THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701130044
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 113 lines
Each first of October, legions of hunters converged on the Dismal Swamp with trucks and dogs. One generation taught the next the sport of bagging a buck.
But in 1974 when the Chesapeake and Suffolk wetlands became the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, hunting was no longer considered a sport by federal land managers. It was a game management tool.
The swamp officials agree there are too many deer in the swamp and will continue to allow hunters access. But the two sides are at odds over restrictions that the managers say are designed to protect not only wildlife but also the region's living heritage, which is slowly losing open space as development encroaches.
``We want our fair share of the swamp,'' said Jerry F. Bass, a life-long resident of Suffolk whose ancestors founded the Bass Hunting Club in 1876. ``Bicyclists and bird watchers enjoy it, and we have as much right to use it as anyone. It's been drained and it's been improved, and we're not interested in how it was 1,000 years ago.''
Bass and some other hunters say the swamp has gone too far in its mission of restoring the wetlands and preserving habitat for the deer as well as the cypress, warblers and black bears. Historic hunting opportunities have been lost, they say. And while refuge managers are willing to tinker with the rules somewhat, a group of hunters,which calls itself the Dismal Swamp Awareness Association, wants the system scrapped in favor of the old way, when hunt clubs dominated the land they leased from timber companies for part of the year.
This season, wildlife biologists determined that 13 days of hunting during a five-week period would be sufficient to thin the herd from the preserve.
Lloyd Culp, the refuge's manager, said he is willing to listen to hunters' requests but must consider the health of the deer herd, the swamp, and the other people who use the public refuge for recreation.
``For Mr. Bass and his friends, personally, this is a change from when it was owned by various timber companies,'' Culp said. ``But if you look at the entire population, some people are able to go to the swamp who were not able to go before it was public land. We're at an impasse if he doesn't agree with the basic mission of the refuge.''
The refuge began with a donation of 50,000 acres in 1974 from the Union Camp Corp. That land was given to The Nature Conservancy, an environmental group, which turned it over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for management.
Now 107,000 acres, the swamp is one of more than 500 refuges nationwide with the goal of preserving the country's living heritage.
But wildlife biologists, like Culp, say hunting will likely be a part of managing the refuges for the foreseeable future.
At the swamp, during the limited hunts now allowed each year to thin the overpopulating deer herd, 750 hunters are permitted a day in the refuge.
Not nearly that many use the swamp, Bass said, because of what his group considers to be overly strict conditions.
``We fear they're going to do away with the season eventually if more hunters don't use it,'' said P.J. Bradshaw, board member of the awareness association and Bass Hunt Club president.
Doug Green, a local bow hunter, said he and more than 4,000 other Virginia archers have been driven from the refuge. A separate hunting season for archers was ended in 1988 for a lack of interest, according to swamp officials, but Green said the season wasn't advertised and he'd like another chance. Bow hunters, whose tactics include hiding, camouflaging themselves and surprising deer in the morning calm, cannot hunt while shotgun hunters are roaming the woods dressed in blaze orange clothing.
``If I go in there in full camouflage, I run the risk of getting shot myself,'' he said.
For the benefit of all users, Bass and his group said they want the swamp's roads and ditches maintained to ease access and prevent flooding.
The ditches were dug in George Washington's time, when his timber company used them to float logs to mills and keep the land dry. Culp, the refuge manager, said heavy rain this year prevented some maintenance and caused some flooding.
Culp said although the refuge cannot be completely restored to its original condition, and visitors always will be welcome, the refuge's preservation mission is incompatible with some of the goals of the hunters groups.
Another bow hunting season will be considered, and, as the health of the refuge's wildlife dictates, permits to kill other animals will be allowed, he said.
``The deer hunt is a management tool, and we'll extend the seasons as the need is demonstrated,'' he said. The refuge aims to eliminate around 300 deer a season.
The number of deer tags allowed each year is determined by surveying the deer killed during the previous hunting season. Small, sickly deer mean there is insufficient food to support the herd or that they are diseased, and the number culled the next season may rise. Also, more deer may be shot when the animals consume all the foliage up to three or four feet off the ground, stripping the habitat for other wildlife.
``We have nothing against hunting - it's a valid outdoor activity - and we can't rule out small game in the future,'' Culp said. ``I take all feedback seriously, but I need to strike a balance between all groups looking to enjoy the refuge.''
Culp points to other sportsmen who seem satisfied with their experiences.
``It's there for preservation of wildlife, and I'm only there as a management tool,'' said Linda Campbell, who hunts and fishes in the refuge.
Still, Campbell, who owns property along the perimeter of the swamp, said she understands the sacrifices some had to make for the public preserve.
``Mr. Bass and his friends know what their experiences are and what their fathers have told them, and nothing beyond that,'' she said. ``I think the swamp managers know what's best for the swamp because they have the resources. I'm willing to respect their rules.'' MEMO: HUNTER HAS A HISTORY OF GOING AGAINST AUTHORITY/B5
DEVELOPMENT COULD BE A THREAT TO BLACK BEARS/B5 ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
LARGE PHOTO, COURTESY OF THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP NATIONAL WILDLIFE
REFUGE; BEAR PHOTO, PAUL AIKEN/FILE
Jerry F. Bass