It is a special place. The fish are big. The memories bigger.
Tobin Lake at Nipawin, Saskatchewan has long been a favorite destination of fishermen from both Canada and the United States. Every year anglers descend on the Canadian water with the expectation of hooking into a fish of a lifetime. The unique fishery delivers such rewards more often than not.
Many North Dakotans are among those who set aside several days on their calendars for a fishing trip to Tobin Lake. They do so knowing their chances of catching a trophy walleye, North Dakota’s most sought-after game fish, is virtually assured. Ten-to-12-pound walleye are common with catches of larger walleye possible.
Yes, Tobin Lake is indeed a special place that grows huge fish. A slot limit governs the water. Walleye between 21 and 34 inches must be released. Fish under 21 inches can be kept for eating. To help limit injury to fish only barbless hooks can be used.
Tobin Lake turns out trophy northern pike as well. Pike between 29 and 45 inches in length must be released. Lake sturgeon up to 100 pounds add to Tobin Lake’s reputation as a trophy destination for anglers.
There’s an abundance of nature’s beauty that surrounds Tobin Lake, adding to the wonderful fishing experience enjoyed by so many visitors annually. Thick stands of birch and evergreen trees line the shoreline. Those who choose to fish Tobin in the fall, a time when big fish are often on the move and feeding aggressively as winter approaches, will also be treated to the myriad of colors associated with autumn weather.
Cool, crisp mornings often give way to warming temperatures by noon, making it ideal for fishermen to stay on the water and treat themselves to the final days in a boat before winter grabs hold and open water turns to ice.
Accommodations abound at Tobin. Visitors can choose from nearby lodges or cabins that are ideally situated for quick access to the lake. A Provincial Park provides camping opportunities.
Families and friends frequent Tobin Lake. Fishing stories are exchanged around campfires, with a plate of freshly fried fish always within reach. Photos of the day's best catches are shared along with techniques and locations. It’s fun, informative, relaxing, memorable -- a perfect fishing experience.
The memories start each morning over a quick breakfast and cup of coffee. Then it’s time to launch at the boat ramp in anticipation of what adventure awaits.
As the rising sun burns off the morning mist, an osprey glides overhead. Nearby impressive Bald Eagles are perched in bare branches high above the rugged shoreline. A fisherman can be forgiven for focusing on what Mother Nature paints so vividly before turning attention to his or her quest for big fish.
Indeed, Tobin Lake is a special place, but the moments shared among friends and fellow fishermen, and the inevitable memories, make the best fish story of all.
MINOT – On this distribution day at The Lord’s Cupboard food pantry the parking lot was filled with vehicles of all types. Some people were walking across the parking lot to the front entry of the pantry. Others were returning to their vehicles with a box overflowing with food items. Still another was seated on a small cooler, rapidly devouring some fruit just received from the Lord’s Cupboard.
“Most people in Minot do not realize the hunger needs in the city,” said Gerald Roise, The Lord’s Cupboard. “It’s the most rewarding thing that we can do. It’s just fabulous to be able to see the satisfaction in their eyes to have the food to home and feed their families. The appreciation from the clients is phenomenal.”
Reliable and dedicated volunteers staff the pantry, efficiently handling the considerable number of people using the facility. In all, about 400 families per week use the services of The Lord’s Cupboard.
“We always have 10 to 12 new families every day and have about that many dropping out that no longer need our services,” said Roise.
Inside the pantry two small children were smiling and happy, pulling on their mother’s arm in the hope of seeing what was in the food box on the counter above them. Nearby the distribution of food was remarkably orderly as people carefully chose their items, understanding that others in need were waiting to do the same.
“I’m so glad I’m in Minot, North Dakota because people care about people and we take care of people,” remarked Duane Brekke, volunteer.
Brekke owns land on which The Lord’s Cupboard has several raised gardens that yield a bountiful harvest of vegetables every year. Volunteers care for the gardens, from planting through maturity, with the fresh produce going directly to the food pantry where it is distributed to families in need.
“The volunteers are really passionate about making a difference,” said Roise. “Everyone knows that the end result is that families are fed in Minot. That’s the name of the game.”
The Lord’s Cupboard food pantry is located at 1725 Burdick Expressway West. Further information can be found at thelordscuipboardfoodpantry.com.
A winter that started in early November and hung around until April tested the endurance of wildlife and landowners, both fixtures on the landscape familiar with unpredictable North Dakota weather.
“North Dakota has one of the toughest climates in the lower 48 and this winter was certainly one of the most difficult we’ve seen,” said Bill Haase, state Game and Fish Department assistant wildlife division chief. “Winter was difficult on wildlife and people, and we appreciate all those landowners out there, especially livestock producers who had the tolerance and compassion to deal with the impacts from deer and other animals.”
By early April, the Game and Fish Department had fielded nearly 250 depredation reports statewide for just white-tailed deer. More than 100 of those calls landed in the Jamestown office for deer alone.
Deer depredation was more notable in areas where wildlife habitat was lacking on the landscape. This was especially true in the eastern third of the state where food and cover is generally lacking, thus forcing deer herds to concentrate in isolated livestock operations.
“There are some landowners, livestock producers in particular with livestock feed supplies, who tend to have the most issues with deer and other wildlife being attracted to their locations,” Haase said. “We certainly heard from some and we have a lot of tools that we can help minimize these issues.”
There are short-term solutions that the department can provide producers with depredation issues, such as wrapping bales and motion sirens. And long-term solutions, like permanent hay yards, portable panels designed specifically to keep deer out of livestock feed supplies and food plots. The department provides hay yard materials at no cost and provides cost-share for construction. Currently, there are about 750 of these structures dotting North Dakota’s rural landscape.
“Hopefully, winter is finally behind us, so we ask any landowners who had depredation issues and are interested in long-term solutions to give us a call to see if there is something we can do to help with hay yard fencing, portable panels and depredation food plots,” Haase said.
To inquire about these options, call Game and Fish at 701-328-6300. Also, for a deeper dive into winter’s depredation issues and options to provide relief to livestock producers during the next tough winter, listen to episode 16 of the NDO Podcast.
While there is a need to help producers safeguard livestock feed supplies, there is also a demand for more wildlife habitat on the landscape.
“Going into winter, we probably had the poorest habitat conditions we’ve had in a long time in the state,” said Kevin Kading, department private land section leader. “There just isn’t much habitat in a lot of places, but we need to rebound somehow. We need habitat on the landscape.”
Going forward, Kading said, if a landowner is interested in developing habitat, there is a host of programs set up to do just that.
“There are more programs, money and funding available right now for habitat than ever before, really,” Kading said. “And it's not just through the Game and Fish Department. It's through USDA, partners and other conservation groups. The Game and Fish Department can be a good source to start with. We can certainly walk landowners through all of these different options and point them in the right direction.”
While wildlife habitat is one of the aspects that can help alleviate depredation issues, so is hunting access. Kading said the Department’s Private Land Open To Sportsmen program is a remedy for both of those by providing habitat for wildlife to rebound and providing access opportunities for hunters. To further encourage hunter access, Kading also suggests landowners enrolling in the hunter-landowner contact program and posting Ask Before You Enter signs on their property.
“Our private land staff is well versed in a lot of different programs and partner programs that are out there. The simplest and quickest thing we can do is put grass on the ground. It’s quick to establish, and it creates quality fawning and nesting cover,” Kading said. “There are a lot of different opportunities for landowners right now that our staff can help with to put grass on the ground.”
Register for Game Warden Exam
Individuals interested in taking the exam to select candidates for a full-time temporary district game warden position must register by June 6. The test is at 10 a.m., June 9, at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's main office in Bismarck.
Applicants must register by submitting an online application through the North Dakota State Job Openings website.
Applicants must be at least 21, have a bachelor’s degree at time of hire or an associate degree with either 2 years of law enforcement or wildlife experience, have a valid driver’s license and a current North Dakota peace officer license, or eligible to be licensed. Candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive background check and must not have a record of any felony convictions.
Salary through training is $4,500 per month. For more information, see the district game warden job announcement on the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov.
PIX—-legis rep thomas ranching bill
lydia.hoverson@mydakotan.com
BISMARCK – A bill that seeks to modernize ranching in North Dakota law has made its way through several amendments in a conference committee and passed the full body of the North Dakota State House for a second time Thursday.
House Bill 1371, the corporate ranch bill, seeks to allow outside investment for family farms and ranches to either combine their own resources or get resources from out-of-state or in-state corporations.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Paul Thomas, R-Dis. 6, Velva, said those are the investments that are allowed in the bill while still maintaining the important control with the individual farm and ranch family members that are actively engaged in the day-to-day management of those operations. He said outside capital into those investments are limited. The acreage is also limited. Thomas described the bill as a 2023 modernization bill that is all about boosting animal agriculture in North Dakota.
“It will permit dairies, livestock feeding lots, and swine and poultry production to flourish and create economic engines that will bolster our state’s economy and help revitalize our rural communities,” Thomas said on the House floor.
Thomas added that the bill received clean-up language from its conference committee, which is a committee comprised of members from the appropriate committees from both the House and Senate.
“This bill received a lot of compromise by all the farm organizations throughout this state, as well as producers working actively to advance this,” said Thomas.
The bill passed 70-20 and will be sent to the Senate which has previously passed it before amendments were added on a 41-6 vote. If HB1371 passes the Senate, it will be sent to Gov. Doug Burgum for his signature. Burgum has already expressed his support for the bill.
A horse drawn wagon, flannel shirts, floppy eared caps, smiling faces, the smell of fresh pancakes, and sweet maple syrup.
Vermont?
Nope. Fort Stevenson State Park a few miles south of Garrison.
Standing under one of the park’s most reliable box elder trees, Park Manager Chad Trautman, was talking to park visitors.
“I know. We’re crazy,” said Trautman. “We just really enjoy the tapping of trees and trying to take advantage of the opportunity nature has to offer us. Fort Stevenson has box elder trees. You can tap box elder trees to make maple syrup.”
Darned if those North Dakota trees don’t produce some great syrup too. Visitors to Maple Sugaring Day on April 8 showed their skepticism, and their surprise, when sampling syrup derived from trees within the park.
“We tap two different kinds of trees, the box elder and the silver maple,” explained Terry Smith, Ft. Stevenson State Park. “We’re happy to have both those kinds of trees in the park and share the experience with people that come out for it. It’s pretty unique.”
Yes it is, and pretty sweet too. The silver maple trees produce syrup with a higher sugar content than the box elders, one syrup a bit darker than the other, but both wonderfully flavorful and a perfect complement to the outdoor pancake and sausage breakfast that is a popular attraction at Maple Sugaring Day.
Inside a large tent, families were comfortably seated near large heaters that kept away the slight chill of the morning. Of course, the real treat was the topping on the pancakes – maple syrup tapped from nearby trees.
It was Trautman who first attempted drawing sap from the park’s trees and boiling it down to syrup. That was in 2014, but even he had his doubts about the results.
“We thought, we can’t invite the public out here and find out this stuff tastes like mud or something. So, we sampled it ourselves,” recalled Trautman. “The proof was in the pudding. After the first sample I knew this was some really good stuff and we should be sharing.”
Since that first Maple Sugaring Day hosted by Fort Stevenson State Park the event has grown considerably. The clippety-clop a team of horses pulling a wagon load of park visitors attests to that, several of whom attend the event to learn more about the process of tapping trees and making syrup.
“This does draw a lot of people. What I really enjoy is other people experiencing it, boiling down their own syrup,” said Trautman. “It’s really fun to hear they are enjoying it and taking part in the process as well.”
At the time of this year’s event the trees in the park were not running any sap. The late spring didn’t produce warm enough daytime temperatures, a situation Trautman called “disappointing”. However, the park staff had saved plenty of syrup from the previous year to have enough on hand for everyone to enjoy.
“That’s how the maple syrup process goes. We can’t do anything about that,” explained Trautman.
No matter. Visitors were able to see trees that were tapped, waiting for warm days and cool nights to get the sap running. And there were sweet samples, those pancakes in the fresh air, and a friendly atmosphere that brought a festive feel to an April day outdoors in North Dakota.
BISMARCK – The North Dakota Senate voted on two very prominent bills involving Game and Fish Department policies late Tuesday, rejecting one and passing the other.
HB1151, the deer baiting bill, which received more written comment than any other bill this legislative session, failed on the Senate floor 21-26. It had passed the House 76-18 and received a Do Pass recommendation from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The bill sought to prohibit Game and Fish from implementing a ban on baiting in deer hunting units they determine are likely to aid in the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, a disease that is fatal to deer. Currently about half the state is under a baiting ban.
“This is the infamous baiting bill as it relates to big game. HB1151 has been a bill that has been strongly opposed and supported,” Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Dis. 33, Mandan, said from the floor of the Senate. “Over 40,000 deer have been tested and only seven tested positive for CWD in 20 years.”
In response Sen. Robert Eberle, R-Dis. 28, Lehr, said “We’re seeking to micromanage an agency that we’ve entrusted with our wildlife.”
Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Dis. 1, Williston, voiced his opposition to the bill, saying “We have veterinarians on staff. I don’t know how much higher you can get in the food chain in terms of information about wildlife management than a degreed veterinarian telling us a ban on baiting is the best practice.”
Proponents of the bill maintained that deer naturally gather to feed and that baiting is an insignificant risk. CWD is known to spread through contact of one deer with another.
Shortly after defeating HB1151 the Senators passed HB1538, a bill dealing with charges levied by Game and Fish for fishing tournaments. Game and Fish requires that 75% of all entry fees, regardless of the organization hosting the fishing tourney, be returned to contestants, and that Game and Fish is to receive a 10% “conservation” fee, leaving 15% for the sponsoring organization.
HB1538 removes all fees currently charged to nonprofits and similar organizations, allowing them to disperse fishing tournament profits for whatever cause they choose.
Another major aspect of the bill is a maximum conservation fee of $2,500 for tournaments other than nonprofits, youth, or civic organizations.
“The $2,500 is a big deal,” said Sen. Jeff Magrum, R-Dis. 8, Hazelton. “The price got so high.”
Major national fishing tournaments have avoided scheduling events in North Dakota due to extremely high fees charged by Game and Fish.
“Other states are a few hundred dollars at the most, and we charge 10, 15, 20,000,” said Sen. Todd Beard, Williston. “Game and Fish had the means and the wherewithal, knowing this was an issue, to say we can help this. They did not make one attempt to try and help with this issue and this is why we are where we’re at.”
Discusses Two-Ramp Dilemma
MINOT – The Minot City Council reconsidered Tuesday its previous motion to make use of a downtown parking ramp free of charge.
A couple weeks ago the council voted to make the Renaissance Parking Garage located at 205 First Street Southwest, adjacent to the new City Hall and one of two downtown parking ramps, free of charge for the public. The reasoning behind it was because employees of the city will soon be moving in and will need parking. The council thought they should make parking free for the employees, and to be fair, should make it free for everyone to avoid the exclusive free parking for employees being considered an employment benefit.
“In listening to constituents and thinking it through, some of us had some second thoughts about that, particularly in regard to waiving fees for parking at the ramp next to the new City Hall,” said Alderman Stephan Podrygula. “We’ll lose a significant amount of income if we waive fees for everybody, something like $37,000 a year, and I think it will provoke an exodus of people from the other ramps from one where they have to pay to one where they don’t have to pay.”
The council unanimously voted against its previous motion to make the ramp free of charge for everyone, and created a new motion to leave the parking ramp as is except to waive parking fees for city employees only.
“We’ve heard quite a lot of feedback from downtown merchants, current parking pass holders, a lot of people,” said Alderwoman Carrie Evans. “Our intention was to provide city employees with the same free parking they have here when they relocate to the new workplace. Our city employees at the airport already receive this benefit as well, so it really is remaining consistent with that, and maintaining the revenue that we currently receive from the paid monthly parkers and hourly parkers.”
David Lakefield, finance director, verified that the waiving of fees for employees is below the threshold to be considered a tax benefit.
The Renaissance Parking Garage has 188 parking spots. It is projected that up to 80 city employees will utilize the parking garage once the move is made to the new City Hall.
The new motion to make the parking ramp free only for city employees passed unanimously.
BISMARCK – The presence of chronic wasting disease prompted the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to invoke a ban on hunter’s using bait piles to attract deer. CWD is a neurological disease known to be fatal for deer.
Game and Fish contends the practice of baiting increases the spread of the disease. Hunters throughout the state have objected to what they say is an unnecessary restriction that does little to stop the spread of CWD.
The opposition to the Game and Fish baiting ban in several deer gun hunting units led to the introduction of House Bill 1151 which states, “The department may not issue rules or adopt a policy or practice prohibiting the baiting of deer for lawful hunting.”
The bill has generated a considerable amount of interest with many people offering written or oral testimony. The House Energy and Natural Resources Committee, after a hearing at the State Capitol, directed a sub-committee to study the bill, naming Dick Anderson, R-Dis. 6, Willow City, and vice-chairman of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee to head up the sub-committee.
Anderson’s sub-committee work led to proposed amendments to HB1151. Among them is replacing “deer for lawful hunting” to “big game animals” which would include elk and moose, and the banning of baiting statewide from January 1 to August 24. Baiting would be legal from August 25 to December 31, which covers existing hunting seasons.
Another amendment limits the total amount of “supplemental feed attractants” to not exceed 50 gallons of “grain, seed, minerals, salt, fruit, vegetables, nuts, hay, and any naturally derived scent or lure including urine, or natural or manufactured food.” Additionally, no baiting would be allowed within 150 feet of any property line.
A further amendment reads, “The department shall establish a chronic wasting disease task force to address chronic wasting disease. The membership of the task force must include the state veterinarian and members of the Senate and House of Representatives from standing committees addressing Energy and Natural Resources. The task force shall provide the director and governor recommendations for rules and regulations based on the best available information to minimize the impact of chronic wasting disease on North Dakota’s deer, elk, and moose.”
The sub-committee work will be presented to the full Energy and Natural Resources Committee for their consideration as early as this week. The committee will forward their approved version of HB1151 to the full House with a do or do not pass recommendation.
MINOT – A bill being scrutinized during the current session of the North Dakota legislature seeks to encourage large scale livestock and poultry operations in the state. Sen. David Hogue, R-Dis. 38, Minot, and Senate majority leader, explained the essence of HB 1371 during a legislative forum held at Minot’s State Fair Center.
“If you go 10 miles into Minnesota or South Dakota you will see these large-scale dairy and swine operations,” said Hogue. “We can’t do that in North Dakota because we have restrictions on ownership of farmland, sometimes called corporate farming. I don’t think that’s the correct term because this isn’t about farming. It’s about livestock operations.”
Hogue said he believed the existing restrictions that have been in place for “close to 80 years” has resulted in diminished livestock operations in North Dakota. Gov. Burgum also addressed the lack of livestock in North Dakota during his state-of-the-state message to open the legislative session.
“South Dakota passed us in swine and dairy and poultry,” said Hogue.
Hogue told those attending the forum that byproducts of the state’s ethanol plants is a “cheap source of feed” for livestock operations, called it “value added.”
“Instead of using that feed here they ship it to Texas and Arizona,” said Hogue. “There’s feeding opportunities for large scale feeding operations and the only thing holding North Dakota back, in my view, is the fact we so tightly constrict who can own a piece of agricultural land to operate these large-scale operations.”
Hogue voiced his support for the bill which has not yet been voted on by the House.
Property tax relief
The Senate majority leader also spoke about possible property tax relief, something very much on the mind of citizens throughout the state. The House, said Hogue, is focused on income tax relief while the Senate is focusing on property tax relief.
“There are seven serious proposals in the Senate to reduce property tax and, so far, nobody has pushed back,” remarked Hogue. “All of us want it. I’d say property tax relief will be a combination of bills.”
The issue is a difficult one, explained Hogue, due to more than 2,000 political sub-districts that have varying needs. He cited school growth in West Fargo and Minot as examples.
BISMARCK – Nonprofits work hard in North Dakota, in so many different ways, both to do what they do and bring awareness to it. One unique way they bring awareness is their advocacy at the state legislature.
With the legislature in session this year, several nonprofits gathered at the Capitol this week to bring awareness to what they do. About 45 organizations, representing a variety of purposes, set up on the first floor of the Capitol Building this past Wednesday.
Dana Hager, organizer of the event and executive director for North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations, said the purpose of the event is for education and awareness.
“They can come, and if they want to visit with their legislators from their district they can,” said Hager. “They can come see the legislative process in action. Sometimes this is the only chance they have to come to the Capitol. It also gives them a reason to come here and advocate for their entities.”
With so many different sectors of nonprofits, Hager said there are almost always bills that a nonprofit might be interested in.
“The arts, Health and Human Services,” said Hager. “The nonprofits are everywhere from feeding the homeless, sheltering, to your schools.
Though NDANO isn’t necessarily active in each nonprofit’s advocacy to the legislature, it encourages each nonprofit to track its own interests in the legislative bills that come through.
“There’s only one of me,” Hager laughed. “I couldn’t do it for all the sectors, but NDANO looks at bills that impact the nonprofit community as a whole. Charitable giving bills, things like that.”
Hager described NDANO as a membership association, with its main goals being education, advocacy, and networking.
“We help nonprofits make sure they have their practices and principles in place so they’re running an efficient and legal nonprofit,” Hager explained. “Then we encourage them with advocacy to just get out, not only advocate for themselves, but to just get out in the legislative process as well. Then networking, we just bring nonprofits together through events and conferences and things like that.”
NDANO has about 200 members. More information on it can be found on its website.
