The Outdoor Page

May is Historic Preservation month and the DNR Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology is sponsoring the 6th annual Historic Preservation Month photo contest. Entry deadline is April 9. Selected photos will be displayed in several locations throughout the state during May.

Anglers of all ages are welcome to visit Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site on Sylvan Lake Feb. 6 for the inaugural Ice Fishing Derby and Family Fishing Fair from 6 to 11 a.m.

Indiana Conservation Officers will run the 2010 Karl E. Kelley Memorial Youth Camp from June 20-26 at Ross Camp in Tippecanoe County.

Get a jump on planning your vacation. The 2010 Recreation Guide is available online. It includes new information about outdoor recreation opportunities at DNR properties along with your old favorites.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — State wildlife officials say Indiana hunters killed an estimated 6,300 Canada geese last year during a special hunting season.

State waterfowl biologist Adam Phelps says nearly 3,000 hunters took part in the February 2009 hunt. The estimated 6,300 birds they bagged brings the two-year total for the special hunts to more than 11,000 Canada geese.

Large flocks of Canada geese have become a nuisance in many parts of Indiana and other states because they eat the grass and leave their excrement near homes and businesses.

The state Department of Natural Resources says large numbers of the geese can degrade water quality and cause erosion. The DNR began the hunts after determining that non-lethal methods of controlling the birds had not worked.