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Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Un l im ited used
several of the tools in its
enhancement arsenal to
make the State Line Lake
project a success story. The
project sign (photo to left)
recognizes the partners
who contributed to the
success of the project .
STATE LINE SUCCESS
STORY
This is project sign on
the Parnell Brackey
tract that was
purchased to allow the
State Line Lake
Enhancement Project to
move forward.
More about the State Line Lake enhancement on Page 4.
Special points of interest:
Waterfowlers Expo Event
MnDNR and DU Canada
Partnership
Conservation Club Event
Minnesota State Conven-
tion Info
Inside this issue:
Chairman’s
Chatter
2
Waterfowlers
Expo Event
3
State Line Lake
Project
4
Project Hall of
Fame
6
Minnesota Artist’s
Corner
7
DNR/DU Canada
Partnership 8
Minnesota DU
News
11
State Convention
Photos
12
Save the Date
Convention
Reminder
13
Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited Summer/Fall 2014
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
I hope this addition of the cattails finds you well. This fall is shaping up to be a good one. The reports
from fall banquets has been very good for the ducks. I hope you have had a chance to enjoy one of
the many fun filled events. To those who have volunteered your time to put on the events thank you.
The duck numbers continue to be strong and I have heard many success stories form hunters around
the state. We are also anticipating another strong migration from up north.
I was once again fortunate enough to participate in the MNDU youth waterfowl hunt Mentor pro-
gram this year. This is a very rewarding experience where you are able to show a kid the great sport
of waterfowl hunting. Our morning was spent on slough enjoying the marsh as it woke up. The
ducks were plentiful and my youth hunter was able to bag a couple ducks and a goose. The best part
of this morning was look and on his face when he shot that goose. It was memory neither of us will
soon forget. Taking a kid hunting is the best thing anyone of can do to better our sport. Look for
more information about the MNDU Youth Mentor hunt program in this addition and others to
come.
I also want to congratulate our southeast Minnesota Regional Director, Brad Jensen, who was award-
ed the Regional Director of the Year Award (see article below). Brad has done a fantastic job with
his committees and with recruiting major donors. Congratulations Brad!
As the year ends, we are planning the Minnesota Duck Unlimited Convention to be held in Willmar
again this year on February 13th and 14th. There will be many chapters receiving awards this year so I
hope to see you there as we celebrate this year’s successes.
I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the fall season, Thank you again for supporting Ducks Unlim-
ited.
State Chairman’s Chatter
Your Minnesota DU
State Committee
State Chair Tim Roble
Frazee, MN 218-334-4701 tcroble@yahoo.com
State Council Chair
Dave Flink Hutchinson, MN 320-587-4246
dflink@mnducksvolunteer.org
State Chair Elect
Brian Ross Baxter MN 218-825-0996
bross@mnducksvolunteer.org
State Treasurer Dan Scheffler Northfield, MN
507-291-0311
danielscheffler1@gmail.com
State Volunteer Recruitment Coord.
Scott Christensen Litchfield, MN 320-593-8806
lfd116i@yahoo.com
State Convention Chairs
Kyle and Donna Thaemlitz Lakefield, MN 507-662-5359
th613@frontiernet.net
State Major Gift Chair Jim Demgen East Gull Lake, MN
218-829-7438
james.demgen@gmail.com
Page 2 Summer/Fall 2014
Tim Roble, State Chair
Dave’s dog Gabby
Sept. 16, 2014 – Brad Jensen, regional director for Ducks Unlim-
ited (DU), was awarded the 2013-14 Regional Director of the
Year award for his outstanding efforts as a staff member of Re-
gion 3, an area that encompasses Minnesota, Wisconsin and Mich-
igan.
"Receiving Regional Director of the Year was a great honor. It
would never have been possible
if it wasn't for the great DU
volunteers in my Region," Jen-
sen said. "Working together as
a team we accomplished many
great things. My volunteers are
like my extended family be-
cause I know their spouses,
kids and their dogs. My volun-
teers deserved the credit for
our successes, not me."
Jensen, a resident of Watertown, S.D., covers southwestern Minne-
sota and works with volunteer committees hosting fundraisers for
the 77-year-old conservation organization. The events in his region
raised more than $650,000, for DU's conservation mission in the
recent fiscal year ending in June 30.
Regional Director Brad Jensen Wins National Award
Here is Jensen with his new grand-daughter—Hadley Lynn Kurtz
Brad shows off his eight and
one-half pound walleye.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
The Expo netted twelve
new DU Volunteers.
Page 3 Summer/Fall 2014
The Waterfowler’s Expo was, by all accounts, a huge success. Over 400 people walked through the doors at the IRA Civic Center in Grand Rapids, to view the exhibits, shop for hunting gear, and listen to
talks and presentations. There were ten exhibitors and six presentations ranging from information on DU/DNR’s local wild rice lake program to duck calling tech-niques. Reed’s Family Outfitters had a large selection of merchandise and special sale pricing for the event. The prices were so good that even some of DU staff bought more decoys. The Expo, which was held on Tuesday evening, August 5, 2014, was mainly de-
signed as a recruiting event for volunteers in the Grand Rapids area. The local chapter had some turnover and was looking for more volunteers to reignite their banquet. This was a free event, with an incentive prize of a Stoeger Semi-Automatic 12 ga., do-nated by Reeds Sporting Goods, for attendees who registered on line by August 3rd. The large turnout and interest in DU’s mis-sion resulted in at least twelve new volunteers being recruited. Look for this event in your area as MN DU recruits more volun-teers around the state.
DNR Conservation Officer Sarah Sindelin helps some young waterfowlers with duck wing identification.
Mike Shogren of Shogren Retriev-
ers talks with his dog at his exhibit space. Mike gave
a training demonstration with the dog
later in the
evening.
Cory
Loeffler
of DRC Call Company
discusses calls with some
hunters.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
State Line Lake is a 446-acre shallow lake located in Freeborn County, Minnesota. Maximum
water depths in State Line Lake are around 4.5 feet, with an average depth of only 3 feet. The
shallow nature of State Line Lake makes it very attractive habitat for waterfowl and other wild-
life. Unfortunately, this shallowness also makes State Line Lake more vulnerable to the negative ecological effects of sediment and nutrient loading, carp and other rough fish, altered
hydrology, and flood events. These factors had caused the lake to become degraded over the
years, with turbid water clarity and summer algae blooms that suffocated aquatic life in the lake
and caused it to stagnate.
To remedy the situation,
Ducks Unlimited and Min-
nesota DNR Section of
Wildlife began working with
Freeborn County and a
local stakeholder group
known as “State Line Lake
Restoration, Inc.” in 2009 in
an effort to enhance State
Line Lake or wildlife, fish,
and humans alike. In 2010,
Ducks Unlimited began bio-
engineering efforts to assess
management options on the
lake. Meanwhile, DU also
began negotiating the pur-
chase of a 45-acre parcel
adjacent to the outlet of the
State Line Lake near Em-
mons owned by Parnell
Brackey. This land included
a very old and dysfunctional
fixed-crest concrete dam
structure on the outlet of State Line Lake, which held the water levels in the lake high and sta-
ble, adding to the stagnation of the lake’s aquatic ecology.
State Line Lake Success Story
Page 4 Summer/Fall 2014
The old dam
was a fixed
crest
structure
that
contributed
to the
stagnant
condition of
the lake.
The map below shows why State Line Lake got its
name, as it crosses the state line into Iowa a bit.
This photo shows the old fixed crest structure in
disrepair, but still holding water back at an high level. Iowa
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
In 2013, DU completed engineering design plans for State Line Lake that included replacing the
deteriorated fixed-crest dam with a variable- crest water control structure to provide DNR
managers with
the ability to
conduct tempo-
rary water-level
draw-downs to
enhance water
quality and the
aquatic ecology
of the lake. A
high-velocity fish
barrier down-
stream of the
new structure
was also includ-
ed in the design.
After state and
federal permits were secured, DU
began construction of the new wa-
ter 446-acres control structure and fish barrier on the outlet of State Line Lake in March 2014,
and completed the project in early July 2014. This project was made possible by a strong part-
nership among the Minnesota DNR, Freeborn County, and State Line Lake Restoration Inc.
group, and with funding provided from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fundas recommended by
the Lessard - Sams Outdoor
Heritage Council and private
Major Sponsors supporting
Ducks Unlimited’s “Living
Lakes” conservation initiative.
Thanks to all partners and do-
nors!
State Line Lake Success Story (Continued)
Page 5 Summer/Fall 2014
The State Line
Lake project
had an amazing
group of local
supporters who
encouraged DU
to take on the
project.
The contractor’s excavator is working on ar-
moring the downstream channel with rip-rap.
The first step was to breach the old dam and
allow the lake level to drop as seen above.
The high velocity fish barri-
er in action, showing the
downstream discharge pool.
There are several carp pre-
sent in the pool, but hard to
see because of the turbu-
lence caused by the flow
from the barrier culvert.
The finished water control structure showing the
channel, walkway, fish screens, and outlet bays.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
The emergent vegetation was flourishing as this
clump of bulrush shows.
This photograph
shows the west lobe with several
mallards and teal using it for molting and early
staging.
Page 6 Summer/Fall 2014
Ducks Unlimited has been conserving habitat in Minne-sota since 1985. There are literally hundreds of DU projects scattered across
Minnesota. In fact, many of the water control structures on federal waterfowl pro-duction areas (WPAs) and state wildlife management areas (WMAs) were de-
signed and built as Ducks Unlimited projects. This
column is a regular feature devoted to describing some
of these older projects.
The Spink WPA project was one of Ducks Unlimited’s first projects in the state.
Spink WPA is located in central Grant County, west of Barrett. The project loca-tion was surveyed in 1985
and the structure designed in 1986. The project was built in the fall of 1987 in cooper-ation with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. It was a small project by DU stand-ards, only consisting a large
ditch plug and a 48-inch diameter corrugated metal pipe riser with 30-inch di-
ameter outlet pipe; however, it restored 147 acres of wet-land know as Jones Lake.
(see map). The project was visited this past July and was in partial
drawdown status. Jones Lake was in fantastic condi-
tion with thick emergent vegetation stands around the margins and interspersed in
the shallow areas. There were several hundred ducks scattered around the lake,
likely young birds from this years production and some
molting adults.
DU is also working on an-other project at Spink WPA;
that being the Hibrooten Lake project where an outlet
was constructed last year. Look for an article about
Hibrooten Lake in a future issue of Cattails,
PROJECT HALL OF FAME—SPINK WPA
Several egrets were present, working the shallows for minnows and frogs.
This is a view from the west end of Jones Lake
showing the vegetation.
This map shows the 1.5-mile long Jones Lake before it was restored.
Control Structure
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 7 Summer/Fall 2014
Minnesota Artists’ Corner—Rollie Brandt
Rollie Brandt knew, as a child, what she wanted in life–to pursue a career in art. How
fitting her exceptional talents are now realized nationally in endearing portrayals of
children exploring their world and interacting with nature.
Known as “the artist” throughout her school days, young Rollie revealed an unchar-
acteristically mature dedication to developing her artistic skills. For many teenagers
standard course work is enough, but Brandt sought advanced training in art through
college correspondence courses. She furthered her formal training and accelerated
her artistic growth with the entrepreneurial launching of a sign-painting business in
her sophomore year.
Currently, Brandt is enjoying the benefits of her diligence. Meticulous detail and a
vibrant pallet are her trademarks. Those signature traits work together allowing her
active scenes to capture the innocence and energy of her subjects.
Artwork provided courtesy of Rollie Brandt
and Wild Wings, LLC, Lake City, Minnesota.
800-445-4833
www.wildwings.com
This is the type of painting Brandt is
known for, a young person interacting
with nature and animals, and titled:
“Out with the Boys – Black Labs”.
Many of Brandt’s paintings are barn scenes, such as this example titled, “A Century of Autumns”.
Detailed bird paintings are another common
subject of hers; this piece named “Mothering
Mallards” reveals Rollies’ attention to detail.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Minnesota DNR and DU Canada Partnership
Page 8 Summer/Fall 2014
The Minnesota DNR and DU Canada have an important partnership that results in habitat
work in Canada funded by Minnesota hunters. The partnership generated work on five
projects in the Saskatchewan River Delta (SRD) during 2013/2014. Periodically, DU Can-
ada staff invite MnDNR staff to Canada on a tour to view the work and projects funded by
the program. This year the Cattails editor was also invited to join the trip (at his own
expense) and learn about the MnDNR and DU Canada partnership.
The trip began at the Winnipeg airport, where Paul Telander, MnDNR Wildlife Section
Chief, Bob Welsh, MnDNR Wildlife Habitat Coordinator, Ricky Lien, MnDNR Wetland
Coordinator, David Brakhage, DU Director Great Lakes Atlantic
Regional Office, David Kostersky, Manager State Grants—DU Cana-
da, and Brian Ross, MNDU volunteer, boarded a plane bound for
The Pas, Manitoba. The flight was on Calm Air Air-
lines, yes, that is correct, Calm Air Airlines based in
Thompson, Manitoba.
The first stop of the tour was the DU Canada field office
(left) just outside of The Pas, located. The field office has
been there since the 1970s, when DU Canada ramped up
work in the delta. The office was like a huge piece of history
about DU with pictures, maps, and files (see photo below).
The file storage area reflected the
wide variety of work and years the
work has been di-
rected from The Pas field office.
DU’s The Pas
field office is
like a step back
in time as it is
filled with DU
history and
memorabilia.
The Calm Air flight lived up to its name with a very smooth ride
from Winnipeg to The Pas.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 9 Summer/Fall 2014
December strategic planning session
The tour started at The Pas field office with a presentation about the Saskatchewan River
Delta, DU’s work in the SRD, and the SRD’s importance to nesting waterfowl. The SRD is
one of the largest inland deltas in
North America and encompasses
over two million acres. As seen in
the chart to right, the top 10 wa-
terfowl species include nearly half a
million nesting birds, with mallards,
blue-winged teal, scaup, widgeon,
and ringneck ducks being the most
common. It is incredibly productive
for ducks, especially for those that
migrate through Minnesota.
The State of Minnesota has been
sending funds to DU Canada since
1972, with over $1.5 million being
contributed to date. The DNR restricts the funds to be used only on projects in Manitoba
because of the number of ducks from Manitoba that migrate through Minnesota. In
Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015, MnDNR agreed to provide $100,000 per year toward
DU Canada’s conservation efforts, which is matched by DU and the North American
Wetlands Conservation Act
(NAWCA). These funds were
used on projects in the SRD.
MnDNR and DU Canada Partnership (continued)
The next part of the tour was on an airboat across the Reader
Root Marshes located just north of The Pas. (see map to the
left). It was quite a sight to see the reactions of the ducks when
the air-
boat
came up
on them
at 25
mph.
The
marshes
of the
Reader Root Complex include 25,000
acres of shallow emergent wetlands
stretching 5 miles north of the Saskatche-
wan River. The water levels in the Read-
er Root
complex are controlled by several
dikes, ditches, and water control
structures built by DU to improve
the habitat in the complex. The
tour includ-
ed stops at
several of
the control
structures.
Partners
MnDNR
DU
NAWCA
Total
Contribution
$100,000
$100,000
$200,000
$400,000
Over
half a
million
waterfowl
nest in
the SRD
Root Lake
North Reader
South Reader
The Pas
The reed beds on South Reader marsh stretched nearly to the horizon as a
black tern cruises above its nest.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
The next day the tour continued with a boat run up the Saskatchewan River, which is major river,
stretching from the Rocky Mountains to Lake Winnepeg. as large as the Mississippi at Winona . The
airboats were waiting for us at the channel to the Birch River for our trek into the Carrot River Tri-
angle, a particularly productive part of the SRD. The rain began as we airboated up the channel, with
pairs of ring-necks and mallards taking flight at regularly spaced intervals dependent on their breeding
territories.. This day included a visit to DU projects funded by the partnership, including the Elm
Creek Inlet and Outlet, which will allow drawdown of Elm Lake. The Elm Creek structures were
being replaced because the 1960s-era structures were needing repairs. Other projects funded includ-
ed nearby Rae Lake and Roberts
Marsh. After the visit to the pro-jects., we headed back east across
the sprawling Saskeram Marsh, a
28,000 acre shallow lake surrounded
by shallow wetlands and backwaters
of the delta.
The last day of the tour included an
aerial overflight of the areas visited
by airboat the previously days. The
float plane picked up us at Clearwa-
ter Lake and first took us over the
southern SRD, an area known as the
Summerberry Marshes, which border
the Summerberry River. DU Canada
has been doing research in the Sum-
merberry Marshes, to understand how to make the marshes more productive (See Summer-Fall 2012
Cattails). The flight then continued north over the Saskeram Marsh and Elm Lake. The vastness of
the SRD is hard to imagine, with marsh after marsh connected by innumerable
channels, within a mosaic of wet meadows, fens, and bogs. Even more innumerable
are the numbers of ducks and other waterfowl which use the SRD for breeding and
rearing their young. This is why DU Canada and MnDNR focuses their funding into
the SRD and why the partnership is so important to resource. Minnesota is one of 42 states that provide funding to DU Canada. These partnerships
between DU Canada and state agencies provide invaluable funding to the breeding
strongholds of North American waterfowl. Many states provide more funding than
Minnesota, with Illinois providing $500,000 and Missouri providing a quarter million
dollars. These funds are hugely important to DU Canada’s mission of restoring and
conserving waterfowl breeding habitat in Canada.
MnDNR and DU Partnership (continued)
The MnDNR and
DU Canada
partnership is
conserving critical
habitat in the
SRD.
Page 10
Boating up the Saskatche-wan River
Summer/Fall 2014
Shawn Greer (center) of DU Canada discusses the Elm
Creek Outlet structure, which was underwater due to spring runoff conditions.
The Birch River Dam is one of
large structures
maintained by DU Canada; it
holds back wa-ter into the Saskeram
Marsh.
Tour attendees included from left David Brakkage (DU Inc.), Brian Ross, MNDU, Ricky Lien, (MnDNR), Bob Welsh (MnDNR), Paul
Telander (MnDNR), with the tour guide Shawn Greer (DUC) on right.
Saskeram Marsh from the air shows the vast expanse of the delta.
The Plane! The Plane!
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 11 Summer/Fall 2014
December strategic planning session
Thirty-five business executives, company presidents, and CEO’s attended the first ever Critical
Conservation Club gathering at Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake on July 23, 2014. Each plate
cost $500 and every table of six had a chance at winning a CZ Ringneck side-by-side 28 gauge. A
Pebble Beach golf outing went on live auction for over $6,500. In total, the event netted over
$23,000. The event was the idea of DU volunteer and Wells Fargo Vice President, Don
Ford. The Duck Man, Patrick Patterson, and DU Regional Director John Marks, were also key
players in this new event format. Besides supporting the Ducks Unlimited mission, the attendees had a chance to network and
meet Ducks Unlimited Chief Conserva-
tion Officer, Paul Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt
flew directly from Washington DC after
testifying on behalf of the price increase
to the Federal Waterfowl Stamp to be
with the group. He delivered a key-note
address and performed major sponsor
recognitions.
The event was so successful that it will
become an annual event. Expect to see
other similar events around the state as
well.
Conservation Club has First Event
Volunteer Spotlight—Todd Berghuis
Todd was born in Prinsburg, MN and started duck hunting when his family moved to Alexan-
dria. He grew up duck hunting around there, on many different water bodies between Alex
and Fergus Falls. “It was a great area to grow up in as a duck hunter, as there was lots of
habitat and the birds, at least to me, seemed unending. I was able to get a morning hunt in
before I was off to school and was known for coming to school in camo and facepaint.”
Todd was also able to hunt the famous Delta Marsh in Manitoba at a lodge his father partially
owned. “The sheer number of birds, meeting people who loved ducks like the great Jimmy
Robinson, and being treated as one of the “men” cemented my love for waterfowl and the
places they live. I had many great experiences there including leaving our boat and walking
into the landing at the Delta due to a storm with high winds and waves, watching what I con-sider to be one of the most beautiful ducks, late season canvasbacks, work the decoys and
bagging a silver bull can, and seeing “tornadoes of geese” settling into the famous marsh with
my Dad all played a part in the love I have for this sport.”
It’s easy to see that these experiences fueled Todd’s passion for preserving and expanding
wetlands and waterfowl habitat. Along with being a Ducks Unlimited member since his teens,
Todd became a DU volunteer 8 years ago. “The experience I have had as a DU volunteer
has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding I have had. I have meet great people, heard
great stories, and I see the results from the dollars DU raises. I once had a Pheasants Forever chapter chair tell me that DU does as
much for pheasants as PF does. This is really saying something for the impact the funds we raise has on all wildlife. It’s extremely
important to me to continue DU’s efforts and have more success stories as I have a son who loves this sport as much as I do”.
Todd has been the chair of the Paul Bunyan chapter for the last 4 years. At the time he took this role, the chapter had lost its chair
and was experiencing a significant downturn in attendance. Over the years he has been the chair, the chapter has seen resurgence
in their growth, so much so that they have been a top 25 chapter for the last two years and will likely be there again this year. Their annual banquet now attracts over 300 attendees and has been sold out for the last two years. It has become one of Brain-
erd’s must attend events. Todd currently lives near Brainerd with his wife Candy and their just retired black lab, Molly. They have two children, both of whom help out with the Brainerd dinner banquet.
Ducks Unlimited’s Chief Conservation Officer, Paul
Schmidt, presents TE Connectivity Vice Presi-dent, Jaxon Lang, with his
Diamond Heritage plaque.
This new
event
format
was a big
hit for
conser-
vation.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 12 Summer/Fall 2014
DU Canada’s CEO, Greg Siekaniec,
gave the keynote address at the
Saturday Convention Banquet.
2014 Minnesota DU State Convention
The Volunteer Award winners for the Central Region show
their pride in volunteering for Minnesota Ducks Unlimited.
Kathy and Dale Struffert and Mark and Chuck Haus enjoy
the Saturday evening events with a bunch of high fives!!
The MN DU
State
Convention was
held in Willmar
for the first
time ever.
Chef Mike Brown ‘s
presentation on
wild game cooking
was a big hit at the
convention.
The bartenders in “The Blind”
The Saturday night Convention
Banquet was a well attended,
lively affair with many raffles
and unique live auction items.
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
Page 13 Summer/Fall 2014
Cattails Official Newsletter of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited
For articles and inserts, please send to Cattails Editor:
Brian Ross
14380 Memorywood Drive Baxter, MN 56425
Phone: 218-825-0996 E-mail:
bross@mnducksvolunteer.org
6101 Kaymar Drive
Edina, MN 55436
Phone: 952-820-8174
Email: mndu@mtn.org
Another example of the Minnesota DNR and DU partnership is shown as DNR Division of
Wildlife staff work with DU Canada and DU, Inc. staff to get the airboat unstuck and off
the dike at the Elm Creek project in the Carrot River Triangle, Northern Manitoba, Can-
ada. Yes, the partnership was successful and the project tour continued.
Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to
conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Es-
tablished in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres,
thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the conti-
nent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works to-
ward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today,
tomorrow and forever.
MINNESOTA DUCKS
UNLIMITED
You are Ducks Unlimited
ducks.org
www.ducks.org/how-to-help/volunteer/signup
VOLUNTEERVOLUNTEER
www.ducks.org/NeedDucks