OHIO
STATE REPORT
June 17, 2013
Scott Zody, Chief
Ohio Division of Wildlife
2045 Morse Rd., Bldg. G
Columbus, OH 43229
STEWARDSHIP
STEWARDSHIP ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2012

Worked with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) and other conservation
partners to generate national and state conservation-related recommendations to Ohio’s
Congressional delegation for ongoing Farm Bill development.

Evaluated the extent of mineral ownership by parcel for certain wildlife areas in eastern
Ohio.

In cooperation with other Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) divisions’
guidelines, best management practices were developed to identify and minimize potential
impacts of oil and gas development on ODNR lands.

Conducted extensive field sampling to determine the presence of bighead and silver Asian
carp in western Lake Erie and the Ohio River. No Asian carp were found in western Lake
Erie, and five adult silver carp were collected in the Ohio River near Cincinnati.

Law enforcement personnel attended various Environmental Crimes Task Force meetings
throughout the state and presented several significant enforcement and pollution cases that
resulted in restitution.

Met with U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(USDA APHIS), Wildlife Services, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Farm Bureau and
Ohio’s Livestock Producer Associations to explore opportunities for coyote and feral swine
control, and provided a $30,000 grant to USDA APHIS, Wildlife Services to continue their
feral swine eradication program statewide.
STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES FOR 2013

Partner with the National Wild Turkey Federation to initiate a forest inventory on wildlife
areas in eastern Ohio to guide future management of these forest habitats to benefit wildlife
and enhance recreational opportunities.

Designate bird priority spaces on several wildlife areas in an effort to pursue larger-scale
grassland restoration and management to improve grassland bird habitat. The process will
include developing a cooperative agreement with Pheasants Forever habitat management on
select wildlife areas in southern Ohio.

Law enforcement will hold stakeholder meetings to solicit input for the development of
wildlife rules throughout the state, including the incidental take of wildlife from energy
production facilities and nuisance trapping rules.

Complete and implement an Asian carp management plan to guide minimization of the risk
of introduction of Asian carp into inland waters and the Great Lakes basin.
OPPORTUNITIES
OPPORTUNITIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2012

Completed a comprehensive creel survey of anglers fishing the Ohio River along the 451mile border with Kentucky and West Virginia. The survey assessed fishing effort, catch rate,
harvest, preferences and success. Results of the survey are being analyzed and the final report
will be completed in 2013. Findings from the survey will help the division better meet the
needs of Ohio River anglers and improve inter-jurisdictional fisheries management of the
shared resource.

Received approval for a $2.1 million capital improvement project at the London State Fish
Hatchery to upgrade electrical service and other infrastructure. This will increase safety and
reliability needed to produce rainbow trout, brown trout, hybrid striped bass and
muskellunge.

More than 10,000 surveys were distributed at 49 wildlife areas in cooperation with The Ohio
State University. Results of this survey will help determine how wildlife areas are currently
used and how this use will impact future management plans.

Partnered with Divisions of Parks and Recreation and Watercraft to invest over $3 million to
improve boater angler access across Ohio.

Ohio’s six state fish hatcheries stocked more than 24 million sport fish for public waters,
including walleye, saugeye, steelhead, rainbow trout, brown trout, muskellunge, channel
catfish, blue catfish and hybrid striped bass. These stockings provide opportunities for more
than 1 million anglers statewide.

Issued 200 Step Outside Grants which provided $100,000 in funding for hunting, fishing and
shooting events statewide, and distributed over $40,000 in aquatic education subsidies.

Over 600 schools have initiated National Archery in the Schools Program programs since
2004. Ohio is the second-largest state to incorporate the program.
OPPORTUNITIES INITIATIVES FOR 2013

Collect biological and sociological data to evaluate the current Ohio spring turkey season
framework in order to increase hunter satisfaction. Open new counties to provide more
opportunity for fall turkey hunting as populations allow.

Develop new deer management units, deer harvest goals and programs to increase hunter
access on private lands to improve the effectiveness of our deer management program.

Partner with the Division of Parks and Recreation to construct archery ranges and develop
fishing access opportunities at selected state parks.

Repair and upgrade of the launch ramp, dock and/or parking areas at Lake Erie’s Mazurik
Fishing Access, Long Lake, Delaware Reservoir, Berlin Lake, Zepernick Lake and Wingfoot
Lake.
CONNECTIONS
CONNECTIONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2012

Completed the Lake Erie Birding Trail website. It contains 1,600 photographs,
comprehensive descriptions of at least 80 best birding locations along Lake Erie, and
interesting facts about local habitat, flora and unique features. This premier site was designed
to help birders plan the length of their visits based on the various viewing loops along Ohio’s
Lake Erie shoreline.

Live-streaming video of the Columbus peregrine falcon nest site and regularly updated
information was maintained on wildohio.com and our falcon blog. Internet stats from the
2012 Columbus falcon pages recorded approximately 131,000 hits from 34,900 unique
visitors in 63 countries.

Weekly fishing reports were provided online and through e-newsletters from Lake Erie and
inland waters. These complement annual fishing forecasts and lake-specific fishing
overviews provided on the website. Additional fishing tips and information was updated on
the website.

A marketing development team was created to research and develop a marketing plan for
hunters, anglers, trappers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Wild Ohio Magazine transitioned to enhanced content and paid membership in 2012. Content
enhancement included an additional 12 pages in each magazine and two additional issues
annually. The magazine sold nearly 12,000 memberships by the end of 2012.

Wildohio.com remains a popular site for Ohio wildlife information. The site recorded about
9.3 million unique page views during 3.8 million visits, representing 2.2 million people.
Created a new web-based form for collecting public comments on proposed wildlife rule
changes, and an online reporting form for Asian carp.

Wildohio.com remains a popular site for Ohio wildlife information. The site recorded about
9.3 million unique page views during 3.8 million visits, representing 2.2 million people.
Created a new web-based form for collecting public comments on proposed wildlife rule
changes, and an online reporting form for Asian carp.

The monthly Wild Ohio eNewsletter now reaches 68,400 people. Its counterpart, the Wild
Ohio Educator eNewsletter, goes out to over 9,000 educators throughout the state. The
Weekly Fish Ohio Report reaches over 15,200 subscribers.
CONNECTIONS INITIATIVES FOR 2013

Host the National Trappers Association Convention and the Federal Duck Stamp
Competition in 2013.

Law enforcement officers will continue to maximize enforcement efforts through
partnerships with ODNR divisions and outside agencies with training and cooperative law
enforcement projects.

Establish a working group to evaluate the permitting process and develop a proposal for a
new permitting system to streamline the more than 20,000 fish and wildlife-related specialty
permits issued every year.

Host the first Ohio River Catfish Summit to exchange information with dedicated Ohio River
catfish anglers. The summit will address regulations, statewide programs and interjurisdictional concerns emerging on the river.

With input from our conservation partners, finalize and implement an integrated marketing
plan.

Partner with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to incorporate direct links between
the division’s outdoor education programs and ODE standards in multiple disciplines.
TRADITIONS
TRADITIONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2012

Produced more than 40 informational videos for use on wildohio.com and other social media
platforms.

Coordinated successful forums for the director involving farmers and sportsmen at the Farm
Science Review and sportsmen at the Save Our Heritage Rally to exchange ideas and
information and improve partnerships.

Family Fishing Day events provided additional youth fishing opportunities and promoted
recruitment of new anglers at Caesar Creek State Park, Delaware State Park, Maumee Bay
State Park, Sycamore State Park and the Wildlife District Three office.

More than 130 youth or special fishing events were held throughout Ohio to promote fishing
and provide convenient fishing opportunities in a family-friendly environment.

A comprehensive hunter education instructor’s guide was developed to improve Ohio’s
hunter education program. Volunteer instructors trained 16,311 hunter education students,
766 trapper education students and 105 hunter education instructors.

Trained 16,311 hunter education students, 766 trapper education students, and 105 hunter
education instructors. Our volunteer hunter education instructors contributed 19,426 hours of
in-kind labor.

Worked with the nuisance wild animal control industry to develop all new regulations and
training, including a certification process for operators.
TRADITIONS INITIATIVES FOR 2013

Continue the support of more than 130 annual events that promote fishing in waters with
easy access for families and senior citizens.

Develop and implement a formal plan to train staff and volunteers in the Explore
Bowhunting (EBH) program. Explore the opportunities for a partnership with the National
Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) through the EBH program.

Continue to enhance and improve educational efforts in Ohio schools and youth
organizations by broadening the delivery of the division and department message. This
includes promoting wildlife-related recreation by partnering with schools and youth
organizations to implement wildlife conservation programs.
EXCELLENCE
EXCELLENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2012

Initiated a complete revision and update of Ohio’s State Wildlife Action Plan following best
practices guidance issued by AFWA.

The reorganization of the federal aid group provided opportunity for an in-depth analysis of
expenditures. This resulted in an additional $2 million in federal aid reimbursement for fiscal
year 2012 and an estimated $2.5 million for fiscal year 2013.

The call center provided quality customer service by responding to more than 100,000 calls
to 1-800-WILDLIFE and 10,000 emails.

Wildlife officers participated in water survival training conducted by the Division of
Watercraft and worked cooperatively with the Divisions of Parks and Recreation and
Watercraft to enhance coverage during peak times.

Wildlife officers worked with outside agencies on public lands marijuana eradication through
the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation office, and with the U.S. Coast
Guard and Office of Air and Marine on Lake Erie gill netters.

Completed the Ohio Environmental Literacy Plan, a comprehensive direction document for
state agencies, colleges and universities, formal education providers and non-formal
environmental education providers to utilize as a guide in incorporating high quality
environmental education concepts and experiences into their goals, programs and initiatives.
The plan has been embedded into the Ohio Department of Education’s Model Curriculum for
pre-K through 12 education standards. This plan will allow ODE and other education
providers to capture funding should the No Child Left Inside federal legislation be
confirmed.

Successfully graduated 10 wildlife officer cadets who then completed the Field Training
Program.

Obtained and repaired at a minimal cost a 27’patrol boat for Lake Erie from another division
to expand our fleet on Lake Erie for enforcement of commercial fishing regulations and sport
fishing enforcement efforts.
EXCELLENCE INITIATVIES FOR 2013
 Identify and secure a new facility in central Ohio with office, lab and storage space for a
consolidated wildlife research staff.

Research, develop and implement employee training opportunities, including leadership and
technical training.

Implement a plan to sell limited advertising space in the hunting and trapping regulations.

Complete a first draft of Ohio’s State Wildlife Action Plan by the end of calendar year 2013.

Begin the selection process for the next cadet class to be included in the Wildlife Officer
Academy beginning in January 2014.