DNR Looking For Volunteers For Loon Survey

April 17, 2008

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for about two dozen volunteers to help monitor the loon population in Becker and Otter Tail counties in northwestern Minnesota between June 27 and July 7.

The DNR, with the assistance of hundreds of volunteer observers, has gathered information about common loon numbers on more than 600 lakes distributed among six regions, or “index areas,” for the past 15 years.

“This monitoring effort has been very successful,” explained DNR Nongame Wildlife Specialist Katie Haws. “We’ve found that loon productivity (based on the number of chicks hatched) is quite stable in the region. Both Becker and Otter Tail counties have stable occupancy and productivity trends, with Becker having higher loon nesting densities.”

The survey also offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, while helping Minnesota’s state bird. The results allow the DNR to detect long-term changes in loon population health.

Volunteers are assigned a specific area lake to survey. Many of the lakes are small enough to be surveyed from shore, while others require the use of a boat or canoe.

“Given current development pressures, it is vital that we continue to monitor loon populations in the area to detect any potential problems,” Haws said.

Surveyors count the number of adult and juvenile loons seen on their assigned lake on one morning and record their observations on a data form. The entire survey can be conducted with a time commitment of just several hours during one day.

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People interested in being a volunteer loon surveyor should contact Katie Haws at (218) 308-2641 or by e-mail Katie.Haws@dnr.state.mn.us.

Ethanol Push Could Threaten Water Supplies

When it comes to solving the fossil fuel crisis, it seems like every silver lining comes accompanied by a dark cloud.

As attention turns more and more toward using corn and other products to produce ethanol for fuel, experts warn that increased production of these crops could pose a threat to the nation's water supplies.

Both water quality and the availability of water could be threatened by sharply increasing crops such as corn, said Jerald Schnoor, professor of environmental engineering and co-director of the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa.

Mr. Schnoor is chairman of a National Research Council panel that studied the potential impact of increased use of biofuels on water supplies. The committee report was released Wednesday.

A stated goal is to increase biofuel production about six times, 132 billion litres by 2017, Mr. Schnoor said.

“That would mean a lot more fertilizers and pesticides” running into rivers and flowing into the oceans, he said in a telephone interview.

Water available depends on where the crops are grown, he added. If it is an area needing irrigation, it takes 7,570 litres of water for every bushel of corn: “That's a high amount of water.”

And that is in addition to the secondary issue of how much water is needed by the factories that produce the ethanol, he said.

What is needed is a breakthrough in technology so that ethanol can be produced from cellulose such as grass, wood and sawdust, Mr. Schnoor said. “If we could do that it would be much better environmentally.”

While Brazil is having success producing fuels from sugar cane, “we don't have much tropical land in the United States,” Mr. Schnoor observed.

Also, he noted, Brazil uses waste from the cane to fuel its ethanol factories, while the U.S. uses natural gas or other fuels.

The report notes that water “is an increasingly precious resource used for many purposes including drinking and other municipal uses, hydropower, cooling thermoelectric plants, manufacturing, recreation, habitat for fish and wildlife and agriculture.”

Supplies are already stressed in some areas of the country, including a large region where water is drawn from the underground Ogallala aquifer, which extends from western Texas up into South Dakota and Wyoming.

Growing biofuel crops requiring additional irrigation in areas with limited water supplies is a major concern, the report says.

It suggests the possibility of irrigating crops for biofuel with wastewater that would not be suitable for food crops.

Other suggestions include developing more water-efficient crops and adopting agriculture practices that reduce the amount of chemical runoff.

The study was sponsored by the McKnight Foundation, Energy Foundation, National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Research Council Day Fund.

The National Research Council is an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, an independent organization chartered by Congress to provide science, technology and health policy advice.

Minnesota Burning Restrictions

Spring burning restrictions in effect April 14 (April 14, 2008)

Spring open burning restrictions for much of central Minnesota will go into effect at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 14. The restrictions are meant to address the fact that most spring wildfires originate from the burning of yard debris, according to Olin Phillips, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire protection manager.

The counties affected by the April 14 restrictions are: Anoka, Benton, Carlton, Chisago, Douglas, Grant, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Pope, Sherburne, Stearns, Stevens, Todd and Washington. Additional counties will be added to the restricted area as temperatures warm, snow cover disappears and the potential for wildfire increases in areas north of the Twin Cities metro area.

Go to DNR Web site for a map of fire restriction areas and more information.

“The DNR is asking residents to use alternative methods of debris disposal, such as recycling, composting or chipping,” Phillips said.

Restrictions are going into effect later than in recent years, thanks to normal winter snowfall and cool spring weather. Since the inception of spring burning restrictions, the number of spring wildfires has been reduced.

Although April 14 marks restrictions on the issuing of debris burning permits, Forestry personnel may still give some variances for specific activities. “Each variance application is reviewed separately,” Phillips said. “These permits are only granted for situations such as prescribed fires conducted by trained fire personnel, burning for approved agricultural practices, and construction or economic hardship burning for which there is no feasible alternative.”

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Fishing Opener Is Getting Close!

Not long now until fishing opener in Minnesota. Governor Pawlenty will have his usual media circus in the Brainerd, Minnesota area this year (info- www.minnesotaoutside.net or www.fishingminnesota.110.mb.com). I will be opening the year on Cut Foot Sioux along with hundreds of others. Hopefully, the weather cooperates.

Walleyes have a reputation for being short strikers. They'll hit the bait without getting hooked. But walleyes aren't tentative eaters. Usually, the walleye makes a sincere attempt to eat the bait. The fisherman just didn't allow the fish to succeed.
Avoiding this problem-and consequently hooking more fish-is a two-step process. Step one is to understand how a walleye eats. Sometimes a walleye will slash a bait like a pike or a muskie does. But usually they'll swim up to it and flare their gills, inhaling their prey and the water surrounding it. If anything happens to interrupt that flow of water, you get a short strike, or nothing at all.
Step two is adapting your presentation to decrease resistance in the lure-and-line combination, and thereby permit your bait to flow right into the walleye's mouth. To that end, he offers the following six tips:
1: Use Light Line Light (4- and 6-pound-test), thin-diameter lines offer less drag, or resistance, on a lure. This lets a walleye suck it in more easily.
2: Bounce the Bait When you're using live bait use a bottom-bouncer rig. Bouncers are L-shaped wires that have a lead weight molded to the shaft. As an angler retrieves the rig, the weight bounces off the bottom and creates slack in the line, which allows the fish to inhale the bait more easily.
3: Shorten the Stroke Many jig fishermen pump their rods too vigorously, using long vertical strokes that can pull the bait out of a fish's mouth. Use short lifts instead and you'll hook more walleyes.
4: Offer a Bigger Bite Adding a plastic body to a jig also helps by increasing the surface area to which the fish's sucking force is applied.
5: Pump a Crank With crankbaits, steady retrieves may hook aggressive walleyes, but a stop-and-go technique is better for deliberate feeders. Once the lure achieves proper depth, lift the rod tip, reel in the slack, and repeat.
6: Troll With the Flow When the water has a chop, trolling with the waves imparts that necessary slight slack in the line. Also, keep a close eye on your inside planer board as you make a turn; it will give you that small amount of slack that allows for more solid strikes-and more walleyes in the boat.

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Various Ice Fishing Items

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Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin

Through the use of technology, U.S. oil and natural gas operators are converting previously uneconomic oil and natural gas resources into proved reserves and production.

The Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin is a success story of horizontal drilling, fracturing, and completion technologies. The recent, highlyproductive oil field discoveries within the Bakken Formation did not come from venturing out into deep uncharted waters heretofore untapped by man, nor from blazing a trail into pristine environs never

open to drilling before. Instead, success came from analysis of geologic data on a decades-old producing area, identification of uptapped

resources, and application of the new drilling and completion Technology necessary to exploit them.

In short, it came from using technology to convert unconventional resources into reserves.

Location

The Williston Basin is in the north central United States, underlying much of North Dakota, eastern Montana, northwestern South Dakota, and southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada (Figure 1).

The Bakken Formation can be encountered throughout the Williston Basin. It is 11,000 feet deep in the depocenter (see Glossary) of the basin in the southwest corner of North Dakota. The depth of the Bakken

rises to 4,500 feet deep on the eastern edge of the basin, and up to 3,100 feet deep (950 meters) on the northern edge, across the Canadian border in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The Bakken Formation was formally described (named) by geologist J.W. Nordquist in 1953. His samples came from the Amerada Petroleum - H.O. Bakken #1 well on the Nesson Anticline in Williams

County, North Dakota. Henry Bakken was the surface owner where the well was drilled.1 The current U.S. development activity in the Bakken Formation is located in Richland County, Montana,

and McKenzie, Golden Valley, and Billings Counties, North Dakota. The largest discovery to date within

the Bakken Formation is the Elm Coulee Field of Richland County, Montana.

Energy Information Administration, Office of Oil and Gas, Reserves and Production Division, November 2006

1

Tri-State Outdoor Festival

The Tri-State Outdoor Festival will be held in St. Charles, MN
at the Winona County Fairgrounds June 27th, 28th, and 29th of
2008. This is an event tailored for family fun in the outdoors.
The Tri-State Outdoor Festival is the perfect place to try out
new products or introduce your kids to a new outdoor sport. Our
"Hands On" area is huge and includes activities in the areas of
Fishing, Fly Casting, Archery, Speed Shooting (air guns), Dog Events
, Rock Climbing, Bike Riding and much more. We have skilled
professionals on hand to coach the experienced or inexperienced
outdoors person. For a complete list of games and events please
see our "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS" page.

The "Hands On" portion of our festival is what makes us different
from most expos. There really is nothing like seeing acres of people
casting, shooting, climbing, and riding. We encourage all comers to
the event to please bring a kid along for the experience. Much of
this event is tailored to kids and their introduction or enhancement
of the outdoor experience.

Over 200 vendors will be on hand to showcase and sell products,
making this festival a great place to compare products and prices
of all outdoor related equipment. Please check out our "EXHIBITORS"
page for updated vendors at the Tri-State Outdoor Festival.


Info-Click Here

Lake Oahe Walleye's

Last June we took a trip to Lake Oahe in South Dakota in hope of catching some of the trophy walleye’s there. We stayed at South Whitlock’s Resort , http://www.southwhitlock.com/. We fished in Whitlock’s Bay when the wind was blowing because it is a little better protected and moved out onto the main lake when the wind allowed. We caught the majority of our fish trolling Shad Raps in 15-18 ft. of water. Trolling spinners with nightcrawlers was also effective at times. Any point either north or south of the Highway 212 bridge was good. One day we trolled back and forth under the 212 bridge with Shad Raps and caught a walleye nearly everytime we went past the bridge supports. We took the boat south to the dam one day to try for Salmon and did OK until the thunderstorms hit. We talked to one group that had come from Colorado to fish for Salmon and they had filled out each day trolling by the dam.

Walleye Fishing During The Mayfly Hatch

Fishing during the mayfly hatch has always caused walleye fishermen great consternation, leaving them believing that it is near impossible to catch fish due to the fact the walleye’s are gorging themselves on mayflies. A fishing trip on Lake Kabetogama in Voyageurs National Park last summer changed my thinking on mayfly hatch fishing. We were fishing with local guide, Frank House. Frank has lived in the International Falls, Minnesota area all his life and has been guiding for nearly 30 years. He took us out one afternoon last summer in his new Crestliner Sportfish during the peak of the mayfly hatch and we ended my catching 43 Walleye’s (most thrown back because they were to big) in about a 4-hour span. The mayfly larvae were clearly seen on the fish locator, showing up as dark random spots anywhere from a foot off the bottom to just below the surface. Frank explained that the flies stay underwater until the surface is completely smooth, with no wind blowing. Walleye’s were clearly visible on the locator feeding on the mayflies. We used both nightcrawlers and leeches fished on a bare hook with a ¼ oz sinker. We fished real slow and gave them at least a 20 count before setting the hook. Anything less usually meant you missed them. If we went for any amount of time without a bite Frank would move up onto the rocks surrounding the mud flats where the mayflies hatch from and we would find active, feeding fish there. Like Frank said, even if you have a buffet of steak, you’ll occasionally want a piece of chicken for a change and the walleye’s are the same way. When they move up on the rocks, they are feeding on leeches and minnows. Don’t think that just because there is a large mayfly hatch you can’t catch fish, just slow down and give them time to eat it.