NORTHERN MINNESOTA DU LIVING LAKES PROJECTS

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1 Summer/Fall 2011 Special points of interest: Federal Premium Ammunition Raffle Rundown Hoekstra Dedication NORTHERN MINNESOTA DU LIVING LAKES PROJECTS DU s Biggest Wetland Restoration Project in Manitoba Youth Mentored Waterfowl Hunt DU Sponsors Preview Rare Duckboat Exhibit Inside this issue: Chairman s Chatter 2 Youth Hunt 3 Federal Premium Ammunition Raffle Information Northern Minnesota DU Living Lakes Projects Project Hall of Fame Minnesota Artist s Corner Kliever Farms Elkhorn Manitoba Hoekstra Dedication Duckboat Exhibit 12 Wild rice beds on Laura Lake in Cass County showing good production even during a high water year. Laura Lake is a Living Lakes project that has resulted in a return of more consistent wild rice abundance to the lake. Duck Lake in Crow Wing County is a DU Livings Lake Initiative Project completed last year in cooperation with the DNR. More on Northern Minnesota DU Living Lakes Projects on Page 6

2 Page 2 Summer/Fall 2011 State Chairman s Chatter At a recent State Council sponsored training session, one of our senior volunteers took me aside to inform me that his Father had just passed away. A few days later I saw the obituary and found out that his father had been a WWII vet. He was born in 1924, a year after my own father, who was also a WWII veteran. Dave Flink, State Chair Your Minnesota DU State Committee State Chair Dave Flink Hutchinson, MN dflink@mnducksvolunteer.org State Council Chair Less Ness Chisago City, MN lness@mnducks.org State Chair Elect Tim Roble Frazee, MN dtroble@yahoo.com State Treasurer Dan Scheffler Northfield, MN danielscheffler1@gmail.com State Volunteer Recruitment Coord. Dale Lusti Buffalo, MN d.alelusti@aol.com State Convention Chairs Bob and Karen Sorenson Albert Lea, MN bnksorenson@hotmailcom State Major Gift Chair Russ Klint Benson, MN olcoot@metrolakes.com Our volunteer s loss got me to reflect on my own father and the legacy the Veterans of WWII created. Often referred to as the Greatest Generation, their legacy is the freedom we enjoy today. All of us owe a debt of gratitude to our Veterans old and new for their service and commitment to protecting the freedoms and life style we enjoy today. These Americans have produced an epitaph of unparalleled commitment and sacrifice often giving their lives for their country. Though extremely pale in comparison, we as DU volunteers have the opportunity to help create our own legacy. Minnesota DU has been lead by some of the most active and engaged volunteers in the nation. However our volunteer numbers have declined recently. It takes a committee to run a successful fund raising event and as the saying goes, the more the merrier. No matter who you are, you have the ability to extend an invitation to be a part of DU not only as a member but as a committee member. Take some time, develop a personal hit list and ask these folks to be part of DU. The great thing about our organization is everyone has the ability to contribute. No contribution is too big or too small and we have a job for everyone. The future of Ducks Unlimited is dependant on our existing volunteers to find new blood. Build your personal legacy by helping DU achieve it mission, filling the skies with waterfowl, today, tomorrow and forever. Thank you for all that you do for Minnesota Ducks Unlimited. Volunteer Spotlight Jerry Weltzin Jerry s DU background started in 1992 when he went on his first ever duck hunting trip near Cottonwood, MN. Then he attended his first ever DU dinner event and was hooked. After a couple years attending the Zumbrota chapter dinner events, he became the area chair for several years. Then he was asked to step up to Zone Chair and he has been volunteering in that capacity since. Jerry and his wife attend the State Convention when time allows and are now Life Sponsors in Perpetuity. The sponsorships each year add up to a life sponsor fairly fast when you go to a lot of events in one year. Our grand daughter Sophia was the first Legacy Greenwing in our chapter and now we have more. Some one makes the first move and others soon follow. Jerry says, Why do I believe in DU? The ducks didn t mess up the environment, man did. I feel if we have the time, talent, and funds, we should help fix the environment where we can. Every living thing on earth needs fresh air and water to survive and wetlands provide both, plus some habitat for wild life and some recreation for those that choose to get out and hunt, fish and photograph there. Jerry continues to hunt and mentors to other young hunters. He invited a young man from his church, who he sponsored for confirmation, along to their cabin at the lake. He loved it. He has become a part of our local committee and I hope he can stay with DU for his lifetime. The friends I ve made and the good times I ve had are some very good memories.

3 Summer/Fall 2011 Page 3 Introducing Youth to Waterfowl Hunting Minnesota Ducks Unlimited have teamed with the Minnesota DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the past two years to provide a mentored youth hunt on the Youth Waterfowl Day in early September. The event includes mentors hunting with a youth, who brings along a parent or guardian. In 2009, the event was held at Hamden National Wildlife Refuge by Detroit Lakes and last year, the program was expanded to include events at Thief Lake WMA, Morris Waterfowl Management District, and the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club in Prior Lake. The event starts with a mentor meeting Friday afternoon and then the mentors scout the hunting locations. The youths arrive about 3 pm to get registered and meet their mentors who then take them out to the marsh to view the hunting location. A dinner and informative talks take up the remainder of the evening. The next morning mentors, their dogs, parents, and youths arrive at o dark-thirty to have a quick bite and head to the blind. The hunting opportunities are usually fantastic, because some of the locations only get hunted the one day per year. Usually, each youth gets a duck or two and the good shots often get more. Win Mitchell provides some waterfowling insight to the youth and parents at the 2009 event. The hunt lasts until 10:00 am and the hunters return to the hunt headquarters for lunch, picture taking, story telling, and cleaning ducks. Everyone is on their way home by noon. This year s event is planned again and DU is recruiting mentors for the Sept. 10, 2011 hunt. Young hunters cleaning ducks at last year s event. If you are interested in becoming a mentor and would like to help introduce kids to waterfowling this fall, please contact us: Win Mitchell Or Tim Roble Youth, parents, guardians, and mentors at the 2009 Youth Hunt at Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge after the morning hunt.

4 Page 4 Summer/Fall 2011 Federal Premium Ammunition Program With MnDU For a couple of decades Minnesota s own Federal Ammunition has been supporting Minnesota Ducks Unlimited with a special state program. However, over the past couple of years they have taken their support to another level with the statewide FEDERAL PREMIUM AMMUNITION FIELD HUNTERS RAFFLE. Located in Anoka, Minnesota, Federal has been manufacturing ammunition since 1922, and employs over 1,000 Minnesotans in the manufacture of rimfire, shotshell and centerfire ammunition for hunters, law enforcement, target shooters and the military. Black Cloud is the cutting edge waterfowl load that has taken steel shot to new levels of lethality, and every round is built here in Minnesota. By leveraging Federal s partnership with other waterfowl industry leaders such as Benelli, Reeds Family Outdoors Outfitter, Duck Commander, and cooperating with a leading decoy The 2009 Federal Premium Ammunition Raffle Winner and Family. manufacturer in Dakota Decoys; they have created a program that is certain to keep generating big dollars for the ducks. Federal Ammunition has been a huge supporter of MnDU This program is one of the most successful fundraisers in the country, said Ryan Bronson, Conservation Manager for Federal. We are so proud of our home state Ducks Unlimited chapter and their leadership nationally converting memberships into habitat for waterfowl. Every local event that takes advantage of the program will raffle off a Duck Commander call, a terrific incentive prize by any measure. Every event winner is entered into the grand prize drawing for a trailer full of Dakota Decoys, 10 cases of Black Cloud ammunition, and a Benelli Vinci shotgun. The fully decorated trailer will be given away at the State Convention. Perhaps as important as the funds raised, the trailer serves as a mobile billboard for Ducks Unlimited reminding envious duck hunters that the only way to win such a great prize is to attend a DU event.

5 Summer/Fall 2011 Page 5 Federal Premium Ammunition Field Hunter 2011 Raffle Instructions for 2011 Federal Premium Ammunition Field Hunter s Raffle 1. Grand Prize Winner receives a 6X10 foot trailer stocked full of Dakota decoys and other field hunting gear from Reed s Family Outdoor Outfitters, plus 10 cases of Federal Premium Ammunition Black Cloud Steel Shot, and a Benelli Vinci Shotgun. 2. Winners at 250 local events receive a terrific incentive prize, a Duck Commander TM Ole Raspy" Duck Call, and entry in the grand prize raffle. 3. Duck calls are distributed to the event committees through MnDU office in advance of the event. Federal Premium Ammunition Raffle Poster. 4. At events, calls will be raffled by selling 30 chances at $10 each. 5. Raffle entry package is included with each call shipped to the committee. It is the responsibility of each winner to register using the materials provided. Raffle is managed through state office. 6. Winner will be drawn at the MnDU 2011 State Convention in February Putting the finishing touches on the trailer. Back of the completed trailer.

6 Page 6 Summer/Fall 2011 Northern Minnesota DU Living Lakes Initiative Projects Ducks Unlimited Living Lakes Initiative projects in northern Minnesota are primarily on wild rice lakes. The work usually involves removing beaver dams, trapping beavers, cleaning vegetation out of outlet channels, and removing chunks of cattail bog to allow the lakes to drain down in the spring, which enhances wild rice growth. Thicker stands of wild rice provides habitat for myriad of aquatic invertebrates consumed by ducks such as amphipods or freshwater shrimp and provides cover for ducks for brood and migration habitat. DU manages, in cooperation with the Minnesota DNR, over 100 wild rice lakes in central and northern Minnesota. Three of these lakes were visited this summer, in August, to see how the successful the projects are in producing wild rice this year. Ring-necked ducks love wild rice lakes. Duck Lake in Crow Wing county is a shallow 310-arce lake on a State WMA that had been drained with a large ditch early in the 1920s. In the early 1960s, the DNR constructed a water control structure to refill the lake and that it did. The water levels, however, became too high and wild rice growth was almost nonexistent. In 1983, the boards were removed from the control structure and the sheet pile weir was modified to set the crest at a lower level. The wild rice returned, but the outlet continued to provide problems. Last year, DU pulled out the weir and installed a more natural outlet that is wider and lined with rocks. The outlet permits fish passage and the rock protects the channel from erosion, but still allows the lake to drain. Even with the wet summer, wild rice growth was excellent and hunting conditions should be good. The newly restored outlet to Duck Lake. August 7, 2011 photo of wild rice growth on Duck Lake.

7 Summer/Fall 2011 Page 7 Northern Minnesota DU Living Lakes Projects Continued Laura Lake in Cass County was a historic wild rice lake, but in the 1980s and 1990s the outlet had become restricted by a beaver dam. The resulting high water levels resulted in chunks of floating bog moving around the lake and further plugging the outlet. The result was limited wild rice, consisting of a fringe of rice along the north edge and south bay. In 2007 and 2008, DU, DNR staff, and local contractors tackled, literally, clearing the outlet using block and tackle, a 4 X 4 truck, and a tracked excavator to pull pieces of bog out of the outlet. Using a snatch block, pulley, and 650 feet of cable, the bog was pulled to a road, where the outlet creek flowed under, by driving the truck down the road. The excavator then used its shovel to reach out, grab the bog chunks, and load them in a dump truck. The cost effective work resulted in a cleared channel that allows the lake to drain down and wild rice to flourish. On August 7th this year, the lake was toured by the editor, who found extensive beds of wild rice across the entire lake, with thick beds in northern and central parts of the lake. A large 1/2 mile across wild rice bed on Laura Lake (Aug. 7, 2011). Laura Lake Outlet Before and After Fall 2008 Cleanout Work (Photos courtesy of DNR) Big Rice Lake near Remer is another DU Living Lakes Initiative Project in Cass County. The outlet was cleaned using a cookie cutter to remove bog to the Willow River in 2004 and an old beaver dam was removed with a small traxcavator in Wild rice has returned to Big Rice with a vengeance resulting in wild rice densities comparable to historic amounts. The result has been much improved hunting opportunities. The Big Rice Lake project was dedicated to the late Tommy Williams. He was a well-known Georgia philanthropist and duck hunter with a real affinity for ring-necked ducks. The dedication cairn seen to the right is at the east side public access. The generosity of Tommy and his friends continue to benefit wild rice habitat favored by ringnecks to this day. Even with the wet spring and summer, the wild rice crop, and other emergents, on Big Rice look fantastic this year, with rice covering 75 percent of the lake. Jon Schneider, DU s Minnesota Conservation Programs Manager, says a big thank you goes to the hard working volunteers for a making these projects possible. August 7, 2011 photo of wild rice growth (rice is light green) on Big Rice Lake.

8 Page 8 Summer/Fall 2011 PROJECT HALL OF FAME ELM LAKE RESTORATION The project sign at the water control structure. Ducks Unlimited has been doing projects in Minnesota since There are literally hundreds of DU projects scattered around Minnesota. In fact, many of the water control structures on Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) and State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) were designed and build as Ducks Unlimited projects. This column is a regular feature devoted to describing some of these older projects. The Elm Lake Restoration project was a large project, restoring 2,553 acres of wetland in Marshall County. The project was completed in December 1990 at a cost of almost $2 million, through DU s new, at the time, U.S. Habitat Program. The Elm Lake Restoration consisted of a large multi-bay water control structure located on Marshall County Ditch 200, clean out of the several miles of ditch, and construction of two box culvert bridges. Working in the peat common in the area made this project a considerable challenge. The project was the largest and most expensive project in the delivered by DU in the U.S. at the time. A portion of the lake is on the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and the southern portion is on the Elm Lake State Wildlife Management Area. The project was visited in mid May and was being used by several species of ducks, with ring-necked ducks being the most numerous, but gadwalls and bluewinged teal were also common. A pair of ring-necked ducks takes flight from a canal along one of the dikes. Several ringbill pairs were using the lake this past May. The multi-bay outlet control structure located at the west end of the project. The photo is looking east, down the main ditch. On the left is Agassiz NWR and on the right is Elm Lake WMA. The WMA is open to public hunting.

9 Summer/Fall 2011 Page 9 Minnesota Artists Corner Jim Killen A master artist, avid sportsman, and dedicated conservationist, Jim Killen has reaped national and international awards, including being honored three times as "International Artist of the Year" for Ducks Unlimited. Jim merges his passion for the outdoors into every facet of his life. He spends hours with his camera recording the beauty and serenity of the great outdoors with his own sporting dogs by his side. "I feel a closeness to dogs... I have hunted with some great dogs and painted them as well... I know the dedication that exists between an owner and their dog." The distinctive style and quality of Jim`s original paintings, along with his wealth of knowledge and experience makes for an extraordinary combination. His art has generated millions of dollars for numerous conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited International, Pheasants Forever, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. He was also named Southeastern Wildlife Expo "Artist of the Year" in Born and raised in Minnesota, the pheasant fields and prairie potholes inspired him to strive to preserve these gifts of nature for future generations. Jim`s studio overlooks the 160 acres he developed into a wildlife management area focusing on waterfowl, pheasant, wild turkey and deer. A favorite project for Jim is perpetuating the forest and he has planted more than 30,000 trees on his property. Jim Killen has received numerous honors and awards over the years including: South Carolina Duck Stamp - A Four Year Series Featured Artist Pheasants Forever "Pheasant Fest" National Wild Turkey Federation Artist of the Year International Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year New Jersey State Duck Stamp Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award - MN State U., Mankato, MN Georgia Duck Stamp Illinois Duck Stamp - A Five Year Series "Target 2000" National Wild Turkey - A Four Year Series U.S. Art Hall of Fame Inductee Thomas Jefferson Award for Community Service from the American Institute in Washington, DC Kentucky Duck Stamp North Carolina Duck Stamp International Ducks Unlimited International Artist of the Year First of State Illinois Habitat Stamp - A Four Year Series 1991 South Carolina Duck Stamp Idaho Duck Stamp South Carolina Duck Stamp Quail Unlimited Stamp National Wild Turkey Stamp Quail Unlimited Grand Slam Print Southeastern Wildlife Expo Artist of the Year First of State Vermont Duck Stamp A Four Year Series - "The Four Seasons of Vermont" Georgia Duck Stamp Minnesota Pheasant Stamp National Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year North Carolina Duck Stamp Photo and biography courtesy of Wild Wings, LLC - Lake City, Minnesota. Dogs in Action/Great Day is one of Jim s many paintings of hunting dogs. Jim and, his wife, Karen have a tribute project in their name at Lac Qui Parle WMA, built by DU and DNR.

10 Page 10 Summer/Fall 2011 Kliever Family Farm Project Elkhorn, Manitoba Lest we forget, DU also spends millions of dollars in Canada to produce ducks that migrate south through Minnesota. This article highlights such a recent project in Manitoba, Canada. Kliever wetland and ditch plug. Teal pair on new water. The Kliever Family Farm is DU Canada s largest wetland restoration project in Manitoba. The Kliever family s 1,600-acre farm had been a grain operation since the 1970s, but a new way of thinking to do what s right for the land changed the way they farmed, leading to the biggest Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) conservation project in Manitoba. The Klievers had all their land sown down to grass and currently intensively graze all their land custom grazing 500 head of cattle in the summer on 44 paddocks. Their practice of moving the cattle every day and sometimes twice a day rejuvenates the paddocks and the forage that much more. And when cattle don t graze forage to the ground, leaving grass, means the land is being properly managed and is healthier. What eventually changed the family s outlook on conservation and what may have shaped a plan for the future can probably be credited to a Holistic Management course the Klievers took with Don Campbell from Meadow Lake, SK. Holistic Management practices promote healthier and more sustainable landscapes using animals as management tools and fertilizer producers. We thought of it as a win-win, said Kirk Kliever who does most of the management and organization for the family s operation called Kenrae Farms. Once our land was sown to grass, we wanted to plug up the ditches to hold the water instead of it all running away so we can use it. Holistic Management showed us that we can have healthier land by making the cows do all the work for us. Cattle need water and grass, and so do ducks, said Rick Andrews, head of wetland restoration for DUC in Manitoba. I have always said that and this project is the perfect example of how agriculture and the environment can find a common ground and complement each other. DUC supports the important cattle industry. We have programs to help cattle producers like the Klievers remain sustainable in the long term. Sustainability and good stewardship is the key to keep rural families on the farm and we are working hard to ensure there is a viable cattle industry in Manitoba, Andrews said. June 2008 preplug conditions showing dry basins. May 2009 postplug condition showing basins with water. So working with DUC was a natural fit for the Klievers and they completely restored 118 wetland basins with 93 earthen plugs, making it the biggest wetland restoration project in Manitoba. After a bunch of dry years, Kliever said it s good to have the water around. Restoring the wetlands hasn t changed anything the family does because they don t crop the land or put up hay anymore. The Klievers don t worry about driving equipment around the newly restored wetlands. DU Canada s Jamie Maxwell and rancher Kirk Kliever. Since the big wetland restoration project wrapped up, the Klievers started seeing benefits right away. The more diverse the plants and animals, the healthier everything is and we see it more and more. Our restored wetlands add to that. Kliever said. Now that we ve done it, I look at everyone else s fields and wonder why they don t do it themselves. In additional to the large wetland restoration project on the Kliever property, they also signed a Conservation Agreement with DUC, which means they cannot break or drain the land forever, protecting the farm for future generations. Article and photographs courtesy of Ducks Unlimited Canada.

11 Summer/Fall 2011 Page 11 Adam Hoekstra Dedication RAYMOND, MN Friends and family of Adam Hoekstra answered his untimely death in the best way they knew how. They made a lasting gift in the Spicer native s memory for all time. After his death at age 24 in 2009, they launched a fund drive that raised $170,000 for Ducks Unlimited restoration work. There were many who gave $20,000 or more in his memory. The funds are being applied to Ducks Unlimited s Living Lakes Initiative. Its goal is to conserve 400 shallow lakes and large marshes in Minnesota and Iowa in the next 10 years. They will serve as stepping stones for migrating and nesting waterfowl, Tim Roble, Ducks Unlimited state chair elect, told those who gathered at a dedication ceremony on May 7, 2011 for the restoration of Olson Lake. The funds in memory of Adam Hoekstra will be a long-lasting gift, Roble noted, by providing much needed waterfowl habitat for future generations. Deb an Lloyd Hoekstra unveil the cairn at the project dedication in honor of their son, Adam Hoekstra. Teal whizzed overhead and geese kept a cacophony of noise in the background as more than 100 people joined at the lake near Raymond to dedicate the Olson Lake restoration project as well as a cairn in Hoekstra s memory. His enthusiasm and passion for nature is with each and every one of us, said Karen Sorenson, Ducks Unlimited volunteer and sponsor from Albert Lea. Hoekstra, the son of Lloyd and Deb Hoekstra of Spicer, died July 10, He was realizing his dream and serving as a regional director for Ducks Unlimited in southeastern Minnesota when he unexpectedly died of a heart infection. Shortly after his death, friends and family approached Ducks Unlimited about conducting the fund drive. They asked only if they could dedicate a cairn in his memory at a restoration project, according to Adam DeHaan, development director for Ducks Unlimited. It would be hard to find a site more appropriate for the memorial. Chad Sportel, his nephew, said it was also the last place he had the opportunity to hunt with him. The two had chased pheasants on the uplands around the lake. Adam was and continues to be an inspiration to all who had the good fortune of sharing his life Hoekstra was as passionate about grasslands and prairie habitat as he was about waterfowl and shallow waters. At the dedication, Sportel said Hoekstra would be happiest of all to know that this is a place where dads and sons and other family members can hunt together. Hoekstra was a 2004 graduate of New London-Spicer High School who loved to hunt. He became especially passionate about the work of Ducks Unlimited while he was earning a bachelor s degree and double majors in communications and public relations at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D. He organized a Ducks Unlimited chapter and devoted long hours to raising funds for other chapters in the area while attending college, according to his mother, Deb. Adam Hoekstra Olson Lake Project Donors. He married Alyssa Wilson in October 2008 and the couple moved to Farmington when Hoekstra was chosen from among more than 100 candidates for the regional director position in southeastern Minnesota. While there is no undoing the hurt that Adam Hoekstra s loss means to them, his father, Lloyd, said that he and Adam s mother and other family members left the ceremony feeling very good about what was done. Adam would have been happy, he said. Article courtesy of West Central Tribune (for video go to

12 Page 12 Summer/Fall 2011 DU Supporters Preview Vintage Duck Boat Exhibit The Vikingland DU Sponsors were the first to preview the duck boat exhibit at the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum in Alexandria, Minnesota at their annual fundraising event May 4, A special feature of the exhibit is a Ducks Unlimited display celebrating the waterfowl hunting tradition of Minnesota and the Living Lakes conservation initiative that works to bring health back to compromised shallow lakes in Iowa and Minnesota. Featured speakers at the event were museum volunteer Terry Niedenfuer and DU regional director, Terry Kostinec. Additionally, six major donors were recognized for completing gifts. Area Chairman, Richard Hardine, commented on the evening saying, The museum has done a remarkable job creating this exhibit. Ducks Unlimited is honored to be included and thanks the museum for graciously hosting this event. If you are traveling through Minnesota this summer, please stop by. A new original oil painting by acclaimed artist John House has been created to commemorate the exhibit. An historic collection of decoys assembled by the Minnesota Decoy Collectors Foundation is also featured along with decoys carved by Minnesota carvers. A notable collection of hunting photos from the Oxley Collection ties everything together. The exhibit is scheduled to run from May through mid- October The address is rd Ave West, Alexandria, MN. Their web-site can be found at: DU major donors Brad Gruss and Tom Soderman admire an old duck boat. If you are in the Alexandria area, make sure to stop in this fall to view the vintage duckboats, decoys, and photographs. Tom and Linda Akenson receive a Diamond Life plaque from State Campaign Chairs, Russ and Deanna Klint.

13 Summer/Fall 2011 Page 13 Area Chairs - Please Exhibit The Poster And Actively Market This Raffle At Your Events

14 You are Ducks Unlimited MINNESOTA DUCKS UNLIMITED 6101 Kaymar Drive Edina, MN Phone: Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres, thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. ducks.org For articles and inserts please send to Editor: Brian Ross Memorywood Drive Baxter, MN Phone: bross@mnducksvolunteer.org Water, water everywhere this is a photograph of the Moose Jaw River in southern Saskatchewan from this spring. The flooding produced tremendous problems in the prairies of Canada and the northern U.S., but the spring runoff also filled all the wetland basins, some of which had been dry for years. The conditions will likely produce record duck production from these areas to the benefit of Minnesota waterfowl hunters. Photo Credit USFWS website. Northern MN DU Calendar Raffle The 2012 DU Calendar 104 Gun Raffle is underway. $40 per Calendar! 2012 Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Calendar Tentative number of calendars better odds to win than guns per week for the whole year...same great price but twice the guns! YOUR CONTACT INFO WILL BE GIVEN TO THE LOCAL VOLUNTEER CHAPTER IN YOUR AREA AND YOU WILL BE CONTACTED BY THEM TO RECEIVE YOUR CALENDAR. PLEASE BE SURE TO RESPOND QUICKLY AT THAT TIME...CALENDARS CANNOT BE HELD FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. Go to: to order yours.