Kouba moose on new critical habitat license plate
Minnesota motorists can support conservation with a new critical habitat license plate featuring moose art by renowned wildlife artist Les Kouba.
“Moose are synonymous with Minnesota’s north woods and its outdoor heritage,” said Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Landwehr. “Nothing captures the essence of being up north better than a bull moose feeding in the shallows of a boreal lake, and that’s exactly what this new license plate depicts.”
The new moose plate, which displays a never-before-published painting by Kouba, is the eighth critical habitat plate offered. Other plates display the loon, pheasant, chickadee, showy
lady’s slipper, a fishing scene and white-tailed deer.
New moose critical habitat plate
The Minnesota Legislature created the critical habitat license plate program in 1995 to provide additional opportunity for Minnesotans to contribute toward conservation. Motorists who purchase a critical habitat plate make a minimum annual contribution of $30 to the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program. Every dollar generated through the sale of the license plate is matched with private donations of cash or land.
Critical habitat license plate revenue has generated more than $25 million toward the purchase of 7,700 acres of critical habitat and helped fund non-game wildlife research and surveys, habitat enhancement and educational programs. Information about the program is available on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/plates.
Revenue from the sale of the new moose plate will go directly to RIM Critical Habitat and not be used for moose research and management.
Kouba research partnership
The DNR worked with Les Kouba Outdoors to design the license plate using previously unpublished art. The two organizations also signed a partnership agreement that will use some of the proceeds from the sale of Kouba’s moose imagery to help fund research and management projects.
“This is a unique public-private partnership formed to help pay for wildlife research and habitat work that we hope keeps moose on Minnesota’s landscape,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR wildlife research manager.
The partnership offers Kouba’s moose imagery as incentives for individuals and organizations
to join Call of The Moose Minnesota as a member, sponsor or licensee. Les Kouba Outdoors will direct a significant portion of the proceeds to Minnesota’s moose research and management. Information about the partnership is available online at www.callofthemoose.com.
“Les Kouba, the man and his wildlife art, have long epitomized the love of nature and wildlife conservation,” said Greg Meyer, Les Kouba Outdoors president. “We are all challenged to conserve, restore and manage our precious natural resources so that generations to come can enjoy Minnesota’s bountiful outdoors to the greatest extent possible.”
The new license plates are now available at deputy registrar offices statewide. For questions about ordering critical habitat license plates, call the Department of Public Safety-Driver and Vehicle Services at 651-297-3304.