Clearwater Lake MN East of Clearbrook

One of the most attractive lakes in North West Minnesota is Clearwater Lake and true to its name the water is realitively clear for this area. There is very little published information on this lake and I could find very little information online about it. I would need to go to the county seat of Clearwater County, which is Bagley, Minnesota and do the paper and pen type of reasearch there. What I have found online is that the Clearwater lake as we know it is the result of gravity dam on the Clearwater River. It is owned by the state of Minnesota and has been there since 1931. The length is sixty feet and County Highway 4 uses the dam to cross the river. What is really nice is there are a number of islands on the west side of the lake and a few of the islands have homes and cabins on them.

DNR's Web site is Closed but Gov. Dayton's is up

Without really thinking about the government shutdown I logged on to the computer after coffee and wanted to find the access to a lake I had never fished on. Well that was a dead end because the MN DNR shut down their site "MN Lake Finder" because of the budget impasse. I tried other DNR sites, all of which are shut down. Then, I thought to myself "I bet the governors web site is up and running". I was right on the money. It is up and running and there is a place to contact him with your thoughts.

Now I just wanted lake access information, no big deal, but other people have had to cancel plans because the parks are closed. Some have had made reservations a year or more in advance and payed for them, but yet the governor's site is up.

There are two questions. Number one question if a revenue generating site like the DNR's is compelled to shut down, then why is the governor's still up and running? Number two, is this being done for political reasons?
Blame who you want, any politician who has a Minnesota government fund site up and running should have it shut down and that includes the Governor Dayton.

You Don't Need No Fricking Fishing license!

Midnight, June 30th is the cut off for the purchase of fishing licenses, so says the state Minnesota, but the DNR will still catch you if you are over the limit. Whats funny is the FAQ that the DNR has put out. Fishing is of course number 2 and 3 on the FAQ. This says quite alot about Minnesotans and what matters to them.
Here is the FAQ:

2. Am I still able to purchase a fishing license?

No. The sale of all fishing, hunting and trapping licenses, including online and telephone sales, will be suspended as of midnight, June 30. Likewise, no boat, ATV or other licenses will be sold.

All natural resource and license laws will remain in effect during a shutdown and will be enforced.

3. What are the implications for a shutdown to anglers?

Licensed anglers can continue to fish. All existing rules and regulations will be in force. A mid-season walleye fishing regulation adjustment on Lake Mille Lacs will be delayed or cancelled depending upon the length of the shutdown.

I understand the need for the DNR to enforce fishing laws but wouldn't selling licenses bring in much needed revenue for the state?

Powassan Virus In Minnesota

According to the Winona Daily News the first death in Minnesota was recorded on Wednesday June 28, 2011. The Winona Daily News goes on to tell the history of the virus, where it has occurred and how it is spread.

It is spread by deer ticks in this area. Scientific name is Ixodes Scapularis. While this article contains good information, it leaves out one important thing. What a deer tick looks like and also what a deer tick looks like compared to a wood tick.

I hate ticks and I have found only one way to avoid them and that is stay indoors. That is not going to happen. Winter is long and outside is where I am going to be. So do the normal stuff, wear the right clothes, wear deet and eat garlic and don't freak out if you can help it when you find a tick. Below are a couple of pictures of deer ticks and wood ticks.

Wood Tick, Dermacentor Andersoni

Deer Tick, Ixodes Scapularis

Thief River and Chief Mons-o-mo (Chief Moose Dung)

City of Thief River makes changes to cover up Name??????

This has been bothering me for some time and I have questions that I cannot find answers for and I hope someone who sees this may post an answer. I love history and I love Native American history and with great respect for those who have passed before us I would like to shed light on something that maybe is not quite accurate. The picture on the left according to what is written on the base of the Statue is of Chief Red Robe. Now Chief (Mis-co-co-noy-a) Red Robe was a real Chief and the Picture the writing on the statue base is correct, but the likeness is of Chief Mons-o-mo (Chief Moose-dung, translated). This name unfortunately brings giggles to small minded people. I have no idea why he had such a name but the culture of Natives Americans and other in that time period was different than today. The reason I know this is the likeness of Chief Mons-0-mo is because the statue was modeled after the photograph shown below which is of Chief Mons-o-mo.

There is also another photo that I found that was scanned from a post card that dates maybe back to the 50's or 60's. I am not certain of this time period or where this statue was at in the City of Thief River Falls when the photo was taken, but it certainly was a different color. What ever the reason prudishness or political correctness this should corrected out of respect for those involved, but I doubt it ever will.

The Statue of Chief Red Robe can be found just south of the Red Lake River Fishing Pier off of Highway 1 near Northland Community Technical College in a very nice park at the point where the Thief River joins the Red Lake River. It is worth the time to stop and take a look.

local gas prices in North West Minnesota

According to the New York Post, Goldman Sachs is predicting high gas prices this summer. They are predicting prices around $5 a gallon even though we have seen a drop in the price before Memorial day when prices are normally high. The price increase is to come mid July. Right now the cool weather and wind is affecting my decision to drive to nearby lakes to fish. Where and how far I go may be affected by high gas. The amount spent on gas for both boat and truck really cuts into the food and drinks I put into my cooler and the distance I go to fish. If I drive far enough that may mean a tank fill going and a tank fill coming back. I know from talking to gas station owners that high gas prices hurt them. People have less money after filling the car or truck to spend on beer,soda pop, snacks, and bait. The gas stations only make a fixed percentage off of gas sold and most of the profits come from items like food and soda. So in effect I will make food at home and bring Ice tea and avoid buying high priced supplies at the gas station if I can help it.

Bird Brains

One of the enjoyable things about this area of Northern Minnesota is the wildlife and one of the hobbies of home owners and land owners is feeding birds, squirrels and deer. It is very common to see back yard feeders and there are whole sections in retail stores dedicated to the back yard feeding of birds. In quite a few homes you will see a window with a chair and a bird identification book. Every season brings new species of birds to the back yard from common to rare with out even having to leave the comfort of your home. In this area you can see species of birds that some bird watchers travel thousands of miles to see.

That is why it was shocking to read about Cuyahoga Falls City council trying to pass an ordinance to regulate bird feeders. The argument is that spill from feeders falls to the ground and decays and causes birds to become sick and die. Jerry James, city councilman alleges that the death of bird was traced back to decayed seed from bird feeders. It was not stated how they came to this conclusion. Was there a biologist or veterinarian involved in the biopsy of these birds? If there was some scientific investigation nothing was put out there for the public to see.

When you read about this kind of news you wonder when some do-gooder will porpose the same type of legislation for your area to "save the little animals" from the bad humans so that they will get votes at the next election. Many who live here are close to nature and have a great concern for nature and will do anything they can to conserve nature without the extra help of new laws.

From Jerry James's statement to Akron News Now, you can conclude he knows very little about bird feeding. You would have to assume that people are dumping fifty pound sacks of feed onto thier lawns for birds to feed on, and that ankle deep piles of feed are rotting on the ground. This is probably the idea that Jerry James has about people who feed birds. The truth is bird seed is expensive and most people who feed birds want very little waste. The other truth is that wild birds are quite finiky about what they eat and different species eat in different ways and varied types of seed. A good example of this is that you probably will not see an American finch or House Wren eating wheat or milo seed. If the Cuyahoga Council was serious that would have stated what types of rotted seed had caused bird deaths. My guess is that they don't have a clue. For many birds you want to attract them with expensive types of seed such as Nyjer seed.

According to the Cuyahoga Falls Patch Chris Stranahan, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise says: "I've seen nothing posted on th ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resorces) website" about birds mortality from decayed bird seed.