MN DU Winter 2013 Newsletter

Winter 2013
Special points of interest:
• Minnesota DU at Game
Fair
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
PAYING BIG REWARDS
SMITH LAKE PROJECT
• Smith Lake Hunting
Reports
Waterfowl fill a bay near the public
access on Smith Lake during the fall of
2012. Vegetation flourishes where none
was present before.
• Gun Calendar Raffle
• Roseau River WMA
Project
• 2013 State Convention
Information
Inside this issue:
Chairman’s
Chatter
2
2013 State Conservation Report
3
MN DU at Game
Fair
4
Smith Lake
Project
6
Minnesota DU
Calendar Raffle
9
Project Hall of
Fame
10
Summer 2012 Google
Maps aerial image of Smith
Lake—look at all of that
submerged vegetation!
Minnesota Artist’s 11
Corner
State Convention
Information
Cattails
12
More about Smith Lake and its hunting opportunities on Page 6
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 2
Winter 2013
State Chairman’s Chatter
Hi all and Happy New Year!
I trust that you had a wonderful holiday and were able to catch up with family and friends.
It was an exciting time around our house as I had my grandchildren home for 10 days. It
took every ounce of energy for my wife and I to keep up with a 28-month-old and a 2month-old (both Legacy Greenwings, by the way…), but we made it and it was a true joy.
Dave Flink, State Chair
Your Minnesota DU
State Committee
State Chair
Dave Flink
Hutchinson, MN
320-587-4246
[email protected]
State Council Chair
Less Ness
Chisago City, MN
651-257-6413
[email protected]
State Chair Elect
Tim Roble
Frazee, MN
218-334-4701
[email protected]
State Treasurer
Dan Scheffler
Northfield, MN
507-291-0311
[email protected]
State Volunteer
Recruitment Coord.
Dale Lusti
Buffalo, MN
763-682-3468
[email protected]
Speaking of challenges, over the past 3 years MN DU has made good strides rebuilding our
fundraising machine which was crippled by the poor economy. While we have a ways to
go, we are on track to reach the goals we set for 2013. We still have opportunities, however, and room to improve our organization. Those opportunities lie in the area of recruitment of new members and volunteers. Nationally, DU Inc. has hit their membership
goals, but here in Minnesota we are slightly behind our planning projections. With slightly
less than 40,000 members, we are only capturing half of those who purchased a Minnesota
waterfowl stamp in 2012.
I would like you to make a New Year’s resolution to help MN DU recruit one more member, and if you’re a volunteer, find another volunteer. If only half of you are successful, we
would see a 50% increase by the end of 2013, which will pull us ahead of plan. Give it
some thought and see who you might reach out to. We have wonderful things happening
in our state organization, but we still need to raise the first dollar. With a stronger membership and volunteer base, we can expand our influence positively on the landscape and in
the number of waterfowl in Minnesota.
As I write this letter, I’m down to less than 30 days as MN DU’s State Committee Chair. I
am passing the torch to Tim Roble on Feb 10th at the 2013 Minnesota DU State Convention. I hope you plan to attend so you can give Tim a huge MN DU welcome.
Our state convention runs from February 8 -10, at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake, near
Brainerd. We are expecting DU Inc. CEO Dale Hall to be in attendance. Also expected
this year are DU Great Lakes Area/Atlantic Region Director Becky Humphries, and former
DU biologist, Tom Landwehr, now Commissioner of the Minnesota DNR. See the convention flyer later in this newsletter.
As you can see, it’s stacking up to be an exciting convention. I sure hope you can join in
the fun. Register by going online at: www.ducks.org/minnesota/events. Hope to see you
there!
State Convention Chairs
Myron and Kathy Stevens
Garrison, MN
218-764-3447
[email protected]
State Major Gift Chair
Russ Klint
Benson, MN
320-239-4322
[email protected]
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 4
Winter 2013
Minnesota DU at Game Fair
MN DU’s tent
anchored
Waterfowlers
Hill
By Special Events Chair, Scott Schmidt
Game Fair 2012 is the last of the year’s special events for MN DU and one of the biggest. The
Fair is six days long, spread out over two weekends. It is an outdoor event held on 80 acres at
the Armstrong Ranch Kennels by Anoka. Some of the activities available are archery and shooting contests, dog events and the Duck and Goose calling Championships. Each year over 50,000
visitors attend Game Fair to experience over 270 exhibitors and catch a glimpse of the latest and
greatest outdoor products and services. This was
Game Fair’s 31st year and it is still going strong.
Minnesota Ducks Unlimited played a significant role as
a partner in Game Fair this past year. We were the
main focal point on Waterfowlers Hill occupying over
1,200 square feet of space. Forty-two volunteers
spent 273 hours staffing the DU tent over the six days
of the fair. Volunteers and DU staff had the opportunity to answer questions about what DU is doing in
MN to recruit new volunteers and renew memberships, which is where we wanted to focus much of our
time and energy.
MN DU tent ready to go before the crowds show up
There seemed to be no better place than Game Fair
for Ducks Unlimited, which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary, to show off and display the many 75th Anniversary items along with various specialty prints from
artists like Les Kouba, Jim Hansel and Terry Redlin.
These items were either on silent auction or part of
the SBA program that was set up at the fair.
One of the biggest things that helped at this year’s
event was the 2013 MN DU Calendar Raffle. This was
a great ice breaker for the volunteers when interacting
with the public. Once people heard about the one gun
a day for the entire year, it really got their attention.
It was a pretty easy sell, considering we sold 174 calendars in just six days!
A big highlight at the DU Tent this year was the
Beretta Extrema Shotgun Raffle. For $5, you had a
chance to get 1, 2 or 3 tickets depending on how your
The Best Spot on Waterfowlers’ Hill
SBA items ready to go
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Winter 2013
Page 5
Minnesota DU at Game Fair (continued)
Plinko ball bounced. The game was a great attention getter
and a great money maker for the ducks, especially when
Game Fair donated the gun! Thank you, Chuck Delaney!
Another highlight for DU was being part of the Duck and
Goose Calling Contests. The contests were part of the
second-weekend activities and spanned two days. Each
contest had 4 divisions (women division, open division,
youth division, and the 2-man division). There was quite
the showing with over 80 participants competing, with a
total of $10,000 given away in prize money. “We had callers from all over the United States including Maryland,
Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, California, and all the Midwest
States. It was a huge success and we will be back with an
even bigger, better event in 2013! We want to rival the
world championships in Maryland and Arkansas,” said Brandon Crowley, Championships Coordinator.
Game Fair in full swing with State Chair Dave Flink manning his station
MN DU benefited in several ways. First, by being part of
the Calling Contests we were able to promote MN DU by and formulating a strategy to take MN DU into the future with gusto
displaying our DU logo and banners, showing the partnership between MN DU and Game Fair’s Championship Calling Contest. Secondly, we also were able
to address those in attendance and say a few words about what DU is doing in Minnesota and direct
them to the DU booth for more information. But the biggest reason, Game Fair donated all the entry fee money from the Calling Contests to MN DU which totaled over $3000.00! This looks like it
Game Fair
is the start of a long and successful partnership.
All in all, Game Fair was very successful. In short, we accomplished what we set out to do. Of
course, we made some money for the ducks, but
our main focus was to promote MN DU by showing people what we are doing here at home in
Minnesota. We also wanted to take this opportunity to get more outdoorsmen and women to join
in our conservation efforts, ether by becoming a
member and or a volunteer. There are not many
places were we have a chance to display our wetland conservation efforts to so many people in one
location. At Game Fair we are fortunate to reach
Goose –calling championship
the group of people that we are trying to target.
A special thanks goes out to all the MN DU volunteers and staff who helped out with Game Fair
2012. Whether you helped with setup, staffed a shift or just pitched in wherever you were needed, it
is very much appreciated! Putting on these special events is very much a TEAM effort and it just goes
to show how dedicated our volunteers are when the call goes out to make things happen and get
things done! Join us in 2013 at Game Fair on the dates listed below.
generously
donated
$3,000 from
the 2012
calling
championships
to MN DU!
Game Fair is family
oriented, with
plenty of things to
see and do with the
kids.
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 6
Winter 2013
Paying Big Rewards—Smith Lake Project
The Project: Smith Lake is a 330-acre shallow wildlife lake located near Howard Lake in
Wright County. The maximum water depth in Smith Lake is 5.8 feet, and the average water depth is
about 4 feet. Traditionally, Smith Lake provided excellent foraging habitat for migrating and broodrearing waterfowl. In particular, it attracted large numbers of diving ducks during both spring and fall
migrations. Wild rice was also found on Smith Lake historically. In recent years, waterfowl habitat and
water quality declined. Food resources such as aquatic vegetation and invertebrates had been lacking
prior to draw down, and chlorophyll and phosphorous levels indicated Smith Lake was impaired by
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency standards.
In 2005, Ducks Unlimited worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to design
and install a high-velocity fish barrier downstream of Smith Lake.
The fish barrier is effective, but due to moderate winters and high
water, invasive fish such as carp and bullhead continued to flourish
in Smith Lake, which continued to cause poor water quality and
degraded wildlife habitat in the lake. Therefore, DU designed a
water control draw-down structure for Smith Lake.
In May 2009, the Minnesota DNR legally designated Smith Lake as
one of only 47 “Wildlife Management Lakes” in the state. This
designation allows the DNR to temporarily lower water levels to
rejuvenate the aquatic ecology of the lake. The DNR also restricted outboard motor use on the lake to limit bird disturbance.
Signage at Smith Lake, a designated wildlife lake.
The lake was immediately drawn down, and by spring 2011,
it was a few feet lower. Increased waterfowl use began immediately as well, with hundreds of diving ducks—mainly
canvasbacks and lesser scaup—using the lake during spring
migration (see photo below).
In late fall 2010, DU installed the water control structure at the
outlet of Smith Lake. The structure includes an outlet pipe dug
out in the lake to allow
water to flow out and
the lake to drain down.
Excavation of
the Smith
Lake outlet
(Photo courtesy of DNR
Wildlife)
The drawdown continued through the summer of 2011, with
the water levels down three to four feet by mid-summer.
The photograph to the right shows the lake in drawdown
during June 2011. Vegetation started to sprout on the mudflats by the middle of July. The lake remained low until thes
pring of 2012, when control boards were installed to raise
the water level.
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Winter 2013
Page 7
Paying Big Rewards—Smith Lake Project (continued)
The Results: The vegetation response has been nothing short of fabulous. Thick
stands of softstem bulrush developed around the shore of the lake, with a band of
cattails ringing the open water. The bays filled with emergent vegetation, and as the
water has been brought up, the emergents stand in 6 to 12 inches of water—perfect
habitat to hide broods of ducks and other wildlife. Clumps of bulrush and massive
amounts of submerged vegetation have developed in the open-water portions of the
lake (see the 2012 aerial photo below).
The water quality response has also been fabulous. DNR staff
indicate the water is gin-clear with thousands of daphnia, small,
planktonic crustaceans that ducks love to eat (see DNR photo of
canoe paddle below). Without the carp and bullheads, the turbidity has disappeared and water quality is greatly improved.
Waterfowl use has increased a
hundred fold. In late May of last
Photos above and to left provided by DNR Wildlife.
July 2009 aerial showing the
pea-green, turbid, highwater condition of the lake
prior to drawdown
year, DNR staff reported
lots of northern shovelers,
blue-winged teal, mallards,
and wood ducks using the
lake, particularly the flooded
bulrushes. They also had 42
trumpeter swans curiously
watching them.
September 23, 2012 aerial,
showing the abundant submerged vegetation that
sprouted in the lake bottom
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 8
Winter 2013
Paying Big Rewards—Smith Lake Project (continued)
The Rewards: The rewards were the large number of ducks and hunters using the lake in
fall 2012. Scott Schmidt, MNDU Special Events Chair from Howard Lake, reported 11 rigs at
the landing for the youth opener. He also reported the lake was heavily used by mallards and
Canada geese late in the season and he saw 100 swans present at one time in late fall.
Ben Van Gundy—DU
Land Protection Specialist (MN).
DNR Area Wildlife Manager, Fred Bengtson, interviewed Lee
Bren from Howard Lake about his hunting experience. Lee
said, “It was the best hunting I’ve seen in 19 years.” Lee
hunted Smith Lake about 15 times and indicated the mallard
hunting got better and better as the season progressed. Towards the end of October, just before deer season, he said
there were numerous flocks of redheads and some canvasbacks using the lake.
Lee said he talked to a high school lad, who drove over from
Cambridge because he had heard there might be some divers
Some of the thousands of coots and other waterfowl using Smith around on the lake. The boy had a good shoot and was really
Lake in mid-October (photo from the Minnesota Star Tribune).
excited about his first canvasback he took on the lake. Lee
said one day he noticed a group of hunters that had come
over from Wisconsin. Lee said the coots stayed until ice was forming on the lake. Just imagine
if DU could restore 1,000 shallow lakes in Minnesota to the condition of Smith Lake—would we
ever have the ducks!!
Just imagine if
DU could
restore 1,000
shallow lakes in
The Partners: In addition to Ducks Unlimited dollars, funding for the Smith Lake project
was provided by a grant from the Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the LessardSams Outdoor Heritage Council made possible by the Legacy Amendment, the Howard Lake
Sportsmens Club, the McKnight Foundation, and Flint Hills Resources. The project could not
have been completed with out the help of the Minnesota DNR; Dennis Larson, a landowner
who allowed the outlet easement; and Dan Nyquist, another supportive landowner on the lake.
Minnesota to a
condition like
Smith Lake!
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Winter 2013
Page 9
MN DU Calendar Raffle
The MN DU Calendar raffle is Minnesota Ducks Unlimited’s largest gun raffle ever and the
largest DU raffle in the country! For $50.00, each entrant gets a beautiful calendar with incredible photographs of waterfowl
taken by DU members. They also get
a DU membership and a chance to win
365 guns, as their ticket goes back into
the barrel if drawn. The calendar raffle
has a gun given away each day of the
year.
The MN DU Calendar Raffle is the
brainchild of Scott Anderson, northern
Minnesota’s Regional Director. He
started with a northern Minnesota
calendar raffle that gave away one gun
a week in 2011 and two guns a week in
2012. It has grown to a raffle in which
all Minnesota regions participate.
The
calendar
raffle
has a gun
given
away
every day
of 2013.
MN DU calendar sales began last August when the
calendars came back from the printers. Each committee in the state was given calendars to sell and they
successfully sold 9,800 calendars in all. On Saturday,
December 29, 2012, the MN DU Calendar Raffle
team gathered at the VFW in Garrison to draw the
winners for each day of the raffle. The team has
Flat Scottie (a full-size cardboard caricature of RD Scott Anderson) looks on as State Chair Elect, Tim Roble, pulls the tickets.
The real Scottie gives instructions to the MN DU Calendar Raffle team made up of volunteers from each region.
Learn more: www.duckscalendar.org
representatives from each Minnesota DU region, including the region’s RD. Each region was needed
due to the size of the raffle. The
winners are posted daily on the MN
DU Calendar Raffle webpage. Reeds
handles registration and supplies
the firearms.
The Central Region volunteers were Brant Duhn
(right) of the McLeod
County Chapter, here
taking a break for some
sustenance, while Scott
Christensen of the Meeker
County Chapter looks on.
Cattails
The
calendar
raffle is
MN DU’s
largest
raffle ever!
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 10
Winter 2013
PROJECT HALL OF FAME—ROSEAU RIVER WMA
Ducks Unlimited has been
doing projects in Minnesota
since 1985. There are literally hundreds of DU projects
scattered around Minnesota.
In fact, many of the water
control structures on Waterfowl Production Areas
(WPAs) and State Wildlife
Management Areas
(WMAs) were designed and
built as Ducks Unlimited
projects. This column is a
regular feature devoted to
describing some of these
older projects.
The Roseau River WMA
project was one of Ducks
Unlimited’s earliest projects
in Minnesota. Work was
started in 1985 as part of
DU’s U.S. Habitat program.
Roseau River WMA is located north of Roseau, along
the Canadian border and is
managed by the MNDNR.
In the fall of 1985, DU contracted to completed channel
excavation work and dike
improvements. The next
year, water control structures were designed.
In 1987, two outlet control
structures were installed on
two of the WMA pools.
One was a 115 cubic-yard,
concrete drop-box, inlet
structure with a 60” diameter
corrugated-steel pipe. The
other was a 73” diameter
full-round, riser drop inlet
with 48” inlet/outlet pipes.
DU also did some additional
structure and dike repair
work. In all, DU spent
$450,000 back then, which
equates to over a million
dollars in today’s world.
The WMA was visited on a
cloudy, rainy day last October. The heavy overcast
made for poor photograph
lighting, but the value of the
area to ducks was evident.
One of the water control structures at Roseau River WMA
The DU project sign (left) is
displayed at the main information kiosk for the sanctuary
portion of the WMA.
There are 11,800 acres of
pools on the Roseau River
WMA. This photograph
shows the west end of Pool 1
West , which stretches nearly
two miles to the east with a
mix of open water, bays, and
emergent vegetation.
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Winter 2013
Page 11
Minnesota Artists’ Corner—John Aldrich
John is a Minnesota native who has been intrigued with drawing since the first grade.
Growing up, his family had numerous pets, and that is where John started drawing domestic animals. He has earned a Commercial Art Certificate from MTI and a B.S. degree
in Art Education from Winona State University.
In John’s paintings, you will notice how he creates an interesting play of light and
shadow. According to John, “It is most important to capture the affection that is felt for
dogs and cats and the way they enrich our lives with humor and companionship.”
John’s paintings are known for their realism; they look so detailed and sharp that they
could easily be mistaken for a photograph. Many of his paintings recreate moments we
have all had with our pets, including some comical ones. His love for animals really
shows though in his art.
Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers are often the subject of his
paintings. He has them retrieving, sleeping, swimming, running, playing, and even dressed as a pirate for Halloween. Many of John’s
paintings are of retriever puppies, relaxing or learning the ways of the
world. Understandably, it is prints of these puppy paintings that find
their way to DU fundraising events. A few examples are shown here.
Look for others at your local DU banquet.
Artwork and biography courtesy of John Aldrich
and Wild Wings, LLC - Lake City, Minnesota
http://www.wildwings.com/
This painting, titled “Rookie”, was in the
2008-2009 DU National Art Package.
“Coy and
Decoy” was
in the 20092010 DU
National Art
Package.
John says of this painting titled, “Three Hour Cruise“, (available as a
framed canvas), “I was attracted to the comical, slightly chaotic feel to
this scene. The pup looks so serious next to his off-kilter companion.”
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
2013 State Convention
February 8,9,10 2012
Cragun’s on Gull Lake
Fun entertainment all weekend “for the whole family”
Friday :
DU Family Reunion Raffles, Games and Fun “Uff Da Style”
Meet up with old and new Friends
Live Band “October Son”
Saturday: Greenwing Duck Camp Fun activities for kids of all ages
New Greenwing Zone with new and fun things to do.
Decoy painting, and special activities are included.
Ducks Unlimited committee awards presentation
Volunteer workshops and conservation updates
MNDU Annual Banquet (Live & Silent Auction, Whiz Bang Raffle)
Karaoke by: KWJ Entertainment after the banquet
Sunday: Convention closing remarks, Induction of new officers
& Greenwing parade
We are celebrating the best volunteers in the world
Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Volunteers
Join the fun
More vendors - New raffles - Meet new friends - Learn more about DU - Win Prizes
Decoy Trailer
Giveaway
The Blind
Always a Good
Time
Chevy Truck
Giveaway
2013 MN Ducks Unlimited State Convention
Register Today – Limited to 500
Adult 1:
Adult 2:
Address:
City:
Come join us at
Cragun’s on Gull Lake
February 8-10, 2013
It’s for everyone, not just volunteers!
Friday
12:00 – State Council Meeting
3:00 to 7:00 – Registration Desk Open
4:00 to 6:00 – Hospitality Room Open
6:00 to 9:30 – Blind Ticket Bar Open
6:00 to 9:30 – Party Begins with fun and games
7:00 to 8:00 – Party Buffet
9:30 to 1:00 – Hospitality Room, live band “October Son”
Saturday
8:30 – Registration Desk Open
8:30 to 9:30 – Bloody Mary Ticket Bar Open
8:30 to 9:30 – Breakfast Buffet
10:00 to 1:00 – Greenwing “Duck Camp” Begins!!
10:00 to 12:00 – Volunteer Recognition and Awards
12:30 to 1:30 – Lunch
1:30 to 3:30 – DU Workshops
4:00 to 6:00 – Major Donor Reception Opens
4:00 to 6:30 – Hospitality Room Open and Raffles
5:00 to 10:00 – Greenwing Dinner and Movie Party
6:15 to 9:45** – Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Annual Banquet
** to 1:00 – Hospitality Room, DJ “KWJ Entertainment”
Sunday
8:00 – Breakfast
9:00 – Closing Remarks
9:30 – Greenwing “Project Duck Way”!
10:00 – Convention Video and Adjourn
State:
Phone Number:
Email:
Greenwing 1:
DOB:
/
/
Greenwing 2:
DOB:
/
/
Price by
1/27/2013
Don’t forget you must mention you are with Ducks Unlimited
Room availability is not guaranteed after January 10, 2013
$99
$119
Adult Saturday Only (Sat-Sun)
$79
$99
Greenwing Weekend (Age 4+)
$50
$50
Greenwing Saturday (Sat-Sun)
$40
$40
Whiz-Bang Raffle Packages with
Guns, Prints, Decoys and Much More
Number of
Raffle Packs
Wood Duck Package
3 Whiz-Bang Sheets (save $10)
$50
Pintail Package
7 Whiz-Bang Sheets (save $40)
$100
Registration Fee (circle above)
$__________
Whiz-Bang Raffle Package (enter # above)
$__________
Single Whiz-Bang Sheets
Qty___ x $20
$__________
$__________
Total
Charge:
VISA
Acct #
MC
AMEX
or
DISC (circle one)
Exp Date ___/____
Signature
Mail to:
Questions? Call Stevie at 952-820-8174
or email: [email protected]
Online Registration: www.ducks.org/events
Price after
1/27/2013
Adult Weekend (Fri-Sun)
Make checks payable to Ducks Unlimited
Hotel Information:
Cragun’s Resort & Hotel on Gull Lake
218-825-2856 or 1-800-272-4867
Zip:
Ruth Hoefs
20676 340th Street
Le Center, MN 56057
You are Ducks Unlimited
MINNESOTA DUCKS
UNLIMITED
6101 Kaymar Drive
Edina, MN 55436
Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to
conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 million acres,
thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today,
tomorrow and forever.
Phone: 952-820-8174
Email: [email protected]
ducks.org
For articles and inserts please
send to Cattails Editor:
Brian Ross
14380 Memorywood Drive
Baxter, MN 56425
This cartoon was created by a youth waterfowler, Kerri, who hunted with DU volunteer
Bob Sorenson as a mentor. As you can surmise, Bob had a little problem with his phone in
the marsh. Bob emailed his DU volunteer cohorts a few days later asking for their phone
numbers; his phone did not survive the dunking. Bob, however, is not to be deterred from
mentoring, as he stated, “I’m hooked” on his interest in helping youth waterfowlers.
Phone: 218-825-0996
Email:
[email protected]
www.ducks.org/how-to-help/volunteer/signup
Cattails
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited