Twin Cites Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society

From: "Rick Horton
Date: May, 2004

Minnesota Ruffed Grouse Society friends and supporters -

The Society continues to enjoy a close working relationship with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Earlier this week, DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam attended the RGS banquet in St. Cloud. In his address to the attendees Gene pointed out correctly that ruffed grouse hunting is the top small game hunting opportunity in the state, surpassing pheasants and even ducks (during the cyclic peaks). He expressed a desire to maintain the state as a top grouse hunting destination and pledged to continue working with the Ruffed Grouse Society. He also announced that the first ever full-time grouse research biologist position in Grand Rapids will be filled by Dr. Mike Larson sometime in June.

I attended the MN Timber Producers Association's Annual Meeting and Banquet last week in Duluth. TPA President Wayne Brandt was very kind to point out the good working relationship between RGS and TPA and urged all of his members to support RGS. The keynote speaker of the night was Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey from Washington D.C. Mark is essentially the Forest Service Chief's boss. He talked at length about the Healthy Forests Initiative and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, which will serve to streamline administrative processes on National Forests in some cases. In a later private discussion he acknowledged the problems we have experienced at the field level and said that it often takes time to turn a large organization, much like a large ship.

The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce's Forestry Affairs Committee liked an unofficial RGS slogan, "Little Trees Need Hugs Too", so much that they had several hundred buttons printed up bearing that message. These were handed out at the Grand Rapids RGS banquet April 15th. They have also been presented to some key individuals around the state and country, including Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey, Commissioner Gene Merriam, Assistant Commissioner Brad Moore, Forestry Division Director Mike Carroll and many others.

While we have seen some improvement in attitudes towards young forest management on national forests, we are still struggling with some. Attached are our comments on the recent Tomahawk project on the Tofte Ranger District of the Superior National Forest. In short, they are willing to burn more old aspen/fir forest, and convert more to pines, than they are willing to clearcut. This despite the fact that the area is all Management Area 1.3 (moose and grouse emphasis area) and that it is woefully lacking in young forests. We are meeting with the District Ranger this Friday to discuss options before they make their final decision.

SUMMARY

We at the Ruffed grouse Society are very excited about the positive things we have accomplished over the years and are very pleased with recent successes. You can help us build on that success by supporting us through our banquet program and by making your voice heard by resource managers. We may like to hunt with just a dog and a good buddy, and keep our favorite covers secret, but together we all can have a loud voice in preserving Minnesota's tradition of fine grouse and woodcock hunting!!

Upcoming banquets:
5/6/04 - Warroad Legion Hall
5/8/04 - Grand Marais Youth Day
5/13/04 - Cambridge VFW

FAN REMINDER

To insure that you continue to receive timely Forest Action Network (FAN) updates please notify me of changes in your email or mailing addresses. Currently, there are nearly 700 FAN members in this region alone. Your help has been important in making sure public land managers consider the impacts of their decisions to ruffed grouse and woodcock.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions:

Rick Horton, Regional Biologist, Ruffed Grouse Society

P.O. Box 657, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 (218) 327-2524 email:

rgshort@uslink.net

The Ruffed Grouse Society is an international organization actively involved in promoting forest wildlife conservation on public and private lands throughout North America. For information on the Ruffed Grouse Society, please call 888-564-6747 or check out the RGS website at www.ruffedgrousesociety.org