October 12, 2007 - TOP STORIES
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Moose hunters bag possible state record

Zebra mussels confirmed in Ramsey County lakes

State finalizes deal to wall off forest land to developers

The Golden Rainbow Ice Fishing Contest cancelled for good

Moose hunters bag possible state record
St. Paul men bag large moose; it could be state record

ST. PAUL (AP) – Two St. Paul men killed a half-ton bull moose while hunting in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and experts say its large antlers could set a new state record.
Jack Weix and Patrick Flynn were on Moose Camp Lake, off the Echo Trail, in a canoe on Sept. 29. They had only been out for an hour on the season’s first day when they spotted the huge bull in a creek and Weix shot it with a rifle.
From tip to tip, its antlers are exactly 5 feet wide – huge by Minnesota standards. A taxidermist measured the antlers using the Boone and Crockett measuring system, standard for North American big-game animals. The rack scored 236-1/2 inches. The current state record rack scored 227-1/8 inches. That moose was killed in 1985 by Donald Blake in Cook County, according to the sixth edition of the Minnesota Record Book.
Weix said the antlers must dry for a mandatory 60 days and be measured by an official Boone and Crockett measurer before they’ll know if Blake’s record was broken.
A biologist estimated Weix’s moose weighed between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds.
It took two days to carry and canoe the moose out of the Boundary Waters.
“We got help from my brother-in-law Eric Johnson and his nephew, Eric Rosario, who’s a young, strong Marine,” Weix said. “Without them, we couldn’t have done it.”
Hunting is allowed in the Boundary Waters wilderness, where most of the state’s estimated 6,600 northeast moose live.
“We set the harvest at only 5 percent of the population,” said Tom Rusch, a Department of Natural Resources area wildlife supervisor. “Since we’re only taking bulls, it has no impact on the population’s reproduction.”
Weix and Flynn tried to get a tag to hunt moose for four years. This year, they were among the 233 lucky hunting parties drawn in a lottery. Only Minnesota residents can apply, and hunters get only one tag a lifetime – even if they don’t kill a moose.
Rusch said the bull’s antlers are breathtaking.
“I would definitely call (a 60-inch antler spread) rare in Minnesota,” he said. “We see only one or two of them a year.”
He estimated the animal was between 7 and 10 years old. Bull moose rarely live past 12.
Using hand tools and knives, the four men spent most of last Saturday morning butchering the animal. It took them until Sunday evening to canoe and portage 565 pounds of meat and the antlers over three portages and several large lakes.
They waited an extra day for a storm to pass so their canoe wouldn’t swamp.
Weix and Flynn, who are brothers-in-law, choose the Boundary Waters for the challenge.
“I think northern Minnesota is some of the toughest terrain in the country,” Weix said. “I’ve hunted big game across the country, including taking two elk with a rifle and bow, and nothing compares to seeing that big bull moose on the water.”
The world record for Canada moose, the subspecies living in Minnesota, is 242 inches, killed in British Columbia in 1980, according to the Boone and Crockett Web site. Its rack width was 63 inches.

Swan Lake: Duck Heaven on Opener

NICOLLET, Minn. (AP) – Ducks were everywhere. Buffeted by a howling south wind and peppered by rain drops, flocks of teal, mallards, wood ducks and redheads crisscrossed the gray sky over Swan Lake on opener.
The staccato of gunshots crackled like thunder around the lake, a barrage that didn’t let up for an hour. It sounded more like a shooting range than opening day of Minnesota’s duck season.
But opening day it was.
And it was an opener the 400 or 500 hunters on the sprawling 10,000-acre lake opening weekend will recall fondly for a long time.
“It was one of the better openers we’ve had in many, many years,” said Mike Hunziker, 60, of Lakeville, as he cleaned ducks. He and his hunting partner, Lee Carlstrom, 60, of Good Thunder each shot their six-duck limits in an hour Saturday.
Hunters averaged 3.32 ducks, according to a Department of Natural Resources bag check that has been done since the early 1960s.
“I believe that’s the highest we’ve ever recorded,” said Joel Anderson, DNR area wildlife manager. “Most years it’s under two.”
“Man, they were everywhere for a while,” said Dan Kirchner, 51, of Mankato, who hunted nearby with Fred Froehlich, 58, of Nicollet. Dennis Simon, 55, of New Prague, and I hunted in a third blind.
The five are friends who are among hundreds of hunters who migrate like the ducks they love to Swan Lake in Nicollet County in southern Minnesota, one of the premier waterfowl lakes in the state and the largest prairie pothole marsh in the nation.
It’s a place steeped with waterfowl hunting lore.
About 135 duck shacks with names like Mallard Hole, Quack Shack and Pintail Palace dot the lakeshore. Hunziker and Carlstrom own one, as do Simon and his brother.
Opening weekend, the shacks – some fancy, some Spartan – were filled with hunters gathering to renew a tradition.
When in prime condition, as it is now, Swan Lake is 10,000 acres of duck heaven – shallow water brimming with vegetation. These days, however, only about half of those acres are covered with water. The rest is cattails or vast stands of grass.
That’s because the DNR controls water levels at Swan, and it drew down the water last year after carp were discovered there. Carp uproot aquatic vegetation and degrade water quality. After lowering the lake to less than half its normal size, the DNR sprayed it with rotenone, a chemical that kills fish. The cost: about $200,000.
The carp appear to be gone. Some bullheads remain. The water is clear. Hunters could almost use a riding mower to traverse the lake instead of a boat – it’s that lush with vegetation.
“There’s lots of wild celery and sago pond weed,” said Anderson. “Everything is right at the surface for them to eat.”
Those conditions attracted 20,000 ducks – including about 16,000 teal – to the lake before Saturday’s opener, Anderson said.
But the shallow water has made access very difficult since last year. Normally, the lake is about 4 feet deep. “It’s down over 3 feet,” Anderson said.
We used boats equipped with mud motors to get around, with some difficulty. Others used push-poles or paddled. A few tried small outboards.
The difficult access has resulted in fewer hunters. Normally, there would have been nearly 1,000 hunters on the lake opening weekend. Anderson estimated there were 400 to 500.
That’s one reason the average bag was so high Saturday, Anderson said.
Although Hunziker and Carlstrom’s dock is high and dry and they have to use a public access to launch a boat, they aren’t complaining.
The clear water, thick green vegetation and clouds of ducks in the air opening weekend explained why.
“It’s unbelievable,” Hunziker said.

Follow the ducks this season

Ducks Unlimited is helping answer the all-important question on the minds of waterfowl hunters this time of year: Where are the ducks?
In September, DU launched the all new waterfowl migration map. This interactive map allows Web site visitors to report on waterfowl concentrations in their area. It also allows users to submit hunting reports based on their experiences in the field.
Last week, DU launched the Hunting Reports Map. This map is similar to the migration map, but features reports submitted exclusively by Avery Outdoor Pro-staffers. Each week, the pro-staffers will provide updates on a variety of topics, such as hunting success, weather and water conditions, migration patterns and other valuable information hunters need to know.
Special thanks to Avery Outdoors for providing this important resource to DU supporters. We hope these maps will make your preparations easier and your next trip to the blind more successful.

Hunting Reports Map http://www.ducks.org/hunting/huntingreports

Waterfowl Migration Map http://www.ducks.org/hunting/migrationmap

Zebra mussels confirmed in Ramsey County lakes

DNR News
In response to a discovery by alert St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) staff late last week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Vadnais, Sucker and Pleasant lakes in Ramsey County. The lakes are part of a system of reservoirs that provide drinking water for about 417,000 people in St. Paul and eight surrounding communities.
During routine maintenance at the Vadnais Lake water intake facility, SPRWS staff found multiple zebra mussels attached to walls inside the water intake. After confirming identification of the specimens, DNR biologists searched waters upstream of Vadnais Lake and found small zebra mussels attached to rocks and wood on the northern end of Sucker Lake, and in the canal between Sucker and Vadnais lakes. Finding zebra mussels in the canals that flow from Pleasant to Sucker Lake suggests that zebra mussels entered from Pleasant Lake. All three lakes now are considered infested with this invasive species. DNR is determining what connected lakes also may be infested and what actions are needed to prevent further spread of zebra mussels from the infested lakes
Zebra mussels may have entered the chain of lakes via water pumped from the Mississippi River as part of the St. Paul Regional Water Supply system, or by way of recreational activities such as angling or boating.
Zebra mussels can have a significant impact on a lake’s ecosystem. They can foul beaches, interfere with food chains and smother native mussels. Zebra mussels also can clog intakes of public water supplies.
The discovery was unwelcome news for both DNR and SPRWS staff. The DNR informed SPRWS as soon as zebra mussels were discovered in the upper Mississippi River. Over the past two years, the two agencies have worked together to address the potential zebra mussel threat. SPRWS has treated the water pumped from the river during the past two years in an attempt to prevent movement of free-floating zebra mussel larvae, and has been working to examine operational changes that could prevent movement of all invasive species in their operations.
The presence of this invasive species in the water supply system of St. Paul creates new challenges for the environment as well as the managers and engineers of SPRWS. However, the low numbers found suggest that this discovery came at the beginning of the infestation.
Other Great Lakes area water utilities have been dealing with this problem for a number of years and have developed proven techniques for dealing with it. Presence of the mussels will not impact drinking water quality.

State finalizes deal to wall off forest land to developers

ST. PAUL (AP) – The state announced it has finalized a deal that will protect more than 51,000 acres of northern Minnesota forest from development.
The Department of Natural Resources said Oct. 2 it used a combination of $12 million in state and private money for an easement on the land north of Grand Rapids.
The Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy Project will preserve the land for timber management, wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing.
The agreement prevents the landowners – a Boston-based timber investment firm – from subdividing the land.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and nonprofit The Nature Conservancy announced the set-aside in June 2006, but it took awhile to work out the details.
DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten said the deal forever keeps prime recreation land open for public use in a part of the state where “No Trespassing” signs are spreading.

Public Access Ensured to 51,163 Acres in Minnesota’s Northwoods

Agreement Will Protect Jobs, Wildlife Habitat and Outdoor Recreational Opportunities Project Web site

DNR NEWS
ST. PAUL, Minn.- Governor Tim Pawlenty announced Oct. 2 that more than 51,000 acres of forest - almost 80 square miles - in Itasca and Koochiching counties have been conserved. State and private money totaling $12 million has been used to purchase a working forest conservation easement that precludes development of the property. This is the single largest conservation project in Minnesota in at least a decade. The agreement will protect jobs, preserve wildlife habitat and guarantee public access for outdoor recreation.

“A key aspect of this landmark agreement is that the land will continue to be managed for timber production and continue to provide jobs and revenue for local economies as private land,” Governor Pawlenty said. “It will be open to the public for a wide variety of uses, including hunting, hiking and fishing. Minnesotans have always taken great pride in our vast forests and this achievement is a testament to our long-term commitment to responsible stewardship of our heritage and future.”

Public funding for the easement purchase comes from $6.6 million in bond funds appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature in 2006. Private foundations and conservation groups contributed $5.4 million.

The newly conserved lands are located near almost 440,000 acres of state-owned lands - Koochiching State Forest, George Washington State Forest, Myrtle Lake Peatland State Natural Area and Scenic State Park. Because of its proximity to the two state forests, the project is being called the Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy Project.

“Forests are key to our way of life in northern Minnesota,” said State Sen. Tom Saxhaug of Grand Rapids. “This project demonstrates how we can protect our private industrial forest lands while preserving public access.”

State Rep. Tom Anzelc of Balsam Township in Itasca County agreed. “This agreement is exceptional because it conserves an important area and it does so in a way that really works for the people. Snowmobiles and ATVs are part of our culture and we need to provide designated trails for the people to use.”

This is the second and largest project to be completed by the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership, a public-private coalition created two years ago by The Nature Conservancy and the Blandin Foundation to help conserve Minnesota’s Northwoods. The partnership’s first project, known as Sugar Hills, was completed in May 2007 and ensured that 1,600 acres in Itasca County would remain a publicly accessible working forest.

The partnership includes the Trust for Public Land, which facilitated the transaction in the latest Forest Legacy project between the landowner (Forest Capital Partners) and the state, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which will hold and monitor the conservation easement. Additional partnership members are The Conservation Fund, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA).

Forest Capital Partners is a private forest landowner that acquires and manages working forests across North America for long-term sustainability, including more than 290,000 acres in northern Minnesota. The company actively manages its forests under the sustainable forest management guidelines set forth by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®. “This project is a great example of how private landowners, conservation organizations, public agencies and other entities can partner together to promote conservation,” noted Brian J. Kernohan, Manager of Wildlife & Forest Stewardship for Forest Capital Partners. “We are proud to provide a portion of our working forests to assist in these invaluable conservation efforts.”

Under the recently completed voluntary agreement, Forest Capital Partners retains ownership as well as the right to continue to manage their land for timber production.

To purchase the conservation easement on 11,824 acres in Itasca County and 39,339 acres in Koochiching County, the DNR contributed $6.6 million through public bond funds appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature in 2006.

The Nature Conservancy also contributed $5.4 million via gifts from: the Blandin Foundation, $4.0 million; The Conservation Fund, $500,000; and a variety of other sources including the Surdna Foundation.

The source of The Conservation Fund’s contribution is a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which supports wildlife habitat conservation.

The conservation easement allows for sustainable logging under a state forest management plan but precludes development.

The easement also ensures that the lands can be used by the public for outdoor recreation including hunting, fishing, hiking and cross-country skiing. Snowmobiles and ATV use will continue as is subject to future trail designation on the property.

“This is a great opportunity for the state to make certain that Minnesotans can continue to enjoy these lands,” said DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten. “We’re committed to conserving our best forests for public access, outdoor recreation, and our forest economy.”

The newly conserved lands are large enough to provide for an estimated 1,100 deer hunters a year. “This is an incredible area for wildlife and for hunters and it’s great to see that it will stay that way,” said Mark Johnson, president of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. “MDHA is very proud to be a part of this huge accomplishment.”

The project area also includes prime lands for hunting ruffed grouse.

Abundant and diverse populations of wildlife including Canada lynx, gray wolf, American black duck, American woodcock as well as neotropical migratory birds and other songbird species can be found in the area.

The project is expected to benefit as many as 81 of the 292 species classified by DNR as Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Minnesota’s State Wildlife Action Plan, “Tomorrow’s Habitat for the Wild and Rare: An Action Plan for Minnesota Wildlife.” Species of Greatest Conservation Need are broadly defined as species that are declining, rare or vulnerable in Minnesota.

“Minnesota has an excellent State Wildlife Action Plan,” said Tom Duffus, Upper Midwest director at The Conservation Fund. “This is the kind of project that can make that plan a reality. To succeed, the state needs to conserve large blocks of wildlife habitat that are home to many of its most remarkable and at-risk wildlife species. Conservation provides a number of environmental and economic benefits including clean water and air and open space for all of us to enjoy.”

The newly conserved lands include coniferous forest and peatland along with 13 lakes and more than 90 ponds totaling 46.9 miles of shoreline. The properties also encompass 43.5 miles of rivers and streams as well as 18,971 acres of wetlands.

Mark Mandich, Itasca County’s District 5 Commissioner, said he was pleased that the project would allow for the continued use of existing forest roads for motorized recreation. “This is an important step to halt the breaking up of existing trail systems, and is critical for linking future trails.”

Wade Pavleck, the District 1 Commissioner in Koochiching County, said that the project will help local communities maintain their way of life. “Jobs and public access for hunting and recreation - that’s what everyone wanted for this land, and what we would have lost if it had not been conserved,” he said.

Bud Stone, president of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased the land will remain a working forest. “It provides a huge economic opportunity in that it includes timber management plans that will provide jobs and raw materials on a sustainable basis that will fuel the state’s economy,” he said.

Jim Hoolihan, president of the Blandin Foundation, said that more must be done to ensure that lands owned by timber companies in northern Minnesota continue to be managed so that they provide jobs, wildlife habitat and public access for outdoor recreation.

“Traditionally, these lands have played an important role in our way of life,” Hoolihan said. “But due to rising real estate prices and changes in the forest products industry, we’ve lost industrial forestland to development. This project will ensure that this property remains a publicly accessible working forest.”

Peggy Ladner, director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, said that the project’s sheer size and its proximity to two state forests, a state natural area and a state park, which added together total 439,652 acres, made it a priority for conservation.

“Saving 51,163 acres of forest is great work but when those lands combine with existing public natural areas to create a conservation area that approaches 500,000 acres, it’s an absolutely incredible and enduring accomplishment,” Ladner said. “To protect our natural heritage for now and for our future, we need to conserve our lands and waters at a landscape scale.” View project Web site

Overview: The Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy Project is the single largest conservation project in Minnesota in at least a decade. The project will protect jobs, preserve wildlife habitat and ensure public access for outdoor recreation.

Location: Minnesota’s Northwoods, north-central Minnesota, Itasca and Koochiching counties. The conserved lands are private working forestland owned by Forest Capital Partners. They are located in and near Koochiching State Forest and George Washington State Forest.

Size: 51,163 acres / approximately 80 square miles

Land Owner: Forest Capital Partners is a private forest landowner that acquires and manages working forests across North America for long-term sustainability including more than 290,000 acres in Minnesota.

Conservation Value: This project achieves significant wildlife habitat conservation by maintaining working forests and avoiding forest fragmentation. The conserved lands are located near 439,658 acres of state-owned land and serve as a critical link in creating a conservation area that approaches 500,000 acres in size. As many as 81 of Minnesota’s 292 species classified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (declining, rare or vulnerable in the state) will benefit from this project including Canada lynx, gray wolf, American black duck, American woodcock, neotropical migratory birds, and several songbird species.

Significant Features: Coniferous forest and peatland; 13 lakes and more than 90 ponds totaling 46.9 miles of shoreline; 43.5 miles of rivers and streams; 18,971 acres of wetlands.

Recreational Opportunities: Hunting (the property can accommodate an estimated 1,100 deer hunters a year), fishing, hiking and cross-country skiing. Snowmobiles and ATV use will continue as is subject to future trail designation on the property.

The Golden Rainbow Ice Fishing Contest cancelled for good

For over twenty years anglers from around the globe have recognized the Golden Rainbow as “Minnesota’s Original”. The Golden Rainbow has set the stage on how contests should be run and what draws the most anglers to the frozen tundra in the dead of winter. In its day the contest would attract over 8000 anglers plus spectators and media, making it the largest contest in the nation but also making it the longest running contest of any size. Over the past several years the contest has battled Mother Nature and poor ice conditions causing numerous cancellations. Like any Minnesota business that is based around tourism, the weather can make or break you.
Officials of the contest last year decided that if the contest was to survive it must be moved from Forest Lake, MN to the north where ice conditions were safer. Three hours north of the Twin Cities the community of Grand Rapids opened its arms and invited the contest to make a permanent home on Pokegama Lake. Tournament Director Jason Green and the contest officials soon kicked the planning stages of the contest into high gear. Permits and insurance were pulled, prize packages set, everything seemed perfect to bring the contest back to it’s position in the ice fishing industry.
Owned and operated by the Hopkins Area Jaycees, the Golden Rainbow has taken great pride in providing a safe family atmosphere. So it is no surprise when ice conditions were not to standard the contest was canceled several times. “Each year the contest is a complete gamble,” says Tournament Director Jason Green. “Starting in November before the February Contest, thousands of dollars are spent every month around the United States to advertise the event. At this point people are hunting and fishing in open water so advertising really is a gamble and there is no way to foresee the outcome.”
With several years of cancellations and thousands of dollars spent in advertising the contest has accumulated a sizable debt. After meeting with several banks, debt consolidation companies and financial advisers, the Hopkins Area Jaycees have found no other way but to no longer operate the Golden Rainbow Ice Fishing Contest. It is with deep sadness that this decision is made to end a dynasty.