GAME COMMISSION RELEASES DEER HARVEST ESTIMATES Harvests increased statewide in 2015-16, report shows.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission today reported results from the 2015-16 deer seasons, which closed in January.

Hunters harvested an estimated 315,813 deer – an increase of about 4 percent compared to the 2014-15 harvest of 303,973.

Of those, 137,580 were antlered deer – an increase of about 15 percent compared to the previous license year, when an estimated 119,260 bucks were taken. Hunters also harvested an estimated 178,233 antlerless deer in 2015-16, which represents an about 4 percent decrease compared to the 184,713 antlerless deer taken in 2014-15.

The percentage of older bucks in the harvest might well be the most eye-popping number in the report.

A whopping 59 percent of whitetail bucks taken by Pennsylvania hunters during the 2015-16 deer seasons were 2½ years old or older, making for the highest percentage of adult bucks in the harvest in decades.

Game Commission Wildlife Management Director Wayne Laroche pointed out the trend of more adult bucks in the harvest started when antler restrictions were put into place. More yearling bucks are making it through the first hunting season through which they carry a rack. Season after season, a greater proportion of the annual buck harvest has been made of adult bucks.

In 2014-15, 57 percent of the bucks taken by hunters were 2½ or older.

“But to see that number now at nearly 60 percent is remarkable,” Laroche said. “It goes to show what antler restrictions have accomplished – they’ve created a Pennsylvania where every deer hunter in the woods has a real chance of taking the buck of a lifetime.”

While the 137,580 bucks taken in 2015-16 is a sharp increase over 2014-15, it compares to a 2013-14 estimate of 134,280 bucks. In 2014-15, a number of factors including poor weather on key hunting days and limited deer movements due to exceptionally abundant mast contributed to a reduced deer harvest overall.

The decrease in the 2015-16 antlerless harvest was a predictable outcome, given that 33,000 fewer antlerless licenses were allocated statewide in 2015-16, compared to the previous year.

Reducing the allocation within a Wildlife Management Unit allows deer numbers to grow there.  Records show it takes an allocation of about four antlerless licenses to harvest one antlerless deer, and the success rate for antlerless-deer hunters again was consistent at about 25 percent in 2015-16.

Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough congratulated deer hunters on their successes afield during the 2015-16 seasons.

“While the Game Commission again reduced the number of antlerless licenses that were allocated in 2015-16, and the antlerless harvest dropped accordingly, as expected, the overall increase in the harvest – and, in particular, the buck harvest – show this was another outstanding deer season in Pennsylvania,” Hough said. “The pictures I’ve seen of trophy bucks this season came from all over the Commonwealth – including the big woods of the northcentral – and they were jaw-dropping and impressive. And the best news is there are plenty of new memories waiting to be made when deer hunters get back out there in the coming license year.”

Harvest estimates are based on more than 24,000 deer checked by Game Commission personnel and more than 100,000 harvest reports submitted by successful hunters. Because some harvests go unreported, estimates provide a more accurate picture of hunter success. However, in 2015-16 the rate at which successful hunters reported their harvests increased slightly.

The antlerless harvest included about 63 percent adult females, about 20 percent button bucks and about 17 percent doe fawns. The rates are similar to long-term averages.

Agency staff currently is working to develop 2016-17 antlerless deer license allocation recommendations, which will be considered at the April 5 meeting of the Board of Game Commissioners. Wayne Laroche, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director, said that in addition to harvest data, staff will be looking at deer health measures, forest regeneration and deer-human conflicts for each WMU.

Total deer harvest estimates by WMU for 2015-16 (with 2014-15 figures in parentheses) are as follows:

WMU 1A: 6,000 (5,100) antlered, 9,100 (10,800) antlerless;

WMU 1B: 6,900 (5,800) antlered, 7,700 (8,800) antlerless;

WMU 2A: 6,500 (5,100) antlered, 10,500 (9,600) antlerless;

WMU 2B: 5,200 (4,300) antlered, 15,000 (13,000) antlerless;

WMU 2C: 9,100 (7,000) antlered, 8,490 (9,029) antlerless;

WMU 2D: 12,300 (11,400) antlered, 15,700 (16,400) antlerless;

WMU 2E: 4,700 (4,400) antlered, 5,300 (5,600) antlerless;

WMU 2F: 7,000 (6,000) antlered, 5,400 (5,900) antlerless;

WMU 2G: 6,100 (4,800) antlered, 4,100 (4,700) antlerless;

WMU 2H: 1,400 (1,700) antlered, 1,400 (1,100) antlerless;

WMU 3A: 4,300 (3,300) antlered, 4,000 (4,300) antlerless;

WMU 3B: 6,800 (6,000) antlered, 7,400 (8,100) antlerless;

WMU 3C: 7,600 (6,500) antlered, 10,500 (10,300) antlerless;

WMU 3D: 3,500 (4,200) antlered, 3,700 (5,200) antlerless;

WMU 4A: 5,100 (3,300) antlered, 8,670 (6,805) antlerless;

WMU 4B: 5,700 (4,600) antlered, 7,000 (5,600) antlerless;

WMU 4C: 5,400 (4,800) antlered, 5,000 (5,000) antlerless;

WMU 4D: 7,200 (6,500) antlered, 7,443 (6,848) antlerless;

WMU 4E: 6,200 (5,800) antlered, 6,900 (5,900) antlerless;

WMU 5A: 2,900 (2,400) antlered, 4,600 (3,300) antlerless;

WMU 5B: 8,000 (6,900) antlered, 11,500 (12,400) antlerless;

WMU 5C: 7,400 (8,000) antlered, 13,600 (22,200) antlerless;

WMU 5D: 2,200 (1,300) antlered, 5,200 (3,800) antlerless; and

Unknown WMU: 80 (60) antlered, 30 (31) antlerless.

Season-specific 2015-16 deer harvest estimates (with 2014-15 harvest estimates in parentheses) are as follows:

WMU 1A: archery, 2,610 (2,320) antlered, 2,480 (2,350) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 90 (80) antlered, 1,120 (1,050) antlerless.

WMU 1B: archery, 2,560 (2,270) antlered, 1,480 (1,340) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (30) antlered, 720 (560) antlerless.

WMU 2A: archery, 2,160 (1,940) antlered, 2,110 (2,020) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (60) antlered, 1,390 (1,280) antlerless.

WMU 2B: archery, 3,750 (3,060) antlered, 7,880 (6,610) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (40) antlered, 920 (890) antlerless.

WMU 2C: archery, 3,130 (2,740) antlered, 1,687 (1,776) antlerless; muzzleloader, 70 (60) antlered, 1,066 (1,040) antlerless.

WMU 2D: archery, 4,780 (4,510) antlered, 2,330 (2,650) antlerless; muzzleloader, 120 (90) antlered, 1,970 (2,150) antlerless.

WMU 2E: archery, 1,460 (1,460) antlered, 800 (780) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (40) antlered, 700 (720) antlerless.

WMU 2F: archery, 1,860 (1,730) antlered, 780 (960) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (70) antlered, 720 (840) antlerless.

WMU 2G: archery, 1,340 (1,050) antlered, 800 (850) antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 (50) antlered, 700 (850) antlerless.

WMU 2H: archery, 290 (380) antlered, 250 (140) antlerless; muzzleloader, 10 (20) antlered, 250 (160) antlerless.

WMU 3A: archery, 1,180 (870) antlered, 760 (540) antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 (30) antlered, 640 (460) antlerless.

WMU 3B: archery, 2,320 (1,950) antlered, 1,620 (1,500) antlerless; muzzleloader, 80 (50) antlered, 1,180 (1,200) antlerless.

WMU 3C: archery, 2,060 (1,660) antlered, 1,940 (1,780) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (40) antlered, 1,460 (1,420) antlerless.

WMU 3D: archery, 1,060 (1,350) antlered, 980 (960) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (50) antlered, 520 (440) antlerless.

WMU 4A: archery, 960 (740) antlered, 1,401 (1,057) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (60) antlered, 1,285 (1,096) antlerless.

WMU 4B: archery, 1,660 (1,650) antlered, 1,400 (1,190) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (50) antlered, 800 (710) antlerless.

WMU 4C: archery, 2,150 (1,840) antlered, 1,380 (1,240) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (60) antlered, 620 (660) antlerless.

WMU 4D: archery, 1,840 (1,920) antlered, 1,714 (1,356) antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 (80) antlered, 968 (913) antlerless.

WMU 4E: archery, 2,150 (2,070) antlered, 1,340 (1,070) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (30) antlered, 760 (630) antlerless.

WMU 5A: archery, 880 (960) antlered, 1,010 (720) antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 (40) antlered, 590 (380) antlerless.

WMU 5B: archery, 4,430 (3,730) antlered, 3,790 (3,920) antlerless; muzzleloader, 70 (70) antlered, 1,010 (1,180) antlerless.

WMU 5C: archery, 4,880 (4,790) antlered, 6,310 (10,210) antlerless; muzzleloader, 120 (110) antlered, 1,090 (1,490) antlerless.

WMU 5D: archery, 1,770 (990) antlered, 3,440 (2,730) antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 (10) antlered, 160 (70) antlerless.

Unknown WMU: archery, 0 (40) antlered, 10 (0) antlerless; muzzleloader, 0 (0) antlered, 0 (0) antlerless.

For additional information on Pennsylvania’s 2015-16 deer harvest, please go to the agency’s website – www.pgc.state.pa.us – and click on “White-Tailed Deer” on the homepage, and then select 2015-16 Deer Harvest Estimates under “Deer Management.”

A gateway drug to illegal drug use is closer to home than many think

(Editor’s note: This is another installment of the series Danni’s Ripple Effect. What follows is an interview with a professor at the University of Pittsburgh who talks about what leads to heroin use and what needs to be done to help those in need.)

By SANDY RHODES

A gateway drug to illegal drug use is closer to home than many think – it’s in their medicine cabinets.

The increased use of pain medicine is hugely responsible for opening the door for drug users to turn to heroin.

“Marijuana is not the gateway drug,” said Dr. Janice Pringle, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Pringle leads Pitt-Oakland’s Program Evaluation and Research Unit that is part of the university’s School of Pharmacy. Instead, the increase use and availability of prescription opioids are to blame.

According to a report released by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the heroin epidemic has grown out of control in Pennsylvania and is no longer a something only seen in inner cities or within certain demographics.

As a result, there are 52,000 people in Pennsylvania that are in treatment for heroin addiction, and another 760,000 addicts that haven’t received treatment. An even more depressing statistic is that 70 percent of Pennsylvanians in prison are suffering from a treatable substance abuse problem.

Passage from Prescription Drugs to Heroin

A gateway drug is a drug that opens the door to the use of other, harder drugs. Gateway drugs are typically inexpensive and readily available.

“We are treating pain more aggressively and pharmacies are developing more opioids,” she said. Opioids are medications that relieve pain. They reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain and affect those brain areas controlling emotion, which diminishes the effects of painful stimulus, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Some common opioids are Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet.

The availability and profitability make prescription drug use and abuse widespread whether it’s people on the street trying to make a profit or elderly people supplementing their retirement income.

In the end, these drugs trigger touch receptor that users rely on to not feel pain, Pringle said. But, eventually, these users tend to gravitate towards heroin because it is cheaper. People may pay $20 per pill as opposed to $5 for a stamp, which is a bag of heroin which is about the size of a stamp.

And it turns out that heroin is relatively easy to get, too.

“Once you get into the traffic lane, it’s not hard to get,” Pringle said, adding when a person becomes addicted depends on the quality of the heroin.

“The amount and the purity determine when one becomes dependent.”

A person becomes addicted because the heroin affects the receptors in the brain, Pringle said. It gets to the point where a user needs heroin and if they don’t get it, it makes them sick. Therefore, they manage their use of heroin so they do not go through withdrawal.

From Use to Overdose

Those addicted to heroin can’t seem to get high enough. Chasing the high is paramount in their lives. And chasing the high and overdosing are just a shot away.

An overdose is the accidental or intentional use of a drug or medicine in an amount that is higher than normally used. This may lead to serious long-term consequences or death.

“They get high. If it takes so long and they are not getting that high, they take more,” Pringle said. Sometimes this is a result of someone being away from drugs for a while, such as being in jail. They come out of jail and think “they can pick up where they left off.” Their body is no longer used to the higher dosage so they overdose.

Other times, it is the potency of the drug. Each batch has a different potency, leading the user to play a dangerous game of Russian roulette with each injection.

“Some go after that which either creates death or creates a high.”

Obstacles to Recovery

Ensuring drug addicts get the help they need is not a quick fix.

Insurance payments, lengths of stay in rehabilitation facilities and treating addiction like as a disease are just a few of the things needed to be addressed in order to help a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population.

“I don’t know how many more people need to die before we wake up,” Pringle said. “They know what it takes, the percentage of success with completed treatment, but they are not willing to implement it.”

Pringle’s words echo those in the report “Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Services.”

“We face a new and ironic challenge,” said Sec. Gary Tennis of the Pa. Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs. “We know how to cure substance abuse. The new challenge is are we willing to do what it takes to achieve these cures?

“Right now, the answer seems to be we can’t afford it. Name another disease where our response is we can’t afford to treat it. There are very few diseases where we surrender to costs.”
Pringle said rehabilitation can be successful if attention – and money - is for treatment and for the length of time needed.

“The county is no different from hypertension and diabetes when you consider that we are not spending the money for drug and alcohol treatment.”

Now is the time for people to take a stand and speak up so addicts can get the treatment they need for a successful recovery.

“People don’t know that the outcome can be good,” she said. “Addiction is the stepchild of diseases. People are skeptical of treatment.”

More money, case management and creating a better model for treatment is needed.
“We need someone to keep track of it.”

Ninety Days to Success

Heroin may be a one-hit wonder with its addictive nature, but recovery will take longer to achieve.

According to “Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Services,” treatment must “focus on what is medically necessary for the individual” and not based on arbitrary protocol.
“It’s not sink or swim,” Pringle said, adding rehabilitation treatment should be a minimum of 90 days. A support system is also needed whether it is to attend meetings for addicts or being a part of a recovery support group.

Likewise, the National Institute of Drug Abuse recommends a minimum of 90 days of care, which is a great increase from the traditional 28- to 30-day inpatient recovery program.

And it may take up to seven attempts before a person can achieve long-term recovery, Pringle said.

“When someone has cancer and the illness comes back after a little treatment, no one says ‘too bad.’ We treat them.”

Side

If you think heroin is not a problem in rural Pennsylvania, think again.

“This is the first year ever we had opiates be the drug of choice for our clientele,” said Jessica Dufala, a treatment specialist at Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services Inc.’s Bradford office. “Alcohol has always been the drug of choice.”

Not anymore. Now, people are turning to heroin to achieve a high because it is relatively cheap.
“To continue with prescriptions is very expensive,” she said. “It is so easy to switch to heroin.”
Heroin is in the opiate group of drugs. It is a highly addictive drug and there is significant risk of overdose.

Experts in Pennsylvania agree that services such as this Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services are the way to go.

“Alcohol & Drug Services is the best place to start treatment,” said Dr. Janice L. Pringle, associate professor, pharmacy and therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh.

But as Dufala pointed out, help is available. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services offers both outpatient and inpatient therapy. Inpatient therapy is done at Port Allegany’s Maple Manor. The therapy given to the client depends on where they fall on the Pennsylvania Client Placement Treatment spectrum.

As far as starting with prescription drugs, Dufala said that doctors are starting to cut down on prescribing narcotics.

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against heroin addiction is the use of Suboxone, prescription painkiller used to treat opiate addiction. Another advancement has been the use of Narcan, which if administered quick enough, can reverse an overdose.

Pringle hopes that more emergency agencies and police departments use Narcan. She said the reluctance of some police departments to use it is a perception that there is no chance for the addict to recover. They may also be leery of any liability from using it.

“But they can save a life,” she said.

Dufala said most of the agency’s clientele go to them on the recommendation of the court or referred through county probation. They also have clients who are referred to them by doctors and people are always welcome to call for an appointment.

“If you want to get help, call our office. All it takes is a phone call.”

Generally, people with an addiction problem cannot control their use of the drug – they can’t stop. They also go in a downward spiral, which may include resorting to criminal activity or losing their job.

Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services have offices through the region, but the busiest ones are in Bradford and St. Marys, Dufala said.

But just because someone has become addicted to a drug – whether it is alcohol, prescription drugs or illegal drugs - help is available.

“Knowing there is an option,” Dufala said. Recovery is available to everyone and treatment really is effective.”

Dufala said that insurance companies usually find a way to work with the agency to ensure a client gets the help needed. However, they still take clients regardless of whether they have insurance nor not.

But as Dufala noted, there is no quick fix.

“Nine people out of 10 will probably relapse,” she said. “Heroin has a strong pull.”
Clients sometimes return to their old ways of thinking – that they can’t live without heroin. Generally, the truth comes out from either the client admitting their relapse or a failed random urine test.

But even though relapses occur, they don’t have to.

“A relapse does not have to be a part of recovery,” said Dufala, who has counseled people for a little over two years. “This is an opportunity to change your life.

A drug addict will likely wind up in three places – rehab, jail or cemetery

(Editor’s note: What follows is a story – another installment of Danni’s Ripple Effect series – on how one local man started his drug use and eventually started to live drug-free. At his request, we changed his name for privacy reasons. It is not easy to speak out as someone addicted to drugs, but he wanted to share his story in the hopes of helping at least one person. Another stone thrown in the pond known as Danni’s Ripple Effect: Keep the Conversation Going.)

By SANDY RHODES

A drug addict will likely wind up in three places – rehab, jail or cemetery.

Alex George has been to rehab and jail. And it was his incarceration that saved his life. Sadly, that is not always the case with addicts. Seven of George’s friends lost their lives to drugs. Pennsylvania is near the top of the national statistics for drug overdose deaths, according to a report published last year by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

One of those who fell victim was Danielle Fitzsimmons, who died in October of a heroin overdose. Danni’s death and her family’s response was the inspiration for this series. Danni, who died while George was in jail, may be seen as his inspiration to kick his heroin habit.

“Every time I would lose somebody, I’d say it was my time to quit, but drugs have a strong hold on you.”

After years of being addicted to painkillers and heroin, George was sent to jail on a probation violation.

“Thank God. Jail saved my life.”

A Family Affair
George drank alcohol and smoked marijuana, but his foray into hard drug use came at the hands of his father, who one day handed his son an OxyContin, an opioid (narcotic) pain medication.

“Dad had known people all his life who did drugs.” So, it did not seem out of the norm for his dad to offer George an OxyContin.

“It was like turning a friend onto a good drug,” said George, a man in his 40s who has lived in Bradford sporadically throughout his life.

Just as some enjoy a drink at a bar or a smoke of weed behind the bar, for the Georges, taking painkillers was their way of having a good time on weekends. But as George soon realized, painkillers send people down a slippery slope into addiction and more drug use.

“Painkillers. They are everywhere,” he said, adding that people may start innocently enough and do not realize who addictive they are.

“It is everywhere. It is a large problem.”

From Painkillers to Methadone to Heroin
 George took painkillers off and on for seven to eight years.

When the mother of his child would threaten to leave if he didn’t stop, he would – for a while.

After a car accident, he needed those same painkillers for medical reasons. And he got them. Three of them. All from the same doctor.

OxyContin, Dilaudid and Vicodin – all strong painkillers and all highly addictive.

George would start each month with the more potent drug, then would slowly work his way to the least potent until it was time to go back to the doctor.

“It was never enough.”

The rug was eventually pulled out from under George when another doctor found marijuana in a urine test. Although his original doctor said it was OK for him to smoke marijuana while on the painkillers, it was not.

“I lost my pills in the middle of my addiction.”

George’s journey into another drug – methadone – included an eight-hour bus trip daily to methadone clinics in State College, Clearfield or Erie. Methadone withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or other narcotic drugs without causing the "high" associated with the drug addiction. In essence, one drug was used in place of another.

“It kept me away from drugs, but it was non-stop. I was taking a drug every day to feel normal.
George dropped out of the clinic and started to detoxify off of methadone by himself – something he describes as one of the worse experiences of his life.

“It makes you sick to your stomach. You have no energy. And the cold – it cuts through you like a knife to your skin and your bones.”

It took two and a half months for him to feel normal.

“It takes a certain mindset to truly realize that opiates don’t have a place in your life.

“I wanted to control it and not have it control me.”

Then, after his detox from methadone, George jumped from the frying pan into the fire. He started using heroin.

“Before you know it, I was trying to get a fix.”

In the fall of 2014, George started using pills again. That led him to heroin, which, as he found out, was not hard to get.

“Once you are into that kind of thing, you can find friends who are into that,” he said, likening to finding friends with similar interests such as movies, drinking or fast cars.

“If you do opiates, you can find friends who do.”

By the spring of 2015, George was going to jail on a probation violation. He was also in the midst of heavy heroin use, taking at least a bundle of heroin a day – or 10 bags.

According to George, going to jail was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Sentenced to Life
Six months in jail saved George’s life. It wasn’t easy, but he lived through it and beyond it.

“I was six and tired of being sick and tired,” he said. “Enough is enough is enough.”

In jail, one has no choice but to go through detox.

“After the first week in jail, the drug is out of your system.”

Luckily for George, his sentence was six months. For he is certain that if he had gotten out sooner, he would have return to a life of drug use.

But somewhere in those six months “something clicked.

“I wanted my life back. I wanted to stay away from opiates.”

George used his time in the out-of-area jail well. He took any class he was offered to better himself. Between his time in jail, his time away from drugs, his time in class and the loss of a friend, he realized it was time to quit drugs.

“I am not sure what made me change. I can’t put my finger on it.”

A View from the Other Side
Life is pretty good for a recovering addict.

“It’s fairly good,” George said of his life now. “I get up, eat breakfast and not try to find drugs, hunt down money (for drugs) or constantly look over my shoulder.

But having seen both sides – that of an addict and one who conquered his addiction – George knows why addicts don’t always seek the help they need.

“Once you are an addict, everyone looks at you the same,” he said. “Society has a demeaning attitude” toward addicts.

George pointed out that opiate use touches every walk of life - regardless if whether someone is rich or poor, come from a good family or not. Drug use sends a person into a life they never wanted – and all for a high.

“They are no common criminal. The drug grips you and changes the way you think.”

Getting the next high is all that matters and nothing will stand in their way of getting it.

And while jail saved George’s life, he knows it is not necessarily a lifesaver for others.

“They are locking up drug addicts with drug addicts and are making a bigger drug community, a smarter drug community … it doesn’t make sense.”

Advice from an Addict
When someone is thinking about doing drugs or already doing addicted, they are in for fight of their lives.

“If you are thinking about it or are offered drugs, get ready for the biggest fight of your life,” George said. “You will end up dead or completely changed for it.”

The struggle is worse for those already addicted. While the addiction is easy to achieve, recovery takes a lot longer.

“You need to change your mind to change your life,” he said, adding they should be prepared to be in rehab for a while.”

“Not 30 days of rehab. Ninety days or more.”

George theorized that it would be better to offer counseling to drug addicts instead of throwing them in jail.  That and changing the way people think about addicts will go a long way in helping curb this addiction epidemic.

And be prepared to lose friends as George lost a friend in Danni.

“She was one of the sweetest, kindest, real friends … she was always smiling and ready to give a hug. She was a delightful girl.”

Another testament that drugs affect people from all walks of life.

But George’s goal in tossing a stone into this series by telling his story is to help people understand drug use and to help those enduring the same struggle he did.

“If I just help one person, I am doing something better than I was a year ago.

Another ripple reaching out to educate and help others.

Fish and Boat Commission Joins with Energy, Business and Conservation Leaders in Call for $1.3 Billion Annual Investment for States

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Fish and Boat Commission Joins with Energy, Business

and Conservation Leaders in Call for $1.3 Billion Annual Investment for States

 

A 21st Century Vision for Investing in and Connecting People to Nature

 

HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 4) – A group of energy, business and conservation leaders this week released their recommendations on how to avert the growing endangered species crisis in this country.

 

The Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish & Wildlife Resources determined that utilizing a portion of revenues from energy and mineral development on federal lands and waters to fund state-based conservation could address conservation needs for thousands of species. An annual investment of $1.3 billion from these development revenues into the currently unfunded Wildlife Conservation Restoration Program would allow state fish and wildlife agencies to proactively manage these species reducing taxpayer costs and the regulatory red tape that comes when species are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The number of species petitioned for listing under the Act has increased by 1,000 percent in less than a decade.

 

“A lot is at stake if we don’t act soon. For every species that is thriving in our country, hundreds of species are in decline. These recommendations offer a new funding approach that will help ensure all fish and wildlife are conserved for future generations, “said former Wyoming governor, David Freudenthal, co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel.  “We need to start down a new path where we invest proactively in conservation rather than reactively.”

 

The Blue Ribbon Panel was assembled in 2014 and met three times to produce recommendations and policy options on the most sustainable and equitable model to fund conservation of the full array of fish and wildlife species. The panel was co-chaired by Freudenthal and John L. Morris, noted conservationist and founder of Bass Pro Shops. It includes representatives from the outdoor recreation retail and manufacturing sector, the energy and automotive industries, private landowners, educational institutions, conservation organizations, sportsmen’s groups and state fish and wildlife agencies. During their meetings, panelists agreed that an increased investment in fish and wildlife conservation makes fiscal sense and is needed to protect our natural heritage. Their recommendation would redirect and dedicate $1.3 billion each year from the over $10 billion in revenues from energy development (both renewable and traditional) and mineral development on federal lands and waters.

 

“Conservation means balancing the sustainability of fish and wildlife resources with the many needs of humans for clean air and water, land, food and fiber, dependable energy, economic development, and recreation. It is our responsibility to lead the way so our state fish and wildlife agencies have the resources they need to conserve species and manage our natural resources – the future of our industry and the outdoor sports we love depend on this investment,” noted Morris. “Redirecting revenues from energy and mineral development to state-based conservation is a simple, logical solution, and it is now up to our leaders in Congress to move this concept forward.”

 

State fish and wildlife agencies have primary responsibility for managing species within their borders, as well as conserving important habitats and providing outdoor recreation opportunities. Traditionally, agencies have been funded by sportsmen through license fees and excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment and motorboat fuels – most agencies receive very limited funding through general taxpayer dollars. Agencies have not been able to keep pace with the growing challenge as habitat is lost and species decline and hunter and angler participation has declined. States have developed state wildlife action plans identifying 12,000 species in greatest need for conservation efforts. However, limited funding requires prioritization of the species facing the highest risk of endangerment leaving thousands of other species and their habitats hanging in the balance.

 

“The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is the state agency charged by the Pennsylvania General Assembly with protecting, conserving, and managing fish, reptiles, amphibians, and all other aquatic organisms in the Commonwealth, but the agency does not receive any direct state general appropriation to assist with this effort,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway.

 

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides some funding to states through the State Wildlife Grant Program to develop and implement Wildlife Action Plans, but the funding is limited to an annual appropriation and the states must appeal to Congress every year for funding to continue,” he added. “The Pennsylvania plan, for example, has identified 664 species including 90 birds, 19 mammals, 18 amphibians, 22 reptiles, 65 fishes and 450 invertebrates that require our attention.”

 

“Historically, Pennsylvania has a proud heritage of being a leader in natural resource protection,” Arway said. “But it’s imperative that we secure alternative funding sources and reinvest in conservation programs so that we can meet our Constitutional duty as trustee of our public natural resources.  The new funding proposal outlined by the Blue Ribbon Panel can help us meet these needs and we fully support it.”

 

Proactive conservation saves tax payer dollars by addressing species needs early so that costly “emergency room” interventions are avoided. Preventing threatened and endangered species listings helps business by averting project delays and losses from forfeited opportunities due to land use regulations. In addition, investing in conservation is vital to sustaining our natural infrastructure that supports numerous indispensable benefits such as pollination, water purification, erosion control, flood control, recreation, food production and cultural amenities.

 

“The cost of business to protect, conserve and manage our nation’s fish and wildlife resources can no longer fall solely on the backs of anglers and hunters,” Arway added. “Society as a whole continues to benefit from the actions that we take to improve habitat for our fish and wildlife resources. Whether it is building wetlands for waterfowl and herptiles that store floodwaters and improve water quality, to protecting streambanks to provide overhead cover for fish and reduce soil erosion, to creating more outdoor recreational opportunities that improve public health - whatever action benefits our fish and wildlife also benefits society. The Blue Ribbon Panel’s proposed funding solution is a necessary step forward for the future of fish and wildlife conservation across our nation.”

 

_______________________________________________________________

Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America's Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources

Co-Chairs John Morris, Founder, Bass Pro Shops; David Freudenthal, Former Governor State of Wyoming; Crowell & Moring. Members: Kevin Butt, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, NA, Inc.; Richard Childress, Richard Childress Racing Enterprises/NRA; Jeff Crane, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Bruce Culpepper, Shell Americas; John Doerr, Pure Fishing, Inc.; Jim Faulstich, Partners for Conservation; John Fitzpatrick, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Greg Hill, Hess Corporation; Becky Humphries, National Wild Turkey Federation; Stephen Kellert, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Jennifer Mull, Outdoor Industry Association; John Newman, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; Mike Nussman, American Sportfishing Association; Margaret O'Gorman, Wildlife Habitat Council; Glenn Olson, National Audubon Society; Collin O'Mara, National Wildlife Federation; Connie Parker, CSParker Group; Charlie Potter, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation; Steve Sanetti, National Shooting Sports Foundation; John Tomke, Wildlife & Hunting Heritage Conservation Council; Jeff Trandahl, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation; James Walker, EDF Renewable Energy; Steve Williams, Wildlife Management Institute; Bob Ziehmer, Missouri Department of Conservation. Ex Officio Members: Michael Bean, US Department Interior; Ronald Regan, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

GAME COMMISSION DELIVERS ANNUAL REPORT TO LEGISLATURE

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough today presented the agency’s annual report to the General Assembly, and delivered testimony before the House Game and Fisheries Committee.

To view a copy of the agency’s annual report, please visit the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us, put your cursor on “Resources” in the menu bar under the banner on the homepage, then select “Reports, Minutes and Surveys” in the drop-down menu, then click on “Annual Legislative Reports” and choose “2015” in the listing.

Following is Hough’s testimony before the House Game and Fisheries Committee:

“Good morning Chairman Gillespie, Vice Chairman Mullery and members of the House Game and Fisheries Committee and thank you for this opportunity to present the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s annual report.

This past year there were notable achievements for the Commission in its ongoing efforts to serve the Commonwealth’s citizens and hunters.

First is the acquisition of about 2,000 acres for new state game lands in Jefferson County. With that purchase, the Commission reached an almost incomprehensible milestone: we exceeded 1.5 million acres in the State Game Lands system. There are now 308 separate game lands, spread across 65 of the state’s 67 counties.

The agency’s commitment to conserving Pennsylvania’s wild places has helped create one of America’s oldest and largest public-land systems dedicated to hunters and trappers. It ensures the future of hunting and trapping, wild places for everyone, and that wildlife will always have a place to live.

But game lands, in and of themselves, are not enough. It also is important to actively manage areas to increase the quality of habitat for the greatest number of wildlife species and to provide improved hunter access. During the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Commission created or improved over 55,000 acres of habitat. Habitat managers planted and maintained 24,600 acres of game-land fields, created and maintained 1,850 acres of shrubland habitat, converted 704 acres to native grasses and wildflowers, improved 2,290 acres of forest habitat, and treated over 5,000 acres with herbicides. An additional 7,471 acres were used for growing agricultural crops.

During the fiscal year, more than 5,000 acres of timber were cut to create early successional habitat. The Commission also used prescribed fire on 6,672 acres – an increase of 1,500 acres from 2014. Managed by trained and experienced specialists, prescribed fire provides almost immediate habitat benefit and reduces the threat of future wildfires.

Dozens of bridges were replaced during the fiscal year, and more than 3,500 road and 500 trail miles were maintained to provide adequate access to the game lands.

On the law-enforcement front, the Commission currently employs 195 full-time Wildlife Conservation Officers. Each district officer has a coverage area of about 325 square miles. In addition, we are very fortunate to have 350 Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officers to assist our salaried officers with their array of duties and responsibilities. Officers conducted over 207,000 enforcement contacts in the past fiscal year, an increase of about 7,000. There were 20,747 violations detected, for which officers issued 12,911 warnings and filed 7,936 prosecutions.

Last fall, the Commission launched Operation Game Thief, a program that makes it easier to report confidential tips about wildlife crimes, and generate a response from officers. The program made an immediate impact and resulted in the successful prosecution of several high-profile poaching cases. The technology and enhanced efficiency built into the new hotline has cut the average time between a tip coming in and an officer receiving the information to about 20 minutes.

The Commission also continues to provide excellent hunting and furtaking opportunities to license buyers. The deer harvest remains stable across most of the Commonwealth. In the statewide 2014-2015 seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 303,973 deer. Of those, 119,260 were antlered and 184,713 were antlerless. Success rates indicate that about 18 percent of deer hunters harvested an antlered deer, while about 25 percent of the antlerless licenses issued were used to take an antlerless deer. Both rates are consistent with long-term averages for deer-hunting success.

Pennsylvania continues to offer some of America’s best black-bear hunting. Before seasons began last fall, the bear population was estimated to be about 20,000. This past season was the third-highest harvest on record, with 3,748 bears being harvested.

Wild turkey hunting also continues to maintain a solid following. The 2015 spring harvest increased 8 percent from the previous three-year average. There also has been an upsurge in fall-turkey hunting participation in recent years.

The pheasant program continues to provide excitement afield to thousands of small-game hunters. This past year, the agency’s four game farms produced 220,742 pheasants for our hunting seasons.

We also noticed an increase in furtaking in the fiscal year. More than 45,000 furtaker licenses were sold, which is the highest issuance in over 30 years. There is no doubt that bobcat, fisher and otter trapping opportunities have bolstered interest. We also have data indicating that baby-boomers are returning to the sport.

While we are proud of the accomplishments over this past year, it also must be noted that this is a challenging time for the Commission and wildlife. On several fronts, we are dealing with challenges that have the ability to have long-term impacts on the future of wildlife in the state.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) continues to maintain its foothold in the Commonwealth. CWD is a fatal disease that affects the brain and central nervous system of deer and elk. It was first found on a captive deer farm in Adams County in 2012, and subsequently on two captive deer farms in Jefferson County in 2014.

Since it first appeared in free-ranging deer in 2013, 17 wild deer from Bedford, Blair and Fulton counties have tested positive for CWD. Seven of those deer were uncovered in the past year.

The Commission has issued Executive Orders establishing boundaries and regulations for three Disease Management Areas, including a ban on the movement of high-risk deer parts from these areas. It also has established an enhanced monitoring program.

The monitoring program continues to document CWD in wild deer. Those cases have prompted increased concern, and expansion of Disease Management Area 2 in 2015.

Currently, we await the results of almost 4,500 samples that were collected largely through hunter-supplied samples. We expect to receive those results within the next month, and will evaluate our potential responses based on those findings.

We also are working with wildlife professionals from across the country who are searching for solutions to this problem. One area we are studying is whether increased regulations on the use of deer products – such as prohibiting the use of urine-based attractants while hunting – would slow the spread of the disease.

Another disease that appeared on the continental landscape this past year was Avian Influenza. From December 2014 through June 2015, multiple strains of Avian Influenza were identified in wild birds, domestic poultry and captive exotic birds in the Pacific, Central, and Mississippi flyways.

The 2015 Avian Influenza outbreaks were the worst in the history of North America. In response to the identification of a strain of Avian Influenza in wild birds, the Commission increased surveillance as part of a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies and organizations.

From January 2015 through the fall, more than 1,500 wild birds were sampled in Pennsylvania. Multiple non-fatal strains of the virus were identified in wild ducks. However, none of the recent fatal strains have been detected in wild birds to date.

Currently, we do not yet know whether fatal strains of Avian Influenza have become established in North American wild birds. We will continue to monitor for the threat throughout the coming year.

Another challenge we continue to face is the ongoing impact of West Nile Virus, particularly as it relates to Pennsylvania’s state bird, the ruffed grouse. West Nile Virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus native to Africa that affects many wild birds. It was first identified in North America during the summer of 1999 and found in Pennsylvania in 2002.

To assess the long-term impact of the virus on grouse abundance, the Commission launched a study in conjunction with the Ruffed Grouse Society and other national and international collaborators. In the study, grouse chicks hatched from eggs collected in the wild were exposed to West Nile Virus to assess the lethality of the virus. Results showed West Nile Virus can be a mortality factor to grouse.

We currently are analyzing samples to further evaluate impacts on grouse that were infected, but survived. The results will provide a better understanding of the potential impacts of West Nile Virus on ruffed grouse.

This winter, we are expanding laboratory studies by testing blood samples from hunter-harvested grouse for exposure to West Nile Virus. Samples are being acquired from throughout the state. The impact of West Nile Virus, in conjunction with the loss of early successional habitat that grouse need to thrive, have resulted in Pennsylvania’s lowest estimated grouse population in the past 50 years.

We also continue to monitor the impact of the White Nose Syndrome on cave bats. First documented in New York in the winter of 2006-07, White Nose Syndrome was first documented causing fatalities within Pennsylvania hibernacula in 2009. It is estimated White Nose Syndrome has caused 99 percent population declines for some cave-bat species.

Because the disease impacts the bats while they are hibernating, it is important that their hibernacula is not disturbed. To that end, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation and the Williams Company, each have made important donations in the past year that allowed the Commission to purchase cameras that provide round-the-clock protection for our cave-dwelling bats.

The cameras provide surveillance for hibernacula in caves and abandoned mines where frequent intrusions by trespassers have occurred. With these high-tech cameras, Wildlife Conservation Officers are alerted as soon as an intrusion occurs, making it possible for them to intervene. Preventing these disturbances might mean the difference between our bats living or dying.

The Commission’s ability to effectively manage wildlife and provide public services, while confronting the many challenges it now faces, is tied directly to funding. As you know, the Commission’s main source of revenue is the sale of hunting and furtaker licenses, which have not increased in price since 1999. This 17-year period is the longest period that license fees have not increased since the Great Depression.

This almost 20-year-old pricing structure simply is not sufficient for the agency to maintain its current level of services and respond to the growing list of challenges it currently faces. For instance, it should be noted that none of the wildlife diseases I mentioned were present in Pennsylvania at the time of the last license increase.

Already the Commission has implemented budget cuts in response to decreasing revenues. This past year, we eliminated 28 full-time positions from our complement. This has been done through furloughing employees and not back-filling positions as they became vacant.

We also will not be renewing the contracts for about 45 limited-term employees. Some represented the only means we had to effectively and efficiently monitor many nongame wildlife populations.

In addition, we concluded the agency could not hold the Wildlife Conservation Officer class that was scheduled to begin in March of 2017. In light of that decision, the earliest we could begin a class would be March of 2018, with the cadets graduating a year later. By then, we project almost one-third of the officer districts will be vacant due to retirements. Obviously, the longer we go without resources to conduct a class, the greater the number of vacant districts across the state, resulting in violations going undetected, a decrease in response time and fewer services that officers can provide to the public.

While these reductions have been difficult for the employees and result in an impact on the level of services we can provide, they have a small impact on our long-term budget. In effect, they only serve as a band-aid on a much bigger problem. Without additional revenues in the near future, we will have to take even greater steps at reducing expenditures. Some of the proposals under consideration include closing facilities – such as the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, shooting ranges on game lands, and our Howard Nursery, and substantially reducing the pheasant-stocking program. I have no doubt that these proposals will not be popular with the general public and our hunting-license buyers, but without additional revenues we will have no choice but to make significant reductions to our budget.

Over the past year, we have had numerous meetings with members of this Committee, your colleagues in the Senate, members of the public and sportsmen clubs, and we believe there is widespread support for legislation to increase hunting fees. I would note that of the statewide sportsmen organizations, 13 have gone on record in support of increasing license fees to ensure the Commission can fulfill its mission.

As an alternative proposition, I ask the Committee to consider allowing the Commission to set hunting and trapping license fees. This would allow the Board to make slower and more incremental fee changes based upon the feedback we receive from license buyers as opposed to a significant increase every 10 to 15 years. The Board would be motivated to find the proper licensing fee structure that allows the Commission to be fully funded, but does not exceed the ability of customers to purchase a license.

Without additional funding, we simply will not be at the forefront in enhancing hunting and trapping opportunities, preserving land, creating habitat, protecting wildlife, and monitoring and responding to wildlife diseases.

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. “

Danni's Ripple Effect, A Story of Heroin Addiction and Subsequent Death of a Local Young Woman at Age 22

It’s an epidemic – and one being tackled on many fronts.

Turn on the radio, pick up a newspaper or click on your computer. Chances are you have seen a story about drugs in our region. It could be a police-related story on an arrest for drug trafficking, the struggle of someone overdosing and in the hospital or someone who has become the ultimate victim of drugs. Danni Fitzsimmons is that person.

This is the start of a series on the epidemic of heroin use in our area. Today, you will be introduced to Danni, whose death at the age of 22, inspired this series. Subsequent stories will discuss why heroin has become the drug of choice, how those struggling with addiction can be helped, what law enforcement agencies are doing to curtail its use and trafficking and what Danni’s family is doing to make sure she is not just another statistic. That her life and death counts.

In the end, we hope to show you, the reader, this problem which is hitting too close to home. And, perhaps, provide some insight on stopping this prevalent problem in its tracks.

We are calling it Danni’s Ripple Effect – our way of keeping the conversation going.


- the story follows

By SANDY RHODES

Danielle Fitzsimmons drew her last breath on Oct. 23, but to her family, she died nine days earlier when she took a lethal dose of heroin.

This bright, beautiful 22-year-old lived and worked in Bradford. She also bought her heroin there – a scenario that highlights a deadly problem that is increasingly prevalent in rural Northcentral Pennsylvania.

While her family still mourns her death, they are intent on letting others know about Danni, her addiction, and her untimely death. Their plight is a mere stone’s throw away from other families struggling.

“Shame is what keeps addicts and their families silent,” her mom Paula Thompson said. “I am not ashamed of my daughter and I need people to know that it's OK to talk about this epidemic. Only by discussing it can we find a cure.”
Danni’s ripple effect on the world she left way too soon.

Before drugs

The bright promise of Danni’s early life did not foreshadow what was to come. The Coudersport Area High School graduate had a lot to offer, but never got a chance to show the world.

Thompson describes a dream daughter – “very intelligent, very funny, and witty as hell.”

“Her laugh made me laugh. She was fiercely independent. She was like that her entire life. She never asked me for anything,” says Thompson. “She was a little quirky. She was so smart. Math and science were her way of life. She was so good at that stuff. She was taking college courses in high school.”

Danni studied engineering at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, before switching to computer science.

“I should have known then that something was wrong,” Thompson says about that switch. “She talked to me about all the pressure people (family and friends) were putting on her about school. She didn't want to let people down. She just wanted to work for a while - to have money. I told her ‘Danielle, you're 21 years old. You have to decide what is right for you, not other people.’"

Thompson recalls telling her daughter, “You're young. You have your whole life ahead of you. If you don't want to go to school right now, then don't. You have plenty of time.”

Danni took her mother’s advice and started working in the bakery of the Walmart in Bradford. She was trying to find her own path, but little did she or her family know that the road before her would come to an abrupt end.

“If only I had known she would be gone in a year,” says Thompson.

Danni’s life made an impact on another family member.

Danni and her older brother, Ryan Bodecker, were very close throughout her life – so close that they did drugs together. Bodecker remembers a little sister who he thought he would grow old with, but never had the chance.

“She was an amazing person. Danielle and I had a great relationship,” he said. “We were very close … when she needed something, she would come to me. When she was sad, angry, sick or ever happy, she would come to me.”

But in the end, the pressure of living up to what people expected of her took its toll on Danni.

“That became overwhelming to her. I think that’s why she started using,” Thompson said.

Regardless of how or when she started using heroin, Danni, like countless of others, ended up losing her life as the result of one bad decision.

“She was an amazing, brilliant, beautiful girl who made bad choices,” Thompson said. “I will not hide my head in the sand and pretend that drug addiction isn't real or it only happens to ‘bad’ people.”

And it is happening in rural Pennsylvania more and more (see sidebar). Thompson and Bodecker want to make sure no other families go through the pain of the loss they are experiencing.

The highs and lows of addiction

Thompson is realistic about the pressures of being young – whether in the 1980s or now. But times have changed. Now, each decision to experiment with drugs can be a fatal one.

“In my teen years, I experimented. We all did. Back then it was alcohol, weed, and maybe a little cocaine. I had never even heard of heroin or opiates,” Thompson said. “I experimented, I didn't like it. I didn't continue to do it. Our kids are doing the same thing. They are experimenting. The huge difference is heroin sticks its claws in from the very first time. Society is criticizing our youths for doing the same exact things we did.”

Bodecker knows very well what his sister went through before her death from an overdose. He is also an addict, and would frequently use drugs with Danni.

“Yes, I knew Danielle had a drug problem,” he said matter-of-factly. “I used to get high with Danielle so I guess I have known for about a year.”

Like at other times in her life, Danni would go to her brother for help. And rather than see his sister resort to crime to help get her high, he would give her the money.

“… If she needed money, I would send it to her. I knew what it was for, but I also know what it is like to be sick and not be able to get money,” he said. “I never wanted my sister out robbing people or selling herself, so I would send her money.”

“Not smart on my end, but I was able to justify it. I knew Danielle was using heroin as I have used it with her. I’m not proud of this either.”

According to Bodecker, Danni felt comfortable approaching and talking with him because she knew he would be sympathetic and non-judgmental.

“I, myself, am an addict so she knew I would never judge her,” Bodecker said. “She could tell me things that other people would find shameful, but I completely understood.”

Bodecker says that his own drug use came out of his desire to mask feelings of anxiety, guilt and shame.

“… which is funny because when you use, those are the exact feelings you get,” he said. “You feel shameful for what you are doing so you are stuck in this continuous cycle.

“It’s awful. Not only do you physically withdraw, without it, even after the physical symptoms, your mind is never the same.”

But the draw of the next high is a powerful, magnetic one.

“Your memory always remembers that ‘high’ feeling and you trick yourself into wanting it more and more,” Bodecker said. “You’re feeding yourself
terrible thoughts and before you know it, you are acting on them.”

And unlike some other drugs, heroin is instantly addictive.

“The ‘high’ is never going to be worth all that you will lose. It will destroy your life,” Thompson said. “I cannot wrap my head around that. Remember when we were young and people were smoking cigarettes? Someone would say ‘come on, just take one hit.’ Oh my God, that is happening with heroin. I cannot believe that!”

For Danni, that ‘one more hit’ – her last – came one day in October in Bradford. Nine days later, on Oct. 23 at 9:36 a.m., she would die. Cause of death: heroin overdose.

“I remember those nine days at the Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital,” Thompson said. “It was awful. Her eyes were open, but rolled up so you could only see the whites. Tears would roll down her cheeks like she could hear me.”

For days, Danni’s family stayed by her side, struggling to make peace with her medical situation and what the future would hold for her.
“She would shake really bad sometimes. I swear she could hear me and knew I was there. I finally got her eyes to move down and I swear she saw me.

I told her how so, so sorry I am that this happened to her,” Thompson said. “I told her I know you're probably scared and don't understand what is going on but it's OK, you're safe, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere.

“She seemed like she was fighting it for a long time.... I watched her fight it for days.”

Danni’s family watched as her temperature hovered around 102 degrees. Doctors were forced to keep her on ice as they tried to stabilize her.

One day during this time, Thompson walked into the room and told Danni she was there. Danni started to shake and try to sit up. Thompson realized then that the fight was too much for Danni.

“I told her I love her so much and I wanted to take her home. My face was inches from her face and I know she was looking at me. I told her how much I wanted her to stay but I knew she must be tired. I told her if it's too hard to fight it, then it's OK. I told her it was OK to leave us.

“I was rubbing her forehead, like petting her. I told her how much I love her but she didn't have to stay if she wanted to go. She was shaking the entire time but when I was rubbing her forehead, I said ‘just relax baby girl, it's OK, I'm right here’ and she closed her eyes and stopped shaking. She never responded to me again, or anyone else. It was the next day we took away all life-saving measures.”

The next few days were horrifying to witness, Thompson said, as Danni was eventually given “massive amounts” of morphine and Ativan every 15 minutes to keep her as comfortable as possible. Thompson knew the end was near.

“I cried and squeezed her hand and listened to her breathe. I knew every breath might be the last. Finally, she breathed in, then out, and that was the end. She didn't take any more breaths. That was so horrible.”

“To actually see my baby take her very last breath; to know that she is gone forever. But her heart remained beating. See, just like the heroin overdose, it stopped her breathing. Eventually her heart stopped. So she died in the hospital, exactly how she died in that house from the heroin.”

Thompson wants everyone to know that while it may appear the person who overdosed is peacefully that is not how it happens.

“It's horrible and gut wrenching to watch and I wouldn't wish that on any parent or loved one,” she said. “Maybe for the person that overdosed, it was like going to sleep, but for the family, it's a horrible nightmare. So you go from praying for a miracle to planning a funeral. To going to visitations and then watching as the casket closes. You feel like screaming because you know that's the last time you'll ever see their face. And now? Now it's terrible sadness, guilt, anger, all kinds of emotions on a daily basis.

“So please, if you are addicted, try to get help. If you aren't, then I'm begging you, do not try it. Do not even go near it. It is evil.”
Ripple Effect

Even now, just three months after her death, Danni’s family is focusing on keeping her memory alive and raising their voices in the hopes of helping others.

“I want her death to have some sort of reason behind it because I just can't understand why she had to go at only 22 years old. I struggle with that. She was so young. I think this will give me what I need. What we all need. Her voice needs to be heard,” Thompson said of telling Danni’s story.

For Danni’s dad, Charlie Fitzsimmons, each day is a reminder of the daughter he lost.

“I think about (her) every day and cannot tell you how much we all miss (her). Time goes on but the thought of not being able to see, talk, or even message each other hurts to the point where time doesn't seem to exist,” he wrote yesterday – the three-month anniversary of Danni’s death.

Bodecker is committed to helping others as well as coping with the death of his little sister.

“I am not doing well with Danni’s passing,” he said. “I struggle with it every day. I have her ashes in a pendant around my neck that I never take off. I cry most days and the other days, I am OK.

“Then, out of nowhere, I’ll remember she is gone and I just lose it. I have never lost someone so close. I don’t even know how to grieve.”

He said counseling is helping, but he also wants to help others in similar situations.

“I would like Danielle’s passing to not be in vain. I want people to hear her story, not just young adults, adolescents, children in school. If we talk to these children while they are young and can instill fear of heroin, they will never want to touch it. I want them to understand the pain my family continues to feel.

“I want them to know, while Danielle was one of the best people I have ever met - her story is not unique. You can get online and find 10,000 other stories of people passing in exactly almost the same fashion. It is so sad.”
However, even after enduring this loss, addiction is hard to live with and a struggle Bodecker must face every day.

“I have not overcome addiction. I don't believe anyone who is an addict ever does - you simply learn to cope. The desire to use is always there. But through NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings, having a sponsor and working the 12-step program, it is very helpful and your odds of staying clean are much higher.”

Counseling also helps; it allows addicts to recognize why they started using drugs in the first place, to see patterns of behavior, and to find other ways to cope.

In the midst of his managing his recovery and coping with a range of difficult emotions, Bodecker wants his sister to be remembered as he saw her.

“Danni was the best, most kind-hearted person I have ever met. She would do anything for anyone. She would give up her coat in freezing weather for a complete stranger.”

It is clear that she learned this empathic trait from her mother.

Just weeks after Danni’s death, Thompson helped bring home the body of a boy – another addict – who died while fleeing from police.

“He got scared because he was on probation, he had a crack pipe, and he ran. The police shot him. He wasn't armed and didn't hurt anyone. It was the drugs that led him to that path. Regardless, he deserved to come home to his family. My heart broke for his mother.”

No one would help the family because of the way he died, but Thompson made sure the boy eventually came home by setting up a fund to pay for his body to be released to his family.

This was the first of many ripple effects set in motion by Danni’s tragic death. Because of the openness and generous spirits of her brother and her mother, there will be many more to come.

“My goal here was to make this heroin epidemic, in our area, real. This is the reality that our children are facing and they are dying, at a rapid rate, because of it. The path of addiction is not good and never will be. It's an entire cycle. My daughter didn't live long enough to start lying, stealing, robbing. That is exactly where heroin addiction leads.”

Bodecker has offered to share his experiences and insights with anyone who could benefit from hearing them. He encourages anyone suffering from addiction or anyone with a family member struggling with addiction to contact him at mailingrcb@gmail.com.

The fight has just begun and is not over – not by a long shot, according to Thompson.

“I am fighting the fight so she will never be forgotten.”

Bank Card Fraud Being Investigated After Traced To Wendy's Restaurant

FIRST News Now

FIRST News Now already covered the breach of First Citizens Community Bank customers' cards and how the bank was quick to send out notices and issuing new cards to customers to help protect them.

Readers that experienced fraudulent transactions let FNN know that Wendy's Restaurant was the cause of the bank card compromise and on Friday, First Citizens Community Bank confirmed that information on their website. Thankfully, First Citizens have been working with those customers who were compromised and those bank customers who had fraudulent transactions are being reimbursed.

Shocking is the fact that the card compromise was tracked to Wendy's Restaurant and that it goes all the way back to September of 2015.

Wendy's Restaurant posted the following recent statement on their website,

“ Wendy’s is currently investigating reports of unusual activity involving payment cards at some restaurant locations.
Reports indicate fraudulent charges may have occurred elsewhere after payment cards were legitimately used at some restaurants.

We have been working with our payment industry contacts since recently learning of these reports and we have launched a comprehensive investigation with the help of cyber-security experts to gather facts, while working to protect our customers. We also are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities.

Until this investigation is completed, it is difficult to determine with certainty the nature or scope of any potential incident.

As always, in line with prudent personal financial management, we encourage our customers to be diligent in watching for unauthorized charges on their payment cards. Generally, individuals that report unauthorized charges in a timely manner to the bank or credit card company that issued their card are not responsible for those charges.
Wendy’s will provide updates, as appropriate, as we learn more from our investigation.”

Wendy's also provided its customers who have questions, with a toll-free number (888-846-9467) or email PaymentCardUpdate@wendys.com for those customers with specific questions.

First Citizens Community Bank reminds its customers that if they have used their debit or credit card at Wendy's Restaurant over the last year, they really need to watch their account carefully for fraudulent transactions. If you suspect something contact the bank immediately, they are there to help you. Also First Citizens reminds its customers that the security of their customers' account information is their top priority.

No matter which bank you do business with, you are the first line of defense in protecting your account. Keep track of your transactions so that you can catch a problem quickly and turn it into the bank you do business with immediately.

Special thanks going out to First Citizens Community Bank for their actions they took to protect their customers.