In This Issue
A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.
Minimize conflicts with bears this summer
In the absence of human-created attractions, bears rely on small, scattered patches of natural foods: specific types of young green vegetation in spring, certain species of ants and ant pupae in June, berries in summer, and nuts in fall. But if bears can get access to concentrated, high-calorie, easily accessible foods around people?s homes and campsites, they are quickly enticed away from their natural food sources.
It is important to secure anything that a bear would consider food. Don?t condition bears to associate homes or campsites with an easy meal by leaving out unsecured garbage, birdseed or pet food. Learn more about how to reduce property damage, and the chance of human-bear conflicts, on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/livingwith_wildlife/bears) and BearWise online resources (bearwise.org).
DNR webinars cover off-highway vehicles, reconnecting fish populations
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in fish, wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the summer program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series. Live webinar presentations at noon on Wednesdays the next two weeks feature discussions about off-highway vehicles and reconnecting fish populations.
The first webinar is Wednesday, June 21. Joe Unger, OHV program consultant, will discuss where to go, how to stay safe and other helpful information to know while exploring Minnesota?s public OHV trails.
The second webinar is Wednesday, June 28. Over thousands of years, fish populations in Minnesota?s rivers have adopted annual migrations to spawn, feed and overwinter in critical habitats. Since the mid-1800s, humans have impacted watersheds and changed river systems using dams, culverts and other barriers that restricted fish movements and led to the loss of some species in many parts of the state. Jon Lore, DNR natural resource specialist, will talk about the impact of these barriers and how DNR efforts to remove or change them has led to great success in restoring Minnesota?s native fish populations.
The Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webinars are offered year-round and are free, though registration is required. Visit the Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webpage of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/discover) for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.
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Public meeting also scheduled
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is accepting comments through July 26 on a draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposal to remove the Grindstone River Dam in Hinckley.
The DNR proposes to remove the dam, which is in poor condition, and restore connectivity to the river channel. This would result in the permanent removal of the 26.6-acre Grindstone Reservoir, which is a public water basin.
Removing the dam would mitigate a safety hazard, remove a barrier to the upstream and downstream movement of fish and other wildlife in the river, and allow for natural sediment transport and greater habitat diversity. The draft EIS evaluates the proposed project and alternatives, and addresses their potential environmental effects.
A copy of the draft EIS is available on the?project webpage of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/input/environmentalreview/grindstone). The draft EIS is also available for public review at the Hinckley Public Library, 106 1st St. Southeast, Hinckley. A hard copy may be requested by calling 651-259-5122. The draft EIS was published in the Thursday, June 15 Environmental Quality Board Monitor (eqb.state.mn.us/eqb-monitor-volume-47-number-25).
Comments must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 26.
- Mailed comments should be sent to the attention of Becky Horton, EAW project manager, Environmental Policy and Review Unit, Ecological and Water Resources Division, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road N, St. Paul, MN 55155.
- Email comments should be sent to?[email protected]?with ?Grindstone EIS? in the subject line.
The DNR will host a public informational meeting and comment opportunity from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 12 at the Hinckley Community Room, 106 1st St. Southeast, Hinckley. The meeting will include details about the project and the EIS process, followed by a public comment session.
Comments received will inform the EIS process. The DNR will respond to comments when it issues the final EIS. The most helpful comments are those that directly address the content of the draft EIS documents and offer specific suggestions on the accuracy and completeness of the information provided.
People who submit comments will receive a copy of the final EIS and responses to comments. Because all comments and related information are part of the public record for this environmental review, commenters' names and email or postal addresses will also be published and publicly available as they appear in the materials they submit.
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