Monthly Archives: May 2012

Agassiz NWR to mark 75th anniversary

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Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge northeast of Thief River Falls turns 75 this year, and an anniversary celebration is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon June 23. Events on tap include a bird walk, management tour and kids’ activities.

According to a news release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “Agassiz NWR was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 as Mud Lake Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Its primary purpose was to be ‘a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.’

“Although its original focus was on waterfowl (ducks and geese), over the years, other migratory birds and year-round resident wildlife, including mammals such as moose, deer and wolves, have received an increasing emphasis in refuge management.

“In 1961 the Refuge’s name was changed to Agassiz NWR, after the vast, ancient body of water — Glacial Lake Agassiz — that produced the exceedingly flat terrain which characterizes the area today.”

If you’ve never been to Agassiz, which is just over an hour’s drive from Grand Forks, put it on your list. The refuge offers an abundance of wildlife-watching and hiking opportunities, along with a four-mile self-guided auto drive, an observation deck and a 100-foot observation tower. (Not being a big fan of heights, I have yet to make the climb to the top of the tower.)

Located in eastern Marshall County, Agassiz covers 65,500 acres, including 4,000 acres that were designated as a wilderness area in 1976.

For more information, click here:

Wednesday morning sturgeon

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The Red River near Lockport, Man., is known for its channel catfish.

But lake sturgeon? They show up occasionally at Lockport — and elsewhere along the Red River — but they’re far from common.

Thanks to the magic of technology, I received the most recent report of a Red River sturgeon shortly after 10 a.m. today, when Jim Stinson, a friend from Lockport, emailed a photo he’d taken with his Blackberry only minutes earlier.

Marv Miller of Mount Morris, Ill, caught this 44.5-inch sturgeon this morning on the Red River while fishing below the St. Andrews Lock and Dam in Lockport, Man.

Marv Miller, a catfish fanatic from Mount Morris, Ill, caught the 44½-inch sturgeon while anchored in fast water below the St. Andrew’s Lock and Dam in Lockport. Miller, 78, and his wife, “Neat” — short for Juanita — make the pilgrimage to Lockport twice a year, staying for several weeks at a time and battling behemoth cats every day in all kinds of weather. I’ve fished with Marv on a handful of occasions, most recently May 21, and wrote a feature story about him in 2008.

He and his wife have put a lot of channel cats through their boat over the years at Lockport, but I’m pretty sure this is his first sturgeon from the Red River.

A look through the Herald’s archives shows that a Winnipeg angler, Steve Swiston, caught a 76-inch sturgeon below the Lockport Dam in May 2002. The behemoth was just shy of the provincial length record, a 78½-inch monster Jenny Regan of Missouri caught in 1996, also below the Lockport dam.

Manitoba law requires anglers to release any sturgeon they catch.

While nowhere close to record status, Miller’s sturgeon was big enough to qualify for entry into Manitoba’s Master Angler program, which requires sturgeon be at least 43 inches long.

That’s not a bad way to start a day of fishing.

Invasive species prevention hits high gear this weekend

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If you’re planning to fish or tow a boat this weekend in Minnesota, there’s a good chance you’ll be checked by an inspector or conservation officer to make sure you’re complying with the state’s aquatic invasive species laws.

The Department of Natural Resources issued a news release this morning saying it is ramping up boat inspections, enforcement and educational campaigns to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other unwanted critters.

Not just this weekend, but for the entire summer.

“This weekend is the start of the summer water-recreation season in Minnesota, and we need everyone’s cooperation to protect our waters,” DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said in a statement. “While the DNR is devoting more resources than ever to this problem, it takes only one careless act to infest your favorite lake or river forever.”

This weekend, 100 watercraft inspectors will be stationed around the state, checking boats for AIS and advising water users of laws and practices that will keep invasive species from spreading. The DNR will also deploy 14 decontamination units at various water bodies around the state. The agency will concentrate inspectors and decontamination efforts at high-use water bodies that are currently infested with AIS.

One of the most common violations is failure to remove the drain plug from the boat and live well during transport. The fine is $50, and it will increase to $100 on July 1, as will fines for other invasive species violations.

More a full rundown on Minnesota’s invasive species laws, along with a new 25-minute video called “Aquatic Invasive Species, Minnesota Waters at Risk,” click here: