Tennative seasons announced – debugging continues: Waterfowler.com would like to thank our readers and members for their patience as we continue to iron out the wrinkles in the new site. Of course, no site launch is without it’s share of problems but the good news is a number of them are already behind us.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
It’s been said that change is never easy. For our daily members and interactive participants, last week was a testament to that statement — and then some. It may come as a surprise to many of you but it was expected – at least by our programming staff — because that is what happens when you take 5 years of data that has been in and out of various text, software and database formats, with multiple transaction handling companies and other incompatible data and try to merge it into a single, compatible, proprietary portal system.
Over the past year, it had become very apparent that Waterfowler.com could no longer continue to grow and offer our members and readers; an integrated local and national news reporting system, advanced circulation management controls, secure and easy transaction handling and renewal services, combined state information and field report homepages, advanced classified advertising systems, interactive member features and a member benefits management system using an open-source, bulletin board software package as our base architecture.
The problems with the new system are not really problems with the new system but with the data that we ported into the new system. Users who could not get logged-in or get their password could not due to errors or omissions in their email address. Most permission and expiration date problems were the result of previous registration problems with prior transaction handling companies.
The good news is, the problems are being solved and it will be smooth sailing from here on out because the new system has been designed to do what we need it to do, when we need it to do it. It also allows us to focus less on programming and more on the business at hand — taking care of our members.
In a short week we have already answered numerous calls to adjust the format and features to our members liking – and we will continue to do so where it will benefit us all. On some issues, we are going to drag you kicking and screaming — so please, please, please download that flash plug-in. When the season arrives and ducks are on the move, it will suddenly dawn on you why we are asking you to download the plug-in — yes, we still have some surprises in store.
Again, bear with us as we complete the final changes and debugging. Everything will be done in time for the season and we are confident as you settle in from the disruption you will actually come to enjoy the new site, like you did the one before this, the one before that and…
And now, on to the Migration Report.
After the approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week of the liberal framework package for all four flyways, hunters began marking their calendars and making plans.
Within hours of the USFWS decision, the Game and Fish Commission of Louisiana announced their state’s tentative dates for the 2002-2003 waterfowl season, and other states soon followed. The final dates are yet to be confirmed, pending approval by the USFWS. Be sure to check your home state’s wildlife agency’s website for the latest. The link to state pages can be found in the right hand menu of our home page.
In a turnaround decision, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced this week that they will not opt for the early opener, going instead with a September 28th opening for the 2002-2003 waterfowl season. Officials from the MNDNR cited strong negative public comment as the reason for the retraction of the early opener.
With less than a month to go before early seasons on teal and geese, waterfowlers have been hitting their favorite haunts for some pre-season scouting. Already, reports from the coastal area of Louisiana and Texas place scattered pockets of teal reaching the southern ends of the flyways.
Early goose reports show healthy numbers of local birds in areas least effected by drought. Local farm ponds and lakes are still the prime areas for the resident birds, but as harvesting gets underway on farms around the country, the geese will likely begin hitting cut fields to fatten themselves on waste grain. As always, scouting and patterning will be the keys to success in the early goose season.
In the dog days of summer waterfowl season seems distant, but calendars and catalogs tell a different story. The 2002-2003 waterfowl season is just around the corner. The heat may linger, but as days grow shorter and children return to school, the sense of fall’s approach thickens.
Until next week, here’s to an early fall and the return of our time of year.
