April 24, 2009 - TOP STORIES
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Red River flooding affects Minnesota deer
Proposed Minnesota state park hits major roadblock
DNR confiscated firearm auction set
Officials step up fight against zebra mussels
Hearings: No support for earn-a-buck alternative
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Red River flooding affects Minnesota deer
By Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald
OSLO, Minn. (AP) – Ray and Jane Bushaw have been cut off from the outside world for several weeks since the Red River began creeping up on the ring dike that surrounds their property south of Oslo.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t have company.
Almost 50 deer have taken up residence in the Bushaws’ yard, and they won’t be going away anytime soon. The deer first started showing up March 29, and as news of a dry place with food spread on the whitetail grapevine – or whatever means wild animals use to communicate – the numbers grew.
“I don’t know where they’ve been coming from,” Ray Bushaw said. “I don’t know how far away they can smell food.”
Now, the deer, like the Bushaws, are surrounded by water with no place to go.
Bushaw said he contacted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shortly after the first deer started showing up. In so many words, they told him to do what he wanted.
“They said they couldn’t do anything about it,” Bushaw said.
And so he feeds the deer corn – about a sandbag’s worth every day – but that doesn’t go far with 46 deer.
“They’ve been eating on the rose bushes and the lilac bushes and whatever else they can find,” Bushaw said of the deer.
There were a couple of days, Bushaw said, when he ran out of corn and couldn’t get into Oslo to replenish his supply. A few deer left seeking greener pastures, he said, but when all they could find was water and ice, they soon returned.
Bushaw said farmers storing corn in Oslo have told him to take what he needs during boat trips to town to keep the deer alive and minimize the damage to his trees and shrubs. And recently, a friend came out with bags of wheat to supplement the feeding effort.
“I could chase them out but where are they going to go?” Bushaw said. “The river is six to seven miles wide by me.”
The Bushaws’ experience offers a harsh reminder that natural disasters such as the Flood of 2009 interrupt the lives not only of humans but every creature that lives along the river.
“The biggest effect is just the displacement that wildlife experiences in a flood like that,” said John Williams, assistant regional wildlife supervisor for the DNR in Bemidji.
Whether it’s direct impact such as drowning or indirect impact from being stranded and unable to find food, floods definitely take their toll, at least in localized areas, Williams said.
“It’s really somewhat the circumstance each animal deals with,” he said. “It’s not only a disaster for us – it’s a disaster for them.”
Reports of deer or other wildlife mortality haven’t been widespread on either side of the Red River, according wildlife officials in Minnesota and North Dakota. But there have been localized cases. Bushaw said he’s talked with neighbors who reported seeing dead deer floating in the icy floodwaters. And in early April, four deer were stranded on an ice jam on the river near Oslo.
That story likely didn’t have a happy ending. And so the Bushaws do what they can to take care of the deer that have taken refuge inside their ring dike.
“I don’t want to see anything drown,” he said.
The deer do provide amusement, Jane Bushaw said. At night, it’s not unusual for the deer to be within a few feet of the house. The family has taken a special liking, she said, to a three-legged deer that’s part of the group.
“It’s just unreal,” she said. “It’s fun to watch them fight. It’s just fun to see them. It gives us something to do.”
While less extreme, there have been other reports of deer displaced by flooding. Stuart Bensen, conservation officer for the DNR in Erskine, said he’s gotten calls from a couple of homeowners near East Grand Forks who reported deer were damaging trees and shrubs.
Unlike the deer on the Bushaw property, the deer weren’t stranded, but they definitely were doing a number on the homeowners’ trees and shrubs.
“You start giving aid to 100 deer plus, it’s going to take a toll,” Bensen said.
Bensen says he typically refers deer complaints to DNR Wildlife staff. In the case of ongoing problems in which deer or other wildlife threaten crops, for example, Bensen says the DNR can provide assistance with high fences or offer other technical assistance to keep the animals at bay.
But when deer are driven into an area by a relatively short-term problem such as flooding, there’s no easy fix, as the Bushaws have found near Oslo.
Williams, the regional DNR assistant manager in Bemidji, said he understands their wanting to feed the deer. But it’s an individual choice – and expense.
“We don’t have any funds to pay anyone for that type of thing,” Williams said. “This is one of those situations you don’t always get a good hand dealt to you, and a flood situation is not a good hand. I don’t know how else you can describe it. It’s an unfortunate situation, but the department is not in a position to go and provide money for those particular instances.”
The policy is no different on the North Dakota side of the river. And so far, at least, Game and Fish officials say they haven’t gotten any calls about deer or other wildlife marooned by the flood.
“We just haven’t had any real issues,” said Marty Egeland, outreach biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Grand Forks. “That’s not to say something didn’t happen, but it’s a small scale.”
Most of the time, Egeland said, floodwaters rise slowly enough for animals to escape to higher ground. But if they were to get stranded inside a ring dike, Game and Fish wouldn’t offer anything more than technical assistance.
“They’re going to be on their own,” he said. “We’re not going to boat them out of there.”
The good news in all of this, the DNR’s Williams said, is that deer long have survived – and thrived – along river corridors such as the Red.
“The deer have had a lot of history as far as working with that situation,” he said. “They do move around, and they are pretty adaptable. If they could be pushed in the right direction, they’re going to survive just fine.”
Proposed Minnesota state park hits major roadblock
By Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio News
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – In 2007, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced his initiative to buy 2,500 acres of land along Lake Vermilion in northeastern Minnesota. At the time, he said securing the land would make the park one of the nicest in the nation.
“We hope through this proposal that we’ll be able to give everyone in Minnesota and up at the lake or up north experience through this next state park,” Pawlenty said.
Pawlenty expressed confidence that the state would purchase the land from owner U.S. Steel, saying at one point that the deal wouldn’t fall apart.
But now, Pawlenty appears to have all but given up on the park.
“It’s an unfortunate development, but we’ve done all we can,” he said.
Pawlenty said the state and U.S. Steel couldn’t come up with a sale price for the land. U.S. Steel reportedly assessed the property at $20 million. The state assessment is $14 million. Pawlenty said state law prohibits offering more than 12 percent above the appraised value of the land.
“If the Legislature will allow some additional authority, we might be able to close the deal,” he said. “But in fairness to the Legislature and to the appraisal process, I don’t think it’s responsible to pay more than the fair market value for the property.”
Pawlenty made his comments just hours before the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners gave tentative approval to a plan allowing U.S. Steel to develop 1,400 acres of property into 148 lots, build a wastewater treatment plant, along with roads and boat launches. U.S. Steel announced a few weeks ago that it was ending talks with the state and moving forward with the development plan.
St. Louis County Commissioner Mike Forsman said the eight-member board unanimously backed the new plan. He said when fully developed, the land will generate $1 million a year in property taxes. Forsman said he initially supported turning the land into a park, but changed his mind when he realized that the state isn’t maintaining its existing park land.
“The state has basically cut funding to all of the parks in the state of Minnesota yet at the same time, the governor was proposing Pawlenty’s Paradise Park and in my mind that was not a reality,” Forsman said.
Forsman said the board’s actions won’t prohibit U.S. Steel from selling the land to the state. It would just give the company the approval to develop the property.
One state lawmaker isn’t too disappointed that the land could be developed.
“Am I thrilled that it’s going to be developed? Yes. Am I thrilled that it’s not going to be a state park? Not particularly. It’s a tough decision to make,” said State Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake.
Dill represents the Lake Vermilion area. In 2008, Dill argued against any attempts to turn the land into a state park. Dill pointed out that his region is home to Soudan Underground Mine State Park and other recreation areas.
“There are 11 state parks in my legislative district already,” Dill said. “There’s the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and there’s Voyageurs National Park. There are millions upon millions of acres of public land already. I would rather see public land in Hennepin County frankly.”
Dill said he’s not 100 percent confident that the park proposal is completely off the table. He suggested that U.S. Steel and Pawlenty may be using their public statements to see whether the other party is willing to move off of their last offer. Other lawmakers say state officials could be more inclined to negotiate once the state’s budget problems are addressed.
The loss of the park concerns Brett Feldman with the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota. He said the Vermilion Park plan would be a crown jewel in the state’s park system.
“We believe it would be a tremendous loss for the people of Minnesota if it became housing,” Feldman said. “If given the choice between a new park or a luxury home development on one of the state’s most spectacular lakes, we’ll take the park every single time.”
Feldman said the Parks and Trails Council is still hoping that the state can negotiate a deal to secure the park. St. Louis County Commissioner Forsman said there is no timeline on the development of the Lake Vermilion property. An official with U.S. Steel declined to comment beyond saying they’re disappointed negotiations with the state have ended.
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DNR confiscated firearm auction set
DNR News
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will auction its inventory of confiscated firearms on Saturday, May 2, at the Hiller Auction Barn in Zimmerman, Minn. The Hiller Auction Barn is located two miles east of the Highway 169 and the County Road 4 intersection in Zimmerman.
Bidder registration begins at 8 a.m. Potential bidders can inspect the merchandise at that time. The auction starts at 10 a.m.
Auctioned will be nearly 300 rifles and shotguns seized by conservation officers over the past four years. A complete inventory list will be posted on the Hiller Auction Web page at: www.hillerauction.com.
No other miscellaneous items related to outdoor sports will be auctioned.
Property will be sold “as is,” and all sales will be final. Payment may be by cash, by most major credit cards, cashier’s check, money order or traveler’s checks. A convenience fee may be added to each credit card transaction. Personal or business checks also will be accepted if they are accompanied by a letter of credit from a bank stating that the bidder’s credit is in good standing. Such letters must be provided when registering.
Hiller Auction will conduct a background check of bidders on site before releasing the gun(s). Following the background check, buyers can take possession of their property immediately. Bidders can bring their own gun case to legally transport the gun(s). A temporary, disposable gun case may be purchased from the auctioneer.
Proceeds from the auction will be deposited in the DNR’s Game and Fish Fund.
Questions regarding the auction may be directed to Hiller Auction at 763-856-2453, 800-889-3450 or khauction@sherbtel.net.
Officials step up fight against zebra mussels
SHOREWOOD, Minn. (AP) – Officials plan to step up boat inspections as they try to slow the spread of zebra mussels to Lake Minnetonka.
Recently, zebra mussels were found in Prior Lake – the first metro-area lake to be infested by the aquatic pest.
To guard against spreading exotic water life to Lake Minnetonka, officials plan a 30 percent increase in inspections of boats at public launches on the big, western Twin Cities lake.
Boaters also will be urged to thoroughly clean their boats.
The Lake Minnetonka Conservation District is expected to approve an extra $21,000 next week to pay for more inspections by the Department of Natural Resources. The DNR will use the money to hire and train more inspectors.
Zebra mussels litter beaches, smother native mussels, and undermine fish and wildlife habitats.
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Hearings: No support for earn-a-buck alternative
By Robert Imrie
WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) – There’s little support for a new strategy for trimming Wisconsin’s deer herd.
Hunters attending the annual statewide conservation hearings voted overwhelmingly last week Monday night against creating an antlerless-only season but allowing gun hunters to take bucks on the opening weekend of the nine-day gun season and archers to shoot bucks for two weeks during the breeding season.
The plan is an alternative to earn-a-buck, which requires hunters to shoot an antlerless deer to qualify to kill a buck in areas where there’s too many deer.
The new idea failed 5,472 to 1,126 in the advisory vote, the state Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday. A separate question on whether to eliminate earn-a-buck entirely passed 5,513 votes to 1,321. It was also advisory.
The hearings held by the DNR and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a citizens advisory group to the state Natural Resources Board, attracted 7,939 outdoors enthusiasts at gatherings in all 72 counties, the DNR said. It included votes on 91 questions dealing with a variety of fishing and wildlife issues and proposed DNR regulations.
Fish and wildlife managers will analyze the results and develop recommendations they will present to the Natural Resources Board in May.
Last week, the DNR recommended a one-year moratorium on the earn-a-buck regulation, except in chronic wasting disease zones in southern Wisconsin.
DNR Secretary Matt Frank said the move was designed to address hunters’ concerns about how the DNR estimates the deer population, and their worries that a 19 percent drop in the deer kill during the nine-day gun season last fall was evidence of too many does being shot.
The third advisory question dealing with earn-a-buck on Monday night asked whether there could be only two consecutive seasons of earn-a-buck in each deer management zone. That idea passed 5,112 votes to 1,325, the DNR said.
Earn-a-buck has never been popular with hunters because some don’t want to shoot does, and it can force them to pass up a shot at a more coveted buck until they shoot a doe first. It has been used since 1996 as a key way for the DNR to try to reach its management goal of about 1 million deer heading into the fall hunt.
Last season, there were 31 earn-a-buck zones that covered about one-third of the state, from far western Wisconsin through several counties in the central region to the east side of the state. The DNR estimated up to 1.7 million deer roamed the fields and woods – a figure it has since revised.
Some other issues and results from the voting Monday night:
• Create a special antlerless-only deer hunt on private land to address concerns that public lands are being hunted too much in the so-called four-day T-Zone seasons. It failed 3,933 votes to 2,570.
• Clarify the definition of a firearm for hunting to guns that shoot with compressed air or gunpowder. The change addresses technology that uses electromagnetic fields to fire projectiles – the so-called railgun. It passed 3,956 votes to 2,156.
• Whether Wisconsin should establish a Youth Conservation Congress to help attract another generation of hunters, anglers, trappers and environmental stewards. It passed 4,377 votes to 1,637.
• Allow tree stands on public land overnight. It passed 4,624 votes to 2,103 votes.
Kurt Thiede, the DNR’s spring hearing coordinator, said the 91 questions are believed to be the most ever in the 75 years of the hearings. Last year, the ballot had 71 questions, and more than 5,000 people participated.
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