Storm Clouds coming.....

WE MINNESOTANS LOVE OUR LAKES.
IT'S ON OUR LICENSE PLATES.
WE GO NORTHBOUND AS A WAY OF LIFE TO RESORTS AND CABINS AND FAMILY VACATIONS.  OUR LAKES AND RIVERS ARE  IMPORTANT TO WHO WE ARE.   WE PLAY IN WATER.  WE PADDLE AND FLOAT.   WE LEAD THE NATION IN BOAT OWNERSHIP.   WE CATCH MORE WALLEYES.    
INDEED WE ARE THE LAND OF SKY BLUE WATER.  AND PROUD OF IT.

BUT TODAY IN MINNESOTA THERE ARE STORM CLOUDS ABOVE….

AND TROUBLE BELOW.

IN TWO WORDS, INVASIVE SPECIES.   THESE ARE PLANTS OR ANIMALS NOT NATIVE TO MINNESOTA'S WATER AND LANDSCAPE.
SOME WE KNOW WELL.  CARP. FOR EXAMPLE. WE ALSO KNOW HOW DESTRUCTIVE THEY ARE.

EURASIAN WATER MILFOIL IS ANOTHER.  IT'S SPREAD SO FAST IN OUR LAKES,  IT'S LIKE AN EPIDEMIC.  NOT MANY YEARS AGO,  MINNESOTANS HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS INVASIVE SPECIES.   NOW IT CLOGS OUR OUTBOARDS AND FISHING HOTSPOTS.

TODAY OUR MINNESOTA LAKES AND RIVERS ARE THREATENED LIKE NEVER BEFORE BY STRANGE CREATURES WE'VE NEVER HEARD OF.     ZEBRA MUSSELS.  SPINY WATER FLEAS.  ASIAN CARP AND THE LIST GOES ON.   MANY OF THESE INVASIVE SPECIES ARE ALREADY IN OUR WATER (RUSTY CRAYFISH)  OTHERS ARE ON THEIR WAY…UNLESS THEY'RE STOPPED.

IN RECENT YEARS THE MINNESOTA DNR HAS LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO ALERT US ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES.  WHY?  BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT TO LOSE.  A WHOLE LOT.
ZEBRA MUSSELS ARE NOW THRIVING IN MILLE LACS, THE STATE'S PREMIER WALLEYE FISHERY.  SO WHAT?  THESE TINY MUSSELS COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS DECLINE IN THE LAKE'S WALLEYE POPULATION.  THAT'S WHY.

THE SILVER CARP, ANOTHER INVASIVE HEADING TO MINNESOTA BY SWIMMING UPSTREAM IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, HAS REPLACED GAMEFISH POPULATIONS IN ILLINOIS AND TURNED BOATING INTO A HAZARDOUS JOY RIDE.

GET THE PICTURE?

INVASIVE SPECIES ARE A SERIOUS, SERIOUS PROBLEM.  IF WE LOVE OUR LAKES---AND WE DO---WE'VE GOT TO STOP EM FROM SPREADING AND, IF POSSIBLE, ERADICATE EM WHERE THEY ALREADY EXIST.

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S A HUGE TASK.  

FOR STARTERS, MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS HAVE PASSED STRINGENT BOATING LAWS AIMED AT HALTING THE SPREAD OF INVASIVES FROM LAKE TO LAKE.
 BUT ZEBRA MUSSELS AND MILFOIL DON'T READ LAWS.  YOUR DNR CAN ONLY TRY TO ENFORCE THE RULES.  
STOPPING THE SPREAD OF  INVASIVE SPECIES IS REALLY UP TO YOU.  FOLLOW THE RULES.  CLEAN YOUR BOAT.  DON'T GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE LAZY ANGLER OR BOATER WHO SAID RULES ARE FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

WILL IT WORK?  CAN WE HALT THE SPREAD OF EURASIAN WATERMILFOIL OR ZEBRA MUSSELS OR INVADING CARP?

IN TRUTH, NOBODY KNOWS.  BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE DOING NOTHING IS A PRICE WE MINNESOTANS DON'T WANT TO PAY.  WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF LAKES, BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANY OF THEM.

IF WE LIMIT THE LAKES UNDER SIEGE, NEW   CONTROL METHODS MAY BE DEVELOPED WITH MORE RESEARCH.

A LONG TIME AGO,  SEA LAMPREYS ALMOST DECIMATED LAKE TROUT IN THE NATION'S GREAT LAKES.  TODAY THEY ARE UNDER CONTROL.

SO---IT CAN BE DONE.  THERE IS HOPE.  BUT WE LAKE LOVERS MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER TO DO IT.
AFTER ALL, THE GUAGGAS ARE COMING.  YES, THAT'S ANOTHER EXOTIC MUSSEL SPECIES THAT'S POSSIBLY MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN ZEBRA MUSSELS.    
YES, THE LAKES WE LOVE ARE UNDER SIEGE.  WE MUST WIN THE WAR AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES.  
OR RISK A MINNESOTA HEARTBREAK LIKE NO OTHER.

A Fish Story

This fish story just in.
Not long ago I was sent a Manitoba newspaper clipping from a March 23, 1999 edition with a most amazing fish tale.
The story’s headline says it all:  THEY ATE MANITOBA’S BIGGEST PIKE.
And, yes, it’s apparently true.  A resident of Easterville, Manitoba, a small aboriginal community southeast of The Pas, was fishing for food for the family table when he caught (by hook or by net is undetermined) a pretty nice northern pike out of Cedar Lake.   The fisherman and his four children had a picture taken of them holding the pike.
Okay, so it was a little better than pretty nice.
According to Manitoba officials, who utilized computer scanning and imaging to determine the fish’s measurements, the pike was estimated to be 70 inches long or about 10 inches longer than Manitoba’s official pike record.
The pike’s estimated weight is more than 50 pounds.
As a fish story goes, this one is also quite short.  Doug Leroux, a regional fisheries manager in The Pas, said he believes that such a fish was caught.
‘’From what I understand, the fisherman was simply out to stock the family fridge when he made the catch.   From what I understand, he gave it to his grandmother.  It would definitely feed a family for a while.’’
And so, the largest pike in Manitoba history ended up on the dinner table.
Sad in a way, but, if you think about it, most of the giant fish caught in the last 100 years probably ended up in somebody’s belly.  It’s quite possible Minnesota’s record 45-pound pike, allegedly caught in 1929, was cooked as well.
(It’s also possible the Minnesota state record pike isn’t even the state record pike because of insufficient evidence but that’s another story awaiting a DNR decision).
Through the centuries and for as long as anglers have cast for sport, big fish have always held a special place in an angler’s heart.  However, in comparison, official state record keeping or big fish awards programs are probably only decades old.  In a way, that’s too bad, too.  It would have been nice to know, say in 1850,  if a 17-pound walleye was viewed as really big or commonplace.
Clearly, the times they are a changing, as the song goes.  More of us who fish are releasing more of what we catch in the belief we’re helping the resource (and our own fishing future.)
If you would have told me 25 years ago that walleye anglers someday would willingly release perfectly good-eating walleyes, I would have told you to check your fever because you’re hallucinating.
Oddly enough, the northern pike seems to be the trophy we love to catch and keep.   In my home state of Minnesota, a big pike (more than 10 pounds) may be the rarest trophy of all gamefish.   On lakes that are capable of producing large pike, the rules still allow an angler to keep one pike over 40 inches or so.   Under those rules, if 50 anglers all keep one big pike, the big pike will be gone eventually.   The story of declining or rare pike trophy catches is found in just about every state in the country.
Fortunately, many big pike lodges in Canada have learned the ir conservation lesson and forbid killing of any 40 inch plus pike.  Not every lake is capable of producing big pike (food and habitat play a major role) but we need to identify those lakes and establish complete protection if we want to restore our trophy pike angling.
In the meantime, we still must keep fishing fun without the need for an attorney in the boat seat.  Fishing is also a way to have good eating.  We just need to remember to eat the small fish and let the lunkers go.
Sometimes it doesn’t happen, of course.
My favorite big fish cooked story is about a Twin Cities angler who caught the fish of a lifetime in the St. Croix River.  It was a beautiful smallmouth bass with dark golden sides, dashing red eyes and a bass belly that weighed more than 8-pounds.   To this day, I think it was a new Minnesota record smallmouth.
But we’ll never know.
As the angler explained it to me, he was more than excited with his catch and rushed home to share his good fortune with the wife.
‘’What are you planning to do with that?,’’ the wife  reportedly said, apparently not as ecstatic as he.
‘’Honey,’’ he said, softening his answer, ‘’I plan to have the fish mounted.’’
‘’It’s not hanging in our house,’’ she replied.
So--now you know why a potential Minnesota record fish---a coveted smallmouth bass--- ended up on a dinner table instead of a den wall.

Unique Art

Jim Bellamy is an avid deer hunter with considerable artistic talent.  What happens when you combine the two....presto, you have Jim's shaved deer hides that are unique in every way.
After trial and error, Jim came up with the idea to shave the fur, to give it a dimensional look.  Jim’s first shaving was his last name, “Bellamy”.  Since starting this he has done various logos for bars, sporting good stores and Jim’s work hangs in some resorts.  Jim works with each customer on a one-on-one basis, so that no two designs are the same.
An avid fan of our Minnesota Bound show, Jim took a look at our logo and turned another buck skin into a work of art.  To see more of Jim’s work go to deerhideart.com <http://deerhideart.com/>  or whitetail-innovations.com <http://whitetail-innovations.com/> .
And one more nifty fact about Jim and his passion for whitetail deer:  He has been hunting deer since boyhood and has kept EVERY set of antlers he has acquired over the many deer seasons.----Ron Schara

Deer Habitat

It was the winter of 1968-69 and Minnesota's deer herd was in a free fall.  Deep snows.  Severe cold.  Lack of food.  Excessive doe harvest.  A perfect storm in Minnesota's north woods was annihilating the state's deer population.
 Then, a small miracle appeared.  A  small group of determined Grand Rapids deer hunters   organized to save their cherished deer hunting traditions.   And they gave themselves a name, simple and direct:  Save Minnesota Deer.
And they had one simple goal:  improve the state's deer habitat.   I remember interviewing Dave Shaw and other founders and touring snowy woods with DNR's deer guru Milt Stenlund who opened my eyes to the lack of deer browse within reach of a deer.
There was only one problem.   State leaders in St. Paul weren't listening much.
So---to make themselves heard,  the Save Minnesota Deer members decided to raise a little hell.  State lawmakers had been unresponsive to the deer population crisis…..so carcasses of starved deer ---with puffy faces and ribs showing---were hauled to the steps of the State Capitol.      Pictures of dead deer made the news in the Twin Cities.    The DNR Commissioner, Jarle Leirfallom, personally led browse cutting crews into the snow-bound north to show his concern.  And it worked.  Lawmakers voted to fund a deer habitat program with a license surcharge.
But it was too little too late.  In the autumn of 1971, DNR announced there would be NO deer season.  
But the grassroots habitat push didn't end there.  In fact it grew so fast, the Save Minnesota Deer group  transformed itself into a statewide organization in 1980.   This was the birth of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.  Habitat remained their battle cry with innovative programs like Hides For Habitat.  Members dollars were used for habitat projects.  
Now fast forward…..
Today, Minnesota's deer population flirts around record highs, thanks largely to a number of reasons: 1.  revised deer management tools used by DNR, such as doe permit systems; 2. better habitat thanks to increased logging of popple because of new product innovations; 3. a series of milder winters; 4. and the decades of  watch guard work by members of MDHA.
Now imagine my surprise in recent months to find that MDHA is over its hunting boots in controversy.  The organization has become the target of bitter letters to the editor regarding new buck hunting regulations in the state's southeast.     MDHA members are fighting with other MDHA members.  Some members are quitting the organization and/or calling for a change in leadership and so forth.
What happened?  In my view, this is what happened.  MDHA landed in a political quagmire by taking a stand on…NOT habitat programs….but on new deer season regulations that were guaranteed to be divisive.   By taking one side asked for by MDHA members; other members were alienated.  It was a lose-lose for MDHA. 
For sure, a public debate about deer regulations, seasons, etc., that included MDHA members,  is great.  That's the democratic way.   And MDHA members ought to express their views.  But debates over regulations are not good for organizations whose goal is habitat and protecting the right to hunt deer..   Everybody supports habitat, but nobody wins in a quagmire.
Take note, rarely does Pheasants Forever enter public frays over seasons, road hunting, etc. although their members might.  No, Pheasants Forever sticks to its message and purpose: pheasant habitat.
Ducks Unlimited largely takes the same stance.  It's a duck habitat organization, period.
Minnesota's deer management is now being usurped by political interests that individual MDHA members may in the future want to support  or boot out of office.  But MDHA, the organization, ought to concentrate on what they do best:  fight for the future of deer hunting via habitat and related issues.
And MDHA's Mark Johnson says that's still the goal, ''MDHA's primary focus must be on ensuring a healthy future for hunting in MN by improving habitat, providing hunter opportunity and increasing hunter access to public hunting lands.   We need hunters, but if we don't have quality habitat where they can hunt our hunting legacy is doomed.''

Teacher & Hero

Prof. Jim Schwartz, of Edina, and former head of Journalism School at Iowa State University, died in July at the age of 95.  The family asked if I would speak at his funeral at Mt. Olivet on Saturday, July 23.  The following are my remarks about a man who meant so much to me and all of his students.

FIRST, I'D LIKE TO GIVE MY THANKS TO THE FAMILY OF JIM SCHWARTZ FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE FISHING PARTNERS.
YES, JIM AND I SHARED A FISHING BOAT IN RECENT YEARS IN PURSUIT OF HIS FAVORITE FISH, THE LARGEMOUTH BASS.  AS IN LIFE ITSELF, SOME DAYS WERE GREAT; OTHERS NOT SO GOOD.
 
BUT I'M NOT HERE TO TELL FISHING STORIES ABOUT OUR TIMES ON TEN MILE LAKE AND HIS CABIN AT HACKENSACK.

JIM WAS MORE THAN A FISHING PARTNER TO ME.  HE WAS MORE LIKE…WELL, MY HERO.

A LONG TIME AGO, BACK AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, JIM WAS THE FIRST JOURNALISM PROFESSOR TO READ WHAT I WROTE ABOUT FISHING AND HUNTING AND FISH AND WILDLIFE.   HE ENCOURAGED ME TO KEEP WRITING AND TO PURSUE A JOURNALISM CAREER WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FISH AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGY.

AND WHEN MY PATH AS A STUDENT GOT A LITTLE ROCKY, IT WAS MR SCHWARTZ  WHO SHOWED COMPASSION WHILE ALSO  OFFERING A SWIFT KICK TO MY REAR.

NOW AS I LOOK BACK AT MY OWN LIFE'S WORK ….FROM NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST TO TELEVISION HOST…..MY GUIDING LIGHTS WERE MANY.
 BUT ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST CAME FROM MR. SCHWARTZ.  AND I AM BUT ONE OF HUNDREDS OF HIS FORMER STUDENTS WHO WOULD SAY THE SAME ABOUT A PROFESSOR WITH A WONDERFUL GIFT OF TEACHING.

DECADES LATER, WE WOULD ONLY DISAGREE ABOUT ONE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.

HE INSISTED THAT LARGEMOUTH BASS WERE GOOD TO EAT. 

I SAID THE ONLY GOOD BASS WAS THE ONE NOT IN MY FRYING PAN.

ONCE AGAIN, HE'S UNDOUBTEDLY RIGHT.  IF THERE'S A BASS LAKE IN HEAVEN, IT'S PROBABLY FULL OF GOOD EATING SIZE BASS.

CATCH 'EM ALL, JIM.