Cooperation and support from these groups with the DNR is the first step to ensure improved fishing on Lake Vermilion. The SCLV urges everyone to express their opinions/ideas/concerns either to the DNR (contact Joe Geis -- 218-753-2580 ext. 222 or e-mail joe.geis@dnr.state.mn.us or any board member (see back page of newsletter).
Protection of our beautiful lake's bounty now means a great fishing experience for our children's children.
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REPORT MISSING HAZARD BUOYS
We are very fortunate Lake Vermilion is one of the few lakes in St. Louis County which is provided with hazard and channel marker buoys. The white hazard buoys not only mark hazards to navigation, they each have identifying numbers on them which correspond to a readily available navigation map.
While these buoys are accurately placed in the spring, they can often be moved by wave action or lost due to storms or boaters tying up to them and accidentally moving them into deeper water. If you are familiar with the location of a hazard buoy and observe that it is missing, has moved from its proper location or has washed up on shore, it is important you report it immediately!
According to St. Louis County officials, who administer the buoying program, the most effective way to do this is to CALL 9-1-1. Report it as a non-emergency and describe the location and number of the lost buoy. They will then notify the buoy contractor on Lake Vermilion who is obligated to correct the problem within 24 hours.
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Dam Project On Hold
We have reported in the past that there is a need to make some repairs on the Lake Vermilion Dam. There was $50,000 in the 2004 proposed omnibus budget for filling the voids in the dam. Because the Legislature and governor did not agree on the spending budget, this bill did not pass. The Sportsmen's Club knows that this is a serious issue and wil be working with area legislators next year.
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City Fish, Country Fish - What Makes Good Fish Habitat?
By: Cindy Hagley, Great Lakes Enviromnental Quality Educator, University of Minnesota Sea Grant
Some of us prefer country living, with its lack of crowding, clean air and water, and wide-open spaces. Because in the country people are sparsely distributed, we tend to have to drive much farther to obtain the services we need. Others of us prefer the city, where high rise buildings make it possible for large numbers of people to congregate in relatively small spaces. In the "more productive" environment of the city, services are also concentrated in a small area and can be more easily obtained nearer to our homes. These services include shelter, food, water, medical care, security, and other basic human needs.
Fish are not so very different from us in terms of their basic needs, and, just like us, the number and variety of fish that occur in a particular lake are determined by the availability of essential "services." In the case of fish, these include places to spawn and rear young fish, places for adults to feed, fish migration habitat, and vegetative cover for protection from predators.
What can you do to encourage good habitat conditions for fish in your lake? One of the most important habitat requirements for fish is aquatic vegetation. The following excerpt from Through the Looking Glass says it well:
"Any angler knows how important plants are to fish. Habitat created by aquatic plants provides food and shelter for both young and adult fish. Invertebrates living on or beneath plants are a primary food source. Some fish, particularly bluegills, also graze directly on leaves and stems."
"Predatory fish cruise the shadowy plant beds in search of prey. The structure and density of the plant beds can determine whether predators will be well-fed or go hungry. Too few plants can limit the number of prey fish; plant growth that's too dense can fence predators out."
Through the Looking Glass... A Field Guide to Aquatic Plants
Susan Borman, Robert Korth and Jo Temte
1997, 248 pp. http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/0519.htm
Just as in a city, where poor management can result in pollution, overloaded services, and a reduced quality of life, lakes receiving high concentrations of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) from their watersheds can shift from being able to support high and diverse fish populations to a less stable, less diverse system. Excess nutrients can lead to the elimination of sensitive species, which are less able to cope with the adverse conditions that result from a lake becoming overly productive, or "eutrophic." Long-lived species that reproduce slowly and require extended periods of stable conditions are most negatively affected in unstable, eutrophic lakes. Often, as lakes become more eutrophic, populations of the top predator species that we enjoy catching, such as walleyes, are reduced, and smaller less desirable species of fish increase.
Just as we work hard in our cities to develop effective comprehensive plans that will ensure a high quality of life in the future, we should work together to plan a healthy future for our lakes. Two of the most important steps we can take to ensure healthy fish populations are to maintain a healthy aquatic plant population and control nutrient inputs from the watershed.
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Telecommunications on Lake Vermilion
By Tom Morrow
Sometimes one of Lake Vermilion's great charms is that it's "off the beaten path." It's nice to know that your neighbors will help you out if you're in a jam, and that you won't hear someone's car alarm going off in the middle of the night. But there's a price to be paid for our "splendid isolation," and part of that price is dealing with some pretty backward technology. Celi phones and access to the Internet may not strike your friends in Minneapolis, or even Virginia, as cutting edge technology, but around here you can't take them for granted.
Whether or not this is a big deal depends on a lot of things. If you're a resort owner trying to attract people who need to keep in touch with their offices, it can be a major issue. I always chuckle when one of our house guests plans to use a cell phone to keep in touch with their home or office. When I tell them to give it a try, and the phone never gets beyond "Searching for Signal," they can't believe an area with dozens of resorts and several thousand homes has such limited service. One local resort developed a plan to bring in corporate conferences during the fall, filling time between summer and deer season with people who could work together in a quiet setting. Resorts all over Minnesota thrive on business like this. Unfortunately, the plan ran aground when potential customers found out that their cell phones would be virtually unusable, and their connections to the Internet would be too slow to allow access to information they would take for granted at home.
Likewise, more and more businesses are expected to use high speed Internet connections to communicate with suppliers, banks and others. Even ordinary residents find that something as simple as updating software can be a major problem on the slow phone connections that are common around the lake. One man who's in a position to see the problem from the perspective of both businesses and ordinary consumers is Sonny Flack, who owns Sonny's Eiectronics in Cook. He's been in the business for more than 20 years, and has watched the situation evolve. When high speed Internet access was reserved for the privileged few, no one, whether a visitor or a permanent resident, gave it a second thought. Now that all businesses and just about every home in other areas have access to high speed Internet connections, expectations have changed. More and more of Sonny's customers, especially businesses and resorts, say that they have to find a way out of the slow-speed connections. One resort owner told Sonny that he'd had guests say, "I love it here, but if you don't have decent Internet access by next year, I'll have to find a different place to stay."
Customers in Cook can get high speed Internet access using a fixed wireless service offered by Access Wireless Broadband, a Virginia company that installed a wireless transmitter on the Cook water tower. Jim Nyhus, who runs Access Wireless Broadband, hopes to expand his service to areas around Lake Vermilion as quickly as he can install equipment. While the service isn't as fast as the full-scale DSL offered by most telephone companies, or cable modems, it is a huge improvement over the best that's currently available, and reasonably priced. Successful deployment of Access Wireless Broadband's service would be a major step toward solving Internet access problems faced by residents and businesses around the lake.
Both Sonny Flack and Jim Nyhus know King Rogers, President of KRI, a local consulting firm, because they've done their best to help him solve communications problems. Rogers travels all over the U.S., and occasionally outside it, consulting with businesses on issues ranging from asset protection to terrorism. He expected to be able to work from home much more than he does, but found that he needed an office in Cook and more travel to offset the limited communications resources available. Rogers commented that while he once picked hotels based on criteria like price and location, his first question now is, "Do you have high-speed Internet access?"
What about surfing the Internet the same way many Vermilion residents get their TV, by putting in a satellite dish? DirecTV and Dish Network both advertise an Internet service that operates at high speeds and requires "only a clear view of the southern sky." Rick Pearson, owner of Eagle One Productions and LakeVermilion.Com says it's not quite as good as it sounds. "First of all, at 80 bucks a month plus several hundred dollars for the equipment, it's a very pricey way to speed up your connection. Then there's the fact that while it's fast on downloads, like receiving pictures or downloading an update to your software, it's no faster than a phone connection on uploads. So if you're sending pictures to your kids or a big file to a business, you're no better off. On top of that, weather conditions sometimes block the signal, although that's improved somewhat. All in all, it's OK for people who can deal with the price and the drawbacks, but it's not the right solution for most people."
Over the next few years, communications technologies will move very quickly. Every major telephone and long distance company will offer Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), which uses high speed connections and the Internet to make long distance calls at a fraction of the current cost. Cell phone signals will carry much more than simple conversations. Personal organizers, text messaging, digital photos, access to email and dozens of other uses will become commonplace.
These technologies have the potential to be a godsend to rural areas struggling with economic development. Why commute into a big city, or pay for high-priced office space, if people could do the same work from home? Why locate your business in a city, with all the costs that entails, if you could do everything in a small town? But guess what? Without high speed access to the Internet, hot new technologies like VOIP won't be available here. And even small businesses often need to send and receive large amounts of information, making them dependent on a high speed Internet connection. So whether the user is a tourist, a local business, or an ordinary resident, the availability of up-to-date communications technologies is becoming more and more critical to keeping Lake Vermilion a great place to live and work.
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Vermilion selected for 2005 Governor's Fishing Opener
Before Minnesota's 2004 Fishing Opener drew to a close, the announcement was made that Lake Vermilion had been chosen as the site for the 2005 opener. And on June 24th at Bay View Lodge, the first planning meeting was held.
Staff members from the Minnesota Office of Tourism were on hand, along with a room full of representatives from Lake Vermilion governments and organizations plus the DNR and IRR. This initial meeting was devoted to an overview of the four-day event, plus recruiting volunteer staff from those in attendance.
Leadership for the event will be supplied by local volunteers with staff support from St. Paul. Ron Johnson, President of the Lake Vermilion Resort Association, will serve as chairman. Dave Lamwers, Forest Lane Resort, and Chris Ashbach, Elbow Lake Lodge, will be co-vice chairmen. Andy Datko, Fortune Bay Resort, will be fundraising chair, and Mary Somnis, IRR-Tourism, will be the event planner and lodging chairperson.
The Sportsmen's Club has volunteered to chair the committee called "Fishing Hosts/Fishing ContesVFishing Host Dinner." John Zwieg, our club vice president, will lead the effort, along with Tim Campbell, the Northeast Regional Manager of Tourism. Part of our responsibility will be to provide 100 fishing host volunteers, and we will be asking club members for their help. More information and details on the event and our club's participation will be covered in coming issues of our newsletter. Dates for the 2005 Governor's Fishing Opener are May 12 through May 15, and the headquarters will be located at Fortune Bay Resort. Stay tuned.
by Paula Bloczynski
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James Hofmann is our 2004 scholarship recipient
James Hofmann, a 2004 graduate at the Cook School, is this year's rcipient of the Barb Shook Scholarship. At the May 12 meeting of the Sportmen's Club board, members voted unanimously to award the $1000 scholarship to James.
The scholarship is named in honor of Barb Shook, long-time member, key volunteer, board member and officer of the Sportsmen's Club who died in 2002. The award is offered annually to a Cook student who is pursuing a curriculum relating to conservation or the environment.
As a Cook School student, James took post-secondary courses at Mesabi College. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was active in his church youth group. James plans to attend Winona State University in the fall and will study life sciences. In his application he said he hoped to come back the the Cook area after he graduates because he loves small town life, expecially the Cook and Lake Vermilion area.
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Board sells creel census rig
Club member Keith Anderson, West Frazer Bay Road and Minneapolis, was the winning bidder for the boat and motor rig offered for sale by the club this spring. Two bids were received by the board, both higher than the $3500 minimum, and bids were opened at the board's June 9 business meeting.
The boat was a 2002 Lund SSV-16 fishing boat; the motor was a 2002 25-hp. Yamaha 4-stroke. Both were purchased new in 2002 and loaned to DNR-Fisheries in Tower for the creel survey they conducted the past two summers on Vermilion. The boat and motor were returned to the club following the completion of the survey, and the club offered them for sale to members. Bid notices were published in the March and May issues of the vermilion sportsman newsletter.
The club has purchased and loaned a boaVmotor rig to the DNR for their creel survey four times in the past 20 years. Creel surveys are scheduled on Vermilion for two consecutive years out of every six, and the next cycle of creel surveys will be done in 2008-2009. DNR-Fisheries considers the creel surveys an effective method of estimating fisning pressure and fish harvest by conducting a series of boat counts and angler interviews.
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Shoreland Restoration Update
This is the third year after doing our Shoreland Restoration project and the joy of discovering wild flowers coming up in the native garden is still an everyday adventure. I haven't added too many new plants because I want to see what nature will do left alone. So far it is filling in slowly. Of course with our cold spring the plants were really slow. My irises haven't even bloomed yet this spring.
Do you remember the Peanuts comic strip where Lucy was planting sticks in the ground to grow trees? Her reasoning was that if it was wood it would grow into trees and if not into trees at least into kindling. Well, I was busy trying Lucy's method planting dogwood twigs early this spring because they are supposed to sprout and grow roots. One cuts twigs before they bud out and stick them in the ground. About 50% are supposed to survive and grow. I don't know what I did wrong but none of them have taken root so far. I guess I have some kindling for our fire pit, but will try again next spring.
This year's plan was to plant native wild grapes near our deck posts in the native garden. We planted 10 plants obtained from the South St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District in Proctor. They were bare rootstock costing $11 .00 for the 10 plants. I babied them since planting and finally all have sprouted. It will be a race in a couple years to see who gets the grapes firstbirds or me.
This spring I checked Ann Lovejoy's "Organic Design School Book" out of the library. She uses five senses of the garden for designing and one of them is a sense of entry into a garden using arbors. This intrigued me and since Father's Day was coming, I thought what a nice gift for Walt to put together. I know that Walt could build one easily but his "honey do" list is just too long. It really looks great but Walt teased me that I could stop reading gardening books with ideas.
I have been picking flower blossoms by the shoreline to keep them from going to seed. I'm still having a problem area with invasive species, mainly buttercups, daisies and some grasses. So this year I put on some gloves, soaked a washcloth in Roundup(D and washed some of them individually to see if that method really works.
After reading all the articles on what damage lawns and fertilizer can do to lakes, I am glad we now have a native garden on our shoreline. It has increased my awareness of all the beautiful native plants we have and is so much more interesting than grass. On my walks I continually look for new plants.
by - Marcie Moe
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WATER TESTING KITS AVAILABLE
Area residents get their drinking water from a number of sources. Among these are a number of types of wells, springs and Lake Vermilion itself. Many wonder if the water they are drinking is safe and if there is a quick, economical, do-it-yourself test to determine if there are any contaminants in it. Fortunately, such a test is now available. It is called the WATERSAFE ALL-INONE HOME DRINKING WATER TEST. This kit tests for the presence of bacteria, lead, pesticides, nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, pH and hardness.
A young gentleman, who lives on Lake Vermilion with his parents who own Life of Riley Resort, is marketing these professionally produced kits as a fund raising project as part of his Hornaday Project for Boy Scouts. Only six awards in this category are given nationally each year. His name is Josh Gillson and he can be reached at: 218-666-0240 or at jggillson@hotmail.com
The price of the kit is $23.00 which is $7.00 Iess than the suggested retail price of $29.95. He is also offering to conduct the water test for the customer for a price of $40.00. For further technical information on the kit, contact Josh or go to the company web site: www.drinkingwatertestkit.com
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Plant topic of issue: What the heck is an invasive plant?
What is a Native Species? All organisms are native to planet Earth (until further notice) and each species of bacteria, fungi, plant, and animal has a home somewhere on this planet where it has existed and evolved for thousands of years. A native or indigenous species is one that occurs in a particular place without the help of humans. Species native to North America are generally recognized as those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement.
An organism's home, or native range, is determined by a host of influences such as climate, geology, soils, hydrology, biological interactions, and natural dispersal. Creatures are dispersed within their natural ranges by various means including air, water, on animals, and during animal migrations.
What's an Exotic Species?An organism is considered exotic (alien, foreign, non-indigenous, nonnative) when it has been introduced by humans to a location(s) outside its native or natural range. This designation applies to a species introduced from another continent, another ecosystem, and even another habitat within an ecosystem.
For example, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), a tree that is native to the southern Appalachian region and portions of Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, was planted throughout the U.S. for living fences, erosion control, and other uses for many years. Black locust is considered exotic outside its natural native range because it got there by human introduction rather than by natural dispersal. Another example is saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), a wetland plant that is native to eastern North American estuaries. Saltmarsh cordgrass was introduced to western North American shoreline habitats, where it did not occur previously. It has established and become a serious invasive species, displacing native species and adversely impacting wetland communities.
European settlers brought hundreds of plants to North America from their homelands for use as food and medicine, and for ornamental, sentimental, and other purposes. Introductions of exotic plants continue today and are greatly increasing due to a large and ever-expanding human population, increased international travel and trade, and other factors.
Once an Exotic, Always an Exotic! An estimated 3,500 species of exotic plants have escaped cultivation in the U.S., are able to reproduce in the wild, and have become established, or "naturalized". These plants, however much a part of our current landscapes and ecosystems, are nonetheless exotic, since they were moved here by people. For centuries, horticulturists have imported and disseminated interesting new exotic plants. Unfortunately, many of these have become invasive pests that are having serious impacts to native species and ecosystems.
What Makes an Exotic Species Invasive? (When is a Guest a Pest?) Many non-native species exist in apparent harmony in environments where they were introduced. For example, a relatively small number of exotic plants (e.g., corn, wheat, rice, oats) form the basis of our agricultural industry and pose little to no known threat to our natural ecosystems. The most important aspect of an alien plant is how it responds to a new environment. An invasive species is one that displays rapid growth and spread, establishes over large areas, and persists. Invasiveness is characterized by robust vegetative growth, high reproductive rate, abundant seed production, high seed germination rate, and longevity. Some native plants exhibit invasive tendencies in certain situations.
How Many Plants are Invasive?According to the Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group, about 1,100 plant species have been reported as being invasive in natural areas in the United States. This number represents an astonishing onethird or so of the exotic plant species established and self-reproducing in the wild. Some invasive species were planted intentionally for erosion control, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat enhancement, and ornamental purposes. Others have escaped from arboretums, botanical gardens, and our own backyards. Free from the complex array of natural controls present in their native lands, including herbivores, parasites, and diseases, exotic plants may experience rapid and unrestricted growth in novel environments.
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Help Prevent the Spread of Exotic Species in Lake Vermilion
by Bob Wilson
Faithful readers of the vermilion sportsman know that one of the programs the Club has chosen to be particularly active on this year is "preventing the spread of exotic species." In our March issue, we ran an article titled, "Exotic Spiny Waterflea Found in Saganaga Lake on Minnesota Border." Saganaga is located at the end of the Gunflint Trail and is the third inland lake to be infested with this exotic in the state. Biologists haven't determined the exact harm these tiny (less than 1/2 inch long) zooplankton can do as yet, but their sharp tail barbs can prevent small fish from eating them.
In our May issue, our local DNR fisheries people wrote an article called a Summary of 2003 Lake Vermilion Fish Population Assessment." In the article, it was pointed out that rusty crayfish"we know about these," purple loosestrifea flowering plant, Heterosporisa parasite that causes the flesh of fish to become an opaque white color, and a small infestation of curly leaf pondweed have already occurred in Lake Vermilion. Unfortunately, there is the great potential for other exotics to make their way into the Lake as well.
In this issue, we are publishing an adaptation of the latest DNR list of Minnesota lakes that have been infested or recently recognized as being infested. As you look over the list, I think you will be astounded and dismayed as I was at the number of lakes that have been infiltrated by exotics. You will quickly recognize that Eurasian water milfoil is a chief culprit and extremely widespread in Minnesota, but it has not yet reached Lake Vermilion. We believe that only public education on the subject of exotics and your help and attention can keep it that way. Milfoil is believed to spread from one body of water to another primarily by the introduction of plant fragments. It has caused problems in Minnesota lakes by producing extensive mats where water depths are less than 15 feet, water clarity is high (mid-summer Secchi disc readings of six feet or more), and the fertility of the bottom ranges from moderate to high. While milfoil can be managed by treatment with herbicides or mechanical removal of plants, I am sure all of you who share in the enjoyment of Lake Vermilion agree it is an infestation that we can do without!
On Saturday, May 8, the Sportsmen's Club sponsored a training session on how to keep a boat free from exotic species and what to look for when the boat leaves or enters the water. Heidi Wolf, Minnesota DNR, St. Paul conducted the session outside at the new DNR building complex parking lot in Tower. Our own Mel Hintz provided his boat and trailer to use as the demonstration model. Prior to the start of the meeting, the Club had a noon lunch picnic catered by Nancy and Pete Yapel of Tower. They did a great job, including a dessert of ice cream sandwiches, plus the day was beautiful to boot. Don't you wish you were there?! In all, 52 volunteers from around both the Tower and Cook ends of the Lake participated in the training as preparation for actually using the information to inspect boats at designated public ramps on Memorial weekend Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29. The Vermilion Resort Association and Fortune Bay were also represented so the information could be used at the many resorts dotting the Lake.
Almost needless to say, we were all a little apprehensive about the reception we would receive from boaters in general, but with few exceptions the public had favorable comments concerning our efforts. Some people had DNR stickers on their boat trailers received from past q, inspections, showing that our Department of Natural Resources has been on the job probably at lakes known to have large quantities of exotics. In total, 261 boats were looked at by our volunteers and three Duluth DNR staff members that weekend.
Over the remainder of the summer we are going to staff a few more public ramps and inspect more boats in an attempt to try to remind everyone to ~have a clean boat" before entering Lake Vermilion. Does the boat have bilge water left in it? How about water left in the live well? Drain them, but away from the lakeshore or ramp before entering the water. Any weeds hanging on the boat bottom, on the trailer under the fenders or on the anchor or anchor rope or fishing gear? Be sure to remove them all. Has your boat recently been in a river known to contain zebra mussels like the Mississippi, the St. Louis, the Zumbro and the St. Croix or lakes like Superior, Ossawinnamakee and Pelican Brook? If so, you owe it to Lake Vermilion to thoroughly wash and inspect the boat. If your boat never leaves Lake Vermilion like mine, you are most likely not going to be the cause of the spread of exotics. But, if you have a neighbor or friend who travels extensively to other lakes or rivers with their boat, pass on this information. We would like to count on you to help educate others and "save our lake"!
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Lake Vermilion Resource Inventory
As part of the ongoing effort to develop a comprehensive set of resource management information for Lake Vermilion, approximately 30 volunteers are needed to assist in conducting an inventory of the Lake's resources this summer. The goal of this project is to collect baseline information on the distribution of aquatic vegetation and lake substrate. This information can be used by the planning commissions, boards of adjustment and resource managers in determining potential impacts from certain development proposals. Information will also be collected to identify target areas for voluntary shoreland restoration projects through funding from the DNR shoreland program.
The inventory will be structured in a similar fashion as the shoreland development inventory which took place two summers ago using volunteers. Volunteers will be asked to use their boat to inventory one or more sections of the lake using an aerial photo as a basis. Data to be collected will include: the location and type of aquatic vegetation, lake bottom substrate such as rocky, gravel or sandy, shoreland areas that would benefit from restoration efforts, the location of eagle or osprey nesting areas, and rookeries. Local natural resource specialists will add information regarding fish spawning areas and other important habitat features.
The inventory activities will take place during the end of July and into early August when aquatic vegetation is up and easily identifiable. We anticipate that each section will take approximately 2-4 hours to inventory depending on the abundance of vegetation. Each volunteer will receive aerial photos of their section as well as a set of detail$d instructions to ensure all inventories are conducted in a similar fashion. If you are interested in volunteering you can contact Mel Hintz at 753-2401 or Dale Lundblad at 666-5352 day or 666-2316 evening.
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Critical Habitat License Plate sales top $10 million
Conservation-minded motorists have "driven" proceeds from the sale of Critical Habitat License Plates over the $10 million mark. More than 100,000 loon and deer license plates are traveling Minnesota's roads and highways. Proceeds from the $30 annual contribution are helping protect and manage critical habitat across the state.
License plate dollars have so far purchased more than 3,100 acres of critical natural lands such as islands, lakeshore, river frontage, wetlands, native prairies and peatlands. These areas have been established as wildlife management areas, aquatic management areas and scientific and natural areas, and provide for a variety of public outdoor recreation. License plate funds have also been used for nongame projects such as a bald eagle nesting survey and lake restorations or other habitat development projects.
Sales of Critical Habitat License Plates have nearly doubled since the loon plate was made available in May of 2002, according to Kim Hennings, DNR land acquisition specialist who also coordinates the license plate program. The first plate, which depicted a deer, went on sale in May of 1996.
Conservation license plates are a great way for people to show support for fish and wildlife resources in the state," said Gene Merriam, Commissioner of Natural Resources. "Minnesotans have always helped protect our natural resources, whetherthrough the purchase of a hunting or fishing license, contributions to the Nongame tax checkoff or now through the purchase of a conservation license plate."
Plates can be ordered online at www.mndriveinfo.org by clicking on "Critical Habitat Plate." Application forms and plates are also available at deputy registrar offices statewide. Call (651) 297-3304 to request an application form be mailed to you.
- DNR News
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MISSION STATEMENT of The Sportsmen's Club of Lake Vermilion, Inc.
- To promote and enhance the outdoor experience of Lake Vermilion for present and future generations by:
a. Maintaining and improving the Lake Vermilion fishery
b. Promoting "Catch and Release"
c. Promoting safe boating practices
d. Establishing and maintaining a "Night Navigational Aid System"
e. Establishing and maintaining shore lunch/picnic sites
f. Monitoring and protecting area wildlife
- To protect and improve the water quality of Lake Vermilion by:
a. Monitoring water quality in cooperation with interested government agencies
b. Promoting shoreline preservation and re-vegetation
c. Monitoring exotic species and preventing their spread
d. Promoting sound conservation practices in the Lake Vermilion watershed
- To educate club members and the public regarding issues which impact Lake Vermilion by:
a. Publishing a periodic newsletter and distributing it to club members and the public
b. Maintaining an internet website containing previously published newsletters and other information about the club and Lake Vermilion
c. Publishing news releases and articles pertaining to club activities in other publications
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Continuing Thoughts on Fishing Tournaments
by Bob Wilson
In this issue of the vermilion sportsman we have included the condensed text of our Fishtng Tournament Guidelines for large lakes in Minnesota. The guidelines have been revised somewhat from the original version for the sake of brevity and clarity and to allow us to focus on just the basic rules of conducting a fishing tournament.
These same Guidelines have been mailed to the Lake Vermilion Plan Citizen Steering Committee, the Arrowhead Regional Development Corporation (ARDC) and St. Louis County and may be discussed at the upcoming Steering Committee meeting (as I write this article) scheduled for July 14, 2004, at the Tower Civic Center. Already, the Lake Vermilion Plan includes support for our Guidelines (see page 80 of the current plan draft if you have it). We are hoping for further support and the inclusion of our document in the Vermilion Plan appendix as a reference.
Some of our members may think that our suggested Guidelines are still too liberal and wouldn't mind seeing large fishing tournaments eliminated altogether. Others feel tournaments help the local economy and should be encouraged. Your Board of Directors and most members have come to believe that the current rules favor tournaments and not enough consideration is being given to lakeshore property owners, the general angling public and the fishery itself. After much research into the subject, we have decided a moderate revision to existing laws would benefit all concerned. Incidentally, the Arrowhead Chapter of Muskies, Inc. and their President, Mr. David Swenson, recently endorsed our tournament guidelines. We are very appreciative of this recommendation from a prominent fishing organization.
Check out the existing rules yourself and see what you think. If you have access to the Internet go to the Minnesota DNR website dnr.state.mn.us/index.html and look under Regulations and then under Fishing Tournament Regulations. You may be surprised!
We still enjoy hearing from you. If you have comments on this subject send them to the Sportsmen's Club of Lake Vermilion, 1501 Echo Point, Tower, MN 55790 or WCR4@Yahoo.com on E- Mail. Stay tuned!
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Fishing Tournament Guidelines
Sportsmen's Club Proposal for the Lake Vermilion Plan - 6/9/04
1) *Maximum number of fishing contests per month: Three
2) *Maximum number of large fishing contests per month: Two Large Contest = 50 to 100 boats or 100 participants or more.
3) *Maximum number of contest days in any month: Eight
*Note: For lakes of 15.000 to 55.000 acres (Lake Vermilion 40.557 Acres)
4) Weekend Limitations - At least two weekends per month will be closed to "permitted" fishing contests.
5) Holiday Limitations - No tournaments will be held on the following three summer holidays: Memorial Weekend, July 4th Weekend & Labor Day Weekend.
6) Maximum Number of Registered Boats - The number of registered contestant boats on the Lake on any one tournament day will not exceed 100.
7) Judge or Referee Boats - Boats used to referee the contest, award prizes, enforce regulations or issue penalties, weigh fish or take pictures are not counted as registered contest boats as long as they do not participate in catching the targeted fish species.
8) Maximum Tournaments Per DayTwo permitted fishing tournaments can be held on any one day on one lake if the combined total of the registered boats in the two contests numbers 50 or less. When the 50 total boat limit would be exceeded, only the earliest tournament applicant will be permitted.
9) Multiple Day Tournament Restrictions - Permitted fishing contests conducted for more than one consecutive day will not include more than one weekend day from Memorial Day weekend thru Labor Day weekend.
An exception may be granted to "established tournaments." An established tournament is a contest that prior to year 2001 had been issued at least two consecutive permits in the previous two years, or four out of the last five previous years in the same time period. Tournaments granted established status need thereafter to be conducted annually or at least four out of five future years to remain established.
10) Hours & Times of the Tournament - Restrictions on the hours/times a fishing tournament can be conducted including start and stop times may be specified in the permit at the discretion of the DNR. Tournaments scheduled to operate more than eight hours in a day may have their permit denied.
11) Season Opener Restriction - Permitted fishing tournaments will not be held within a week of fishing season openers if the contest would target a species for which the season is opening.
12) Spawning Restrictions - No permit will be issued for tournament fishing during the spawning period of the targeted species. For Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass this period extends from the Saturday of Memorial Weekend through June 22.
13) Species Restriction - No fish species may be targeted more than once per month on any single lake during the months of May, June, July, August or September by any large (> 50 boats/100 participants) fishing tournament organization(s).
14) Pre-Fishing - For large tournaments (>50 boats/100 participants), no pre-fishing is allowed on weekends or national holidays during the seven day period before the tournament begins.
15) Exotic Species Prevention - Preventing the introduction of exotic species into Minnesota Lakes is a primary concern. The tournament permittee is responsible for having contestant's boats inspected for exotic species before they enter the water for the tournament and/or for prefishing. The DNR may ask the tournament organizer and/or host resort for proof that this task has been satisfactorily completed.
16) Catch & Release - Tournaments are encouraged to use "catch & release" methods in the judging of fishing results. "Paper tournaments," also called "no transport tournaments," where the participants measure the length of each fish and then immediately return it to the water, are preferred.
17) Weigh-in locations. Handling and Transport of tournament fish:
A. Lakes of > 15,000 acres consider having at least two weigh-in sites to improve the possibility the fish will return to their home nesting or spawning grounds after being released.
B. In large tournaments (> 50 boats), contest fish transported to weigh-in sites for later release mus be distributed to the larger water bodies of the Lal and not totally to one location.
C. Plastic bags must not be used to transport fish at the weigh-in site(s) for catch and release events.
D. Contestants targeting a fish deemed to be too fragile to survive "live well" transport, weighing at a central location and later transport and release may be required to keep the fish. The DNR will make the decision.
E. Boats transporting fish in all-day (6 hours or more) "live release" tournaments must have oxygenated (not only aerated) live wells.
F. Off-Site weigh-ins will not be permitted to prevent undue loss of fish. (Off-site means a weigh-in of tournament fish at a location not adjacent to the shores of the contest Lake).
18) Boating Safety - The tournament permittee is responsible for notifying contestants that marked or mapped caution and slow speed areas must be observed.
19) Motor Boat Sound/Noise - Minnesota law restricts motorboat noise to 82 decibels at a distance of 50 feet. It is unlawful to modify, equip or operate a motorboat so as to exceed this level unless specifically permitted by the County Sheriff or the Coast Guard. Motor exhaust cutouts are specifically prohibited. The tournament permittee is responsible for informing contest participants of these laws.
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