In This Issue
A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.
Minnesota Twins offer special edition hats with DNR ticket package
Anyone with a 2024 Minnesota fishing or hunting license can access a special ticket package with the Minnesota Twins this season that includes a special edition blaze orange wool-blend Twins cap with ticket purchase.
The Minnesota DNR Days partnership includes seven games this year with the next one coming up Saturday, July 20, vs the Milwaukee Brewers. Find more upcoming game times and instructions for purchasing tickets on the Minnesota DNR Days webpage (mndnr.gov/twins).
Minnesota DNR webinars focus on birding, topwater bass fishing
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the summer program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series.
In a webinar on Wednesday, July 17, DNR birding expert May Vang will share ways to engage people in bird watching and conservation. Vang will highlight the DNR Nongame Wildlife Bird by Bird program, activities that spark an interest in birds, and tips for youth who are interested in bird observation and identification.
In a webinar on Wednesday, July 24, Eric Altena and Jeff Ledermann, DNR staff and bass tournament anglers, will talk topwater bass fishing. Watching a big bass splashing out of the water as it gulps a topwater lure is one of the most exciting and memorable moments while fishing. Altena and Ledermann will discuss the gear and tactics needed to find and target active bass that are feeding on the surface.
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 (mndnr.gov/discover) for the registration portal, more information about upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars.
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BioBlitz scheduled for Aug. 3
Anyone interested can learn from biologists and naturalists, while helping scientists document species diversity, at an upcoming BioBlitz event in Big Stone County. The event will take place Saturday, Aug. 3 at Bonanza Prairie Scientific and Natural Area and the adjacent Bonanza Unit of Big Stone Lake State Park.
The BioBlitz is a chance to shadow or assist naturalists and other scientists as they inventory the living organisms inhabiting the Bonanza Unit in a one-day field study. It is an opportunity to learn from some of the top experts in Minnesota.
?The event allows everyone involved to learn about species being studied and how field research is done,? SNA Specialist Brad Bolduan said. ?Past SNA events studied organisms like plants, dragonflies, spiders, birds, fungus and butterflies. Every year, the pool of experts present varies.?
While the rain-or-shine event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., surveys happen at various times throughout the day, and visitors are free to come and go as they wish. Activities vary in length and will continue until all participants have left.
?People of all experience levels are welcome,? Bolduan said. ?We require only curiosity and enthusiasm.?
Long pants, appropriate footwear, tick protection, sunscreen and drinking water are encouraged. There are no paved trails at Bonanza Prairie SNA or the adjacent Big Stone Lake State Park. Restroom facilities are available at Big Stone Lake State Park but not at Bonanza Prairie SNA.
Located about 19 miles northwest of Ortonville, off State Highway 7 in Big Stone County, Bonanza Prairie SNA (mndnr.gov/snas/detail.html?id=sna01043) has steep prairie hills hosting native plants and insects that at one time were much more common on the southern Minnesota landscape. Much of the 115-acre SNA has dry prairie. Nestled on the shore of Big Stone Lake, the adjacent 180-acre Bonanza Unit of Big Stone Lake State Park is largely made up of native oak savanna, with small patches of restored prairie. Located within the Bonanza Unit of the park is the Bonanza Education Center, which will serve as the meeting point for the BioBlitz.
All vehicles must display a valid year-round or one-day Minnesota state park vehicle permit.
Additional events are scheduled on both SNAs and state parks throughout the summer. A full schedule is available on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/events/index.html).
Funding for this event was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Union Lake, near Erskine in Polk County; First Silver Lake, near the town of Battle Lake in Otter Tail County; and Heilberger Lake, near Erhard in Otter Tail County.
A lake property owner contacted the DNR after finding a zebra mussel attached to a native mussel in Union Lake. DNR staff found more than 15 zebra mussels near the public water access, which is more than a mile from the location of the initial discovery.
Union Lake has a pump that is used in certain high-water conditions. This pump already has a filter to prevent the dispersal of Eurasian watermilfoil, and it is not currently operating. The DNR will provide direction to the Sand Hill River Watershed District, which operates the pump, to ensure that any future pumping operations are modified to also meet filtration requirements to prevent the spread of zebra mussels downstream.
A First Silver Lake user brought two zebra mussels to a DNR office and provided details on the location where they were found. A DNR invasive species specialist found two zebra mussels on the public water access boat ramp, about three-quarters of a mile from the location of the initial report.
A lake property owner contacted the DNR after finding three zebra mussels attached to a native mussel in Heilberger Lake. A DNR invasive species specialist found five zebra mussels on the public water access boat ramp, about a quarter-mile from the location of the initial report.
While zebra mussels and other invasive species can be introduced to a lake via private docks and accesses, public accesses are typically the first to be surveyed for invasive species.?
Whether or not a lake has any invasive species, Minnesota law requires people to:
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Clean watercraft, trailers and equipment to remove aquatic plants and prohibited invasive species.
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Drain all water and leave drain plugs out during transport.
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Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash.
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Never release bait, plants or aquarium pets into Minnesota waters.
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Dry docks, lifts and rafts for 21 days before moving them from one water body to another.
These additional steps reduce the risk of spreading aquatic invasive species:
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Decontaminate watercraft and equipment ? find free stations on the courtesy decontamination page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/decon).
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Spray watercraft and equipment with high-pressure water or rinse with very hot water (120 degrees for at least two minutes or 140 degrees for at least 10 seconds).
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Dry watercraft and equipment for at least five days before using in another water body.
People should contact a Minnesota DNR aquatic invasive species specialist (mndnr.gov/invasives/ais/contacts.html) if they think they have found zebra mussels or any other invasive species that was not already known to be in the water body.
More information is available on the aquatic invasive species page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/ais).
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