April 30, 2024



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*Minnesota DNR News
*




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*

April 30, 2024




*For more information:
*Contact the DNR Information Center
by?email? <[email protected]>or call 888-646-6367*.*





In This Issue

* DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac [ #link_1491411839600 ]
* Minnesota moms: Join the Mother?s Day weekend fishing challenge [ #link_1491411977526 ]
* Highway 23 culvert replacement at Perch Lake to start May 13 [ #link_1 ]

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DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac

"A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management."

Bear hunt applications due Friday, May 3

Prospective bear hunters have until Friday, May 3 to apply for a bear hunting license from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Applications for the 2024 season can be submitted online, at any license agent or by telephone at 888-665-4236.

A total of 4,030 licenses are available in 15 quota areas where licenses are limited for the 2024 season, which opens Sunday, Sept. 1, and closes Sunday, Oct. 13. Licenses are awarded to applicants via a lottery, and lottery winners will be notified by Saturday, June 1. The deadline to purchase bear hunting licenses awarded by lottery is Thursday, Aug. 1. Any remaining unpurchased licenses will be available over the counter starting at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

An unlimited number of bear licenses also will be sold over the counter for the no-quota area that includes east-central and far northwestern Minnesota. No-quota licenses are valid only in the no-quota area.

Hunters with either a quota or no-quota license who are interested in taking a problem bear should contact the?_DNR wildlife manager [ [link removed] ]_?(mndnr.gov/areas/wildlife) for their area(s) of interest to be added to the hunter contact list for any opportunities that might arise.

Complete instructions about how to apply for a bear hunting license, maps of permit areas and a listing of permit availability for each area are available on the?Minnesota DNR website [ [link removed] ]?(mndnr.gov/hunting/bear).

Minnesota Twins offer special edition hats with DNR ticket package

Anyone with a 2024 Minnesota fishing or hunting license can access a ticket package with the Minnesota Twins this season that includes a special edition blaze orange wool-blend Twins cap with a ticket purchase.

The Minnesota DNR Days partnership includes seven games this year, with the next one coming up Friday, May 3 vs. the Boston Red Sox. Find more game times and instructions for purchasing tickets on the Minnesota DNR Days webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/twins).

Minnesota DNR webinars focus on record fish program and fishing opener

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the spring program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.

In a webinar on Wednesday, May 1, Mandy Erickson, DNR fisheries expert, will discuss the record fish program. This year, the DNR enhanced the program in a few ways, most notably by adding 18 species in the catch-and-release category beyond the four current species that were previously recognized. During the discussion, Erickson will talk about the enhancements to the program, what people should do if they catch a potential record fish, and how to properly measure and document catches.

In a webinar on Wednesday, May 8, join DNR staff as they go live while shore fishing to talk about the upcoming fishing opener and Take a Mom Fishing Weekend on May 11-12. The webinar will focus on the upcoming fishing season, DNR fishing updates, favorite lures, and how to be more successful fishing. People might also hear about a great fishing spot or two!

The Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webinars are free and offered year-round, though registration is required. Visit the Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webpage of the Minnesota DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/discover) for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.

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Minnesota moms: Join the Mother?s Day weekend fishing challenge

Moms who live in Minnesota are invited to join a free virtual fishing challenge Saturday, May 11, through Sunday, May 12, during Take a Mom Fishing Weekend, when all Minnesota moms can fish without purchasing a fishing license.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is partnering with the Student Angler Organization and Women Anglers of Minnesota to host the challenge.

To participate in the Mother?s Day weekend fishing challenge, moms simply need to join the Facebook group called ?Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge 2024? and post one photo of each fish they catch.

All participants who submit one or more fish photos will have their name entered in a random drawing for prizes provided by the Student Angler Organization and their partners, including gift cards for SCHEELS and Lund. Additionally, participants are invited to tune in for a pre-challenge virtual Fishing 101 class, hosted by Women Anglers of Minnesota in the challenge Facebook group [ [link removed] ] (facebook.com/groups/967975514717550) on May 7.

Challenge details are available on the Minnesota DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/takemomfishing). All fish species and sizes are welcome in the challenge. Participants can snap a photo and let their fish go or keep it if it?s in season.

?This year?s event follows the successful inaugural Minnesota Moms Fishing Challenge in 2023. Last year, more than 2,400 moms joined the challenge,? said Cara Hanson, DNR marketing coordinator. ?This year, we hope even more people will join in the fun!?

The Minnesota State Legislature established Take a Mom Fishing Weekend in 1988 to coincide with Mother?s Day. This year, the weekend also coincides with the fishing opener ? seasons begin Saturday, May 11, for walleye, northern pike, bass, and trout in lakes. To celebrate the fishing season, the Minnesota Governor?s Fishing Opener event is taking place May 10-12 in Lake City.

Fishing season dates and regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR fishing webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/fishing). Find out how and where to fish, learn about fishing equipment, read about ways to catch different kinds of fish, and get acquainted with fishing ethics and being stewards of Minnesota?s natural resources, on the Minnesota DNR learn to fish webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/gofishing).

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Highway 23 culvert replacement at Perch Lake to start May 13

Work to complete the Highway 23 culvert replacement project at Perch Lake near Gary New Duluth will begin on May 13.

The culvert replacement under the Highway 23 causeway is a part of a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Land Trust habitat restoration project to restore and enhance coastal marsh wetland habitat, improve fish and wildlife passage, and improve water quality by enhancing Perch Lake?s connection to the St Louis River Estuary.

Perch Lake was once a bay of the St Louis River Estuary. The construction of the railroad and Highway 23 embankments greatly reduced this connection. A narrow
4-foot culvert is being complimented by a 12-foot by 16-foot culvert to increase the circulation of water flow and fish passage between the bodies of water and allow navigation by small watercraft for improved recreational access.

Contractors will begin mobilizing heavy equipment to the site on May 7.?Motorists should expect a signal-controlled single lane bypass. Work is expected to last about one month. A final phase of work to install a recreational bridge on the adjacent Marten Trail is expected to take place later in the summer of 2024.

Perch Lake was identified in 2013 as one of 17 sites located in the St. Louis River Area of Concern in need of habitat restoration. Eleven habitat restoration projects have now been completed by the DNR and partner agencies. Restoring these sites will bring the St. Louis River AOC one step closer to removal from the binational list of most impaired regions on the Great Lakes.?The project is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Outdoor Heritage Fund.

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