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2B Daily News – Saturday, March 10, 2012 Outdoor & living BY KYLE HOPKINS McClatchy Newspapers NIKOLAI, Alaska — Iditarod sophomore Scott Janssen was making his way down a steep section of the Dalzell Gorge when the dog col- lapsed. One moment, 9-year-old Marshall was pulling hard at the sled, the tug line taut as a guitar string. The next, the husky was on the ground. "Boom! Laid right down. It was like a guy my age having a heart attack," said Janssen, who owns an Anchorage funeral home and calls himself "The Mushing Mortician." Janssen raced to the dog. Marshall did not appear to be breathing, he said. "I know what death looks like, and he was gone. Nobody home," Janssen said. Dog deaths are a constant fear for Iditarod mushers and boosters. Critics point to the once-common fatalities along the trail as evidence the race is inherently inhumane. But no dogs have died in the past two years, and racers are eager to continue the trend. For many mushers, sled dogs are some combination of co-worker and employee, friend and family member. "I was sobbing," said Janssen, who began a kind of mouth-to-snout CPR — compressing the husky's chest and breathing into his nose. "I really love that dog." Marshall collapsed late Monday night as the musher navigated a famously tricky section of trail that follows Rainy Pass as mushers exit the Alaska Range. Janssen, who turns 51 on Monday, is running his second Iditarod after placing 42 of 47 finish- ers last year. Janssen trains with Iditarod rookie Anna Berington, running dogs from 1984 Iditarod champion Dean Osmar's kennel in Kasilof. Marshall is likely one of the oldest. He has finished maybe half a dozen Mendocino open house The Mendocino National Forest is hosting an open house from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 to meet Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune and Ecosystem Staff Officer Ken Wysocki at the Forest Supervisor's Office, 825 N. Humboldt Ave., in Willows. Tune, previously the Monterey District ranger on the Los Padres National For- est, arrived on the Forest Feb. 14 and has spent the past few weeks getting ori- ented, meeting employees and touring the Forest. She replaces former Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras, who was detailed to the Angeles National Forest last spring before accepting the assignment permanently in September 2011. Tune has the distinction of being the first woman selected to serve as Forest Supervisor for the Mendoci- no in its 103-year history. "The past few weeks learning about the Mendoci- no and meeting the employ- ees has been a tremendous and overwhelmingly posi- tive experience," Tune said. "I am very excited to be here and look forward to working with our partners and public who enjoy the many benefits from this remarkable for- est." "The open house is just the first step for me and our new Ecosystem Staff Offi- cer Ken Wysocki to begin engaging local communities to improve the overall health and sustainability of the resources on the Mendocino National Forest," Tune said. Prior to her experience on the Los Padres, Tune served as a deputy district ranger for the Coronado National Forest in Arizona. Her career started as a clerk- typist in 1978 before transi- tioning to fire where she has extensive experience, life Dog deaths are a constant fear for Iditarod mushers and boosters California Outdoors Q&A Can Ducks see color? Question: Can ducks see color? I know deer see different shades of gray, but what about ducks and geese? (David V.) Answer: Well, this actually is a fairly entertaining question since waterfowl are much dif- ferent than many other animals — especially us! According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) water- fowl biologist Shaun Olden- burger, waterfowl can control the curvature of both the lens and cornea (mammals, includ- ing humans, only control the lens). This is basically how birds can see extreme- ly well while flying and while in the act of div- ing/feeding. In addition, their eyes act indepen- dently and they use one at a time to allow for depth- perception since nearly all waterfowl have monoc- ular, not binocular, vision (they can't stare forward at objects). Carrie Wilson MCTphoto Karin Hendrickson shows affection for her leader, Hatchet, in Takotna, Alaska, during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Iditarods, mainly with Kenai Peninsu- la musher Paul Gebhardt. This was to be the dog's last trip to Nome, Janssen said. The musher spent the next few cru- cial minutes attempting a kind of dog rescue technique taught to him by Gebhardt. Janssen tucked the dog's tongue into its mouth and held the mouth closed. "I had my mouth over his nose, breathing into his nose as I was com- pressing and rubbing his chest, trying to work the air out," Janssen said. After what seemed like an eternity but was likely no more than five min- utes, Janssen talked to the dog, he said. "I'm like c'mon dude, please come back.'" "And he did." including working on hot- shot crews, leading a hand- crew, serving as assistant forest fire management offi- cer, an emergency center manager, fire planner, fuels program manager and fire ecologist. Tune's Forest Service experience also includes work as a certified timber cruiser, law enforce- ment officer, national train- ing coordinator, and union steward. Her educational background includes study- ing landscape ecology at the University of Arizona. Wysocki, who comes to the Forest from the Pacific Southwest Regional Office in Vallejo, Calif., arrived on the Forest Monday, Feb. 27. He served as supervisor of program development, budget and accountability, spearheading various initia- tives to include a business continuity solution. Prior to joining for the Forest Ser- vice, Wysocki served in sev- eral different capacities in both public and private enti- ties focused on strategic management, environmen- tal protection, technology and business transformation. He holds a doctorate in man- agement from University of Phoenix, as well as master's and bachelor's degrees in agronomy from Iowa State University and University of Wisconsin, respectively. For more information, please contact the Forest at (530) 934-3316. Wild horse adoption Young, healthy wild horses from the high deserts of northwest Nevada and burros from the Twin Peaks area in northeast California will be available for adop- tion Saturday, March 31, at the Tehama District Fair- ground in Red Bluff. The U. S. Bureau of Land Management will bring its Adopt a Horse or Burro Program to the fair- The dog suddenly hacked a breath, Janssen said. The musher said he doesn't know why Marshall collapsed. Maybe heart arrhythmia, he guessed. Janssen carried Marshall in his sled until the Rohn checkpoint about 32 miles from Rainy Pass, breaking a runner along the way. "The vets took a look. Gave Mar- shall an IV, and he's heading home," Janssen said. "He was fine this morn- ing. Standing around, bummed out that he wasn't going with us." Marshall will return to Anchorage sometime Wednesday, said Janssen's daughter, Chelsea. "He's doing just fine. He's still at the checkpoint and they're flying him back home today." OUTDOOR BRIEFS grounds as part of the Back Country Horsemen of Cali- fornia State Rendezvous. The adoption pens will be set up near the Pauline Davis Arena. "Wild horses are tough, smart and loyal. They are readily trained and make ideal back country pack ani- mals," said Doug Satica, manager of the BLM's wild horse corrals near Susanville. "We'll offer ani- mals that would be great pack string additions or excellent pleasure-riding stock." The BLM will offer three mares and three geldings between 2 and 4 years old; three 1-year-old fillies and three 1-year-old geldings; three jack burros and three jenny burros. All animals are certified healthy and have received all necessary vaccinations including rabies and West Nile. They come with complete health care records. Adoption event gates open at 8 a.m. The event begins with a silent bid auc- tion from 9 to 11 a.m. Ani- mals not taken during bid- ding will be available for $125 on a first-come, first- served basis for the rest of the day. Anyone interested can preview the animals at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 30. Wild horses coming to Red Bluff were rounded up from public lands near High Rock Canyon in remote northwest Nevada. Herds in this area are known for pro- ducing horses that grow to 14 to16 hands high (56-64 inches at the withers), BLM officials said. To qualify, adopters must be at least 18 years old and residents of the United States. For each animal they must provide a 400 square- foot corral surrounded by six-foot pipe or board fences (five-foot corral fences are allowed for horses under 18 months old; four and a half- foot fences are allowed for burros). A roofed, two- sided shelter is required. Animals must be kept in these corrals until they can be handled, haltered and led. Adopted animals initially remain property of the fed- eral government. After pro- viding a year of good care, adopters can receive title. Wild horses and burros are protected by a federal law that requires the BLM to manage wild populations at levels that the rangelands can support. Animals removed from the range are offered for public adoption. Special Turkey Hunting Opportunities Offered in North Central Region Wild Justice premier "Wild Justice," the popu- lar television reality series that showcases wildlife crime fighting in California, begins its second season this Sunday night. The first episode of the season will air at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic channel. The series opener corre- sponds with Daylight Sav- ings Time to remember to check local listings for air times in your area. Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens worked with National Geo- graphic video crews throughout the year to pro- duce one of the network's highest rated shows ever. Each week, camera crews accompany California game wardens on patrol working everything from poaching investigations involving deer, wild pigs and abalone to illegal drug use/posses- sion, stolen vehicles and ille- gal marijuana cultivation. Although the show focuses on the very small percentage that break the law, the series also recog- nizes hunters and anglers who practice responsible conservation of the fish and wildlife populations, and their habitats. Another unique thing about waterfowl is they can see in almost all directions. A few ducks are the exception to the rule, but usually the eye placement allows them to view in many different directions at the same time. Secondly, waterfowl have a very high number of cones (which dictates color vision in humans) which allows them to see sharp images and have color vision where colors are more vivid than humans' ability. The breadth of color vision is much wider than our own since UV light can be observed by waterfowl (UV light is absorbed by lenses in humans). This allows waterfowl to fly at night or feed in the dark or at low light conditions. Are pier anglers considered shore-based anglers? Question: I know that rockfish, lingcod and all groundfish are open year round to shore-based anglers. Does that include pier anglers? Seems to me that piers are shore-based, but thought I'd best check to be sure since I don't see it spelled out in the regs. (David B.) Answer: Yes, pier anglers are considered shore- based anglers. Hunting deer after dropping their antlers? Question: I have a question about a deer being legal to take after it drops its antlers. I hunt during the late archery deer season and was hunting one buck for about a month. By the end of the A-22 archery season, the buck had dropped both antlers. The regs read as follows: §351. Forked-Horn Buck, Antlerless and Either- Sex Deer Defined. (a) Forked-Horn Buck Defined. For the purpose of these regulations a forked-horn buck is defined as a male deer having a branched antler on either side with the branch in the upper two-thirds of the antler. Eyeguards or other bony projections on the lower one-third of the antler shall not be considered as points or branches. (b) Antlerless Deer Defined. For the purpose of these regulations, antlerless deer are defined as female deer, fawns of either sex other than spotted fawns, and male deer with an unbranched antler on one or both sides which is not more than three inch- es in length. (c) Either-Sex Deer Defined. For the purpose of these regulations, either-sex deer are defined as antlerless deer as described in section 351 (b), or legal bucks that have two or more points in the upper two-thirds of either antler. Spike bucks may not be taken. The way I read the regs, it would be illegal to shoot a buck after it dropped its antlers. Can you clarify this for me please? (Jim P.) Answer: Yes, you are correct. That deer got lucky this year! Lifetime licenses? Question: Why did California stop sending life- time licenses out? At the time of purchase there were no restrictions implying I had to remain a res- ident of California and I had no intentions of mov- ing. Circumstances changed though and now I live out of state. Does this negate the lifetime license privileges that I've already paid for? (Aron H., Homer, Alaska) Answer: No, your lifetime license status has not changed because you moved out of state. Accord- ing to DFG Sport Fishing/Waterfowl/Upland Game Program Analyst Glenn Underwood, a change in lifetime license issuance procedures was made when we launched the Automated License Data System in 2010. Lifetime license customers must now verify that their personal information is cor- rect and request their license annually. There are three ways to claim your license: 1. Pick up your license at any license agent. A list of license agents is available at www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/Outlet- Search/FindOutlet 2. Order it online at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing. Log in and complete your transaction as though you are making a purchase. There will be no charge for your lifetime license. 3. Call (800) 565-1458 and your license will be mailed to you. Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.