enclosed tunnel, and an adult volunteer will stay with each child. Kids will receive their paper targets to take home.
The Zone will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23; and 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.
The Outdoor Games Zone will be just one section of the 150,000-square-foot, 180-exhibitor Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick's Sporting Goods in the Tulsa Convention Center. The free-admission Expo will be open noon to 8 p.m.Friday, Feb. 22; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24. The Tulsa Convention Center is in downtown Tulsa (100 Civic Center, Tulsa, OK 74103).
Just across the street, the air will be abuzz inside the BOK Center, the venue for the daily weigh-in shows. At least part of the high energy on Saturday and Sunday will be provided by the Timberworks Lumberjack Show powered by STIHL. Experts will show off their timber skills in events like Hot Saw, Speed Carving and Axe Throw, just to name three. The show will be presented Feb. 23 and 24 as part of the free pre-weigh-in entertainment. BOK Center doors will open at 3 p.m. each day.
Returning in 2013 is the collegiate braggin' rights event that's been a hit at several past Classic weigh-in shows. Anglers from the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series will compete Sunday, Feb. 24, to take home the good-for-one-year boast of being "College Classic champ." Last year's winner, Arkansas, will defend its title against Oklahoma University and Oklahoma State University. Each school will field three two-student teams. The highest combined weight will win the trophy for the team.
There are two more important Classic items - quieter, perhaps, but with big impacts. One stems from a Classic partnership with Folds of Honor, a not-for-profit organization with the mission to give something back to the families of soldiers who were killed or disabled. Donations will be accepted at the BOK Center, and Fold of Honor also will have a booth at the Expo. The second activity will be collections of non-perishable food items by the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. The food bank partners with multiple local organizations to distribute the food.
Fans, of course, are invited to help kick off Classic competition at 7 a.m. Feb. 22 at Wolf Creek Park on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees. All 53 qualifiers will launch there on the first two days. The Feb. 24 finale will feature the Top 25 anglers, who will compete for the $500,000 first-place prize and the Classic crown. Daily weigh-ins will be at the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. Doors will open at 3 p.m.; the entire event is free.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications - Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times - comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.
Click here to see our youtube
video about the Bassmaster Classic!
Fast Facts:
Daily Launches and competition: Grand Lake O' the Cherokees; 7 a.m. launch at Wolf Creek Park, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 22-24.
Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick's Sporting Goods: Tulsa Convention Center; noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.
Super Retriever Series (SRS) Eukanuba Super Dock: Friday-Sunday at the Tulsa Convention Center; Outdoor Games Zone. Begins at noon Friday, Feb. 22, and at 10 a.m., Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-24.
Daisy Inflatable Shooting Education Range: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 22-24, at the Tulsa Convention Center; Outdoor Games Zone.
Timberworks Lumberjack Show powered by STIHL: Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 23-24, at the BOK Center; doors open at 3 p.m.
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series exhibition event: Sunday, Feb. 24, at the BOK Center; doors open at 3 p.m.
Folds of Honor: BOK Center and Tulsa Convention Center; all day, Feb. 22-24. This not-for-profit organizations, which aims to give back to the families of soldiers killed or disabled, will have a booth at the EXPO.
Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma Donations Site: Tulsa Convention Center; all day, Feb. 22-24.
Weigh-in shows: BOK Center; Friday-Sunday, Feb. 22-24; doors open at 3 p.m.
(February 13, 2013)
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is proposing to replace a bridge on State Highway 99 (SH-99) within the Hula Wildlife Management Area (HWMA). The truss bridge is over Pond Creek located 5.1 miles north of the SH-10 junction in Osage County. Right-of-way within the HWMA will be required in order to reconstruct this bridge. Due to the proposed transportation use of property located with the HWMA, Section 4(f) regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 apply to the project. Section 4(f) affords protection to publicly-owned recreation areas (resources) including city, state, and national parks, wildlife refuges and management areas and historic sites.
ODOT has coordinated with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) and United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with regard to avoidance and minimization of impacts of this project on the HWMA and the ODWC and USACE are supportive of these measures. This will be accomplished in part by constructing the new bridge on a slightly offset alignment to the west, one-half at a time to minimize impacts and right-of-way. The existing SH-99 roadway will be utilized to maintain existing traffic during construction. This allows for minimal use of property located within the WWMA and accommodates local traffic. ODOT is proposing to obtain approximately 4.42 acres of the 21,505 acre Hulah WMA, which constitutes less than 0.020 percent of the wildlife management area. The use of appropriate best management practices (including storm water, erosion and dust control, and chemical/fuel handling) will be conscientiously implemented.
Based on the avoidance and minimization of impacts to the HWMA as described above, the ODOT, in coordination with FHWA, are proposing a de minimis impact finding with regard to Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act (1966). ODOT welcomes your comments on the effects of this project on the projected activities, features, and attributes of the HWMA (the Section 4(f) resource). Please mail or e-mail any comments you have by March 18, 2013 to:
Mrs. Jennifer Koscelny
Able Consulting
9225 North 133rd East Avenue
Owasso, Oklahoma 74055
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is proposing to replace a bridge on State Highway 99 (SH-99) within the Hula Wildlife Management Area (HWMA). The truss bridge is over the Caney River located 7.5 miles north of the SH-10 junction in Osage County. Right-of-way within the HWMA will be required in order to reconstruct this bridge. Due to the proposed transportation use of property located with the HWMA, Section 4(f) regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 apply to the project. Section 4(f) affords protection to publicly-owned recreation areas (resources) including city, state, and national parks, wildlife refuges and management areas and historic sites.
ODOT has coordinated with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) and United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with regard to avoidance and minimization of impacts of this project on the HWMA and the ODWC and USACE are supportive of these measures. This will be accomplished in part by constructing the new bridge on a slightly offset alignment to the west, one-half at a time to minimize impacts and right-of-way. The existing SH-99 roadway will be utilized to maintain existing traffic during construction. This allows for minimal use of property located within the WWMA and accommodates local traffic. ODOT is proposing to obtain approximately 6.55 acres of the 21,505 acre Hulah WMA, which constitutes less than 0.030 percent of the wildlife management area. The use of appropriate best management practices (including storm water, erosion and dust control, and chemical/fuel handling) will be conscientiously implemented.
Based on the avoidance and minimization of impacts to the HWMA as described above, the ODOT, in coordination with FHWA, are proposing a de minimis impact finding with regard to Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act (1966). ODOT welcomes your comments on the effects of this project on the projected activities, features, and attributes of the HWMA (the Section 4(f) resource). Please mail or e-mail any comments you have by March 18, 2013 to:
Mrs. Jennifer Koscelny
Able Consulting
9225 North 133rd East Avenue
Owasso, Oklahoma 74055
Wildlife Commission approves new rules while withdrawing, rejecting and amending others (February 8, 2013)
The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
Commission met Feb. 5 and voted to approve a slate of hunting
and fishing related rule changes to go into effect this year.
Some of the Commission's most notable actions at its meeting
included unanimously withdrawing a proposal to change the
structure of the antlered deer harvest limit, rejecting a
proposal to lower the age limit on youth deer and turkey season
participation, creating a new fall turkey hunting opportunity
for youth and amending a proposal to change rules regarding the
transportation of bait.
The actions taken by the Commission come after a wave of feedback received during a public comment period held by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation from Dec. 3 to Jan. 11. The Wildlife Department received thousands of comments on the list of law change proposals up for consideration this year. Officials confirmed that input from the public always plays an important role in the decision-making process, but this year sportsmen were especially vocal on certain issues.
"People in Oklahoma take their hunting and fishing very seriously," said Alan Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "And they're passionate, and we heard them."
Every year, feedback collected during the official public comment period plays an important role in the process. This year, one proposal was withdrawn that, had it been approved, would have restricted hunters' annual antlered deer limit to one buck during muzzleloader and gun seasons combined. With no changes made to the current rules, hunters will continue to be allowed two bucks as part of their combined season limit that spans archery, muzzleloader and gun seasons.
By rejecting the proposal to lower the current age requirements for youth deer and turkey seasons, youth seasons will remain open to those under 18 years of age. Additionally, youth will now be able to harvest a turkey during the youth deer gun season if hunting in a county that is open to rifle hunting during the fall turkey gun season. Turkeys harvested during this season are not "bonus" turkeys and do count toward the youth hunters' fall turkey season harvest limit.
Another proposal that would have prohibited the transport of live bait from any body of water was amended to specify no transport of bait only from reservoirs known to have silver and bighead carp. These non-native, invasive fish can be difficult to distinguish from shad when castnetting for bait, and they can outcompete native species for resources and wreak havoc on fisheries when established in a body of water. The revised language will allow the Wildlife Department to modify and update the list of applicable lakes each year in the Oklahoma Fishing Guide. The rule only applies to "waters of the state" and does not include private waters and farm ponds.
"In so doing, we can make it possible for anglers to transport bait from lakes where there currently aren't any known infestations of bighead or silver carp, but if we discover any then we can update the list of lakes from which transporting bait is prohibited," said Barry Bolton, chief of fisheries for the Wildlife Department.
Bolton said nearly 400 comments were received on the bait transportation proposal alone during the public comment period, and that the amendment was made after "careful consideration of all the comments and biological considerations."
While complete details will be available in the next Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Guides, a listing of the changes approved by the Commission at its February meeting will be made available online at wildlifedepartment.com.
In other business, the Commission heard a presentation on the Wildlife Department's new scholastic shooting sports program, which is being added to a suite of other outdoor education programs currently offered to schools by the Department. Through the program, educators and instructors at certain schools and FFA organizations will be trained and certified by the Wildlife Department's Shotgun Training and Education Program (STEP) to implement the program in their schools. Students who receive the training will have the opportunity to learn safe gun handling as well as recreational and competitive shotgun shooting.
The shooting sports program will initially be piloted in 20 pre-selected schools that already participate in either FFA shooting sports or the Department's outdoor education suite, which includes the Archery in the Schools, Hunter Education, Explore Bowhunting and Fishing in the Schools programs.
Participating schools will receive a grant to help purchase equipment for the program, thanks to a partnership with the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International, which donated $20,000 to kick off the pilot program.
"Through this program we are hoping to build camaraderie like students would in any other school sport, as well as build outdoor skills and foster appreciation for the outdoors in our youth," said Damon Springer, STEP coordinator for the Wildlife Department.
According to Springer, another goal of the program will be continuing to provide support for the FFA sporting clays program.
Early surveys of educators involved in the Department's outdoor education programs indicate interest in the scholastic shooting sports program is high among schools, and the Department plans to expand the program after the pilot year.
The Department's other education programs have enjoyed significant growth and expansion into schools in recent years, such as the Archery in the Schools Program which has grown over a 10-year period from its original 10 pilot schools to about 400 schools across the state that participate today. The Hunter Education program, which has educated tens of thousands of sportsmen over the years and is credited for a reduction in hunting-related accidents in recent decades, has been and continues to be used widely as in-class curriculum in Oklahoma schools, and the Explore Bowhunting program builds on the Archery in the Schools program by focusing on the hunting aspect of the sport of archery. Also, the Fishing in the Schools program implements the Wildlife Department Aquatic Resource Education program to teach students in schools about fishing for recreation and conservation.
To learn more about how educators and schools can become involved with the Wildlife Department's outdoor education suite, contact Colin Berg, education supervisor for the Wildlife Department, at (918) 299-2334.
The Commission also heard a presentation from Richard Hatcher, director of the Wildlife Department, recognizing Lt. Frank Huebert, game warden supervisor stationed in Major Co., for 35 years of service to the Wildlife Department, and Charmion Rose, payroll and benefits specialist for the Department, for 20 years of service.
The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.
The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. March 4, at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), located at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
now open for two ODWC owned Ag Leases (February 6, 2013)
The Commission of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) invites interested parties to submit sealed bids for two agricultural leases in the state for use by summer and fall crops. The first lease of interest is the Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area, Watts Unit for a 5 year lease. This property is lease # W1, details for the Lower Illinois River lease can be found here (PDF). The second lease includes land in the McClellan-Kerr Wildlife Management Area for a five crop year period. McClellan is lease # MK11, details on this property can be found here (PDF). Bids open February 5, 2013 and 2:00 p.m.
Assurances offered to landowners in case lesser prairie chicken gets listed as federally threatened or endangered (February 5, 2013)
In November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a "threatened" listing for the lesser prairie chicken, an upland bird native to western and northwest Oklahoma. If the proposal advances to a final listing, then additional federal regulations and oversight can apply to landowners in the bird's native range that may affect what happens on their property or how it may be used.
A federal ruling is expected by the end of September 2013, and landowners in certain western and northwest Oklahoma counties may be eligible for free participation in an agreement that will protect what they can do on their land if the bird is listed. The newly created agreement is called the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances Program (CCAA). Landowners with approved management plans in place with the CCAA before a final listing decision is made will have the guarantee of assurances against certain liabilities and federal restrictions in the event that the lesser prairie chicken is listed as a threatened or endangered species. The CCAA permit is issued to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Department will include participating landowners under the permit.
"This is a significant step toward securing not only long-lasting conservation efforts for the species, but it also provides an avenue for certainty for landowers should the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirm its proposed listing of 'threatened,'" said Gary Sherrer, Oklahoma secretary of the environment.
Enrolled landowners and Wildlife Department biologists will collaborate on a wildlife management plan specific to the property enrolled, which may include efforts such as red cedar removal, fence marking and grazing management, among others. In return, landowners who enroll and participate receive the assurances offered by the permit. The CCAA is designed to conserve lesser prairie chickens and their habitat while minimizing impacts that a federal listing would have on landowners in the eligible region.
"The CCAA is like insurance for landowners in case the lesser prairie chicken is listed," said Wade Free, assistant director of the Wildlife Department. "It provides assurances that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not be able to add additional requirements to landowners."
The CCAA is a voluntary program, and participation is not dependent on the presence or absence of lesser prairie chickens on the enrolled property. Through the program, landowners agree to perform certain habitat work to benefit lesser prairie chickens in exchange for the assurances provided under the Certificate of Inclusion.
"The Agricultural Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) reached between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is a solid step toward appropriately managing the lesser prairie chicken on a state and local level in Oklahoma," said U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). "This key agreement allows landowners in 14 western Oklahoma counties the opportunity to voluntarily work with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to take steps to conserve the lesser prairie chicken and its habitat on their property in exchange for assurances against land use restrictions. As Oklahoma's state agencies, job creators, and land owners continue to work to address the lesser prairie chicken, I will continue to work with them to protect our jobs and hold sacred our private property rights. It is my hope that these and other actions taken by private landowners and the state will be sufficient to prevent a listing of the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act."
Landowners in the following counties are eligible: Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Cimarron, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Major, Roger Mills, Texas, Washita, Woods and Woodward.
The Wildlife Department does not issue incentive payments to landowners for participation in the program. Participation is free for landowners, and landowners may opt out at any time.
Officials with the Wildlife Department say conservation measures accomplished through the program could even help convince the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that a final listing is not warranted.
For more information or to enroll, contact one of the following Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation personnel: Doug Schoeling, (405) 301-9945; Alva Gregory, (580) 334-4459; or Matt Fullerton, (580) 571-5820.
For more information, or to see a copy of the Agricultural CCAA or a sample management plan, log on to wildlifedepartment.com.
Airborne surveys confirm state's waterfowl woes (February 4, 2013)
With another season of duck hunting now in the books, many of the state's waterfowl hunters have reported a season of overall fewer ducks and geese, and limited to mixed hunting success.
Pre-season surveys in the northern United States and Canada indicated last spring's duck population was at an all-time high of 48.6 million birds. But the number of ducks and geese in Oklahoma during the first week of January appeared to be lower compared to the same period in 2012, said state Wildlife Department personnel who participated in the annual Mid-Winter Waterfowl Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, the reason for the lackluster season was not necessarily due to the overall bird population.
"This year, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma seem to be in the worst shape, as far as habitat for waterfowl," said Terry Liddick of Spearfish, S.D., a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pilot-biologist who flew a survey aircraft this winter in Oklahoma.
The situation that hunters have faced this year was similar to or worse than what they experienced in the 2011-12 season, said Josh Richardson, migratory game bird biologist with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "It's unfortunate our local conditions the past two years have made for average to below-average hunting seasons in Oklahoma," he said.
Read almost any edition of ODWC's biweekly Waterfowl Report this season, and the most prevalent words have been "poor," "low" and "below normal."
Again this year, the Department partnered with the federal agency to conduct the waterfowl survey in Oklahoma. Richardson and Jeff Neal, a migratory game bird technician with ODWC, spend about 50 hours in two small aircraft as observers from Jan. 7 to Jan. 14, flying low and slow across the state to count waterfowl and other migratory birds.
Richardson, who surveyed western areas of Oklahoma, said he counted fewer ducks and geese this year than he has in recent years. His preliminary numbers this year are about 40 percent less than his survey results from last year.
Richardson said what he saw on his survey flights was "pretty discouraging," with poor habitat conditions across western Oklahoma. He said when food and water are not plentiful, the area will not hold waterfowl for very long. He speculates the ongoing drought along with milder weather conditions have conspired to keep many migratory birds from stopping over in, or even reaching, Oklahoma.
Neal surveyed eastern areas of the state, and his observations were mixed. Overall, though, Neal said waterfowl numbers seemed to be below average. A few areas he surveyed were holding a near-average number of ducks, where the habitat conditions were close to normal. But many reservoir areas were in poor shape, with great expanses of bare ground due to lack of water.
During last year's mid-winter aerial survey, Wildlife Department surveyors both in aircraft and on the ground counted 293,175 ducks; 364,106 geese; 1,532 coots; 6,680 sandhill cranes; and five swans in the state during the first week in January. And while the total numbers from the latest survey are not yet available, it's a safe bet that fewer ducks and geese were counted this year.
Oklahoma's Department of Wildlife Conservation has teamed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in surveying waterfowl populations for decades. The mid-winter aerial waterfowl count conducted in January each year is one of the oldest wildlife surveys, dating to the 1930s.
For the survey, teams of pilot-biologists and observers employ aircraft to crisscross North America at tree-top level, counting the number of ducks, geese and swans, and assessing the quality and quantity of wetlands and breeding areas, while ground crews cover additional areas. The survey flights are conducted within a one-week period, weather permitting, across the U.S. so as to minimize any double-counting of migrating birds.
These surveys are a model of partnership-driven conservation. Analysis of the survey data helps determine the status of North America's waterfowl populations and plays a significant role in formulating annual waterfowl hunting regulations for the season to come. Surveys such as these are vital tools that guide decisions of waterfowl managers throughout North America.
Arbuckles' remarkable bass point to management successes (February 1, 2013)
SULPHUR, Okla. - Recent remarkable catches at Lake of the Arbuckles have made a big splash in the local bass fishing community. On successive weekends in January, the winners of separate bass tournaments managed to haul in five-fish stringers totaling more than 40 pounds each.
That means each of the five largemouth bass on these two stringers weighed on average more than 8 pounds apiece!
The lunkers validate the fisheries management activities conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation over the previous decade at Lake of the Arbuckles.
"The ingredients that you need to produce trophy bass are present in Arbuckle right now," said Gene Gilliland, assistant chief of fisheries with the Wildlife Department. "I really like seeing how Arbuckle has become quite a success story from a fisheries management perspective."
During the Jan. 19 season-opening tournament held by Backyard Bassin' Tournament Trail, anglers Jeff Reynolds and Johnny Thompson scored a big win with a stringer weighing 42.04 pounds. But they failed to win biggest-bass honors that day; that title went to a fish weighing 10.7 pounds that was brought in by the team of Marc Barber and Gary Rowland.
A week later on Jan. 26, Marco Vaca and Doyle Idleman won Future Bass Team Trail's season opener. Their five-bass limit weighed in at 41.92 pounds. Again, the winning team did not catch the biggest bass of the day. Second-place team Reynolds and Thompson weighed in a 10.65-pound lunker for the prize.
Gilliland said Arbuckles' big bass illustrate how proactive fisheries management can yield great results over time.
"Historically, Arbuckle has not been a great bass fishery. It was dominated by large numbers of small, slow-growing bass," he said. "In the early 1990s, the Wildlife Department backed off on stocking Florida strain largemouth in Arbuckle because there was a period when the Department didn't have enough production from the hatchery to stock Florida bass in very many lakes in the state."
About a decade ago, as the hatcheries' Florida strain largemouth production increased, the Wildlife Department resumed stocking them in Arbuckle and other Oklahoma lakes to enhance the trophy possibilities.
"Those fish have obviously matured," Gilliland said. "The fish that we stocked, or the offspring of those stocked fish, are now turning into these trophy bass that are being caught on a pretty regular basis for about the past three years."
He said Lake of the Arbuckles has grown big bass because of the favorable conditions found there. "You have good genetics from the stocking program, good habitat, and good forage. Arbuckle has a very good survival rate of young bass, and it's also a lake where fish can live deep most of the year, avoiding encounters with anglers and growing older and bigger.
"Catching those bigger fish gets pretty tough later in the year, so the bass have a chance to grow up. I don't think that many people realize how long it takes to produce an 8- to 10-pounder," he said.
Gilliland cited another factor that might be contributing to angler success at Arbuckle.
"The fishing pressure has increased dramatically over the past few years. On an 'angler per acre' level, Arbuckle gets hammered," he said. "There may be just as many big bass in other lakes where we have stocked Florida bass on a regular basis, like Sardis or Broken Bow, but those fisheries are much bigger," which means the fishing pressure is spread across a larger area.
"When you have more anglers on a 2,300-acre fishery that is very accessible, the chances of someone catching a big fish generally go up," Gilliland said.
Oklahoma's bass fishing will be in the national spotlight in late February as the world's greatest anglers gather at Grand Lake northeast of Tulsa for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic tournament, widely considered the Super Bowl of professional bass fishing. The event is expected to lure as many as 70,000 people to the region, with a potential boost of about $24 million to the region's economy.
"It's easily the biggest fishing event that will ever come to Oklahoma," Gilliland said.


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Three planets provide a stunning variety of viewing options this spring. Do you like tracking atmospheric features? Jupiter offers plenty of opportunities in early evening. Do you prefer seeing planetary surfaces? Mars, now just one month past its best, continues an eye-catching show nearly all night. Or perhaps gorgeous ring systems excite you most? Then don't miss Saturn, which reaches opposition and peak visibility in May, with its rings open wider than at any time since 2005. Add Mercury glowing bright in evening twilight and Venus dominating before dawn, and May's smorgasbord rivals any this year.
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216-unit apartment complex planned on Lake Worth Road
City commissioners approved an amended development plan Tuesday for the Village at Lake Worth — a 216-unit apartment complex planned for the northwest corner of Lake Worth and Boutwell roads.
Commissioners also rescinded a 2005 annexation agreement with the former owner of the 7.6-acre site, Lake Worth Corners.
A public hearing and final vote on the amended development plan for the apartment complex is scheduled for June 18.
Miami-based Affordable Housing Solutions LLC hopes to begin construction in July and complete the apartments next summer. The Village at Lake Worth complex is expected to feature one-, two- and three-bedroom units.


text: Giant machines Posted by Dr Ben Still on October 23, 2012 • Comments (0) In the past I have worked with designers and illustrators and was struck by how different the two professions were, talking as a naive scientist, but both were adamant they were not artists. So what would an artist be like? As soon as I met Lyndall I knew it would be fun working with her. We immediately started chatting, about what I thought was the most visually impacting area of my research - the detectors. Giant machines designed to image the smallest things in Nature. I knew that Super-Kamiokande would wow, as it does everyone who sees it. Lyndall had a real hunger for understanding every aspect of not only Super-K but all other detector technologies - this was my first homework. Ben


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Rob, I split this post off of the AM worlds post.
Kind of surprise there isn't more discussion / sign ups for this.I'm really looking forward to it.
I'm in. Carpool?
In the Monkey Island open all the greens are ob islands, correct? is worlds gonna have islands
As a side note, I talked to Jeremy a while back, and he informed that by the time Worlds hits, the tee pads will be bigger at Peter Pan. Getting an "overhaul", if you will.
The other island hole that has been used is an old elevated ampitheater stage.


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We say Burton, you hear, think, and crave snowboarding. There is no bigger brand in the world of single-planked snow sports, and for good reason. Burton is known for producing the highest quality gear by pushing the limits with new technology and innovation, year in and year out. They not only make riders smile with a line of boards that contains 60+ new models each year, but Burton also owns a number of sub-brands that cover you from head to toe in everything shredtastic you could possibly imagine. But it hasn't always been that way.
It was way back in the '70s that Jake Burton Carpenter was inspired by the original snowboard, the snurfer, and began modifying and improving upon it. The year 1977 rolled around and Jake moved to Londonderry, Vermont where he founded Burton Snowboards. Original designs used bindings resembling those on water skis, had a leash tied to the nose with a handle the rider used to steer, and Jake applied the polyurethane in his garage, wearing a scuba mask. Obviously, it has been a long journey to the top of the podium.
Next time you are riding the chair up for another run, don't forget to thank Jake. It was his initial campaigning that first persuaded resorts to begin opening their lifts to snowboarders.
One of the longest running models of any snowboard company is the Burton Custom. This is the stick that other companies watch and strive to replicate. The Easy V rocker of the TWC Standard Snowboard makes it a true do-it-all board that excels everywhere on the mountain. Ladies can get the same flavor on the Burton Feather.
Of course your board is going to need some buddies and Burton takes care of that business with gear like the Cartel EST Binding and the Rampant Boot. Burton employs frontline technology with features like NeoPadding, FullBED cushioning, and Rad Pad to give you the coziest high performance ride of your life.
Much of Burton's snowboarding outerwear is waterproof and GORE-TEX infused and backed by a lifetime warranty. So, you can't go wrong with gear like Burton Jackets; the Poacher jacket, the Arctic Jacket and for the ladies, the Tabloid jacket or the Deliruium jacket, that is, unless you hate equipment that refuses to quit.
Burton has earned the reputation for biggest, baddest, and raddest snowboard company season after season. With product lines so extensive, varied, and packed with greatness to deliver the best gear any rider can dream of, Burton Snowboards deserves each and every pillow on their throne.


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Long ago there was a bakery in downtown Santa Rosa called Burlington Bakery, and every year my mom would go there around St. Patrick's Day and get us these fun, delicious little frog cupcakes. Seeing those little Leprechaun frogs with tiny hats was always the highlight of my St. Patrick's Day. The fact that they looked too good to eat, but tasted delicious was part of the fun. When Burlington Bakery went out of business I missed the frogs terribly. Once I got a bit older, I decided that I should make these frogs and share them as my St. Patrick's Day tradition. The great thing about these frog cupcakes is that they don't need to be perfect. A few warts or lumps here and there just give them character, and they are guaranteed to light up the eyes of the little leprechauns in your lives!
Start with your favorite cupcake flavor. Anything will work. I usually go with chocolate or vanilla, since those are the original flavors that the bakery made.
Take the wrappers off of your cupcakes and turn them upside down on a baking rack. Make a half recipe of Decorator's Buttercream Icing (see recipe below). This buttercream icing recipe is so delicious and easy to work with. It is my favorite crusting buttercream recipe and I give a big thank you to Toba Garrett, an amazing cake decorator and baker, who graciously allowed me to post this recipe from her book Professional Cake Decorating. If you don't already have this book, go out and get it. Toba is such an inspirational decorator and the book contains so much invaluable information including tips, tricks, techniques, and recipes for gorgeous cake decorating. In case you can't tell, I am a BIG fan!
A bit of Americolor deep pink gel paste will give you this shade of pink. I use a 56 mm batter scoop to get a dollup of frosting and place it on top of the upside down cupcake. If you don't have a batter scoop, use a 1/4 cup.
Next use a small offset spatula to smooth out the frosting and make a rounded shape for the frog's head. Don't get carried away with this, the frogs don't need to be completely smooth to be cute!
Now make the icing to cover the frogs. This is a very simple poured icing. The recipe is as follows -
Sift one 2-lb bag of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) into a large bowl
Add 1/2 cup plus 3 tsp room temperature water
Add 1/2 tsp Americolor leaf green gel paste
Mix using a handheld electric mixer until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as you go to make sure everything is combined. The icing will be thick like a paste.
Use a large spoon to pour the icing over the frogs.
Pour a large spoonful of the icing directly onto the top of the cupcake in a circular motion.
Don't try to cover the cupcake completely using the spoon. Just let the icing flow down and it should eventually cover the entire cupcake.
These green blobs could make cute slime monsters. Now that you have the frogs covered you want to let the icing set for at least 4 hours or overnight. Increased humidity will slow the drying time. The icing is dry if it does not show a fingerprint when you touch it.
In the meantime, you can make the chocolate hats. To do this, melt about 8 ounces of milk chocolate wafers and spread the chocolate onto a Silpat using an offset spatula. Wait until the chocolate changes from shiny to matte (this happens quickly) and then use the wrong side (largest circle) of a Wilton 1A tip to cut out the hat brims.
Rolos were the perfect candy for making these hats. The original frogs had plastic hats, but I wanted my frogs to be completely edible.
Use a tiny bit of melted chocolate to stick the Rolo to the hat brim.
I used Betty Crocker Tropical Tie-Dye Fruit Roll-ups to make the bands of the hats. I was looking for solid yellow fruit roll-ups, but all I could find was a variety pack with some cartoon characters printed directly onto the roll-up. I cut the fruit roll-ups into strips using a pizza cutter and a ruler. Just a warning on these fruit roll-ups – they are super sticky and not that easy to work with. I thought I was saving myself some time by using a store bought product, but coloring and rolling fondant may actually be easier. I do like the thickness of the roll-ups and they stick to the hats easily without any icing or chocolate.
Using a toothpick and some melted chocolate, I added a little shamrock sprinkle to each hat for some extra flair.
Now that the cupcakes are dry, it is time to make the mouths. To do this, use an x-acto knife and cut a small smiling mouth for each frog.
Remove the green icing cutout to reveal a pink frosting smile!
Once the frogs have their smiles, they really start to take shape fast!
Use a toothpick and tiny bit of melted chocolate to stick on the eyes. These eyes are store bought. I found them at my local Target store.
Next use a bit of chocolate to stick on your hat, and maybe place your froggy in a pretty cupcake liner.
Finally, share your St. Patty's Day frog cupcakes with all the lucky lads and lasses in your life. You are sure to brighten their day by presenting them with a happy smiling frog this St. Patty's Day!
- 1 lb unsalted butter
- 8 oz solid vegetable shortening or high ratio shortening
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 lb confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 3 tbsp meringue powder, sifted
- 4-1/2 fl oz heavy cream
- Place the butter and shortening in the mixer bowl and mix on medium-high speed with a paddle attachment for 3 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl. Cream for an additional 60 seconds.
- Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined. Gradually add the sugar, then the meringue powder. The mixture will appear dry.
- Add the liquid and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 5 to 8 minutes. Once the buttercream is made, keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- Store the icing in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.


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The last time the San Diego Chargers appeared on Monday night football they watched as Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos from 24 points down in the second half to stun the Chargers in a 34-24 defeat last October.
In their season opener against the Houston Texans Monday night, the Chargers orchestrated a repeat meltdown.
Randy Bullock's 41-yard field goal as time expired closed out the Chargers as the Texans scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to rally to a 31-28 victory.
Philip Rivers threw four touchdown passes against the Texans but his only big mistake came back to haunt the Chargers. After Matt Schaub hooked up with Owen Daniels for a 9-yard touchdown to pull within seven points early in the fourth quarter, the Texans pinned the Chargers on their own 13-yard line. Rivers was then intercepted on a remarkable diving snag by Brian Cushing on a pass intended for Danny Woodhead. Cushing picked himself off the turf and scampered 18 yards for the tying score.
The Chargers went three-and-out on their next two possessions before the Texans put the game winning drive together. Schaub led the Texans on a 38-yard drive to get into field goal range before Bullock delivered the dagger.
The Chargers' offense looked better than expected for most of the night with Rivers looked much more poised than he did at times last season. It was Rivers' first four touchdown performance since Nov. 2011 against the Green Bay Packers. However, San Diego couldn't put the plays together when they needed to put the game out of reach.
The Texans survive a massive scare from the Chargers on a night where their pass defense struggled. Arian Foster couldn't find room to run with just 57 yards on 18 carries but Schaub, Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels carried the offense in the passing game enough to earn the victory. Schaub finished with 346 yards passing on 45 attempts and three touchdowns with an interception. Johnson caught 12 passes for 146 yards and Daniels hauled in two touchdowns for Houston.


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by Tyler Peck, sports information graduate
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The No. 22 Georgia College & State University women's tennis team (7-9, 4-5 PBC) will host "Senior Day" tomorrow, April 9 against Clark Atlanta University.
The Bobcats have two seniors on the squad. Gabby Acuna (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Marjorie Ceppo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) will be recognized before the matches start at 1 p.m.
Acuna enters the day with a 7-9 singles mark, battling in the fourth slot for GCSU. At first singles, No. 47 Ceppo is even at 8-8 on the year. The twosome competes at first doubles for a 6-10 record on the 2009 campaign.
Acuna is a four-year member of the Georgia College tennis squad, going 44-41 in spring singles play. Ceppo, was a starter from the moment she stepped on the GCSU campus as a sophomore in 2007. She is 37-23 in her singles career and was named All-Peach Belt Conference (PBC) in doubles in 2007, and picked up Preseason All-PBC honors this year.
Georgia College faces PBC rival North Georgia on the road Friday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. The Bobcats will then participate in the PBC Tournament hosted by Clayton State University set for April 17-20.
Visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for up-to-the-minute reports.


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Don't Be a Social Media Marketing Skeptic – Learn Where and How to Start
Don't Be a Social Media Marketing Skeptic – Learn Where and How to Start
There's no doubt that social media marketing is a proven and established platform for connecting with customers, building a community and generating business. Yet, despite the evidence of its effectiveness as a marketing tool, surveys and studies say few small businesses are making active use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to promote products and services.
A report by eMarketer found that just 24 percent of small businesses have integrated social media in a structured way in their businesses. The report also references findings from Constant Contact that only 49 percent of small businesses consider social media marketing effective.
Why the skepticism? Here are a few reasons and excuses I've heard:
- "I don't know where to start"
- "I'm too busy"
- "I don't know which social media site is right for my business"
- "I tried it but it didn't work"
- "I'm struggling to build engagement"
- "I don't have enough updates to keep my site looking active"
Knowing where to start is perhaps the number one obstacle holding many small business owners back. Knowing what to do when you get there is next. For example, should you use social media to generate leads? For branding? Customer service? Marketing?
There are numerous blogs on the SBA.gov Community offering tips for getting started in social media marketing. One consistent piece of advice runs through them all: find out where your customers are, start small, and, as you learn, grow out from there.
Last year, I wrote a blog called: How to "Pull Your Head Out of the Sand" and Use Social Media in Your Small Business where I summarized some of the great recommendations from a social media panel at the 2012 National Small Business Week Conference in Washington, D.C. The panel featured experts from Twitter, Constant Contact, Yelp, Google and others. Here's a summary of their recommendations, a great baseline for getting started:
- Which Platform is the Right One? Erica Ayotte, social media manager with Constant Contact, recommends businesses start with one channel to test and nurture it. Then try to diversify: "Spend a little time each week exploring new platforms and figure out if they might be for you." GrowBizMedia's Rieva Lesonsky recommends: "...find out where your customers can be found, go there first, and then spread out from there… if you run a restaurant, yes, you probably should be on Twitter, but you should really be on Yelp first."
- How do You Find the Right People to Engage With? Use search tools to identify and follow people who are influencers in your industry. For example, if you are in the restaurant business, identify food bloggers in your region, give them a follow, and slowly you'll start to build and grow your followers and influence. The panel also stressed connecting your social media activity to your loyal email subscriber list. Send them an email to let them know about your social media presence and generate new follows from those who are already engaged.
- What's the Best Way to Engage with Followers? This is the one area that takes time. Start with interesting information. Google's Jeff Aguero recommends starting with quality content – something you do really well – then amplify it with social media. Web chats, contests and surveys are great ways to engage, but the panel cautioned small business owners to resist this form of heavy interaction until their new social efforts have had time to grow. "Once you've established awareness and trust, then look to step up your approach," suggested Constant Contact's Ayotte. "Don't let perfection be the enemy of progress," she explained. "It can take some time to figure out what content is going to resonate with an audience… Try something new if no one responds to your Facebook posts. It's OK. Tweak your posts until you find your sweet spot."
Don't Forget to Integrate Your Email and Social Media Marketing
Email is still the preferred method of communication among consumers, and Constant Contact predicts that in 2013 it will remain their preferred marketing channel as well. Email is also a key element in driving social media success, "…using both together to support one another can boost a campaign and bring greater collective benefits, as opposed to using just one or the other," advises Constant Contact.
Learn from the Experts
There are myriad webinars, ebooks, blogs and other tools that can help you learn the tricks of the trade. Small business organizations like SCORE, Small Business Development Centers, and others also offer advice and seminars on this topic (use this interactive map to find resources in your area).
Here's a selection of SBA blogs that can also help with key areas of your social media strategy:
- How to Make a Social Media Plan for your Business
- Social Media Tune-Up for your Website
- 7 Ways to Use Facebook to Grow your Email Marketing List
- 7 Tips for Dealing with Criticism of Your Business on Social Media
- How to Use Social Media to do a Better Job of Customer Service
- 6 Ways to Drive your Social Media Fans to your Offline Business
- How to Measure Social Media ROI
About the Author:
Caron Beesley


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Zenos E10-S
Parked toZenos Cars
byAndrew Paolini
The Zenos E10S is a lightweight supercar killer. With 3.5 second 0-60, extreme performance and an attractive price tag.
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Posted on Nov 01, 2012
Conversation Starters and in home senior care
Conversation starters and in home senior care for Family holiday events from Senior Helpers of Adrian can help to bridge the gap between family and an elderly loved one. A compassionate caregiver can be there for your loved one on an hourly, daily or live in basis. In some cases, family lives too far from their loved one and can benefit greatly from the peace of mind that in home senior care can bring. Senior Helpers of Adrian, 517-264-2273, provides dependable in home senior care to all areas of Adrian, Tecumseh, Blissfield, Clinton, and Onsted, Michigan.
Can we be honest for a minute? Some parts of the holidays are wonderful. But we'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't admit that other parts can be a little stressful. If you love planning and organizing, the logistics of pulling off a family get together can be exhilarating. If you don't, however, your stress level may be firing on all cylinders! In the same way, being surrounded by loved ones can provide comfort, peace and festive holiday energy, but can also bring with it the challenge of looking out for the aging members of your family. The holidays change when you factor in caring for an elderly relative, but often a helpful conversation can help you ease into the new situation. Here are a few tips you can provide your family in preparation for the holidays this year:
If you find that your loved one talks about childhood or their college years, ask them questions to learn more. They may be fixated on that time period and you both can benefit from allowing that conversation to play out. You may want to ask them how much things cost when they were younger, if they have ever met someone famous, what was the first movie they ever saw, their first job or favorite book. It can be very helpful to focus on their story. The caregivers from Senior Helpers of Adrian are experts in senior care and if needed, you can depend on their experience to guide the way through a conversation with an elderly loved one you may want to try to get to know better.
Sometimes, a way to initiate a conversation with an elderly loved one is to play family trivia. Get them to fill in the blanks about where you are originally from, and how you were named, and learn about other members of the family. It may be easier to get your loved one to engage in a conversation with period memories. If you try to relive fond events of the past, they may be likely to participate in the conversation and offer up favorite experiences from their past. You might be surprised and impressed at the lives your loved ones may have lived.
Depending on the elderly loved one, they may not respond to your questions as quickly as you may think. Some people relive the memory before actually responding. Try to be patient when talking to your aging relative as they may have difficulty getting a response out. In some cases, an elderly loved one may be so quick with their reply; you may have trouble even finishing your question. Try to tailor your conversation style to match the ability and cognitive level of your elderly loved one.
If your elderly loved one is coping with a dementia related disease such as Alzheimer's, it can be especially difficult to have a conversation. Persons suffering from dementia will experience their mental faculties becoming extremely limited. If you find that you are struggling with coming up with ways to engage a loved one who is coping with dementia in conversation, you can count on Senior Helpers of Adrian, 517-264-2273 to provide expert in home dementia care. The compassionate and highly trained caregivers will assist you with all aspects of in home dementia care and will help bridge the gap between you and your loved one where needed. Sometimes just having a go between in conversation is helpful to reduce stress and help everyone be heard.
The winter holidays are quickly approaching. While most families find gathering together to come easily, it may be difficult for an elderly loved one to participate in conversation. Hopefully these tips will help you and your family to successfully converse with your elderly loved one as you learn to care for them. Senior Helpers of Adrian, 517-264-2273, provides in home senior care on a short or long term basis. All services are flexible to meet your family and your loved one's needs and are non contractual. This year, give your family the gift of peace of mind that your elderly loved one is cared for in the place they feel most comfortable; their own home.
Senior Helpers of Adrian, proudly serves all areas of Adrian, Tecumseh, Blissfield, Clinton, and Onsted, Michigan.


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In their first public confrontation since deciding to run for the same new San Fernando Valley congressional district, Democratic Reps. Howard L. Berman and Brad Sherman traded barbs at a candidates forum in Woodland Hills on Thursday night.
Sherman went on the attack in his opening remarks, saying "Howard's been very effective on the wrong side" of several issues. He pressed Berman throughout the evening to sign a pledge aimed at blunting the effects of "super PACs." He wanted Berman to give to the U.S. Treasury an amount equalling any money these independent committees spend on his behalf.
Berman said Sherman "doesn't have the skills to get his positions through."
-- Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times
Photo: Rep. Howard L. Berman shakes hands with Rep. Brad Sherman at the conclusion of a candidate's forum for a Valley congressional seat at the Westfield Promenade shopping mall in Woodland Hills. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times


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VIDEO: The Daily Zap for games played Jan. 15
Rondo to be on minutes limit in debut | Oden happy to make season debut | Cuban wants one last fine from Stern | Noel progressing, can do some on-court workouts | Howard won't be in Dunk Contest
UPDATE — 11:39 a.m.: Celtics president Danny Ainge says Rondo, barring any setbacks today, will play Friday vs. the Lakers
No. 1: Rondo expected to play Friday vs. Lakers — From yesterday's trade (which sent de facto point guard Jordan Crawford to Golden State) to an assignment (and recall) to the NBA D-League, things are clearing in Boston for Rajon Rondo to make his season debut. Coach Brad Stevens said Rondo enjoyed his (albeit) brief stint working out with the Maine Red Claws and, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, Rondo is expected to play between 18 and 20 minutes when he does debut. ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg reports that Rondo was actually active for last night's game against Toronto, but didn't log a minute:
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is still expected to play Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, although he would be limited to 18-20 minutes according to coach Brad Stevens.
Stevens, who would not say if Rondo was in fact going to play Friday, did have Rondo on the bench dressed in uniform on Wednesday night.
However, Stevens made it clear after Boston's 88-83 win over Toronto that there was never any plan to play Rondo against the Raptors.
Not even when the game got tight in the fourth quarter and the Celtics were in desperate need for someone to do what Rondo does best – pass the ball.
Up by three points with less than a minute to play, Boston had to call its final time-out because Jeff Green could not in-bound the ball immediately.
Coming out of the timeout, there was never any thought about putting Rondo out on the floor in that situation.
When asked if Rondo would have played if it were an emergency, Stevens quickly shot that down as something considered.
"Well we were up three points with no timeouts trying to get the ball in-bounds and one of the best passers in the world sitting right next to me, so, no," Stevens said. "He would not have been. I told [assistant coach] Jay Larranaga he was next, and [assistant coach] Walter [McCarty] was right after him, depending on what we needed. So that's the way we were going to roll tonight."
And here's Forsberg's report on Rondo as well:
Thin on bodies, the Boston Celtics activated Rajon Rondo for Wednesday night's game against the Toronto Raptors, but the point guard did not play and is still targeting Friday's visit from the Los Angeles Lakers for his 2013-14 season debut.
"[Rondo is] going to go through and do some [pregame] shooting, and there is a chance that he would suit up tonight," Stevens said before the game. "But I don't see a chance that he would play tonight, that it would be more about getting back into that rhythm of pregame activity."
"I think [Rondo] enjoyed it because they kept score. His team usually won," Stevens said. "But it was more about getting up and down the floor more than anything. I got asked the other day, if and when he comes back, if there would be a minute restriction, and the answer is yes. We'll cross those bridges with exact numbers when we get there. And go from there. But he looked pretty good.
"[The D-League workout] accomplished what we wanted to accomplish. I have not talked to anybody, including Rondo, since the workout was over. I watched it for a few minutes, and then I left. Because I needed to — obviously, we've got a lot going on around here, but we have a game tonight."
VIDEO: Brad Stevens talks before last night's game about Rajon Rondo's D-League work
No. 2: Oden happy to get his first NBA minutes — You're probably already well aware that Greg Oden got his first NBA regular-season minutes since 2009 in the Heat's blowout loss to the Wizards last night. And, as our own Sekou Smith framed it after the game, this is the first of several big baby steps for the former No. 1 overall pick. But what you might not know is all the details leading up to Oden's activation and debut last night, which ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh details below:
Greg Oden was smiling about basketball again.
It took him four years to get back to this place. Four years, two microfracture surgeries, a broken knee cap and a battle with alcoholism later, Oden sat at his locker grinning in front of a pack of reporters. The former No. 1 pick in 2007 had played in a regular-season game again, the first time in 1,503 days.
No one really saw this coming. On the morning of Wednesday's game, the Heat didn't even know that Oden would make his season debut. They didn't even think he'd be activated on the roster.
But around noon, a spot opened up for Oden. The Heat traded long-time reserve center Joel Anthony to the Boston Celtics along with two draft picks.
Toney Douglas, the former Golden State Warriors point guard whom the Heat traded for, would not arrive in the nation's capital in time for the game.
So, Oden's time had come. The Heat players found out about the trade over lunch and shortly after, Oden got word: he'd dress for the game.
"I didn't know if I was going to play or not," Oden said. "But I got out there and I did. And I'm happy I got the chance."
Why bring Oden in then?
"We were down by 30," coach Erik Spoelstra said.
As if there weren't enough Heat surprises, Oden came out in the second half with the rest of the starters, subbing in for Shane Battier who watched the third-quarter's opening minutes from the bench. The aggressive approach ensured that Oden wouldn't get stiff like he did after four minutes of action in the preseason game in New Orleans. Oden rode a bike during halftime and Spoelstra gave him the nod.
Oden's final line in eight minutes of action: six points on two dunks and a pair of free throws along with two rebounds. Not captured in the box score were several altered shots and screens.
"It felt good, just being able to be back out on the court," Oden said. "Honestly, the big thing is, to be able to have now that connection now with my teammates. I've been here, I've been around, but when you're not playing, sometimes deep down you don't really feel part of the team as much. I'm happy I can do that now."
LeBron James said he didn't even know that Oden was playing until he saw his fellow No. 1 overall pick lacing up his basketball shoes just before the game.
"Oh, you active?" James recalled asking Oden. "I had no idea."
James assisted on Oden's second dunk of the game out of a pick-and-roll, something we'll probably see many times again if Oden can stay healthy. But it was Oden's first dunk that James couldn't believe.
"How is this possible that every time you sit out long periods of time, you decide to come back and you keep getting a dunk on your first attempt?" James said. "That's pretty cool, man. Hopefully he can continue to stride, getting three minutes a half to five minutes a half to 12. He can be a big plus for us. Obviously in the short amount of minutes tonight, he was pretty good for us."
VIDEO: GameTime's crew talks about Greg Oden's impact on the Heat
No. 3: Cuban wants one last fine from Stern — Since becoming owner of the Dallas Mavericks in 2000, Mark Cuban has racked up plenty of fines from the NBA for his outspoken nature regarding officiating, the league office and, at times, commissioner David Stern. With Stern set to retire from his post in about a month, Cuban told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that he wants to get one last fine from the outgoing league boss if for nothing more than old times' sake. (Worth noting: Cuban may get his wish sooner than he thinks. He walked on the court to berate the officials after the Mavs' loss to the Clippers last night … fast-forward to the 2:08 mark to see what we mean.):
In an interview with ESPN.com this week to reflect on David Stern's 30-year run as NBA commissioner, which ends Feb. 1, Cuban said he has been telling Stern for months that he is determined to get dinged one last time before his longtime foil leaves his post.
"We talk about it all the time," Cuban said. "I'm going to have one final fine before he leaves."
The outspoken owner made the comments in a lighthearted manner before the Mavericks went to Los Angeles on Wednesday night and suffered a disappointing 129-127 defeat to the Clippers that prompted a heated Cuban to walk onto the floor after the final buzzer at Staples Center and chastise the referees who worked the game.
As Mavs owner, Cuban has been assessed 19 league fines that were made public, 13 of which were triggered by either criticizing referees or interacting with them in ways the NBA deemed inappropriate.
Cuban has paid in excess of $1.8 million in fines during his 14 years of Mavs ownership. The most expensive of those sanctions was the infamous $500,000 that Cuban was docked in January 2002 for declaring he wouldn't hire then-NBA head of officiating Ed Rush to manage a Dairy Queen. The most recent was a $50,000 fine assessed in January 2013 after Cuban responded to a home loss to New Orleans by tweeting: "Im sorry NBA fans. Ive tried for 13 years to fix the officiating in this league and I have failed miserably. Any Suggestions ? I need help."
Yet Cuban has mostly praise for Stern with slightly more than two weeks to go before Stern's longtime deputy Adam Silver takes over and the longest tenure of any commissioner in North American professional team sports comes to an end.
"One reason that I truly respect David is that he followed the rules," Cuban said. "He didn't want to be king. He wanted to be successful and make the NBA successful. He was less concerned with his legacy than with creating results for the NBA. He knows that the results will stand the test of time and define his legacy."
Cuban said he would give Stern "an 85 to 90" out of 100 when grading his three decades in charge and said his only bone of contention with the commissioner during his time in the league — besides the state of officiating — was the amount of money invested in China at Stern's behest in the continued pursuit of globalizing the NBA brand.
"He's always been receptive [to me]. We kind of have two relationships. There's the public relationship about the officiating. And then there's the business side. On the business side, we get along great.
"On the officiating side, that's probably the one thing I'd say he's failed miserably on, but I understand where he's coming from, because he doesn't have a horse in the race. Win, lose or draw, as long as the business of the NBA is good, he's happy. I obviously have a completely different perspective, and that's where we clash. He doesn't care who wins. That's the difference, because I do.
"But on the business side, we've agreed far more than we've disagreed."
No. 4: Sixers' Noel OK'd for 'limited on-court work' — The last thing we told you in this space about Sixers rookie Nerlens Noel, it was that Philly's coaching staff was working on a 'total rebuild' of his shot. In addition, Sixers coaches were warning fans that Noel may not even take the court this season. Some of that news has changed, however, as ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman reports that Noel has been cleared by the team for some on-court work and he could play within 4-6 weeks:
The Philadelphia 76ers have cleared rookie center Nerlens Noel for "limited on-court work," but several benchmarks remain before he can return to game action, the team announced Wednesday night.
"After careful consideration and numerous discussions with our medical and performance teams, the consulting physician and rehabilitation staff, and Nerlens' representatives, some of the restrictions on Nerlens have been lifted and he is now able to participate in limited on-court work," 76ers president and general manager Sam Hinkie said in a statement.
"There are several benchmarks Nerlens still must meet, and during that time we will closely monitor his progress and regularly evaluate his status. Our goal remains the same, which is to give Nerlens every opportunity to ensure a long, productive NBA career."
Noel, who suffered a torn ACL in February while playing for Kentucky, visited Dr. James Andrews in Florida last week.
"He is doing excellent, and the team is taking good care of him," Andrews told ESPN.com on Wednesday.
Andrews said he was unable to provide more information because of privacy laws, but sources told ESPN.com that Noel, the No. 6 pick in this past June's NBA draft, could return to game action within the next four to six weeks barring a setback.
"He tested really well, and his knee looks great," one source said. "Dr. Andrews suggested he be cleared to do on-court drills, but the team still has to clear him."
CSNPhilly.com reported that Noel was seen playing one-on-one against assistant coach and former NBA big man Greg Foster on Tuesday.
No. 5: Howard won't participate in Dunk Contest — Back in 2008, a young Dwight Howard — then with the Orlando Magic — burst onto the national scene with his performance in the Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend in New Orleans. Since then, Howard's star has risen and fallen, and with the All-Star weekend being back in the Big Easy, there was some thought that Howard might give the Dunk Contest another try. That's not going to happen, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
Howard, who won the 2008 dunk contest at New Orleans Arena, said the NBA invited him to dunk again this season in New Orleans, but he declined."Couldn't do it," Howard said.
Howard, 28, said he would participate again, "If I wasn't so old. I'm getting up there in age, man, I tell you. I got a lot of years."
Howard, however, said he had thought about that night just because with the return to New Orleans.
"It was a night to remember," Howard said. "It was probably one of the best memories of me being in the NBA being in the dunk contest here in New Orleans. The fans were amazing here. Every time I come in this building, I get chills thinking about it."
"I remember that whole experience," Howard said. "Being here, the fans were amazing. I saw in past years, nobody tried to really engage the crowd. I like to entertain. I tried to really engage the fans, give them something they'll remember."
SOME RANDOM HEADLINES: Veteran guard Keith Bogans has been 'excused' from team activities with the Celtics … In an interview with an Italian media outlet, Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari isn't sure when or if he'll return this season … Fantastic read about Blazers guard Wesley Matthews and the strained relationship he has with his dad … Clippers coach Doc Rivers can't help but marvel at Dirk Nowitzki's career … Ex-Spurs forward Richard Jefferson sounds a little bitter about all the hype Kawhi Leonard is getting in San Antonio
ICYMI(s) of The Night: On a 12-game night, it's tough to find the best plays because so many of them stand out. But today, we're going with a pair of nice backdoor alley-oops — one from Nicolas Batum to Damian Lillard and another one from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Larry Sanders:
VIDEO: Damian Lillard skies high on the baseline to finish off Nicolas Batum's alley-oop
VIDEO: Giannis Antetokounmpo finds Larry Sanders for the reverse alley-oop


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The Ludlow suit in Italian wool
Size & Fit
- Tailored, modern cut with a trim silhouette.
- Narrow lapel.
Product Details
Timeless, versatile and seriously stylish, the Ludlow (a staple of our collection since 2008) will quickly become the foundation of your suiting wardrobe. This one is crafted in the finest wool from an Italian mill that's been family owned for 16 generations and is considered one of the best in the world.
- Italian wool.
- Two-button closure.
- Nonfunctional buttons at cuffs.
- Pickstitching along collar, lapel and pockets.
- Center vent.
- Bemberg lining.
- Dry clean.
- Import.
- Did you know: You can mix and match the Ludlow and Crosby for a perfect fit.
- Online only.
- Item 21351.