MINNESOTA DNR NEWS #14                                                                                 Feb. 24, 2014
Media contact: Julie Forster, DNR information officer, 651-259-5356, julie.forster@state.mn.us.
All news releases are available in the DNR’s website newsroom at www.mndnr.gov/news.
Follow the DNR on Twitter @mndnr.

IN THIS ISSUE
2013 fishing licenses expire Feb. 28
Group with diverse interests to consider southeastern Minnesota deer goals
Learn how to make maple syrup at Minnesota state parks 
Question of the week: nongame wildlife program
DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Jenifer Wical, customer enhancement manager, 651-259-5217, jenifer.wical@state.mn.us.

2013 fishing licenses expire Feb. 28

Anglers are reminded that 2013 fishing licenses expire on Friday, Feb. 28, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.

Fishing licenses for 2014 now are available from DNR license agents, online at www.mndnr.gov/buyalicense and by telephone at 888-665-4236. All 2014 fishing licenses become effective Saturday, March 1.

Customers who purchase online via smartphone won’t receive a conventional paper license. Instead, they’ll receive a text message or email that serves as proof of a valid fish or game license to state conservation officers.

Ice shelter permits for 2013 remain effective through Wednesday, April 30.

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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                 Feb. 24, 2014
Media contact: Leslie McInenly, big game program leader, 651-259-5198, leslie.mcinenly@state.mn.us.

Group with diverse interests to consider southeastern Minnesota deer goals

A broad cross-section of interests will be represented on the 21-member advisory team that will help the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources set deer population goals in southeastern Minnesota.

“Team members were selected from an open call for nominations to represent both the diversity of interests in deer management as well as for their collective familiarity with individual deer permit areas that will be discussed,” said Leslie McInenly, DNR big game program leader.

More than 90 individuals applied to participate on the teams. Specific emphasis in choosing the 21 members was placed on identifying individuals with a personal connection to deer management in southeastern Minnesota.

Team members represent archery, firearm and muzzleloader hunters as well as nonhunters; area residents and landowners; farmers; orchard owners and operators; land managers; local government staff and appointed officials; local business owners; and members of hunting, conservation and agricultural organizations.

Advisory team members are: Mark Bauman, Rochester; Cynthie Christensen, Rushford; Ken Fetterly, Spring Valley; Larry Gates, Kellogg; Collin Johnson, St. Charles; Chris Kolbert, St. Charles; Kyle Kolbet, Rochester; Vong Lee, Roseville; Quintin Lohse, Chatfield; Melinda Miller, Stewartville; Anne Morse, Dakota; Mark Popovich, Welch; Ron Rosenthal, Red Wing; Tom Ryan, Byron; Jim Siewert, Lake City; Michael Simons, Cottage Grove; Terry Spaeth, Rochester; Len Strapp, Rushford; Marty Stubstad, Rochester; Mark Timm, Altura and Jim Vogen, Chatfield.

The advisory team will consider and discuss citizen input from two public meetings on deer population management as well as information from an online questionnaire and written comments. The analysis will help define the social, economic and recreational contexts for a biological discussion of the area’s deer population and development of goal recommendations.

The DNR began revisiting deer population goals in 2012, when similar area teams helped set new goals for some permit areas in the Windom, Floodwood and Tower areas. The current round of goal-setting focuses on the nine deer permit areas that comprise southeastern Minnesota. Those permit areas are 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348 and 349. The DNR plans to have new goals established in all of Minnesota’s deer permit areas before the 2016 firearms deer season begins.

More information about the goal-setting process and deer management is available on the DNR website atwww.mndnr.gov/deer.

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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                     Feb. 24, 2014
Media contacts: Patricia Arndt, Parks and Trails Division outreach manager, 651-259-5578,
patricia.arndt@state.mn.us; Amy Barrett, Parks and Trails Division information officer,
651-259-5627, amy.barrett@state.mn.us.

Learn how to make maple syrup at Minnesota state parks

Tap into a sweet Minnesota tradition by learning how to make maple syrup at Minnesota state parks this spring. Naturalists will demonstrate the process at free programs in March and early April, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

“We’ll teach you how to identify the right kind of tree, drill a hole for a spile, collect sap in a bucket and then boil it until it’s tasty enough to pour on your pancakes,” said Kao Thao, naturalist at Fort Snelling State Park in St. Paul, where maple-syrup-making demonstrations will take place on four of the five weekends in March. “Once you see how it’s done, it’s easy to do it yourself in your own backyard.”

Generally, sap runs best from about March 15 to April 20, when temperatures are in the high 30s to mid-40s during the day and below freezing at night. It usually takes 30 to 40 gallons of sap from a sugar maple tree to get a gallon of pure maple syrup.

The maple syrup programs at Minnesota state parks are free, but vehicle permits are required to enter the parks ($5 for a one-day permit or $25 for a year-round permit). Some parks encourage dropping by any time to watch ongoing demonstrations, others offer more structured, step-by-step instruction. Due to space limitations, some programs also require advance registration.

For more information, including the complete 2014 maple syrup program schedule, visit www.mndnr.gov(http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/maple_syruping.html) or call the DNR Information Center at 651-296-6157 or toll-free 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: Image available at ftp://mediaroom.dnr.state.mn.us in folder named “news release resources,” then in folder named “02-24-14 maple syrup.”

 

DNR QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q:  Now is the time of year when Minnesota residents can contribute to the DNR’s nongame wildlife checkoff fund.  What is this money used for and how does it help wildlife?

A:  Donations made to this fund are used by the DNR’s nongame wildlife program to help protect and manage the state’s “nongame” wildlife species, which includes more than 800 kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, butterflies and selected invertebrates that are not traditionally hunted or harvested.  This also includes conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species.

Specifically, the species that have benefited from these efforts are loons, bald eagles, trumpeter swans, peregrine falcons, eastern bluebirds, Blanding’s turtles, bats, timber rattlesnakes, great blue herons and other waterbirds like egrets and grebes.  The money raised also helps acquire land and easements to protect habitat, manage prairies, forests and wetlands, create buffer zones along lakeshores, assist to private landowners and local governments with habitat management, and fund nature educational programs.

Contributions to the nongame wildlife checkoff fund can be made on the 2014 Minnesota tax form, or online atwww.mndnr.gov/eco/nongame/checkoff.html.