You can download the Fish Orlando! app at bit.ly/FishOrlando, thanks to a British businessman who loves to vacation in Florida and fish in urban Orlando.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in cooperation with local governments, manages urban lakes to enhance fishing opportunities. The FWC developed the Fish Orlando! program in 1998 to expand Orlando’s urban fisheries program by providing quality-size fish, unique fishing experiences at various lakes and ponds and habitat enhancement – all of which can bring tourists.

Enter Tony Bickley, CEO of Team Dart and an avid angler who travels from Great Britain annually to fish in Florida. He especially likes to visit lakes in Orlando. Some of those lakes are known as the “FAB FIVE” because they were developed to produce quality-sized sport fish. Bickley was visiting one of those –Turkey Lake – one day when he also had the opportunity to meet Gov. Rick Scott, who was there helping FWC staff stock fish and show youths how to fish. Bickley was so impressed with the lake and the program that he offered his company’s Web-application development services free of charge, “as a way of saying thank you from a very contented FAB FIVE customer.”

“I have been fishing in Florida, on virtually every holiday since I discovered how good it is, over the past 14 years,” Bickley said.

Besides the FAB FIVE, Fish Orlando! includes four urban ponds suitable for beginning anglers and those who prefer to harvest their catch. Fifteen years later, the program has exceeded expectations.

“Results have not gone unnoticed by the media,” said the FWC’s Jim Sweatman, a biologist and Fish Orlando project manager. “Various program accomplishments have been covered in Bassmaster Magazine, Florida Sportsman, Florida Game & Fish Magazine, ESPN, TNN and local radio and TV.”

The FWC has distributed almost a quarter-million maps requested by anglers from 30 states and four foreign countries. Bass Pro Shops has a Fish Orlando! kiosk in its Orlando store that plays a video summarizing the program.

Now there’s an app to spread the word too. For more information on the app recently made available by Team Dart, visit the iTunes store or search for “Fish Orlando” in the App Store.

As an example of unique experiences at each fishing hole, at Turkey Lake, Grizzly Tracker Boats equipped with trolling motors and depth finders are available for $32 a day from Thursday – Sunday (7-11 a.m.) at Bill Frederick Park. By limiting fishing pressure, primarily with special rules, and working to create good habitat, the lake produces bass fishing catch rates that are two to three times higher than the state average. The boats were provided by Bass Pro Shops and may be reserved by calling the city of Orlando at 407-246-4486.

To find out more information on the boat-loaner program and other Fish Orlando waters, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “Fishing Sites/Forecasts,” then “Fish Orlando!” You can also link to the Fish Orlando app there.

Applicants must reside in Lake County; have a valid, working email address; a clean criminal history; and no fish-and-wildlife law violations. Preference will be given to applicants who live south of the Florida Turnpike.

All applications must be received by Monday, April 22. For an application and more information on nuisance alligators, visit MyFWC.com/Alligator.

For questions, please email FWCGator@MyFWC.com.

“The pelicans are emaciated and have heavy parasite counts, and, to our knowledge, other bird species have not been affected,” said Dan Wolf, an FWC researcher.

FWC researchers are assessing specimens and the environment for information that can help identify a potential cause.

Two weeks ago, they sent samples to the National Wildlife Health Center for testing but, so far, there are no definitive answers. Researchers are awaiting results from additional samples sent this week that may determine whether botulism, which is sometimes the cause of die-offs like this, played a role. However, according to Wolf, botulism generally kills its victims quickly, leaving little time for the bird to become emaciated. Citizens should continue to report any dead pelicans online at MyFWC.com/Bird or by calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

For sick or injured birds, contact a local wildlife rehabilitative facility for assistance or call your local FWC office for names of rehabilitators in your area.

Remember to protect yourself when picking up dead birds or other animals by always wearing rubber gloves or inserting your hands in plastic bags. Place the bird in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed and then place it inside a second bag and tie it shut. If you take the dead bird to the landfill, be sure to let employees there know you are disposing of an animal carcass. In some landfills, carcasses are buried immediately to prevent vultures, eagles and other scavengers from feeding on a possibly diseased carcass. 

It was about 7:30 p.m. when FWC Officer Don Meurlot spotted the suspect and another man standing by the trunk of a car parked on the side of U.S. Highway 1 in Volusia County in the three-bridges area between Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach.

Meurlot identified himself as an FWC law enforcement officer, and recognized right away that one of the men was in the process of “shakin’ and bakin’” – that is, creating methamphetamine with a plastic drink bottle.

The suspect quickly tried to hide the bottle inside a small cooler. Meurlot told both men to move to the front of their vehicle and then removed the dangerously combustible cooler to the safety of the parking area between his patrol truck and the suspect’s vehicle.

Despite Meurlot’s specific instruction to stay by the front of the car, Bates started toward the cooler and tried to destroy the methamphetamine evidence.  When Meurlot tried to stop him, the suspect began to fight, grabbed the officer around the waist and tried to grab his gun. Meurlot quickly subdued Bates’ efforts and handcuffed him. Neither Meurlot nor the suspect was injured in the incident.

Due to the type of chemicals involved and the drug the suspect was creating, Volusia County Bureau of Investigations (VBI) and the Volusia County Fire/Hazardous Materials units responded.

Bates was booked and transported to the jail on the felony charges of resisting an officer with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer and tampering with evidence. Drug charges are pending. The other man was not arrested. All containers, contents and the vehicle were seized by VBI for evidence.

Rayonier, which owns Twelve Mile Swamp WMA, and Plum Creek and Conservation Forestry, which jointly own Relay WMA, notified the FWC recently of their decisions to remove the lands from the agency’s Recreational Use Permit program. The two properties are in St. Johns and Flagler counties.

The Recreational Use Permit program is a cooperative effort by the FWC and private property owners to allow public hunting opportunities on privately owned lands. Permit holders pay a fee, set by the property owner and the FWC, to hunt on the land during established hunting dates. The properties typically offered a hunting opportunity that more closely resembled a private lease – fewer hunters and higher fees than on publicly owned lands.

Only 300 permits were available each year for Relay WMA and 125 for the Twelve Swamp WMA. The permits have not sold out for the past two years. 

Relay WMA is located on 19,682 acres in Flagler County off State Road 11. Twelve Mile Swamp WMA is on 9,460 acres in St. Johns County, about 10 miles north of St. Augustine, north of Nine Mile Road between U.S. 1 and Interstate 95.

This hunting season, each area provided permit holders 30 days of archery, nine days of muzzleloading gun, 58 days of general gun, 63 days of small game, two days of youth turkey and 37 days of spring turkey. In addition, Twelve Mile Swamp had a 61-day trapping season; trapping was prohibited on Relay.

“We will certainly miss having these areas open to public hunting,” said Jen Williams, the FWC’s public-hunting-area biologist for the Northeast Region. “But understand that the private landowners need to do what’s best for their business.”

Fort McCoy (an 8,730-acre WMA in Marion County near the town of Fort McCoy), another Recreational Use Permit area, was also removed from the wildlife management area system effective for the 2011-12 hunting season.  

However, several new public hunting areas have opened within the past five years, including Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area, Lake Monroe WMA, Marshall Swamp WMA, Charles H. Bronson WMA and Fellsmere Area 1 Public Small Game Hunting Area, totaling an addition of 46,404 acres.  Furthermore, 10 other existing WMAs received additional acreage in the past five years, totaling 31,468 acres. Hunting is currently allowed on approximately 1,035,000 acres of public land in the FWC’s Northeast Region.

For information regarding the future of property currently in Relay WMA, contact Plum Creek’s Hunter Hotline, 855-2HUNTPC, or Conservation Forestry’s Mike Calder, 386-518-6344. For information about Twelve Mile Swamp WMA, contact Rayonier at 855-729-4868.

For information about the wildlife management area system, contact the Northeast Regional office, FWC, 352-732-1225.

The treatment is targeted to manage hydrilla throughout the entire lake.

The FWC’s Invasive Plant Management Section will treat the hydrilla with Sonar™, which has no restrictions for fishing or swimming.  However, since some plants may be sensitive to Sonar, it is recommended that irrigating with water from the lake be suspended until April 2.  Sonar is approved for use in lakes by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  

Hydrilla is an invasive, exotic, aquatic plant spread easily by boats throughout the state’s lakes and rivers. It clogs waterways, making recreational activities difficult or impossible and chokes out beneficial native plants. Managing and treating it is necessary for the health of Florida’s waters and to enable continued recreational boating and other aquatic activities.

For questions about this treatment, contact Ed Harris, FWC invasive plant management regional biologist, at 321-246-0573.

The meetings began in late February and are being held throughout the state through early April. Open houses are for the public to come in, talk to biologists and let FWC staff know what they think.

“This is an opportunity for anglers to provide their thoughts and ideas about Florida largemouth bass regulations. Should they stay the same? Should changes be made? You tell us,” said Allen Martin, regional freshwater fisheries biologist for the FWC.

Anglers are welcome to come into the open houses at any point.

“There’s no set schedule. You can come in for 10 minutes or stay for an hour,” Martin said. “The open house format is casual and for angler input about bass regulations only. We want people to let us know what they think.”

For more information, go to the Largemouth Bass Regulations Review at MyFWC.com/Fishing then click on “Speak out on Bass Rules.”

The meetings began in late February and are being held throughout the state through early April. Open houses are for the public to come in, talk to biologists and let FWC staff know what they think.

“This is an opportunity for anglers to provide their thoughts and ideas about Florida largemouth bass regulations. Should they stay the same? Should changes be made? You tell us,” said Allen Martin, regional freshwater fisheries biologist for the FWC.

Anglers are welcome to come into the open houses at any point.

“There’s no set schedule. You can come in for 10 minutes or stay for an hour,” Martin said. “The open house format is casual and for angler input about bass regulations only. We want people to let us know what they think.”

For more information, go to the Largemouth Bass Regulations Review at MyFWC.com/Fishing then click on “Speak out on Bass Rules.”

“We want to know what business owners, property owners, anglers, hunters, bird watchers, airboaters and others who have a vested interest in the chain of lakes think,” said Ed Harris, FWC invasive plant management biologist. “Now is the time to get and stay involved.”

The goal of this meeting is to provide updates, answer questions and receive public input on hydrilla treatments conducted last November and December and upcoming treatments through April on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. The discussion will include current hydrilla management, herbicide monitoring reports, emergent habitat management status, snail kite nesting, submerged vegetation mapping and pondweed management.

Public input from the wide variety of user groups on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, which includes lakes Kissimmee, Hatchineha, Cypress, Jackson, Tohopekaliga and East Lake Tohopekaliga, is critical to create a well-balanced approach to managing hydrilla and other invasive aquatic plants.

“This is part of our ongoing process that will maintain a regular dialogue with stakeholders about aquatic plant management on the Kissimmee Chain. We hope everyone interested in aquatic plant management efforts will attend this meeting and provide input,” Harris said.

For more details about the meeting, contact Ed Harris at 407-858-6170.

In July 2012, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists began educating those who use the WMA of the upcoming thinning process so that when it began they would understand why it’s necessary for a healthy wildlife population on the area.

“We wanted to be sure folks would understand that what we are doing is improving the habitat for wildlife by thinning planted pine trees and restoring the natural, native plant communities that were here originally,” said Justin Ellenberger, FWC managing wildlife biologist for Guana River WMA

Right now loggers will be accessing the WMA mostly through the gate on County Road 210, and in coming months will use the gate on Roscoe Boulevard as they move to other areas scheduled for thinning.

The WMA will remain open to public use during the timber operations. Those recreating on the area will be sharing the main road and trails with logging trucks and should take proper precautions. 

“We have posted signs on the WMA alerting users about the thinning process and directing them to the WMA’s established entrances to avoid logging activity,” said Ellenberger. “I expect the logging to take anywhere from three to six months, barring any weather delays. However, the loggers will not be cutting during the two weekends of turkey hunts.”

For questions about this project, please call the FWC’s Guana River Field Office at 904-825-6877.