Feb. 18, 2025
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*Minnesota DNR News
*
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*
Feb. 18, 2025
*For more information:* <steve.carroll@state.mn.us>
Contact the DNR Information Center
by email <info.dnr@state.mn.us>or call 888-646-6367.
In This Issue
* DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac [ #link_1491411839600 ]
* Minnesota DNR proposes bear permit area boundary revisions [ #link_1491411977526 ]
* Minnesota DNR to begin capturing and collaring elk for research project in northwest Minnesota [ #link_1491412003165 ]
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DNR Fish and Wildlife Almanac
"A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife and habitat management."
Light goose harvest opportunity begins Feb. 18
Hunters can help reduce the population of light geese through a federally authorized spring conservation harvest running from Feb. 18 through April 30. Light geese are snow geese, blue-phased snow geese and the smaller Ross’s goose. Licenses may be purchased from DNR license agents, online and by telephone. Harvest regulations can be found on the Minnesota DNR website [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl/lightgoose). The conservation action aims to reduce damage from these geese to fragile ecosystems in Arctic coastal areas and around Hudson Bay.
Minnesota DNR webinar focuses on reading the landscape
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites people interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to check out the winter program schedule for the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship webinar series.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Bryan Wood, executive director of Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center, will teach the concepts of how to read a landscape, from making observations about the patterns and outliers people see, to thinking through the possible factors at play, including human and natural disturbances and ecological changes.
Note: The webinar that was scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19 has been postponed.
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 DNR proposes bear permit area boundary revisions
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is recommending changes to several bear permit area boundaries based on input from wildlife managers and Tribal requests, as well as an effort to align boundaries with consistent landscapes such as the edges between forested and agricultural lands, and reduce agricultural conflicts.
There have been relatively few changes to Minnesota’s bear permit area boundaries since the early 1990s. At that time, bears did not have the same geographic distribution in the state as they do now. In areas with significant agricultural land use, bear hunting opportunities can help lower the level of conflict between conflict with agricultural land uses and bears.
The DNR’s recommended changes include portions of Mille Lacs and Morrison counties, portions of Becker and Mahnomen counties, and portions of Clearwater and Pennington counties. The proposal revises the boundary along portions of the no-quota area, where hunting licenses are not limited. An additional recommendation includes combining both bear permit area units in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness into one bear permit area to provide consistent regulations.
Detailed descriptions of the changes and maps of the proposed boundaries can be reviewed on the Minnesota DNR bear management webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/bear).
Comments can be submitted through Monday, March 17, by:
* Completing an online questionnaire found on the bear management webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/bear)
* Emailing Dan Stark, large carnivore specialist, at Dan.Stark@state.mn.us
* Mailing Kelly Wilder, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources – FAW, 500 Lafayette Road, Saint Paul, MN 55155.
Additionally, people interested in learning more about the changes can attend a brief webinar about the changes from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4. More information is available on the Minnesota DNR bear management webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/bear).
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Minnesota DNR to begin capturing and collaring elk for research project in northwest Minnesota
Research biologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities will begin capturing and collaring elk for an in-depth elk research project in northwest Minnesota beginning early March 2025.
The research will allow managers to better understand the state’s elk population. This enhanced understanding is important for efforts to maintain and strengthen the resiliency of the elk population and will inform managers’ consideration of the potential for future growth of the elk herds.
The study builds upon the results from the first-ever research on the northwest elk herds conducted from 2016 to 2018. While the results from prior research provided an understanding of adult female (cow) elk home range size and habitat use, current information is lacking on reproductive rates and survival, as well as movements of bulls, which were not included in the first study. Additionally, this work will help managers understand herd dynamics, an important consideration given the small sizes of these populations.
“Our overarching goal is to continue to improve our understanding of elk movements and survival to better manage Minnesota’s elk population,” said Amanda McGraw, DNR deer, moose and elk scientist. “The additional data will provide more in-depth information on population health, pregnancy and survival rates, specific movement information on both bulls and cows, and insight into alternative population estimation methods.”
Researchers plan to capture and collar 25 adult cows and up to 15 adult bulls per year beginning early March 2025, and again in 2026. The number of animals the DNR intends to capture will provide high confidence in the robust analyses necessary to answer various research questions. Elk will be captured via helicopter and fitted with GPS collars that will collect their locations every three hours and alert researchers of a potential mortality event. Biological samples will also be collected to assess herd health information. The capture effort is expected to take about a week.
A vaginal implant transmitter will be implanted in cows that are pregnant. The transmitter alerts researchers to when a cow gives birth, allowing them to quickly locate newborn calves. Up to 25 calves each spring will be fitted with a GPS collar to monitor their survival and assess what habitat types they are using.
Funding for the 2025-2027 elk research project comes from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources and approved by the Minnesota Legislature. The DNR is also providing in-kind support.
More information on elk research and management in Minnesota or how to sign up for the DNR Elk Notes quarterly newsletter is available at the DNR elk management webpage [ [link removed] ] (mndnr.gov/elk).
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minnesota department of natural resources [ [link removed] ]
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