In This Issue
A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.
DNR invites public comment on Red Lake WMA master plan update
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area to share their thoughts on a draft update of the WMA?s master plan, which will guide management of the popular hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching destination in northwestern Minnesota.
Red Lake WMA staff will explain the plan and its purpose, answer questions, and collect input at an in-person open house and on a webinar. No registration is required for either event.
The in-person open house is 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, at the Big Bog State Recreation Area Visitor Center, 55716 Highway 72 NE, Waskish.
The webinar is 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 8. A link to join the webinar is available on the?Red Lake WMA page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/areas/wildlife/red_lake_wma.html).
Review and comment on the plan
The draft master plan update is available for review on the?DNR website (mndnr.gov/areas/wildlife/red_lake_wma.html).
People can comment on the draft plan through Tuesday, June 20, in a variety of ways, including: using the online form on the?Engage with DNR website?(engage.dnr.state.mn.us/fisheries-public-input-wildlife-public-input/survey_tools/redlakewma); providing verbal and written comments at the?June 6 open house or June 8 webinar; emailing?[email protected]; or mailing comments to Red Lake WMA Master Plan, Fish and Wildlife Division, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN, 55155.
DNR webinars cover muskie diets, launching a boat
The Minnesota DNR invites people interested in fishing, wildlife and outdoor skills to tune in to upcoming webinars that feature discussions about muskellunge diets and launching a boat.
The first webinar is Wednesday, May 31. DNR fisheries experts Brian Herwig, Jim Wolters and Kamden Glade will share the results of their recent research projects providing new insights on the diets and ecology of Minnesota muskie and related fishing tips for catching Minnesota?s top aquatic predator.
The second webinar is at noon Wednesday, June 7. Boating is woven into Minnesota culture ? along with a culture of safety that needs to be modeled and reinforced both at the ramp and on the water. Lisa Dugan, DNR?s recreation safety outreach coordinator, will review important safety preparations and etiquette for those launching a boat.
The webinars are part of the DNR?s Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series. The webinars are free, but registration is required. More information is available on the outdoor skills and stewardship page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/discover).
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DNR now leading egg take effort in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Red Lake and White Earth nations
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Red Lake Nation and the White Earth Nation recently completed a lake sturgeon egg take operation along the Rainy River in Minnesota. In previous years, lake sturgeon eggs were sourced through Rainy River First Nations in Ontario, Canada.
The sturgeon eggs are now at the USFWS National Fish hatcheries in Genoa, Wisconsin, and Valley City, North Dakota, where they will be reared to fingerling size to support DNR and tribal stocking efforts in lakes and rivers throughout the Red River Basin in Minnesota.
Over-harvesting, dam construction and water quality decline decimated lake sturgeon populations throughout Minnesota. Historical accounts suggest that lake sturgeon were abundant until the late 1800s. They were extirpated from the Red River Basin by the mid-1900s and there was little chance that the population could recover on its own.
?Stocking efforts and dam modification projects to improve fish passage are key components to support recovery efforts in the Red River Basin,? said Matt Skoog, Baudette area fisheries supervisor, who is leading the egg take effort for the DNR.
Discussions that began in the 1980s led to a collaborative sturgeon recovery effort among the DNR, North Dakota, South Dakota, USFWS, Rainy River First Nations, Red Lake Nation and White Earth Nation. DNR lake sturgeon stocking began in 1997 when the DNR relocated sturgeon from the Rainy River to Detroit Lake and Otter Tail River, followed by initiation of a 20-year stocking program in conjunction with White Earth and Red Lake nations in 2001 and 2008, respectively.
?Since the early 2000s, the DNR, along with its partners, has stocked more than one-half million lake sturgeon fingerlings in the Red River Basin,? said Nick Kludt, DNR Red River fisheries specialist. ?Survey results and angler reports suggest that populations are meeting initial recovery goals and lake sturgeon now inhabit much of the basin.?
Sturgeon grow slowly and can live to be more than 150 years old. The Minnesota state record sturgeon was six-and-a-half feet long when caught and released.
The DNR plans to transition management focus away from intensive stocking efforts to monitoring populations in the coming years. During the next phase of restoration, priority will be placed on targeted stocking efforts on rivers within the basin, identifying spawning locations, evaluating the ability of populations to self-sustain and continuing efforts to remove barriers to fish passage.
?With improved connectivity, the maturing sturgeon population will be able to access historic spawning areas and hopefully, reproduce naturally,? Kludt said. ?Future dam modifications, along with targeted stocking and population monitoring, will further promote the success of lake sturgeon recovery efforts.?
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The state park herds usually grow by 25-30 calves each spring
 Photo credit: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
As of late May, about 10 bison calves have joined the 30-member herd at Minneopa State Park. The Blue Mounds State Park herd has grown by about 20 calves. By the end of the birthing season, around 35 new arrivals in total are expected to join the Minnesota Conservation Herd.
?So far, the new calves appear to be healthy and well-adjusted,? said Ashley Steevens, Minneopa State Park supervisor. ?Each day we monitor the herd and note any new additions. So far, the birth rate is typical.?
Predictions of new births based on the appearance of a bison cow are impossible, Steevens said. The animals are massive to begin with, and a bison cow?s body shape does not noticeably change during pregnancy.
Newborn bison calves are reddish brown in color, weigh 30 to 50 pounds, and stand upright almost immediately after birth. Female bison move away from the herd when they give birth and keep the calf away from the herd for a few days. Full grown bison bulls weigh up to 2,000 pounds and can stand at six feet in height. Adult cows weigh an average of 800 pounds and stand four to five feet tall.
State park visitors may catch a glimpse of the newborns. Reservations can be made for a 90-minute prairie bus tour at Blue Mounds State Park. Bison can be elusive so no guarantee is made that the 90-member herd will be visible. To make a tour reservation, call 866-857-2757 or visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources? state park reservations webpage (mndnr.gov/reservations).
Minneopa State Park features a bison drive open each day of the week except Wednesday. Visitors can tune their car radios to 1610 AM for information on the park and the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd while entering the drive. Visitors should always remain in their vehicles while on the drive.
Vehicles require a state park permit which is $7 per day, or $35 per year for unlimited state park visitation. Visitors can save time and buy a permit online before their trip. More information is available on the DNR?s state park permits webpage (mndnr.gov/permit).?
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