In This Issue
2022 theme is Connecting People to the Outdoors
 Photo credit: Minnesota DNR
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources? building and surrounding grounds at the Minnesota State Fair (which runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 5) will feature new musicians, presentations and activities in addition to its popular attractions from previous years.
The activities and entertainment will coincide with the DNR?s theme for 2022, which is ?Connecting People to the Outdoors.?
?We?re thrilled to connect with Minnesotans again at the State Fair to promote getting outside and enjoying all the amazing natural resources of our state,? DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said. ?Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or are considering your first visit to Minnesota?s public lands, you can find the DNR at the Fair to celebrate and learn more about the great outdoors in Minnesota.?
The DNR?s iconic State Fair log building opened 88 years ago in 1934, and its park-like location provides fairgoers with a unique opportunity to experience the outdoors among State Fair carnival rides and food stands.?
Some of the activities visitors can enjoy at the DNR building and surrounding grounds include:
- Visiting an outdoor fish pond and listening to a talk about Minnesota fish
- Asking DNR staff questions
- Learning about outdoor recreation opportunities
- Enjoying music or a presentation at an outdoor stage
- Taking a picture in front of giant butterfly wings
What?s new?
Minnesota Mammal Mix-Up: Aug. 25 at 1 p.m., DNR Volunteer Outdoor Stage
- A Minnesota state parks naturalist will host this interactive program, which will allow visitors to match up furs, skulls and other animal parts to learn about the mammals found in Minnesota state parks. ?
Firewise Best Practices: Aug. 26 at 1 p.m., DNR Volunteer Outdoor Stage
- Firewise Specialist Jeffery Jackson will teach visitors how to protect their homes and properties from wildfire.
Grace Dunavan: Aug. 29 at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., DNR Volunteer Outdoor Stage
- Grace Dunavan and her band, the Gracenotes, will perform contemporary jazz and soft rock.
Land O?Dixie Rented Mules Band: Aug. 30 at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., DNR Volunteer Outdoor Stage
- The Land O?Dixie Rented Mules Band will perform traditional jazz and some pop music.
Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship: Aug. 30 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., DNR Volunteer Outdoor Stage
- DNR Fish and Wildlife staff will share tips and techniques for outdoor skills and natural resource stewardship, including fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreation.
Church Basement Ladies: Sept. 1 at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., DNR Volunteer Outdoor Stage
- The Church Basement Ladies will perform ?Plowin? Thru,? a musical. The show navigates cultural shifts in America in 1975 from the basement of a rural Lutheran church in northern Minnesota.
The DNR?s State Fair building and surrounding grounds are located at the corner of Carnes Ave. and Nelson St. in Falcon Heights. The main building is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily during the fair.?
For more information and to find a complete schedule of DNR attractions and activities at the fair, visit the DNR website (mndnr.gov/StateFair).
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A weekly list of news briefs about fish, wildlife, and habitat management.
Breeding waterfowl counts show numbers at
or below long-term averages
Spring waterfowl population counts by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources provide data that the DNR uses to produce population estimates. This year, the estimates are average or below-average for several species of waterfowl that nest in Minnesota. The 2022 breeding population estimates are:
- Mallards ? 231,000, which is 19% below the 2019 estimate and unchanged from the long-term average
- Blue-winged teal ? 161,000, which is 28% below the 2019 estimate and 24% below the long-term average
- Other ducks, excluding scaup, (such as ring-necked ducks, wood ducks, gadwalls, northern shovelers, canvasbacks, redheads and buffleheads), 175,000 which is 6% below the 2019 estimate and 3% below the long-term average
- Total breeding duck abundance (excluding scaup) ? 567,000, which is 18% below the 2019 estimate and 9% below the long-term average
- Canada geese ? 115,000, which is similar to the 2019 estimate and 27% below the long-term average.
- Trumpeter swans ? 25,000, which is a new record high for the population (survey methods for swans differs and a long-term average is not available).?
Overall, it was a very late spring across the state, especially in the north. It is likely that some blue-winged teal, a species that migrates relatively late in the spring, were still south of Minnesota when the survey began. As a result of the late spring, nesting effort and the number of young produced is expected to be below average for both ducks and Canada geese.
Winners chosen for 2023 trout and salmon stamp,
walleye stamp contests
 Left: the winning entry for the Minnesota trout and salmon stamp contest by Bemidji artist Bradley Hadrava and right: the winning entry for the walleye stamp contest by Minneapolis artist Melissa Mickelson.
Bemidji artist Bradley Hadrava won the Minnesota trout and salmon stamp contest with an acrylic painting of Lake Trout and Cisco, and Minneapolis artist Melissa Mickelson won the walleye stamp contest with an acrylic painting of a walleye. Both contests happened virtually on Aug. 4, 2022.
In the trout and salmon stamp contest, which had 10 eligible submissions, there was a tie for runner up: Mark Pearce of Blaine won with a digital printing of a rainbow trout and Josh Evan of Mapleton won with an acrylic painting of a brook trout.
In the walleye stamp contest, which had nine eligible submissions, the runner up was Stephen Hamrick of Lakeville with an acrylic/colored pencil submission of a walleye. Third place went to Thomas Kutschied of Longville with an oil painting of a walleye.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources uses revenue from voluntary purchases of walleye stamps to purchase walleye for stocking in Minnesota?s lakes. Revenue from trout and salmon stamps, which are required for anglers ages 18-64 who fish in designated trout water or possess trout, is dedicated to trout and salmon management and habitat work. Visit the stamp page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/Stamps) for more information about habitat stamps and contest guidelines.
DNR webinars cover clay target shooting,?early goose hunting
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites Minnesotans interested in wildlife and outdoor skills to tune in to upcoming webinars that will discuss clay target shooting for beginners and opportunities to hunt Canada geese in Minnesota before the regular waterfowl season opens.
The first webinar, on clay target shooting, is at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17. Sheri Brengman, DNR Becoming an Outdoors Woman program volunteer steering committee member and instructor, will talk about the basics of trap shooting and other clay target shooting games.
The second webinar is at noon Wednesday, Aug. 24. Nick Trauba, DNR assistant area wildlife manager, will discuss early season hunting opportunities for geese and provide tips on where and how to bag a goose this time of the year. Minnesota?s early Canada goose season is Saturday, Sept. 3, through Sunday, Sept. 18, and there are also special hunting seasons established by the DNR that target high populations of geese in specific areas. Some of these special opportunities occur during the early goose season.
The webinars are part of the DNR?s Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series, which aims to give participants quick, relevant information on upcoming seasons and events, as well as skills to enjoy these opportunities. The webinars are free but registration is required. More information, including registration information for webinars and recordings of past webinars, is available on the?outdoor skills and stewardship page of the?DNR website?(mndnr.gov/Discover).
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Lower than expected catch rates, summer harvest allows regulation adjustment
Mille Lacs Lake walleye anglers will see a relaxed harvest slot for walleye fishing beginning Thursday, Sept. 1.
As announced in March of this year, the one-fish walleye limit will resume on Mille Lacs on Sept. 1. In an expansion of the harvest slot, anglers will be able to harvest one walleye 20-23 inches or one longer than 26 inches, with fishing allowed from 6 a.m. to midnight. The original walleye harvest slot?for fall fishing on Mille Lacs this year was one fish 21-23 inches or one longer than 28 inches.?
?Given the current size structure of Mille Lacs? walleye population, this regulation change will meaningfully increase the amount of walleye available for anglers to harvest,? said Brad Parsons, fisheries section manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. ?Catch rates may not improve this season, but there will be a better chance to keep a fish.?
The recent lower catch rate of walleye in Mille Lacs Lake is less a reflection of the number of walleye in the lake than it is how hungry those fish are. The number of walleye longer than 14 inches has been similar each year from 2020 to 2022. But an abundance of yellow perch from a strong 2020 year class has created more natural food for walleye, which consequently are not as willing to bite on anglers? baits.
Each year, the state and the eight Ojibwe bands that have treaty fishing rights on Lake Mille Lacs establish a safe harvest level for walleye in Mille Lacs Lake. That total is split between the state and bands.
The DNR sets regulations to keep the harvest within the state?s share based on projections using recent data. If actual conditions differ substantially from the projections, the number of walleye taken can be lower or higher than expected.
?We?re seeing that this year,? Parsons said. ?With actual state angler catch rates and harvest significantly lower than expected, we?re adjusting the regulation to provide more opportunity without significant risk to the long-term sustainability of Mille Lacs? walleye population.?
Regulations for all other species remain unchanged. Walleye regulations for the winter season, which begins Thursday, Dec. 1, will be announced in November.
Information explaining DNR fisheries management and research, citizen engagement and Mille Lacs area recreation opportunities is available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/MilleLacsLake).
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Public can talk with local wildlife staff about deer in their area
and upcoming hunting season changes
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources invites the public to talk with DNR staff about deer on Thursday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. On that day, wildlife managers throughout the state will be available to discuss deer-related topics in local area offices or by phone.
?Although DNR staff are always available and happy to talk with members of the public throughout the year, we?re setting these office hours to specifically invite conversation about deer management,? said Barb Keller, the DNR?s big game program leader. ?Phone lines will also be open and we?re looking forward to taking your calls.?
People who would like to participate should visit the?deer open house webpage? (mndnr.gov/Mammals/Deer/Management/Deer-Open-Houses.html) to find the list of area offices and telephone numbers for their area wildlife manager.?Area managers always welcome calls from the public, so people who can?t call during the dedicated time are encouraged to do so at their convenience.
In addition to discussing general concerns about deer, individuals can talk with DNR staff about upcoming hunting season changes, identify topics that the DNR?s deer advisory committee should be aware of, and learn about other opportunities to provide thoughts and feedback regarding deer management throughout the year.
Regulations for the 2022 season are available online and in print wherever licenses are sold. The regulations reflect disease management goals, as well as feedback that was gathered from surveys, deer population goal setting and spring deer conversations.
The DNR began its deer open houses in 2018 with the release of the statewide?deer management plan (mndnr.gov/DeerPlan) and has continued them as a way to encourage discussions about deer and deer management, enhance local relationships, and foster two-way communication between the DNR and the public. Deer open houses are just one way people can get involved with the deer season-setting process; other avenues include online questionnaires and the DNR?s?deer population goal-setting?process (mndnr.gov/Mammals/Deer/Management/Population.html).
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Collared bears provide important management data?
The Minnesota bear hunting season opens Thursday, Sept. 1, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is once again asking hunters to avoid shooting marked research bears. These bears are marked with distinctively large, colorful ear tags and wear radio collars.
Researchers with the DNR are monitoring 25 radio-collared black bears across the state, especially in bear hunting zones 25, 27, 45 and 451, and in parts of the no-quota zone. Most of the radio-collared bears live in or near the Chippewa National Forest, Camp Ripley Military Reserve, the Pillsbury State Forest, and the Brainerd/Baxter area. However, the bears also range widely from these sites.?
?We are asking hunters to avoid shooting these valuable research bears,? said Andy Tri, DNR bear research scientist. ?These collared bears give us much of the data we use in bear management and are most valuable to us when they are collared for multiple years.?
A key to the research is looking at year-to-year changes in natural food supplies and how that affects individual bears in terms of their habitat use, physical condition, denning, reproduction and interactions with people. This research is not designed to evaluate mortality from hunting. Trapping new bears every year to replace the ones killed cannot substitute for long-term data on individual bears.
All of the collars the DNR uses in this research have GPS units. The GPS coordinates are either uploaded to a satellite or stored in the collar and downloaded by DNR researchers when they visit the bears in their dens. Each bear provides several thousand data points per year.
The bear?s coat often hides the collar, especially in the fall, and most of the collars are black.?But all collared bears have large (3 x 2 inch), colorful ear tags. The tags should be plainly visible on trail cam photos or when a bear is at a bait. Links to example photos of collared bears with ear tags and a summary of pertinent research findings are online under the link ?Importance of Radio-collared Bears? on the DNR bear management page (mndnr.gov/Bear).?
DNR officials recognize hunters may not be able to see a radio collar or ear tags in some situations. For this reason, taking a bear with a radio collar is legal; however, pausing briefly to get a clear view of the bear?s head would reveal whether it has large ear tags, which indicates that it is collared.?
Most collared bears have a small, implanted heart monitor under the skin on the left side of the chest. It looks like a small, silver capsule that is approximately the width of a paper clip. This contains valuable information stored in memory. Hunters who take a collared bear and find this device while skinning the bear should submit it with the collar.
Hunters may see bears with very small ear tags (1 x 1/4 inch). These bears are not collared and may be part of other ongoing research projects. It is legal to take a bear with small ear tags.?
The DNR asks any hunters who do shoot a collared or ear-tagged bear to call the DNR Wildlife Research Office in Grand Rapids at 218-328-8879 to report it and coordinate the pickup or drop off of the collar and heart monitor, if applicable.
Hunters with trail cam photos of ear-tagged bears can provide valuable data and are asked to email the photos and locational information (nearest town or GPS coordinates) to [email protected].
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the invasive algae starry stonewort in Bowen Lake, near Backus in Cass County and in Turtle River Lake, near the city of Turtle River in Beltrami County.?
DNR staff conducting an aquatic plant survey found starry stonewort in Bowen Lake. Beltrami County Environmental Services staff found starry stonewort at Turtle River Lake during early detection surveys at area accesses. Follow-up surveys are being conducted to determine the extent of starry stonewort distribution in these lakes.
The Bowen Lake sample was confirmed by New York Botanical Garden scientist Kenneth G. Karol as part of a statewide study to assess the distribution and diversity of native and non-native macroalgae. Funding for this research was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.
The DNR Invasive Species Program, local governments, lake associations and private contractors often work together on initial responses and any ongoing management actions. Funds are available for an immediate response at Bowen and Turtle River lakes that could include hand pulling, herbicide applications and other methods as appropriate.
Starry stonewort has never been eradicated from any U.S. lake or river, but treatment or careful removal can help reduce the risk of spread and provide alleviate nuisance impacts on water-related recreational activities. Early detection is key to effective management.
Starry stonewort has now been confirmed in 21 water bodies in Minnesota. It was first confirmed in Minnesota in 2015.
In late summer and early fall, starry stonewort?s small white star-shaped bulbils become more visible, making it easier to distinguish from other aquatic plants. Information on how to identify starry stonewort can be found on the DNR?s website (mndnr.gov/Invasives/AquaticPlants/StarryStonewort). If people think they?ve found starry stonewort or any other invasive species new to a lake or river, they should report it to the DNR by contacting their area invasive species specialist (mndnr.gov/Invasives/AIS/Contacts.html).
Starry stonewort is an alga that looks similar to native aquatic plants and can form dense mats, which can interfere with lake use and compete with native plants. It is most likely spread when fragments have not been properly cleaned from trailered boats, personal watercraft, docks, boat lifts, anchors or other water-related equipment.?
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 (gov/Decon).
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Spray 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.
More information is available on the aquatic invasive species page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/AIS).
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