PAYING BIG REWARDS SMITH LAKE PROJECT

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1 Winter 2013 Special points of interest: Minnesota DU at Game Fair Smith Lake Hunting Reports Gun Calendar Raffle Roseau River WMA Project PAYING BIG REWARDS SMITH LAKE PROJECT Waterfowl fill a bay near the public access on Smith Lake during the fall of Vegetation flourishes where none was present before State Convention Information Inside this issue: Chairman s Chatter 2013 State Conservation Report MN DU at Game Fair Smith Lake Project Minnesota DU Calendar Raffle Project Hall of Fame Minnesota Artist s Corner State Convention Information Summer 2012 Google Maps aerial image of Smith Lake look at all of that submerged vegetation! More about Smith Lake and its hunting opportunities on Page 6

2 Page 2 Winter 2013 State Chairman s Chatter Hi all and Happy New Year! I trust that you had a wonderful holiday and were able to catch up with family and friends. It was an exciting time around our house as I had my grandchildren home for 10 days. It took every ounce of energy for my wife and I to keep up with a 28-month-old and a 2- month-old (both Legacy Greenwings, by the way ), but we made it and it was a true joy. 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 Speaking of challenges, over the past 3 years MN DU has made good strides rebuilding our fundraising machine which was crippled by the poor economy. While we have a ways to go, we are on track to reach the goals we set for We still have opportunities, however, and room to improve our organization. Those opportunities lie in the area of recruitment of new members and volunteers. Nationally, DU Inc. has hit their membership goals, but here in Minnesota we are slightly behind our planning projections. With slightly less than 40,000 members, we are only capturing half of those who purchased a Minnesota waterfowl stamp in I would like you to make a New Year s resolution to help MN DU recruit one more member, and if you re a volunteer, find another volunteer. If only half of you are successful, we would see a 50% increase by the end of 2013, which will pull us ahead of plan. Give it some thought and see who you might reach out to. We have wonderful things happening in our state organization, but we still need to raise the first dollar. With a stronger membership and volunteer base, we can expand our influence positively on the landscape and in the number of waterfowl in Minnesota. As I write this letter, I m down to less than 30 days as MN DU s State Committee Chair. I am passing the torch to Tim Roble on Feb 10 th at the 2013 Minnesota DU State Convention. I hope you plan to attend so you can give Tim a huge MN DU welcome. Our state convention runs from February 8-10, at Cragun s Resort on Gull Lake, near Brainerd. We are expecting DU Inc. CEO Dale Hall to be in attendance. Also expected this year are DU Great Lakes Area/Atlantic Region Director Becky Humphries, and former DU biologist, Tom Landwehr, now Commissioner of the Minnesota DNR. See the convention flyer later in this newsletter. As you can see, it s stacking up to be an exciting convention. I sure hope you can join in the fun. Register by going online at: Hope to see you there! State Convention Chairs Myron and Kathy Stevens Garrison, MN cntycare@brainerd.net State Major Gift Chair Russ Klint Benson, MN olcoot@metrolakes.com

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4 Page 4 Winter 2013 MN DU s tent anchored Waterfowlers Hill Minnesota DU at Game Fair By Special Events Chair, Scott Schmidt Game Fair 2012 is the last of the year s special events for MN DU and one of the biggest. The Fair is six days long, spread out over two weekends. It is an outdoor event held on 80 acres at the Armstrong Ranch Kennels by Anoka. Some of the activities available are archery and shooting contests, dog events and the Duck and Goose calling Championships. Each year over 50,000 visitors attend Game Fair to experience over 270 exhibitors and catch a glimpse of the latest and greatest outdoor products and services. This was Game Fair s 31 st year and it is still going strong. Minnesota Ducks Unlimited played a significant role as a partner in Game Fair this past year. We were the main focal point on Waterfowlers Hill occupying over 1,200 square feet of space. Forty-two volunteers spent 273 hours staffing the DU tent over the six days of the fair. Volunteers and DU staff had the opportunity to answer questions about what DU is doing in MN to recruit new volunteers and renew memberships, which is where we wanted to focus much of our time and energy. MN DU tent ready to go before the crowds show up There seemed to be no better place than Game Fair for Ducks Unlimited, which is celebrating its 75 th Anniversary, to show off and display the many 75 th Anniversary items along with various specialty prints from artists like Les Kouba, Jim Hansel and Terry Redlin. These items were either on silent auction or part of the SBA program that was set up at the fair. One of the biggest things that helped at this year s event was the 2013 MN DU Calendar Raffle. This was a great ice breaker for the volunteers when interacting with the public. Once people heard about the one gun a day for the entire year, it really got their attention. It was a pretty easy sell, considering we sold 174 calendars in just six days! A big highlight at the DU Tent this year was the Beretta Extrema Shotgun Raffle. For $5, you had a chance to get 1, 2 or 3 tickets depending on how your The Best Spot on Waterfowlers Hill SBA items ready to go

5 Winter 2013 Page 5 Minnesota DU at Game Fair (continued) Plinko ball bounced. The game was a great attention getter and a great money maker for the ducks, especially when Game Fair donated the gun! Thank you, Chuck Delaney! Another highlight for DU was being part of the Duck and Goose Calling Contests. The contests were part of the second-weekend activities and spanned two days. Each contest had 4 divisions (women division, open division, youth division, and the 2-man division). There was quite the showing with over 80 participants competing, with a total of $10,000 given away in prize money. We had callers from all over the United States including Maryland, Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, California, and all the Midwest States. It was a huge success and we will be back with an even bigger, better event in 2013! We want to rival the world championships in Maryland and Arkansas, said Brandon Crowley, Championships Coordinator. Game Fair in full swing with State Chair Dave Flink manning his station MN DU benefited in several ways. First, by being part of the Calling Contests we were able to promote MN DU by and formulating a strategy to take MN DU into the future with gusto displaying our DU logo and banners, showing the partnership between MN DU and Game Fair s Championship Calling Contest. Secondly, we also were able to address those in attendance and say a few words about what DU is doing in Minnesota and direct them to the DU booth for more information. But the biggest reason, Game Fair donated all the entry fee money from the Calling Contests to MN DU which totaled over $ ! This looks like it Game Fair is the start of a long and successful partnership. All in all, Game Fair was very successful. In short, we accomplished what we set out to do. Of course, we made some money for the ducks, but our main focus was to promote MN DU by showing people what we are doing here at home in Minnesota. We also wanted to take this opportunity to get more outdoorsmen and women to join in our conservation efforts, ether by becoming a member and or a volunteer. There are not many places were we have a chance to display our wetland conservation efforts to so many people in one location. At Game Fair we are fortunate to reach Goose calling championship the group of people that we are trying to target. A special thanks goes out to all the MN DU volunteers and staff who helped out with Game Fair Whether you helped with setup, staffed a shift or just pitched in wherever you were needed, it is very much appreciated! Putting on these special events is very much a TEAM effort and it just goes to show how dedicated our volunteers are when the call goes out to make things happen and get things done! Join us in 2013 at Game Fair on the dates listed below. generously donated $3,000 from the 2012 calling championships to MN DU! Game Fair is family oriented, with plenty of things to see and do with the kids.

6 Page 6 Winter 2013 Paying Big Rewards Smith Lake Project The Project: Smith Lake is a 330-acre shallow wildlife lake located near Howard Lake in Wright County. The maximum water depth in Smith Lake is 5.8 feet, and the average water depth is about 4 feet. Traditionally, Smith Lake provided excellent foraging habitat for migrating and broodrearing waterfowl. In particular, it attracted large numbers of diving ducks during both spring and fall migrations. Wild rice was also found on Smith Lake historically. In recent years, waterfowl habitat and water quality declined. Food resources such as aquatic vegetation and invertebrates had been lacking prior to draw down, and chlorophyll and phosphorous levels indicated Smith Lake was impaired by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency standards. In 2005, Ducks Unlimited worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to design and install a high-velocity fish barrier downstream of Smith Lake. The fish barrier is effective, but due to moderate winters and high water, invasive fish such as carp and bullhead continued to flourish in Smith Lake, which continued to cause poor water quality and degraded wildlife habitat in the lake. Therefore, DU designed a water control draw-down structure for Smith Lake. In May 2009, the Minnesota DNR legally designated Smith Lake as one of only 47 Wildlife Management Lakes in the state. This designation allows the DNR to temporarily lower water levels to rejuvenate the aquatic ecology of the lake. The DNR also restricted outboard motor use on the lake to limit bird disturbance. Signage at Smith Lake, a designated wildlife lake. The lake was immediately drawn down, and by spring 2011, it was a few feet lower. Increased waterfowl use began immediately as well, with hundreds of diving ducks mainly canvasbacks and lesser scaup using the lake during spring migration (see photo below). In late fall 2010, DU installed the water control structure at the outlet of Smith Lake. The structure includes an outlet pipe dug out in the lake to allow water to flow out and the lake to drain down. Excavation of the Smith Lake outlet (Photo courtesy of DNR Wildlife) The drawdown continued through the summer of 2011, with the water levels down three to four feet by mid-summer. The photograph to the right shows the lake in drawdown during June Vegetation started to sprout on the mudflats by the middle of July. The lake remained low until thes pring of 2012, when control boards were installed to raise the water level.

7 Winter 2013 Page 7 Paying Big Rewards Smith Lake Project (continued) The Results: The vegetation response has been nothing short of fabulous. Thick stands of softstem bulrush developed around the shore of the lake, with a band of cattails ringing the open water. The bays filled with emergent vegetation, and as the water has been brought up, the emergents stand in 6 to 12 inches of water perfect habitat to hide broods of ducks and other wildlife. Clumps of bulrush and massive amounts of submerged vegetation have developed in the open-water portions of the lake (see the 2012 aerial photo below). The water quality response has also been fabulous. DNR staff indicate the water is gin-clear with thousands of daphnia, small, planktonic crustaceans that ducks love to eat (see DNR photo of canoe paddle below). Without the carp and bullheads, the turbidity has disappeared and water quality is greatly improved. Waterfowl use has increased a hundred fold. In late May of last Photos above and to left provided by DNR Wildlife. July 2009 aerial showing the pea-green, turbid, highwater condition of the lake prior to drawdown year, DNR staff reported lots of northern shovelers, blue-winged teal, mallards, and wood ducks using the lake, particularly the flooded bulrushes. They also had 42 trumpeter swans curiously watching them. September 23, 2012 aerial, showing the abundant submerged vegetation that sprouted in the lake bottom

8 Page 8 Winter 2013 Paying Big Rewards Smith Lake Project (continued) The Rewards: The rewards were the large number of ducks and hunters using the lake in fall Scott Schmidt, MNDU Special Events Chair from Howard Lake, reported 11 rigs at the landing for the youth opener. He also reported the lake was heavily used by mallards and Canada geese late in the season and he saw 100 swans present at one time in late fall. Ben Van Gundy DU Land Protection Specialist (MN). DNR Area Wildlife Manager, Fred Bengtson, interviewed Lee Bren from Howard Lake about his hunting experience. Lee said, It was the best hunting I ve seen in 19 years. Lee hunted Smith Lake about 15 times and indicated the mallard hunting got better and better as the season progressed. Towards the end of October, just before deer season, he said there were numerous flocks of redheads and some canvasbacks using the lake. Lee said he talked to a high school lad, who drove over from Cambridge because he had heard there might be some divers Some of the thousands of coots and other waterfowl using Smith around on the lake. The boy had a good shoot and was really Lake in mid-october (photo from the Minnesota Star Tribune). excited about his first canvasback he took on the lake. Lee said one day he noticed a group of hunters that had come over from Wisconsin. Lee said the coots stayed until ice was forming on the lake. Just imagine if DU could restore 1,000 shallow lakes in Minnesota to the condition of Smith Lake would we ever have the ducks!! Just imagine if DU could restore 1,000 shallow lakes in Minnesota to a condition like Smith Lake! The Partners: In addition to Ducks Unlimited dollars, funding for the Smith Lake project was provided by a grant from the Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard- Sams Outdoor Heritage Council made possible by the Legacy Amendment, the Howard Lake Sportsmens Club, the McKnight Foundation, and Flint Hills Resources. The project could not have been completed with out the help of the Minnesota DNR; Dennis Larson, a landowner who allowed the outlet easement; and Dan Nyquist, another supportive landowner on the lake.

9 Winter 2013 Page 9 MN DU Calendar Raffle The MN DU Calendar raffle is Minnesota Ducks Unlimited s largest gun raffle ever and the largest DU raffle in the country! For $50.00, each entrant gets a beautiful calendar with incredible photographs of waterfowl taken by DU members. They also get a DU membership and a chance to win 365 guns, as their ticket goes back into the barrel if drawn. The calendar raffle has a gun given away each day of the year. The MN DU Calendar Raffle is the brainchild of Scott Anderson, northern Minnesota s Regional Director. He started with a northern Minnesota calendar raffle that gave away one gun a week in 2011 and two guns a week in It has grown to a raffle in which all Minnesota regions participate. The calendar raffle has a gun given away every day of MN DU calendar sales began last August when the calendars came back from the printers. Each committee in the state was given calendars to sell and they successfully sold 9,800 calendars in all. On Saturday, December 29, 2012, the MN DU Calendar Raffle team gathered at the VFW in Garrison to draw the winners for each day of the raffle. The team has Flat Scottie (a full-size cardboard caricature of RD Scott Anderson) looks on as State Chair Elect, Tim Roble, pulls the tickets. The real Scottie gives instructions to the MN DU Calendar Raffle team made up of volunteers from each region. Learn more: The Central Region volunteers were Brant Duhn (right) of the McLeod County Chapter, here taking a break for some sustenance, while Scott Christensen of the Meeker County Chapter looks on. representatives from each Minnesota DU region, including the region s RD. Each region was needed due to the size of the raffle. The winners are posted daily on the MN DU Calendar Raffle webpage. Reeds handles registration and supplies the firearms. The calendar raffle is MN DU s largest raffle ever!

10 Page 10 Winter 2013 PROJECT HALL OF FAME ROSEAU RIVER WMA One of the water control structures at Roseau River WMA 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 built as Ducks Unlimited projects. This column is a regular feature devoted to describing some of these older projects. The Roseau River WMA project was one of Ducks Unlimited s earliest projects in Minnesota. Work was started in 1985 as part of DU s U.S. Habitat program. Roseau River WMA is located north of Roseau, along the Canadian border and is managed by the MNDNR. In the fall of 1985, DU contracted to completed channel excavation work and dike improvements. The next year, water control structures were designed. In 1987, two outlet control structures were installed on two of the WMA pools. One was a 115 cubic-yard, concrete drop-box, inlet structure with a 60 diameter corrugated-steel pipe. The other was a 73 diameter full-round, riser drop inlet with 48 inlet/outlet pipes. DU also did some additional structure and dike repair work. In all, DU spent $450,000 back then, which equates to over a million dollars in today s world. The WMA was visited on a cloudy, rainy day last October. The heavy overcast made for poor photograph lighting, but the value of the area to ducks was evident. The DU project sign (left) is displayed at the main information kiosk for the sanctuary portion of the WMA. There are 11,800 acres of pools on the Roseau River WMA. This photograph shows the west end of Pool 1 West, which stretches nearly two miles to the east with a mix of open water, bays, and emergent vegetation.

11 Winter 2013 Page 11 Minnesota Artists Corner John Aldrich John is a Minnesota native who has been intrigued with drawing since the first grade. Growing up, his family had numerous pets, and that is where John started drawing domestic animals. He has earned a Commercial Art Certificate from MTI and a B.S. degree in Art Education from Winona State University. In John s paintings, you will notice how he creates an interesting play of light and shadow. According to John, It is most important to capture the affection that is felt for dogs and cats and the way they enrich our lives with humor and companionship. John s paintings are known for their realism; they look so detailed and sharp that they could easily be mistaken for a photograph. Many of his paintings recreate moments we have all had with our pets, including some comical ones. His love for animals really shows though in his art. Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers are often the subject of his paintings. He has them retrieving, sleeping, swimming, running, playing, and even dressed as a pirate for Halloween. Many of John s paintings are of retriever puppies, relaxing or learning the ways of the world. Understandably, it is prints of these puppy paintings that find their way to DU fundraising events. A few examples are shown here. Look for others at your local DU banquet. Artwork and biography courtesy of John Aldrich and Wild Wings, LLC - Lake City, Minnesota This painting, titled Rookie, was in the DU National Art Package. Coy and Decoy was in the DU National Art Package. John says of this painting titled, Three Hour Cruise, (available as a framed canvas), I was attracted to the comical, slightly chaotic feel to this scene. The pup looks so serious next to his off-kilter companion.

12 Minnesota Ducks Unlimited 2013 State Convention February 8,9, Cragun s on Gull Lake Fun entertainment all weekend for the whole family Friday : DU Family Reunion Raffles, Games and Fun Uff Da Style Meet up with old and new Friends Live Band October Son Saturday: Greenwing Duck Camp Fun activities for kids of all ages New Greenwing Zone with new and fun things to do. Decoy painting, and special activities are included. Ducks Unlimited committee awards presentation Volunteer workshops and conservation updates MNDU Annual Banquet (Live & Silent Auction, Whiz Bang Raffle) Karaoke by: KWJ Entertainment after the banquet Sunday: Convention closing remarks, Induction of new officers & Greenwing parade We are celebrating the best volunteers in the world Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Volunteers Join the fun More vendors - New raffles - Meet new friends - Learn more about DU - Win Prizes Decoy Trailer Giveaway The Blind Always a Good Time Chevy Truck Giveaway

13 2013 MN Ducks Unlimited State Convention Register Today Limited to 500 Adult 1: Adult 2: Address: Come join us at Cragun s on Gull Lake February 8-10, 2013 It s for everyone, not just volunteers! Friday 12:00 State Council Meeting 3:00 to 7:00 Registration Desk Open 4:00 to 6:00 Hospitality Room Open 6:00 to 9:30 Blind Ticket Bar Open 6:00 to 9:30 Party Begins with fun and games 7:00 to 8:00 Party Buffet 9:30 to 1:00 Hospitality Room, live band October Son Saturday 8:30 Registration Desk Open 8:30 to 9:30 Bloody Mary Ticket Bar Open 8:30 to 9:30 Breakfast Buffet 10:00 to 1:00 Greenwing Duck Camp Begins!! 10:00 to 12:00 Volunteer Recognition and Awards 12:30 to 1:30 Lunch 1:30 to 3:30 DU Workshops 4:00 to 6:00 Major Donor Reception Opens 4:00 to 6:30 Hospitality Room Open and Raffles 5:00 to 10:00 Greenwing Dinner and Movie Party 6:15 to 9:45** Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Annual Banquet ** to 1:00 Hospitality Room, DJ KWJ Entertainment Sunday 8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Closing Remarks 9:30 Greenwing Project Duck Way! 10:00 Convention Video and Adjourn Hotel Information: Cragun s Resort & Hotel on Gull Lake or Don t forget you must mention you are with Ducks Unlimited Room availability is not guaranteed after January 10, 2013 Questions? Call Stevie at or mndu@mtn.org Online Registration: City: State: Zip: Phone Number: Greenwing 1: DOB: / / Greenwing 2: DOB: / / Whiz-Bang Raffle Packages with Guns, Prints, Decoys and Much More Registration Fee (circle above) Whiz-Bang Raffle Package (enter # above) $ $ Single Whiz-Bang Sheets Qty x $20 $ Total Make checks payable to Ducks Unlimited or $ Charge: VISA MC AMEX DISC (circle one) Acct # Signature Price by 1/27/2013 Mail to: Ruth Hoefs th Street Le Center, MN Price after 1/27/2013 Adult Weekend (Fri-Sun) $99 $119 Adult Saturday Only (Sat-Sun) $79 $99 Greenwing Weekend (Age 4+) $50 $50 Greenwing Saturday (Sat-Sun) $40 $40 Wood Duck Package 3 Whiz-Bang Sheets (save $10) $50 Pintail Package 7 Whiz-Bang Sheets (save $40) $100 Number of Raffle Packs Exp Date /

14 You are Ducks Unlimited MINNESOTA DUCKS UNLIMITED 6101 Kaymar Drive Edina, MN Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 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. Phone: mndu@mtn.org ducks.org For articles and inserts please send to Editor: Brian Ross Memorywood Drive Baxter, MN Phone: bross@mnducksvolunteer.org This cartoon was created by a youth waterfowler, Kerri, who hunted with DU volunteer Bob Sorenson as a mentor. As you can surmise, Bob had a little problem with his phone in the marsh. Bob ed his DU volunteer cohorts a few days later asking for their phone numbers; his phone did not survive the dunking. Bob, however, is not to be deterred from mentoring, as he stated, I m hooked on his interest in helping youth waterfowlers.