New Hampshire

CONCORD, N.H. -- If you encounter wildlife, even young animals that appear to need help, the kindest (and safest) thing to do is to leave them alone and let nature take its course, officials from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said today.

CONCORD, N.H. - Remember to brake for moose when traveling New Hampshire roadways. There were 198 moose/vehicle collisions in New Hampshire in 2007; in the last five years the state has averaged 230 per year. May and June are high-risk months for encountering moose on the roads, because moose are moving from winter to spring habitats and starting to come out to the roads to eat salt. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is working to make people more aware of the danger of moose/vehicle collisions. Step number one is to learn what you can do to reduce the chance of being involved in an accident with a moose.

CONCORD, N.H. - The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is now accepting applications for a new register of names to be used for staffing current and future Conservation Officer Trainee vacancies. If you've thought about becoming a Conservation Officer, this is an opportunity to be considered. The closing date for filing an application is June 20, 2008.

CONCORD, N.H. - Get out the fishing gear and head for the river, lake or pond to try your luck on New Hampshire's annual Free Fishing Day -- Saturday, June 7, 2008. State residents -- and nonresidents, too -- can fish any inland water in the Granite State that day without a license. If you're already licensed, take advantage of the day to bring along your friends and family.

CONCORD, N.H. - If you're looking for something new and different to jump-start your summer, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's "Let's Go Fishing" Program and the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation have a perfect solution. "The North Country Experience" is a beginning fly-fishing weekend offered June 7 and 8, 2008, at Coleman State Park in Stewartstown, N.H. This free course will give you the chance to learn about the traditional and timeless sport of fly-fishing.

CONCORD, N.H. -- Spring is here -- flowers are blooming, birds are singing, black flies are biting and it's time to fish for brood stock salmon. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is planning to release more than 1,500 Atlantic salmon into the Pemigewasset and Merrimack Rivers -- three times the number of fish that were released last year.

CONCORD, N.H. -- The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's new boat access site on Lake Winnisquam in Laconia is currently scheduled to open on July 1, 2008. In the meantime, the facility will remain closed while the Department's contractor completes work on the facility, which will be the first state-owned and -operated public boat access on Lake Winnisquam. The lake is 4,264 acres in size, but currently has only one public boat access, which is fee-based.

CONCORD, N.H. -- The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's new boat access site on Lake Winnisquam in Laconia is currently scheduled to open on July 1, 2008. In the meantime, the facility will remain closed while the Department's contractor completes work on the facility, which will be the first state-owned and -operated public boat access on Lake Winnisquam. The lake is 4,264 acres in size, but currently has only one public boat access, which is fee-based.

CONCORD, N.H. -- In a tragic accident, Shu Qin, age 28, a woman hiker from Shanghai, China, was killed after being hit by a boulder on the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia Notch in New Hampshire's White Mountains on Thursday, May 8, 2008. Qin had been staying with friends in Wellesley, Mass. She was hiking with her husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law on the trail, which passes three waterfalls and leads to Little Haystack Mountain.

CONCORD, N.H. -- Young anglers have a chance to enter a kids fishing photo contest sponsored jointly by Kidz Rule USA (a magazine for children and their families living in New Hampshire) and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. This is the second annual fishing photo contest held by the magazine. The contest is open to all children under age 13. With their parent's permission, children are encouraged to send in their New Hampshire fishing photos with the approximate weight or length of the fish they catch. All entries must be received between May 1 and September 30, 2008.