February 8, 2008 - TOP STORIES
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McLeod County group finishes wildlife restoration project
DNR, NWTF expand youth opportunities for 08 spring turkey hunts
DNR to limit walleye harvest at Lake Mille Lacs
Collaborative effort completed to conserve Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest
Firearms and ammunition contribute $3 billion to wildlife conservation
McLeod County group finishes wildlife restoration project
With the money, they have purchased about 2,200 acres and converted them to wildlife habitat. All those lands either are, or will be, state or federal public lands.
By Doug Smith, Star Tribune of Minneapolis
HUTCHINSON, Minn. (AP) – A biting breeze blew across the frozen white landscape here.
Most of the country is an endless expanse of plowed, snow-drifted farm fields – a seemingly inhospitable place for wildlife.
But Mark Reinert and three friends stood in a field of golden prairie grasses and frozen wetlands – an oasis of wildlife habitat that they helped create in McLeod County.
Just a few years ago, the 500-acre site was corn or soybeans or, in winter, black earth covered with snow. And there were no wetlands.
Now, the land attracts pheasants, waterfowl, songbirds, deer and other wildlife.
“Oh yeah, the pheasants are out there,” Reinert said, scanning the frozen field.
The 500-acre parcel has been transformed for wildlife, and eventually will be open to the public to hunt, hike or bird watch.
Reinert, 47, of Glencoe, is president of the McLeod County chapter of Pheasants Forever – a group of about 450 who have raised and spent more money for wildlife habitat than any of the other 73 state chapters. They have spent $4.2 million since they formed in 1986 – among the tops in the nation.
With that money, they have purchased about 2,200 acres – including the parcel that Reinert and friends visited last week – and converted them to wildlife habitat. All those lands either are, or will be, state or federal public lands.
While Pheasants Forever celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, the McLeod County chapter celebrates the near-completion of the 500-acre complex, located between Hutchinson and Glencoe. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to buy the land from the group.
“We’ll take that money and buy more land,” Reinert said.
Talk to the chapter leaders, and their infectious enthusiasm at least partially explains their success.
“It’s not only about pheasants, it’s about all wildlife – the deer, the ducks,” Reinert said. “It’s about preserving wetlands, protecting groundwater and water quality. We need these green spaces.”
Mary Mueller, 47, of Winthrop, has been habitat coordinator for the chapter since near the beginning. She bubbles with enthusiasm over the group’s ability to alter the landscape.
“We’re excited about what we do, really excited, and we enjoy it a lot,” she said. “We enjoy seeing the land converted into cover, and seeing people using it. We’re volunteers, but we work pretty hard.”
The chapter supports conservation in several ways: It has 30 acres of food plots on private lands, it has planted shrubs and trees for pheasant cover and it offers a youth hunt to encourage youngsters to take up hunting – and conservation. It also will put out 1,500 bushels of corn this winter to feed pheasants.
But since its inception, the chapter has focused primarily on acquiring land, restoring wildlife habitat on it, and then selling it to the state Department of Natural Resources or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for state wildlife management areas or federal waterfowl production areas.
The chapter has spent about 84 percent of its habitat dollars on acquisition, compared to about 74 percent for chapters statewide. Nationwide, Pheasants Forever spends about 18 percent on acquisition.
“People just felt acquisition was the way to go; it wasn’t temporary, it was permanent,” Mueller said.
It’s also progress people can see.
“We’re getting people beyond pheasant hunters,” she said. “We’re getting bird-watching enthusiasts who are making contributions; they see the benefits.”
Most of the public hunting lands in the county are the fruits of their labor.
“We don’t have big state parks or anything like that around here,” Mueller said. “So having these areas is a place, even beyond hunting season, to get out and enjoy seeing birds and flowers and wetlands.”
Pheasants Forever chapters have a lot of autonomy.
“Each chapter focuses on what they want to do in their local communities,” said Rick Young, Pheasant Forever’s vice president of field operations.
Some might focus on youth programs; others might contribute to the national group’s legislative action fund.
“The general rule of thumb is, if there are long-term benefits, it’s probably a pretty good use of their money,” he said.
So what’s the secret to the McLeod County group’s success?
“It takes a lot of passion for what you’re doing, and it takes a team,” Mueller said.
And it takes dollars.
Like other conservation groups, the chapter holds an annual fundraising banquet, usually attended by more than 400 people. That brings in roughly $30,000. But the key is that early on, members formed a separate nonprofit group – the McLeod County Wildlife Habitat Conservation Society – which sells pull-tabs at a local bar-restaurant. Charitable gambling brings in twice what the banquet does, Reinert said.
And a local corporate sponsor, Waste Management Inc., has donated $200,000 over the past 10 years.
Reinert said his chapter decides which lands to buy, but normally consults with state and federal officials or Pheasants Forever regional biologists to ensure they are getting key property. Conservation groups can move much more quickly to buy lands than either the DNR or Fish and Wildlife Service.
“They have been great partners with us,” said Scott Glup of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Litchfield office.
The enormity of the task – there are 314,000 acres in the county and they’ve bought and restored 2,000 acres – doesn’t discourage the group.
Said Reinert: “It’s important for us to preserve land for wildlife and for future generations of hunters.”
DNR, NWTF expand youth opportunities for 08 spring turkey hunts
Applications for the hunt are only available online from the DNR Web site at mndnr.gov by clicking the youth turkey hunt button on the home page.
DNR News
As many as 460 first-time youth hunters can bag a wild turkey this spring during one of 32 special youth turkey hunts sponsored by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).
“This is an opportunity for kids to learn by doing,” said Jay Johnson, DNR hunter recruitment and retention program coordinator. “And it’s a great chance for mentors to get out in the field with youths and help pass on Minnesota’s hunting tradition.”
Applications for the hunt are only available online from the DNR Web site at mndnr.gov by clicking the youth turkey hunt button on the home page. Application deadline is Feb. 22, and participants will be selected randomly via lottery. A map of areas open to special youth hunts and a listing of hunts can be viewed and printed from the Web site.
“The 2008 youth hunt represents a dramatic growth in the number of permits available and the areas open to hunting,” Johnson said. “Last year, 15 special youth turkey hunts accommodated 124 hunters. But an increasing turkey population, an expanding range and more youth hunt volunteers all add up to more opportunities for more youths and their mentors.”
All but one of the special hunts will occur April 19 and 20, the first weekend of the regular wild turkey season. Johnson said most of the youths will hunt on private land thanks to the generosity of private landowners, who are giving the NWTF permission to use their land.
To be eligible, a youth hunter must be age 12 to 17 on or before April 19, have earned a valid Firearms Safety Certificate and be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The program is for first-time turkey hunters only. Any youth who has ever purchased or been selected by lottery for a Minnesota turkey license of any type is ineligible. Hunters and their parent or guardian will be assigned a NWTF volunteer guide, who must accompany them throughout the entire hunt.
“Without the support of staff and volunteers from the NWTF, this important opportunity for first-time hunters wouldn’t be possible,” Johnson said. “This is an example of sportsmen and sportswomen taking the lead in developing the next generation of safe, ethical and responsible hunter-conservationists.”
Surplus spring turkey hunt licenses to go on sale
Hunters who applied for a spring wild turkey hunting license but were not selected in the recent lottery are eligible to purchase a surplus license on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 5 p.m., March 17.
“Applicants who were not chosen still have a chance to hunt this spring,” said Bill Penning, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) farmland wildlife program coordinator. Penning said lottery winners should receive their permits this week. Applicants also can determine if they received a license in the lottery by going to the turkey hunting section of the DNR Web site.
Penning said 4,565 surplus spring wild turkey hunt licenses are available. A list of hunting dates, permit areas and the number of surplus permits available in each area is available in the turkey hunting section of the DNR Web site at www.mndnr.gov/hunting. Surplus licenses will be available at any statewide Electronic License System agent or online at www.wildlifelicense.com/mn/.
Beginning at 8 a.m. on March 24, all remaining licenses will be made available to anyone, whether or not they applied in the lottery.
St. Cloud VA announces 4th Annual turkey hunt
Physically Disabled Veterans Turkey Hunt will be April 22-24
St. Cloud, Minn. - The St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota National Guard, Camp Ripley, will conduct the Fourth Annual Physically Disabled Veterans Turkey Hunt April 22-24, 2008 at Camp Ripley in Little Falls.
This special hunt is provided for physically disabled veterans who are currently receiving outpatient treatment at a VA Medical Center or who are eligible for care and who cannot hunt during the regular firearms season.
Limited space is available. Applications will be available beginning Monday, February 18, 2008 and must be received by Friday, March 14, 2008. To receive an application, contact Dennis Erie (320) 255-6394, at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center.
DNR to limit walleye harvest at Lake Mille Lacs
Committee sets lower harvest caps in 2008
Members of the 1837 Treaty Fisheries Technical Committee have established Mille Lacs Lake 2008 harvest caps of 430,000 pounds for walleye, 270,000 pounds for yellow perch and 25,000 pounds for northern pike.
The committee, comprised of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Chippewa band interests, sets safe harvest levels every winter to help ensure that Mille Lacs Lake remains a productive fishery. Now that harvest levels have been identified the DNR will develop fishing regulation options for the 2008 season. The options will be presented to the citizen-comprised Mille Lacs Lake Fisheries Input Group later this month.
This year’s safe harvest level means anglers will be able to harvest 307,500 pounds of walleye, 135,000 pounds of yellow perch and 12,500 pounds of northern pike from Mille Lacs Lake. The remaining allocations are divided among the eight Chippewa bands that have treaty rights to fish Mille Lacs Lake.
This year, the bands declared a harvest level of 122,500 pounds, up from 100,000 pounds in previous years. Mille Lacs, which is subject to allocations and quotas, is managed differently than any other lake in the state.
Collaborative effort completed to conserve Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest
Jobs, wildlife habitat and public access for outdoor recreation ensured
DNR News
The Nature Conservancy and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced Jan. 29 that they have completed an agreement that conserves the Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest located north of Silver Bay in Lake County.
The agreement assures that the 6,252-acre forest, named after Clair A. Nelson, the late Lake County Board chair, will remain a working forest that is open to the public for outdoor recreation including hunting, fishing, hiking, dog sledding and snowmobiling. The forest provides important habitat for a variety of wildlife species and includes the headwaters of the Manitou River, a prime trout stream in the region.
To ensure that the forest is managed sustainably, wildlife habitat is conserved and public access is guaranteed, the Conservancy transferred conservation easements that restrict development of the entire forest to DNR.
An agreement to conserve the forest was announced in October 2006 by a partnership comprised of Lake County, DNR, The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund and Minnesota Power. Under the agreement, Lake County purchased most of what is now known as the Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest from The Conservation Fund. The Nature Conservancy purchased a conservation easement precluding development of the county-owned land, ensuring sustainable forest management, wildlife habitat and opportunities for public access. The agreement called for DNR to acquire the easement to ensure long-term management of the forest. DNR acquired the conservation easement from The Nature Conservancy at half the appraised value, with the Conservancy making a partial donation to the state.
“We were excited to be a part of the creation of the Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest at the Legislature,” said State Sen. Tom Bakk of Cook and Rep. David Dill of Crane Lake. “Keeping Minnesota forests open to the public and working for the sake of jobs and economic development was a key objective of Clair. This collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Lake County, DNR and the Legislature is a tribute to Clair’s work for Lake County and Minnesota.”
DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten said Minnesota’s working forests are at risk of being developed but conservation easements can help preserve jobs, wildlife habitat and public access.
“Forest fragmentation threatens habitat, public recreation and the timber industry,” Holsten said. “Easement agreements such as this are an affordable way to address habitat issues and guarantee public recreational access, while continuing to provide timber that is critical to Minnesota’s forest products industry.”
Scott Larson, Lake County’s Board chairman, said he’s pleased that the conservation of this forest will be one of Nelson’s legacies. “Clair Nelson was the driving force behind Lake County’s purchase of the forest. Clair saw that working forests and people in Northern Minnesota were entwined,” Larson said. “Whether it was logging, hunting, fishing or other recreational activities, Clair believed that people benefit from managed forests that are open to the public for both their economic and spiritual survival.
“His tragic death only months after the forest was purchased led to the forest being named the Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest by the Lake County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 25, 2007. Dedicating the forest to Clair’s memory is a fitting tribute to a man who was important for many different reasons to so many people.”
The Conservancy is also in the process of donating a 246-acre tract within the forest to Lake County. The property is subject to a conservation easement held by DNR and is valued at $49,000.
Peggy Ladner, director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, praised state lawmakers, DNR, Lake County and The Conservation Fund for collaborating to conserve the Clair A. Nelson Memorial Forest.
“More than 1 million acres of industrial forest land is at risk in Minnesota,” she said. “By working together, we can keep large blocks of forest intact and open to the public. In addition to providing jobs and outdoor recreation, forests also provide crucial wildlife habitat. More than 120 species of birds including migratory songbirds and ruffed grouse as well as wide-ranging species such as moose and Canada lynx can be found in Minnesota’s Northwoods.”
The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Since 1958, the Conservancy has helped conserve more than 350,000 acres in Minnesota. The Conservancy has 23,000 members in the state and offices in Minneapolis, Cushing, Paynesville, Little Falls, Grand Rapids, Glyndon, Duluth, Karlstad, Mentor and Preston.
To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 100 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.
More information about The Nature Conservancy is available at nature.org
Firearms and ammunition contribute $3 billion to wildlife conservation
Industry announces important new initiative
LAS VEGAS – Executives from America’s leading firearms and ammunition manufacturers gathered on Feb. 2 at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to mark an important milestone in the firearms and ammunition industry’s longstanding support of wildlife conservation. Manufacturers have since 1991 contributed more than $3 billion dollars to fund wildlife conservation through the payment of a federal excise tax on the sale of their products. The excise tax is a primary source of wildlife conservation funding in the United States. Since the inception of the excise tax in 1937, more than $5 billion dollars has been collected.
In recognition of this milestone, a commemorative check for $3 billion dollars was presented to H. Dale Hall, the director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Matt Hogan, the executive director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), from key firearms industry leaders at the annual membership meeting of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the industry’s trade association.
“Our industry is proud of its leading role in financially supporting wildlife conservation and protecting habitat,” said Doug Painter, NSSF president and chief executive officer. “We are especially proud that our industry stepped up to the plate for America’s wildlife and natural resources decades before ‘environmentalism’ became a popular movement.”
The federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition products (11 percent on long guns and ammunition and 10 percent on handguns), is collected by the U.S. Treasury, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) where it is deposited into the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund, commonly referred to as the Pittman-Robertson Trust Fund. These taxes are the major source of conservation funding in the United States.
“The federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers of firearms and ammunition through the Wildlife Restoration program provide state wildlife agencies this critical funding necessary to help maintain wildlife resources, educate hunters and fund sport shooting ranges nationwide,” said Hall. “For example, my home state of Kentucky used these funds to restore elk populations to sustainable levels. Now, for the first time in hundreds of years, sportsmen and women have the opportunity to hunt elk east of the Mississippi River.”
In just the past 12 months, the firearms and ammunition industry has contributed more than $280 million to conservation via the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET). This amount of money demonstrates a 41 percent increase over the last five years. The complete amount collected through federal excise tax payments, a number which includes payments from the archery and fishing industries, tops $1 billion a year.
“For over 70 years, state fish and wildlife agencies have used the revenue from the Pittman-Robertson program to build the most successful wildlife conservation model the world has ever known,” said Hogan. “One needs only look at the return of species like the whitetail deer, wild turkey, pronghorn antelope and the wood duck, to name a few, to see that this money has been well spent for the benefit of all Americans.”
Industry Introduces Plan to Supplement NAWCA
Demonstrating its continued support for conservation, industry announced a plan to supplement congressional funding (currently $75 million dollars) of the North American Wetland Conservation Act -- a grant program providing federal cost-share funding to support the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. “NSSF is proud to announce a new multi-pronged three-year initiative to support wetlands conservation,” commented Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.
As part of the NSSF proposal, the trade association has promised to use staff resources to work with its partners in the shooting, hunting and outdoor communities to better promote NAWCA at industry events. NSSF will also advocate for stronger congressional funding for NAWCA during the appropriations process and will contribute $150,000 annually for the next three fiscal years to a mutually agreed upon NAWCA project.
“We understand the value of wildlife conservation and preserving migratory bird habitat, and we are fully vested in ensuring that the hunters and sportsmen who use our products have game to hunt and places to go hunting so that they can enjoy this important national heritage and pass it onto the next generation,” concluded Painter.
For your one-stop resource on all hunting and shooting matters, please visit the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Web site, HuntandShoot.org
© 2008 Outdoors Weekly (PK Outdoors, Inc.)