Outdoors Insider, with Dale Sunderlin: ODNR urges burn caution

Northeast Ohio residents are urged to take special precautions during the unusually dry summer weather, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry.

Dried grasses, weeds, leaves and crops are providing fuel for wildfires.

Homeowners, farmers and woodland owners should be especially cautious during this dry period, Gregg Maxfield, northern region supervisor for the ODNR Division of Forestry, said. Much of the small fuels that carry wildfire are tinder dry and will stay this way through the summer unless we have moisture for new growth. High temperatures, low humidity and wind are not in our favor.

Residents can take measures to prevent accidental wildfires. These include avoiding burning trash and debris, keeping grass trimmed, not discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials outside, postponing fireworks and not having open cooking fires or campfires.

The ODNR Division of Forestry works to promote the wise use and sustainable management of Ohios public and private woodlands. To learn more about Ohios woodlands, visit http://www.ohiodnr.com/forestry.

Cuffs and collars

One late spring day, Champaign County Wildlife Officer Jeff Tipton was working sport fishing enforcement at Kiser Lake State Park. He had watched a family fish for a while and then went to check their fishing licenses. Officer Tipton was checking the husband, while the wife and little girl were down the bank.

The man also had his wifes fishing license. Out of the corner his eye he could see the wife running towards him. When she got to them, she ripped her fishing license out of her husbands hand, pushed it into Officer Tiptons face, and said, I am SO glad that you are checking my fishing license! She explained that she had spent hard earned money on the license and was excited that she got to show it to someone. Officer Tipton explained to her that people arent usually quite so happy to see him.

Busted!

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft participated in Operation Dry Water, a nationwide crackdown to remove impaired boaters from public waterways June 22-24.

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Outdoors Insider, with Dale Sunderlin: ODNR urges burn caution