DNR news releases, Sept. 23, 2013

MINNESOTA DNR NEWS #71                                                                             Sept. 23, 2013
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
DNR announces special youth deer season
Youth 15 and younger no longer need free small game license
Walleye regulation on Leech Lake to be reviewed Oct. 9 in Walker
DNR to offer state lands at public auction
DNR receives forestry grant to launch wood energy project
Question of the week: cleaning bluebird houses

DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DNR announces special youth deer season

Youth ages 10-15 are eligible to participate in a special deer season that runs from Thursday, Oct. 17, to Sunday, Oct. 20, in 28 permit areas that encompass portions of southeastern and northwestern Minnesota.

“This youth-only season provides an opportunity for parents, guardians and mentors to schedule and plan a special deer hunt with youth,” said Mike Kurre, mentoring program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Deer permit areas open to the hunt are 101,105, 111, 114, 201, 203, 208, 209, 256, 257, 260, 263, 264, 267, 268, 338, 339, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 601 and 602. Whitewater Game Refuge also is open to taking either sex deer by eligible youth.

Youth must meet all firearms safety requirement, possess a license and use the appropriate firearm for the permit area in which they are hunting. They may take a deer of either sex.

Licenses for youth ages 10, 11 and 12 are free. Licenses for youth ages 13-17 cost $5. All youths must pay a $1 issuing fee when obtaining a license.

An adult mentor must accompany the youth but may not hunt or carry a firearm. The special season should occur when students are on school break. Public land is open as is private land, provided the youth hunter has landowner permission.

Participating in youth deer season does not preclude the youth from participating in the regular firearms deer season but any deer harvested do count against the youth’s season bag limit.

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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Sept. 23, 2013 

Youth 15 and younger no longer need free small game license

With many small game seasons open and pheasant season soon to open, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding hunters that youth age 15 or younger no longer need a free license to hunt small game.

In recent years, youth age 15 and under were able to hunt for free but were required to have a complimentary license in their possession.

“This hunting season it’s very simple for kids 15 and younger,” said Jay Johnson, DNR hunting recruitment and retention supervisor. “They can hunt grouse, squirrels, ducks, pheasant and rabbits without any license or stamps.”

Johnson said youth hunters still need to comply with firearms safety certification and other requirements. Free and reduced price licenses are one of the tools the DNR is using to encourage youth to experience and continue hunting, he said.

Youth 13 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Grouse season opened Saturday, Sept. 14. Waterfowl season opened Saturday, Sept. 21. Pheasant season opens Saturday, Oct. 12.   

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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                 Sept. 23, 2013

Walleye regulation on Leech Lake to be reviewed Oct. 9 in Walker

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Walker fisheries staff will be holding an open house to solicit public comments on a proposal to relax the current walleye protected slot on Leech Lake. The meeting will be Wed., Oct. 9, 6 - 8:30 p.m., at the Walker Area Community Center, 105 Tower Ave. in Walker.

A special regulation that requires anglers to release all walleye from 18- to 26-inches has been in place on Leech Lake since 2005. This regulation has a bag limit of four walleye with one over 26 inches allowed in possession. The DNR is considering relaxing the current regulation to a 20- to 26-inch protected slot beginning in 2014. The four walleye possession limit with one over 26 inches would remain unchanged. 

For those unable to attend the local meeting, an open house will be held at the DNR headquarters, 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Staff will be available to take comments on this proposal and other fishing regulations under review around the state. 

Comments may also be submitted until Oct. 18 to Doug Schultz, DNR area fisheries office, 07316 State 371 NW, Walker, MN 56484, 218-547-1683, or doug.w.schultz@state.mn.us.

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DNR NEWS - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Sept. 23, 2013

DNR to offer state lands at public auction

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will have 23 parcels of land in northeastern Minnesota for sale at a public auction scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25.

The sale will include parcels in Cook, Itasca, Lake, and St. Louis counties, some of which are lakeshore lots.

“This is a great opportunity for people looking for land in this very popular recreational destination,” said Jodi Dehn, DNR realty supervisor. “It’s not often that parcels in this area of the state become available for sale.” 
   
The auction starts at noon with registration at 11:30 a.m. at the Lake County Law Enforcement Center, main conference room, 613 Third Ave., Two Harbors.

The DNR sale will be immediately followed by a sale of tax-forfeited lands in Lake County.

Interested buyers are encouraged to visit the DNR’s land sale information page at www.mndnr.gov/landsale prior to attending the sale. 

Property data sheets with full descriptions of the parcels offered for sale and selling prices will be posted on the website 30 days prior to the sale. 

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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              Sept. 23, 2013

DNR receives forestry grant to launch wood energy project

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enhance the use of renewable wood energy systems throughout the state. 

The three-year grant will help open new markets for Minnesota’s forest resources, promote economic vitality, and use renewable energy while reducing overall energy costs, said Anna Dirkswager, the DNR’s biomass consultant who will manage the project. 

“We want to identify a number of commercial and institutional buildings that now use fuel oil or propane for energy and replace those systems with innovative wood energy systems,” Dirkswager said. “Our goal is to reduce the amount of non-renewable energy that is imported by deploying a less expensive, renewable fuel source to appropriate buildings in Minnesota.”

The DNR, in partnership with 22 private, state and federal organizations such as the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Forest Service, will use the grant to start the initial work that will hopefully result in the installation of wood energy systems in facilities not connected to natural gas grids.

The grant will enhance the work of the state wood thermal energy team, whose members will work collaboratively to identify and evaluate wood energy systems for 15 to 20 commercial and institutional buildings such as community centers and nursing homes. This core team will also work to complete advanced engineering and financial analysis for six to 12 of those facilities and ultimately initiate construction of three or more wood energy systems.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the grant “will help us find innovative ways to use leftover wood to create renewable energy and support good jobs in rural America.”

The $250,000 grant is part of $1.1 million in grant funds the U.S. Agriculture Department awarded to five organizations across the nation to form statewide teams to stimulate development of wood energy projects.

More information about biomass is available at www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/biomass/index.html.

To learn more about the Wood Education Resource Center and the grant, visit www.na.fs.fed.us/werc/.

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DNR question of the week

Q: With nesting season over, what is the best method for cleaning out a bluebird house?

A: After birds are finished using the box remove all of the nesting material. If the box has a door, open it and leave it opened until spring. This way, rodents won’t chew on the door or the entrance hole to try to get in. If the box is soiled, spray a 10 percent bleach solution inside, wipe it out and let it dry.  This should remove parasites and disinfect the box so it is ready for next year. 

-Lori Naumann, DNR nongame wildlife program information officer