October 2, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s wild turkey poult index, a metric used to estimate nest success and poult survival for the bird, was slightly above the 10-year average at 2.9 poults per hen in 2024, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The Division of Wildlife relies on public reports of wild turkeys and their young, called poults, in July and August of each year to estimate nest success and poult survival. The annual poult index can serve as an indicator of wild turkey population trends and inform harvest regulations in future years. Turkey brood success is largely influenced by weather conditions, habitat, and predation.

The Lima refinery will be paying millions of dollars in penalties and upgrades for violations of the Clean Air Act. The U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Cenovus Energy to pay 19 million dollars in civil penalties for benzene and volatile organic compound emissions. The energy company must also implement an estimated 150 million dollars in capital improvements to reduce emissions of benzene by 4.3 tons per year, other hazardous air pollutants by 16 tons per year, and other volatile organic compound emissions by 219 tons per year.

September 24, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife encourages Ohio’s sportsmen and women to join millions of others nationwide in celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, Sept. 28. Ohioans have many options to get outside on National Hunting and Fishing Day and during the coming weeks. The annual white-tailed deer archery hunting season opens statewide on Saturday, Sept. 28, as does the youth and military waterfowl hunting weekend. Hunting seasons for squirrels and doves are already open. The fall wild turkey hunting season, available in 70 counties, begins Oct. 1. Find more information in the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations and purchase a hunting license or permit if necessary before your outing.

September 18, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Picking and planting milkweed seed pods this fall can help future eastern monarch butterflies, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. These butterflies are currently migrating through Ohio on their way to Mexico, where they spend the winter. Various species of milkweed are the only host plants for monarch caterpillars. Each spring, eastern monarchs lay eggs on milkweed as they migrate north from Mexico. Monarchs travel between 50 and 100 miles per day on a journey that may cover several thousand miles in total. After several generations, monarchs reach their northernmost range in southern Canada.

August 27, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s hunting seasons for squirrels, doves, and specific waterfowl open in early September, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Archers can look forward to white-tailed deer hunting beginning later in the month. Hunting seasons for squirrel (fox, red, and gray), dove, rail (Virginia and sora), snipe, and gallinule begin Sunday, Sept. 1. Early Canada goose hunting runs from Saturday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Sept. 15, and early teal (blue-winged and green-winged) hunting is Saturday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Sept. 22. The deer archery season is not far behind, with statewide hunting opening on Saturday, Sept. 28.