September 28, 2007 - TOP STORIES
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Lawsuit says Scent-Lok duped consumers
NWTF contributes to flood relief in southeastern Minnesota
More than 1,600 catfish die in the Red River
Water Resources Development Act passes House, Senate
Conservation partners celebrate 30 years of Minnesota's waterfowl stamp
Lawsuit says Scent-Lok duped consumers
Lawsuit claims hunting clothing doesn’t mask human scent
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Four Minnesota hunters are suing a clothing manufacturer and a handful of outdoors retailers, claiming that clothing they bought to mask the human scent doesn’t work, and that hunters have been defrauded for years.
The lawsuit was filed this month in federal court in Minneapolis against ALS Enterprises Inc. of Muskegon, Mich., which produces and licenses “Scent-Lok’’ clothing sold under that name and others. The lawsuit says the company is the largest maker of such clothing and licenses it to at least 22 others, including Gander Mountain Co., Cabela’s Inc., Bass Pro Shops Inc. and Browning Arms Co. – which are also named as defendants.
The lawsuit claims the five firms conspired to deceive consumers and suppressed and concealed the truth. “Consumers have been duped into spending significant amounts of money on a product that does not work as represented,’’ it says.
The lawsuit was filed by Mike Buetow of Shakopee, Theodore Carlson of Edina, Gary Richardson Jr. of St. Paul and Joe Rohrbach of Shakopee. Attorneys are seeking class-action status, saying “tens of thousands’’ of Minnesota hunters have been deceived into buying millions of dollars of odor-eliminating clothing.
A spokesman for Gander Mountain declined to comment. Mike Andrews, vice president of marketing for ALS, said the suit is without merit and the company would fight it.
“We’ve done years of research ... we have hundreds of testimonials from consumers over the years,’’ he said. “We know it works. And we’re excited about the opportunity to prove to the world once and for all how effective our product is.’’
He added that the company has a written guarantee that says hunters will experience “unalarmed wild animals downwind.’’
The products are tested by Intertek Testing Services in Cortland, N.Y., and ALS says the tests, and other studies, show the fabric works as claimed.
ALS is a privately held company, and isn’t required to reveal sales figures. Some have estimated the activated carbon hunting clothing business may be worth $100 million annually.
Buetow, a bow hunter, said attorneys advised the plaintiffs not to talk about the case.
But the question of whether such clothing works has been the topic of Internet chat rooms for about a year.
ALS has created a new section on the company’s Web site to explain how its fabric hides human odors.
“It does work as described,’’ Andrews said. “Unfortunately some people refuse to look at the data we’ve provided.’’
The activated carbon is supposed to adsorb human odors. Adsorption is the adhesion of the gas or liquid molecules to the surface of solids.
ALS acknowledges the carbon can become saturated with odors, but Andrews said the company’s clothing can be “regenerated’’ or “reactivated’’ many times by putting it in a household dryer for 45 minutes.
“We know that even after several years of use, it still has enough adsorption capacity to overcome big game animals’ (scenting ability),’’ Andrews said.
The lawsuit says dryer temperatures never exceed 150 degrees, but temperatures in excess of 800 degrees are needed to reactivate the carbon. Even then, it says, the clothing wouldn’t be restored to full adsorptive capacity.
The suit doesn’t cite any independent testing that would prove the clothing doesn’t work.
NWTF contributes to flood relief in southeastern Minn.
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation voted to donate $6,000 of State Chapter funds to local volunteer fire departments in several southeastern Minnesota communities hardest hit by recent floods.
NWTF’s 100 local Minnesota chapters also will be asked to contribute to this fund. Plans call for allocating the money to local volunteer fire departments by the middle of December. These funds will be used to help rebuild devastated communities.
“For more than three decades, Minnesota turkey hunters have relied on southeastern Minnesota for places to hunt turkeys, collect morel mushrooms, camp and trout fish in the spring,” said Tom Glines, Senior Regional Director. “This area is known for its beautiful landscapes as well as being a destination for thousands of turkey hunters over the years. These turkey hunters have developed friendships with landowners in the area and really want to give something back.”
Heavy rains fell on the area in August and swelled several southeastern creeks beyond their banks. The floods devastated the area, sweeping homes off their foundations and destroying local businesses. In the town of Rushford, all the businesses set in five feet of water.
“The Federation has very strong feelings for this part of the state, and we’re committed to helping these people get back on their feet,” said Marlo Sloan, Minnesota State Chapter President. “In the early years, almost all of NWTF’s Minnesota chapters were located in the southeast. As turkey hunting expanded, so did our chapter system across the state. Still, each year turkey hunters travel back to the towns and valleys along the Root River. They return to turkey hunt, eat meals at places like Stumpy’s Bar in Rushford and camp at Money Creek, It’s tradition.”
More than 1,600 catfish die in the Red River
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) –Two bacterial infections likely were the cause of a large catfish die-off in a stretch of the Red River upstream from this city, preliminary test results show.
A near-dead catfish captured for testing at a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources pathology lab in St. Paul tested positive for both columnaris and aeromonas bacteria, staff said. Additional tests are planned to confirm the diagnosis.
More than 1,600 channel catfish are believed to have died earlier this month. They ranged in size from 5 inches to about 30 inches.
Lab staff said water temperatures and low river flows in the Grand Forks area might have created the right conditions to weaken the catfish and enable the bacterial infections to strike.
Ling Shen, a DNR fisheries health specialist in St. Paul, said the likely scenario is that columnaris affected the gills and weakened the immune system of the fish that was tested, and aeromonas occurred as secondary infection and caused the rest of the damage.
Officials also are testing for two viruses, as a precaution. Shen said results will not be available for some time.
Lynn Schlueter, Red River fisheries biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said he was not surprised by the preliminary finding.
“Both of those are fairly common diseases, both in hatchery situations and in the wild,” he said. “And with any disease like this, you’ve got to have all of the factors in place and just right for the stuff to really blossom. Typically, a lot of this is temperature dependent. It’s out there and doesn’t show up until you get that first blast-off of cold.”
Biologists will be working to determine exactly what made the catfish susceptible to infection.
“While we might not be able to prevent it, at least we can start being aware of what triggered it,” Schlueter said.
Water Resources Development Act passes House, Senate
The final version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) authorizes $4 million in federal funding to help prevent the spread of Asian Carp and other aquatic nuisances from entering the Upper Mississippi River. Specifically, the WRDA conference report authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to study and construct an Asian carp barrier at Lock and Dam 11, which is located just north of Dubuque, Iowa. Additionally, the WRDA bill also includes upgrades for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway Restoration (UMR-IWW), including for critical navigation improvements along the waterway along and $1.5 billion in ecosystem restoration. This bill passed 81-12 Monday in the Senate. The House passed it Aug. 1 by a vote of 381-40. It now awaits action by the President, who has threatened a veto. If that happens, Sen. Coleman would vote to override a veto if given the chance.
“An Asian Carp invasion into Minnesota waterways could have a devastating impact on the state’s fishing economy and ecosystem,” Coleman said. “With the ability to eat up to half their body weight in a day, these fish can quickly devour a river’s food supply – which could eventually result in the elimination of native species like walleye, bass and other game fish on which we all depend. Passage of this bill is critical step in stopping Asian Carp from moving further north and, along with the long overdue upgrades to the Upper Mississippi’s ecosystem as a whole, this bill will have a major positive impact on Minnesota.”
Additional Coleman Asian Carp Work: Senator Coleman has worked to address the spread of Asian Carp throughout his time in the Senate. In addition to this authorization for a barrier, Sen. Coleman has introduced legislation to list the species of Asian Carp as injurious - thus barring them from interstate trade and transportation - along with a bill to construct an additional electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Conservation partners celebrate 30 years of Minnesota's waterfowl stamp
See photos in the Sept 28 issue of Outdoors Weekly!
DNR News
As dawn broke over Lake Onamia Saturday, Sept. 15, six youth waterfowl hunters and their mentors ventured to strategic spots on this wild-rice-filled lake not far from Lake Mille Lacs.
Later in the day, the teens, their mentors and others from a number of Minnesota’s conservation groups would celebrate the 30th anniversary of the state’s migratory waterfowl stamp and unveil a monument at this special lake commemorating the event. But the real focus was on hunting and Youth Waterfowl Day.
“This is a special day,” said Ray Norrgard, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) wetland wildlife program manager. “You sit behind the kids and help with calling, identification and explaining safety and techniques. The kids have fun and learn. The adults have the opportunity to pass on their knowledge, appreciation and understanding.”
Since 1996, hunters age 15 and younger have been allowed to hunt from sunrise to 4 p.m. on the Saturday two weeks before the waterfowl opener if accompanied by an adult. The adult mentors are not allowed to hunt.
Minnesota has a rich duck hunting heritage. In fact, it was the first state to initiate a state waterfowl stamp. After a brief rise in sales from 2002 to 2003, state waterfowl stamp sales have steadily decreased. In 2006, sales of state ducks dropped to 102,143 from 114,653 in 2005. To increase those numbers, the DNR continues its partnerships with the state’s waterfowl and conservation groups that promote habitat conservation and mentoring. The focus is on young people. But anyone of any age can be mentored.
“If you just had the opportunity to bring every Minnesotan out here to Lake Onamia and they could watch the sunrise, the rice, the water and the birds, they’d begin to understand,” said DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten, who spent the morning on the lake with his son. “Hunters or not, they’d see that there are so many special and precious resources that Minnesota has to offer.”
Like most hunts, not every hunter bagged a bird. But some did, and there was even a bit of beginner’s luck. Mike Kieper, 15, and his dad, Mark, were out on Mike’s first-ever waterfowl hunt. Mike bagged a mallard hen, a coot, three teal and a goose.
With the hunt wrapped up, DNR officials and others celebrated the 30th anniversary of the state waterfowl stamp, the 40th anniversary of the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, the 70th anniversary of Ducks Unlimited Inc., and the completion of habitat restoration efforts on Lake Onamia.
Representatives from the Minnesota Chapter of Ducks Unlimited Inc., the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibway and a number of local people attended the event. The new Lake Onamia landing, as well as long-term habitat restoration work around the lake, was paid for by funds from the sales of the state duck stamp.
“Today shows the importance of management, cooperation, concern and hard work,” said Curt Kalk, commissioner of natural resources for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibway. “It shows that we can bring back what was and what we need today - wildlife and habitat that makes places like this special.”
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation