(00:00:00) It's about 11 and a half minutes. Now after 11 o'clock. Bob Potter is back with us here. What a nice day out there to go to a park take a walk. Well, the garden whatever gorgeous do a gorgeous day and a lot of the places people like to go are under the control of the gentleman who is now in our Studios. Mr. Joe Alexander commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, Joe welcome. It's always nice to have you thanks Bob. It's good to be here. Well, we've got a beautiful day going all around the area but it's been terribly dry and it's going to be hot today lot of wind today and tomorrow and that means fire danger. Does it (00:00:33) not it means extreme fire danger am now if you drew a line halfway across the state from east to west north of that line is extremely volatile right now and we had a fire last night up in the Aiken area that could have could have been disastrous. It was bad enough the way it was we burned I believe five six hundred acres in part of that was tree plantations and it started a crown and that is a dangerous situation with high winds. We Probably have the most dangerous conditions right now in northern Minnesota for forest fires at we've had in the history of fighting forest fires. (00:01:05) Is it true that most of these fires are intentionally set by (00:01:08) people. A lot of them are I wouldn't I was almost said most but I'd hate to say more spent an awful lot of fires are set intentionally not for the purpose of say burning up a woods, but intentionally burning a small grass patch or something like that. I'm getting in that getting out of hand or Wetland area that they burn every year that's there's places that that happens at people just do that and some of those get out of hand and in some cases we've had some some arson that was deliberately done just to see how DNR would react to it and we have managed done some cases to bring those people to court and we are we have a good crew on that now we have a good arson investigating (00:01:43) grew. All right, you got people who want to go out and do some camping and picnicking and so on what should they do about building a campfire or having a charcoal dinner or something like that? Well, (00:01:53) first of all, they ought to find out and they ought to let us know our someone know where they're Her ask what the conditions are there some places where there are some fires permitted in certain areas. But what we're talking about now in the Northern Tier of counties are at least a half of that half of Minnesota is too is that fires be contained to Charcoal type grills that they not build any bonfires of any sort or gas grills or whatever. We're not we're not prohibiting those in areas where the they are ordinarily / permitted but the word is just be extremely careful and fishing season coming up. Of course, we will have more campers out more people using those areas Public Access has and one thing that we keep warning people about is catalytic converters on automobiles. Now this time of year, there's still a lot of dry grass and those things are red hot when you when you stop and we've had a number of fire started like that over the years and there a number of people have lost their vehicles because of not of not realizing that catalytic converter would set the grass on fire and that in turn its destroys a vehicle that we try to remind them of that if they pull off an access into grass be very careful because they It could end up starting a fire (00:02:59) Joe Alexander's with us today talk commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. His agency has jurisdiction over hunting and fishing and Wildlife and all kinds of things that people enjoying the great outdoors in Minnesota. And if you have a particular question or concern you'd like to raise with Joe. You're certainly welcome to call us and we'll put you on the air with him. The phone number in the Twin Cities is 2276 thousand 2276 thousand in the Twin Cities, in other parts of Minnesota toll-free one 800 695 hundred 1 800 662 are an out-of-state listener who comes to Minnesota and enjoys the parks and so on once in a while. Call us at area code 612 2276 thousand. Well Joe, it's it's real dry. We talked about that with a forest fires its lake levels in such a low and River levels are low. What sort of impact is that having on the fish in the wildlife? (00:03:53) Well generally on fish we generally predict a better-than-average opener when we have low water the fish concentrate somewhat spawning is over we had an early spring. So we're not we're not going to run into a lot of areas where we have spawning fish. So we are predicting that the opener will be pretty good. We are not getting as nearly as many complaints on low water we get some as we had on high water. I think the last time I was here we talked about high water that was hitting a lot of lakes out west of Minneapolis and and on West of their Northwest of there and that has leveled out of course with the dry weather. We're not having nearly the complaints people do call occasionally that they think the damage broken in the lake is drying up or something and it's and in some cases they may be right. There may be a stop log that that something has happened to but generally we're looking at a at a drought situation now. (00:04:41) Hmm. All right we've got Just one person on the line and we'll put you on the air with Jonah. Go ahead please (00:04:48) yes Morning Joe the other morning. I called the department of your Department of Natural Resources number after hearing that there is going to be up to five state parks being closed because of the budgetary problems and the nice galloped at your DNR office in for me. It could be as many as 11 state parks that will have to be closed shortly. She said you are working on a list of potential Parks which ones would be subject to closing. I was just wondering if you could comment on the situation and if you have any idea which parks would be subject to being closed now listen on the radio for your (00:05:22) answer. All right. I don't think I'm ready to talk about closing the state parks. We are facing a tremendous budget crunch as the same as other state agencies are on State Department on the state department built at that came out of the house and we know that we are going to have to whole vacant at least 20 positions and we'll have to lay off 22 people in 42 season. People and when you get into seasonals you're getting into the area of state parks and I haven't made any list yet. We haven't done anything such as listing exactly what would happen or where it would happen. But I hesitated to go before the legislature with with a heavy-handed threat to this is what is going to happen. It's been explained to them in the budget hearing so to come out with a list and start a threatening type procedure. I think would be counterproductive to what we're trying to do. They're very well aware of what it takes to run the department and what it takes to run Parks what it takes to fight forest fires. There may be some impacts in there that are far more serious than closing some some small state parks that that for example, we would have to cut our initial impact team on fire fighting at least before 14 percent under those proposals that are up before the legislature now and and that's an extremely extremely touchy thing to get into and thing that would hurt economically in northern Minnesota. We would have to cut the the small forestry sales that we get into and we would have to go more to the auction which would Which would impact the small force people Foresters the ones that are the farmer type producers and there's a number of things that are there, but I'm not ready to push the panic button. All of these things are in conference. And I believe that that there is a great deal of heat heated discussion that goes on in the full houses and when it hits conference and they said down in a more relaxed and bargaining type posture and things get done a little bit more and most of the time I always tell our people when it all shakes out DNR will be in as good a shape as any other state department and if we work our and if we work our constituency, right we could be in a little better shape than (00:07:23) most does is DNR the biggest state (00:07:26) agency? Oh, no. No, we are we're not we are large as far as state agencies, but Department of Transportation is his his a huge (00:07:34) Department. How many employees do you have (00:07:35) any of the rough? We have a roughly right now, give or take a few 1600 compliment employees that that is the Civil Service Commission. Lamented legislature allows us and that vary somewhat from year to year. But if it hovers around 1600 and just as a rule of thumb, we double that at a peak time at when we have all the parks open in the part-timers on everyone that we'd hire. We probably got 32 33 hundred people at any given time would be running about 2000 (00:08:00) and roughly. What is your annual budget? (00:08:02) Well, we're looking at a roughly a hundred million dollars a little over a hundred million dollars, annually. (00:08:06) All right, Joe Alexander with his commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. And if you have a question for him to to 76 thousand in the Minneapolis st. Paul area 2276 thousand we have quite a few lines opened. So here's an opportunity to visit with Joe about some of your DNR concerns in other parts of Minnesota one 865 to 9700 (00:08:28) Bob. One of the things I'd like to add you to that budget picture. It sounds like a tremendous amount of money and it is a million dollars is not Penny's. Anyway, you take it but the DNR budget amounts to about one and three quarters percent of the General Revenue budget of state of Minnesota less than 2% It'll cover. Two percent generally less than 2% So we are not a great user of the General Revenue money's of the (00:08:49) state. Okay. You got a question for Joe. Go ahead, please. Yeah my eye on you. Yes. Yeah. I'd (00:08:55) like to know I'm commissioner Alexander. What do you plan on doing with the elk herd up and Gregor Minnesota? Why not instead of trying to round them up? Why not have them preserved in Minnesota as an endangered species? (00:09:08) Okay, I can answer it. I evidently you haven't heard the latest on the elk herd and maybe maybe this is a good time to get it out there but several months ago. We were stopped by the district court up there from moving any more elk. And so they had a population of elk adjust remained where it was and with no attempts to move it. Now. The legislature has a bill before it that I think we'll pass that will preserve that elk herd. And if it gets to the point where it's where there are enough animals up there to cause some severe depredation problems. We will be authorized to have a lottery to remove a certain percentage of those by hunting season a person would pay a fee. I'm not going to get into because Going to negotiate it out. It would pay a fee to apply for that Lottery which would go into a dedicated account and then the lucky winners would be able to go up in and participate in a trophy elk hunt. But all of the money that was collected for the for participating in the lottery would go toward keeping that elk hurts elk herd stable and paying for depredation that they might get into so at we have it. It has been a long hard negotiating process with the with the farmers up there who's landale Chrome on and through the legislature and those people that we have to deal with the court in the sports groups and various other people. It's been a tough one (00:10:22) Joel a brief follow-up on the budget issue and the matter of possibly closing some facilities. Why not simply raise the user fees to make up the additional Revenue that would be needed to keep everything open (00:10:32) legislature has to pass those. We have proposed some user fees and we get into the same sort of thing with with Game and Fish licenses and they would have to approve any user fees that we at that Ray's way back getting back into history 1972 71 and 72 when Governor Anderson had to LEAP team come in and and look at things in a department. That was one of their proposals that if you sell a permit or you sell a entry fee to a park or anything else like that that allows the public to use it at that that facility ought to be self-supporting and you raise the fees to take care of it. Well that there are certain things that ought to be in the public interest in ought to be paid for out of public funds. I don't think that we ought to restrict our our state parks to those people who have enough money to afford to keep that Park stable as a business. It's just one of those things that I believe ought to be available to all of our people at a reasonable cost but at least near Break Even, (00:11:27) yeah, you wouldn't want to see those Park fees hit 50 bucks or something. Well, they (00:11:30) very well could there are parks it would cost $50 a sticker to keep them even to run them and it just wouldn't be right to do (00:11:36) some more folks with questions for Joe Alexander and you're on with him now. Go ahead please. (00:11:39) This is a call from st. Paul. First of all, I'd like to compliment. Mr. Durian and his department on a very well run operation. I think they do an excellent job. My question relates to the user fees for senior citizens. I'm neither a senior citizen or much of a hunter or fisherman, but I think that senior citizens who have lived their life in the state of Minnesota and contributed to our society should get a break. If not, maybe even a free a free ride for hunting and fishing once they've reached their retirement years and I'd like to hear mr. Alexander's comments on that and hope he supports it. Thank (00:12:14) you. Well, first of all, I don't disagree with you that if I had my way and you could give out free tickets there would be a lot of free tickets that we would give out to various people and using state parks and other things that that we just can't do because it takes a certain amount of money to run this on the on the senior citizen fee. What we what we're talking about here and I say I don't disagree with given them that license but I don't believe it should be at the expense of the game and fish fund. I believe that that's a social issue that we have on. Senior citizens and not a game and fish issue the The Game and Fish fund is broke. It's it's it will be bankrupt by 1989. We can't we're not allowed to go in and read at the rate. We're going there has to be some increases and every seat at senior citizen that I've talked to that that I can sit down for a while and explain what we're trying to do doesn't disagree with that Holy. We're not talking about a full licence. We're talking about the cost of producing and distributing that license that they would pay for MIT plus maybe a few cents maybe a quarter more than that which would which would take care of the cost of producing it for a couple of years, but we cannot count it license until it reaches the point that it breaks even as far as producing and distributing and three dollars and a half or about there is where we break even and we're asking the senior citizens to pay that as a result of that. We would generate some 700,000 dollars for the game and fish fund its broke and we put in a peer that's a senior citizen period costs $150,000 there about somebody that's that we put these in places where senior citizens who are less. Listen able to use a boat or can or wheelchair confined or something can go out and fish but somebody has to pay for that and most senior citizens say three dollars and a half isn't much and it's a very very minimal fee. They don't there are not very many licenses in the state that that are free to senior citizens. They are all discounted. Most everything is discounted and we agree with that concept. I'm fast becoming a senior citizen and I have no intention ever of taking a free fishing license. I don't need it. I know some people that do and if the provision could be put in the law that that a person who would very quietly without making any Fanfare about it could reply to get there to get their feedback because it couldn't afford it. I would support that a hundred percent but I think there are a lot of us out there that are attaining the age of 65 that can that can afford it three dollars and a half. (00:14:35) What is the fishing fee for for the rest of the folks going to go to this year (00:14:39) Well, we would have just looking at my list here. I forget these because by the combination for myself and I can't I sometimes forget what let me look here out. Why don't you ask me something else while I'm looking at this on the (00:14:51) paper here? Why don't we take another (00:14:52) while the residents fishing license right now six dollars and a half six dollars and a half and it would it would go to ten dollars and a half. It's going to go to $10 now under the under the new proposal if it is passed and in three dollar and a half, so it's less than half of a we would be talking about less than (00:15:06) half. Yeah, but-but-but from the six and a half to ten. That's a that's a pretty hefty percentage increase. Yeah. All right, let's move on to some more folks with questions for Joe Alexander. Hello. You're next. Yeah. (00:15:19) Yeah, I guess I miss part of it because I was over at my phone, but I think it was about fees you were talking to shortly ago again, and I was just wondering what percentage of the operating budget does come from fees from the licenses and State Park revenues and stuff. It just seems to me when commercial campgrounds that are paying taxes don't charge any more than state parks. Do I kind of wonder what's happened to all the money? (00:15:44) Well, what about I think it's roughly 35 percent of our budget entire budget comes from dedicated monies that are collected from some form or other all of the game and fish activities are dedicated monies license fees that are generated are all dedicated. The only additions that we get to that occasionally there will be a General Revenue allotment for building a building and then we get Federal monies through the Dingle Johnson and pittman-robertson, but all game and fish entirely is almost entirely is dedicated money is part of the state parks are dedicated someone for streets through through the Boundary Water canoe area legislation that came about tourism dedicated money's there to intensify Forest production and there are some trust fund type of monies that that we collected we don't get anything for as far as operating. They go into the school trust. So to just block it out and say x number of dollars are General Revenue, but roughly if we figure about roughly 35% I think our field generated type activities. (00:16:44) Is there sufficient supply of fish and most of the popular lakes that people go to so that they'll have a positive fishing (00:16:50) experience? Well, I think one of the most positive things that we have right now is not only the today's fishing but what fishing is going to be in a state where there's a lot of improvements that are going on these two dollar and a half surcharge that went on a couple of years ago is dedicated entirely to the Improvement of fishing and there have been some noticeable improvements trout stream improvements North Shore the big lake of Lake Superior is probably the fastest growing fishery in the state at it has tremendous possibilities. We have. Oh I think up near 40 40 boats up there. Now that are that are guiding people out on the big lake for fish that and there 10 years ago there weren't maybe to possibly to and they're up to about 40 and they're catching fish. We even the salmon program is good. And that that is the one that we will see the biggest games and we are increasing our walleye production. We have two new hatcheries going in one in Grand Marais this year and one down in in a south of Duluth. Carlton County or someplace close their next year. There will be a walleye Hatchery. We have several smaller operations that came about by the invention of the big red Hatchery. That was a DNR employee that invented that were using it. It's a portable highly Portable fish hatchery. That is almost dry. It doesn't use a lot of water and you can store them away for the winter and bring them out in the summer and that that is working out very well aeration systems. We there's some hundred thousand acres of water that is potentially salvageable at four years have been freeze-out Waters were cooperating with Sportsmen clubs and through that procedure. We furnished equipment they furnish the labor and the fuel and electricity whatever it takes to keep doing. This Lakes are hated. So our Fisheries the entire Fisheries program is is improving at a very rapid rate. The only the only qualifier I have to put in there as I'm not so sure that it will keep up with the increased pressure that that comes but the fishery resource itself is is in good condition is in good condition and getting better. (00:18:44) All right, 11:30 is the time Joe Alexander commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources with this we got somebody on the line with the question who we will get to in a moment, but I want to give off the phone number again because we've got some open lines to 276 thousand in the Twin Cities area 2276 thousand and around the region one 865 to 9700 anywhere within the state of Minnesota. Hello. What's your question for Joe this morning? (00:19:08) I'm calling from Cold Spring Minnesota commissioner talk about the plans for further developments. They Trail systems systems like the czechoslovak in the North Shore system Department have any plans for similar Trails Central part of the state? (00:19:27) There are no there are no major new acquisitions in sight right now for for Trails. We have to get into the development procedures now and more than we have but we have a number of trails that are not finished and some Upon A notes North Shore yet are Not quite ready to for us to start bragging about as being really good finish Trails. There are a number of trails that I if you'd like to call the office some time to find out where where we are on maintaining and improving the trails the existing Trails. I'd be glad to give that to you but the things that came into the public eye years ago was the acquisition of railroad grades in the things that we got into such as Root River Trail that have to be fought through just piece at a time and after we get them, they're very well accepted but The Root River Trail is one that I think is the is the most recent outstanding acquisition at we have to the to the trail program not so much as far as the actual Trail but they the reversal of complete opposition almost complete acceptance and support down there that trail so we have to work very careful on our public relations when we're putting in Trails. They generally go through private property or at least on each side if you buy a railroad grade each side of it as private property and there are objections and but I would like for you if you would like to call the office and You'll get my office with this number. But but when you do that ask them to transfer you to Trails, I don't have the trail number in my pocket but called 2962540 and tell them Darren's didn't trails and they'll give you someone that will that will tell you where we are what we're developing and what what links were using to tie up some of the trails that are not quite tied up yet. And anything that you'd like to know. (00:21:05) All right moving on to another caller. Hello. Joe Alexander is listening. (00:21:09) Hi understand that there is a Minnesota legislator who is introducing a bill to Halt Rainy River fishing in the spring and I'm wondering I've heard from Dan are people that fishing for big walleyes on the Rainy River has very little effect on the walleye population in Lake of the Woods, and I was just wondering if you could comment on that. It's a concern for some people. (00:21:36) Yes, there is a bill in there now that it's Representatives Barbie. I believe introduced a bill that would that would But not close it to to fishing entirely in the spring but there's an early season up there. Now that doesn't close until I believe April of 14th. And in some years like this on a warm early spring that there are spawning lie lies in the Rainy River and they were about 36,000 pounds of walleyes taken out of their large percentage of those fish. Of course, we're spawning females in rather large fish and we have been trying for years to come to an agreement with Ontario on managing that River on a Cooperative basis and having regulations are that would be similar. We're not we would we want the river to be treated just like other rivers up there and hopefully we can get Ontario to agree with us that that there can be some restrictions are at Short of closing at that time working on some ideas and I've talked to Representatives Barbie about it. And I think we agree on it that something has to be done up there. There were some tremendous limits of large fish taken out. I mean fish that are that we're going to excess of seven eight pounds and not fit to eat the fish red had a rather foul taste from We try to advise people that they weren't poisoned but they just didn't taste very good. The smaller ones did and I don't object to someone who wanted to go up there to the never caught a trophy fish to take one. So we're playing around with the idea of letting them take a trophy fish. But anything other than trophy would have to be a male. That would be a small Shore lunch type fish if they want to eat some walleyes, but I don't agree with some of the assessments. I believe 36,000 pounds of spawning female walleyes a significant no matter where it comes from but it comes from Lake area area or someone else the amount of significance. Of course, I guess you could grade on some sort of a scale but there's definitely something that has to be done. We have late spring. We have early spring. Sometimes they bite sometimes they don't and incidentally I am not going into this completely blind on what's going on and back in my game warden days. I was stationed in northern Minnesota and I spent a great deal of undercover time in the spring of the year working the Rainy River so I know some of the abuses to take place up there so I can approach it from that angle rather than just having the information come to me secondhand. (00:23:44) Moving on to another caller with a question. Hi, you're on the air (00:23:46) now. Yes. I'm listening in Fargo and it's my understanding DNR is accepting responsibility for burning down the scree township hall near Hawley. I'm wondering what DNR is going to be doing as far as limiting or reducing its controlled burn activities this (00:23:59) spring. Well, I think I don't know whether we will excuse me. I don't know if I'll just what we'll do with it. We're not going to abandon control burning as far as a as a management tool. Yeah, we we burned the village all down. There wasn't any question that we didn't it was one of those things that happened and it's hard to explain what happened. They put the fire out left didn't monitor quite long enough the wind switched and fans some Embers that blue back into the building and into some grass and and burned it down. We're going to replace the building. I think with the exception of a few records that we may not be able to replace. There are some charred records are that we think that we can copy and get the figures from them. They're working records. We're at a different location. So those records might hurt these were some of the older records that we think we can salvage not a set here and blame somebody Else for that would be useless. We goofed up and fire switched honest. We didn't monitor it long enough if we monitored it, but we didn't monitor it long enough and we have a policy on controlled burns. The policy was followed. But but in some cases you have to go a little beyond what policy say, especially if conditions warrant it and and that wasn't done will monitor it if we do any more controlled Burns will monitor them. (00:25:07) What are these controlled Burns (00:25:08) done? Well, it's something that we use and Wildlife to to regenerate areas for wildlife feed and that sort of thing that are grown up into some sort of Tangled brush. That's not good for much and if you release that in any other way by hand or something to be an extremely costly proposition, so on when conditions are right and the wind is right and the humidity is Right are burned off and we they're not huge acreages but they are things that are significant as far as the wildlife habitat forestry uses it somewhat if if they want to regenerate some some Forest area where they want to get a new growth of aspirin or something they can control that. Arne and some cases where maybe a fire has almost destroyed the whole thing and they want to start over again reburn it and start over and get some aspirin recycling. It's a quick way of doing it and it's a very effective way of creating wildlife habitat. (00:25:56) Mhm sort of duplicating the effects of a natural forest fire the (00:25:59) yes, it does that and but it's done in a very controlled circumstances. We haven't had anything that's we occasionally they will get out and burn maybe an acre so that we hadn't planned on burning but in a way of a building, I can't remember the last time I got into trouble with controlled burn. I don't I think it's like any other accident that you may have that you happen to sink a boat or something else that it's accidental that you can't you really re-evaluate what you're doing and see what you're doing wrong and correct it and go ahead and use the program. (00:26:28) Yeah. Alright moving on to your question now. Hello Joe's listening. (00:26:31) I'm calling about fishing in the southern Minnesota Lakes. I wasn't quite carefully when you talked about the fish hatcheries, but it seemed to me that all the lakes that you mentioned were in the north and I have friends and Our who indicate that they think Minnesota is really missing a bit by not providing better fishing for the Lakes closer to the border so that I will fishermen could come up and enjoy good fishing without having to go north of the Twin Cities. (00:26:57) Well, first of all, we do have some excellent fishing facilities in southern Minnesota hatcheries. There's one at Waterville. There's one are Lanesboro Hatchery for trout. It's getting very close to the Iowa border. We're buying another Hatchery the Peterson Trout Farm. That's that's at Peterson Minnesota. That's just a few miles away from from the Iowa border. There are a number of lakes that are we're managing as intensively as we can getting over in Southwestern Minnesota. In fact, the governor's Fishing opening next week will be in Fairmont. It will that's just a skip and a jump away from the Iowa border. There are five lakes there that are excellent leaks that are connected and they run right through the city of Fairmont when you get on over to Lakeshore Tech and excellent walleye lake that has managed intensively for walleyes and they're managed in there are managed under the same program and what Same intensity and in some cases more with more work on them than some of the Northern Lakes because you take a like getting up in North as far as Malak sir, Rainy Lake or or some of the larger Lakes Lake of the Woods some of those they don't take the restocking or the or the fish screens and the rough fish removal that that that takes place in southern Minnesota. I would guess that on a per acre basis of water in southern Minnesota and this is just a guess but the Fisheries somebody in Fisheries may be listening at just going to be just scream when I say this, but we probably it probably costs twice as much per acre water in southern Minnesota to to manage Fisheries is it doesn't align say that's in northern Minnesota and we don't mind doing it because there aren't as many lakes and they are freeze out and as I mentioned before the biggest, the biggest chance that we have for improvement is some of the shallow lakes May narrated in the winter if we can stay out of the liability and the things that other recreational Pursuits are getting into but we have some excellent water in southern (00:28:44) Speaking of somebody coming up from Iowa to fish in Minnesota prompts me to think about the fact that we have various reciprocity agreements with other states on a variety of issues College tuition income tax and so on and thinking with Wisconsin and and some other states particular but yet we if a Minnesotan wants to go on fishing Wisconsin, they pay high license fee if it was constant residents come here. They pay the non-resident fee the same with a state parks you go across the border in Taylors Falls and you go into the Wisconsin Park you're going to you know, pay an arm and a leg why don't we have some sort of a DNR type of reciprocity reciprocal Agreements are tough. (00:29:20) We do have water water reciprocation on all of our borders with exception of Ontario. We don't have a reciprocal agreement there. We're working hard to get that but on all are bordering states on fishing Waters. We have we have border like regular regulations that are reciprocal and we can't when we start getting over the Border though. When you reciprocate you have to be almost equal to reciprocate. I mean to have Iowa doesn't have a lot of I will likes for us (00:29:44) to well then I yeah, but I was thinking where (00:29:46) Wisconsin okay and Wisconsin then went down if you do that then Wisconsin would object to that greatly because they're reciprocal borders is the Chicago area in Illinois and Indiana and there again, there would be a flood of reciprocal people one way reciprocals coming into into Wisconsin which would damage their fish and wildlife fund's greatly in the same thing applies somewhat to Minnesota. There would be a lot of people that would come in on the reciprocal agreement that that they could not reciprocate to us and go back over into their area to do much of anything. But with Wisconsin if it was only Wisconsin and Minnesota that we were dealing with we could probably come to agreement in a few days. We are we meet regularly with Wisconsin. We need to do it on at least a semi-annual sometimes a quarterly basis just to compare notes. How on how each state is doing its business and we improve our cast out things based on that and fishing is one of the things that we discussed early on on some of these things (00:30:41) DNR commissioner, Joe Alexander is with us. Studios today and we've got some more folks with questions and a couple of lines available again 2276 thousand in the Twin Cities and one 865 to 9700 in other parts of Minnesota. Okay? You're next. What's your question for Joe today? (00:30:59) Yes. I'm calling from Minneapolis. And I'd like to know if the swimming beaches are going to be opened earlier do the warm weather and the earliest early spring. (00:31:07) Thanks. Well any anything that Department of Natural Resources controls will be open at regular time. We are we don't anticipate any closings or openings that are any different and any other year if you're talking about some of the city beaches. I don't know. I can't answer that on the city beaches, but our state park facilities will be open at the regular time. We're not we can't bring people on earlier because of the warm weather. We just don't have the money and we got into a little earlier on budget cuts and parks are one of the ones that are impacted greatly and so I they would open it to regular time, but we couldn't we can't put anybody out there quicker than it's a regularly. (00:31:40) Does it do those times vary from Park? (00:31:43) Mark some parts. Yes, they do that and you get into some of the northern Parks back when we first got into the first into the budget cut crunches back in the Qui Administration. We had to start moving the the openings up a little I mean back a little I guess would be the right word and in closing up a little quicker in the fall and then we started doing such things as not as much grass mowing is not as much of this not as much painting but what you get to pretty soon as a place that you can't go any any farther on and you just have to you just have to do something (00:32:11) differently. Well, they tried deferred maintenance with the subway system in New York and look where it got him. All right. Let's move on to your question for Joe Alexander. Hi. (00:32:19) Thanks for letting us have the chance to take shots at you. Well, that's okay (00:32:24) the shots you'd be surprised at how light the volleys are compared to what I get occasionally. (00:32:31) Department does a great job but is it is a long time Leif liquor an environmentalist. I want to know why we feed deer particularly. It seems like we feed them to keep them in a higher population. And what would be natural and I want to know whether that that effort and all the money that goes into it really affects the overall deer population of it's just a spot effort to keep dying deer out of the public eye. (00:32:53) No it there are no, excuse me. I had a hit my Michael hope it didn't rattle you too bad, but we don't we don't ordinarily we don't encourage feeding wildlife in the winter at all. There are extreme situations that we do and we haven't now for the last couple of years. There's not much we can do about Sportsmen clubs who decide they want to take on a little project or in some cases around the metro area. There are some there are some companies that like to have a little deer feeding place that they can so that their people are guests can watch the deer but we don't encourage the feeding of deer in some extreme situations where we have a heavy deer that are yarded up in the entire population might might die. We have we have tried. Supplement that food, but the best thing that we have found, of course, if you can cut browse for them to listen feed naturally, we'd rather do that into the Hall in hey, but a general policy is is not to feed Wildlife at all unless we have to (00:33:44) and is there going to be a pretty good deer hunting season this coming (00:33:47) fall. We have the highest population of deer in the state right now. There has been in the history of the state and in fact in some cases, there are there are more dire than we can have. Let me give you one figure. That's rather interesting when I came up from the field in 1971 and started getting involved in Metropolitan. Seven County area types of things or about 400 dear. You're getting killed on the highways in the Metro seven County area and that gradually got up to few more in gained a little bit here and there but in the last couple of years it's increased last year of a 2818 deer killed in him seven-county metro area by automobiles (00:34:19) good Heavens. (00:34:21) These are so that we have a population of Wildlife and this that it gets rather difficult and those that's danger when you talk about 2,800 almost 3,000 are hit by cars. That's a great deal of Denon metal in some cases injuries that and it is one of those things that we just have to control. Yeah, (00:34:38) let's move on to your question for Joe Alexander next. Hello. (00:34:41) Hello. I'm calling from Minneapolis. And I have a question about Fort Snelling State Park. I spent a lot of time there and I've noticed that there seems to be a change in personal attitudes in the last year actually last few months for its own less friendly less informative less helpful. Could you legs and or comment on that? (00:35:05) Well, I just hope that what you told me isn't true last January we started on a program and natural resources that we call that 44 a name to put on it. We call directions and the two of the main things we're talking about. The two basic issues in directions is as a management of our department and public responsiveness. Well public responsiveness is certainly a part of what you're talking about and I certainly want to find out about what is going on. But we are training our people almost weekly and having seminars and telling them what public responsiveness is what we expect of them and and very definitely those people in our organization that deals directly with the public on one to one basis. We want them to be super polite and super helpful and we would like to have a reputation of being in the most responsive organization and state government. I'd like to see that and if there's something that's that's going haywire that I certainly want to look at it. (00:36:01) Okay. We'll move on to your question. Joe Alexander's listening. Hi. (00:36:04) Good morning. I'd like to hear the commissioner describe the Pheasant restoration program and where it's going. (00:36:09) Well, I think we're on our way to to within three years of having something not not like the good old days at some of us remember but something that approaches a something that would be at least remindful of the good old days with the rim program that's moving through the legislature in the retirement of that lands and the federal CRP program and roadside programs that we have been into in the last few years. We are Sing some of that Farmland put back into habitat that should have never been put into production in the first place. You'll see an increase this year. We've had a good spring you'll see an increase in pheasants this fall and with any luck at all. They would be a tremendous increase next spring and then another one the following spring. So the predictions are a fair to moderate increase that you'll notice. I think everyone will notice increase this year and very definitely next year if that is barring some some blizzard in right in their peak time in the spring but the predictions on pheasants is one of the brightest spots that we have in predictions at the that habitat is coming back and it's because the farmers and a sportsman of the state and the legislature and the commission at the governor pointed got together and decided that something ought to be done and put some of that money back into into habitat Improvement and it's being done and it's going to be very noticeable (00:37:22) if I remember correctly rims tends to reinvest in Minnesota, but what it what is CRP the fed, (00:37:27) that's a reserve program. What? Bad on acronyms going to somebody has to play. Yeah, it's the last two are reserved program. That would be crop of conservation (00:37:37) Reserve conservation. Well, as long as you remember, what does it in our stand conservation Community will be too critical. I (00:37:43) went down to Washington one time to a meeting and I didn't even know what they're talking about. I thought I had to have a questions and foreign language or something before I get to it that but then I went back and had two minutes to read back to me and deciphered the acronyms and found out what kind of a meeting I'd been to wasn't all that tougher after I found out what they were what they were talking about. (00:38:01) Yeah. All right. You've got a question for Joe Alexander. Go ahead you're on with him no (00:38:06) frequent. Afton State Park very often during the Summers and I would just like to comment on the personnel there that they are exceptionally helpful and polite. So maybe that they're going to more meetings are those directions or something. (00:38:20) Everybody has a bad day occasionally, I guess and I and then when you put two bad days together, then it gets to be a problem. I can in our business we deal with a lot of people in people just don't realize the number of calls that we get or the number of people as having to pass through DNR, but an ordinary day in our information desk and in our building asking about campgrounds and things like that runs an excess of 800 call today, and we have some awfully good people at handle those calls. And in fact, I'm sometimes I wonder how they keep their cool a little bit when the campground is full. It's full and there's absolutely nothing that woman are on that form is going to do about it and and they're very good about the handling that sort of (00:38:59) thing. One of the last times you're on there was a big flap over public boat access to Lake Minnetonka that's been pretty well resolve noise. (00:39:05) Yes that took a lot of negotiation. Shaitan, and a lot of work on everybody's part two City out there it was willing to negotiate and we were willing to do some things out there and they're all by I would guess. I don't know if we'll get it by the middle of June. But by the last of June there will be a public access on unmanned a Trista. Admin of Trista on King's (00:39:22) Point. Well, we can talk about that a little bit more as the are continues here folks want and meanwhile, we'll go to your question for Jill. Hello. (00:39:30) Hello. I was wondering if you knew what progress and legislature was making and their funding for the international center (00:39:37) that is part of the bonding bill that the governor had and if he got his entire bill that that would have been included in it. I'm not sure it's not sure where that where that's going to shake out in conference. There's tremendous differences in the House and Senate versions of the bonding bill. It's not a dead issue of the governor supports that we supported. We think that that is the place for it to tear at that Center ought to be there and I wish I could answer you more directly in that but I think that watch it very closely that The bonding the bonding bill will be undone in conference and they may even be talking about it. Now. I don't know if that committees in session yet or not, but we're looking at it very closely a lot of the things that we like to do or tied up in that bill. (00:40:18) All right, and now it's your turn to put a question to Joe Alexander. Hi (00:40:22) this pertains to the last question. I'm curious what the point of view of the department might be that the wolf seems to have been getting a bad rap over the years and it seems to be changing radically here as a as of the basketball team name is come on as a timber wolves and with a wolf Center being very exciting. I wondering if commissioner sees the wolf is possibly being a tourist attraction in Minnesota someday and how the department perceives that aspect of it. (00:40:52) Thanks. I don't know why maybe get it the last of it. I don't believe the timber wolf would other than then the centers or something like that could be much of a tourist attraction there. They're pretty shy animal into even to go into an area where we're timber wolves were. They're plentiful the chances of seeing London be remote at best. I spent a lot of time in northern Minnesota in my early days in a department in the entire time. I spent in the field as a game warden. I saw three live wolves out in the wild and that not didn't get to go to look at them then but you can see them from the air but as far as someone being able to say that this is a wolf area that I might have a chance to see him that would be exactly what they'd be dealing in would be might the history of them. I think is something that would be significant as far as the tourist industry is concerned and I think the senator explaining the wolf population in the state and how its fluctuated in the things that have happened to it. But when our departments attitude toward the wolves in the public attitude sometimes and there was there seemed to be a great deal of difference in that but we were talking about State Control versus Federal control. Mainly, I don't think we've ever we've ever had a person in our department to talked about destroying the Timberwolves. We were talking about managing it as an animal that deserves a great deal of respect. It's a magnificent animal and In fact, one of my favorite things that I do and my hobbies is carving and one of my favorite carvings as a timber wolf. I've looked at at them in a lot of situations and I just enjoy I enjoy working with that sort of thing. But destruction of the wolf is something that's far out as a anything that the department has ever proposed even though that that has been the observation by some people at times. (00:42:29) We've got about five minutes left for some more questions. And if you got one probably time to put you on the air two two seven six thousand the Twin Cities for Joe Alexander in other parts of Minnesota one 865 29700. So we've got the matter of let's see. What was I going to ask you but I have some in my mind just a second ago and it shot out unbelievably fast talking about high water levels on the lakes and we talked about boat access to Lake Minnetonka. Is that is there going to be just a tremendous demand for access on Lake Minnetonka? Is that going to become almost unbearable with number bolts out (00:43:08) there? No, I don't think so the plans that we had for like not a talker were were based on the usage. It's there. There is a high use that lake is very very highly used. There's no question about it. But the survey showed that it was not being used by the people who are using the public access has it was not available to the public and and I and I firmly believe that the that those Waters like Minnetonka and like Mille Lacs and others are public Waters and that the public ought to be able to use those Waters. I also believe that there's a point where you have to control surface use and will face that in the near future that there has to be some Old of surface used but I don't believe your control surface used by controlling the Public's access to those Waters any more than you can control traffic on Highway by closing ramp. So, you know or something like that you have to do something other than that and to meet him or something like that something I and there may be times that people will have to alternator use somewhat like st. Croix is another one that's becoming very crowded on weekends. And there may be a time where where you may be able to use your vote Saturday, but not Sunday and during the week we have no problem. We don't have a problem on Minnetonka during the week. It's weekends when the sailors and the the sail boat operators and the speed boaters in the fishermen in the water skiers and the surf borders and everybody that want to use it are all there at the same time than we have some difficulty on it. (00:44:28) We got a whole slew of people with questions. Now, let's see how many we can work through in the next couple of minutes. Go ahead you're on. Hi, you have a (00:44:34) question. I'll answer quick so they can get as many as we (00:44:37) okay. Let's try another line. See if you're there with a question. (00:44:39) Hello? Yes. Hello. My question is I understand. One of the Commissioners recently left his post and took another commissioner position and this really doesn't two related. But I was just wondering Duke to the Commissioners get together and discuss their departments and and what gives them sort of the the idea the expertise that they can switch among themselves like that all hang up and listen. Thank you. (00:45:02) Well, if we're talking about commissions Commissioners in state government, we serve at the pleasure of the governor and we are appointed by the governor of for us to get together and decide which one of us is going to serve in which department would be a useless operation unless we could unless we could convince convince the governor that that's what ought to be done II guess I can't comment any any further than had accept it that there have there are some changes that I've made I know that in the past there have been Commissioners that have served in one of my predecessors was commissioner welfare and later on as commissioner Department of Natural Resources ever. Hours later, so it's pretty hard to comment on that the strictly a judgment call by the governor. Whether those people are qualified to run the (00:45:39) department. Okay. You got a question for Joe Alexander. You're on the air with him at me. Yes, sir. (00:45:45) I've got a question about burning and you know doing some things about updating what's in that kind of thing and I guess I've camped and traveled all over the Western half the United States and I was in Yellowstone the first summer that they let a lightning strike proceed for a little bit. I thought that was exciting. I spent some time in Itasca State Park and I've been there and I think it's pretty obvious that somebody that they really need to do something about revitalizing that Woods. I asked that question up there this spring when I was camping and I was told that they have permission to have a controlled burn that anybody in the state can if they can see a reason but it's so political and nobody from the state wants to help them make that decision that nobody will do it. I would like to have Joe comment on that because I can see a lot of places were Woods need that game (00:46:29) needs to find one minute Joe. (00:46:31) Okay. I have first of all I've never Received a political call on a controlled burn at political meaning some from some politician or someone who had some control of politicians or something on that. We do it strictly it is a hard one to do because in at ASCO, we are talking about the Jewel of the Minnesota State Park system and an accident there could be just disastrous and we would not hesitate to do a controlled burn under the right circumstances where it was needed to to regenerate some of that area, but we are looking at something that's touchy. It's it would be similar to starting fires and fail and park or something like that to get rid of the you know, some grass which might be on the very advisable thing to do as far as a biology of the area's concerned or maybe the Regeneration of it. It's something but it's something that that that I would I would want to make sure that the conditions were right. We've got preachers Grove there up a task of park. That's one one of the most magnificent stanza Pines in the country and it has been hit by fire. If you look at those trees are fire scarred, but they're not going to stand much more of that. (00:47:30) Yeah. Well Joe, I'm afraid we've now run out of time. Thank you, very Much for coming in. Oh, you're welcome sharing your expertise with us today. And sorry to those of you who are online that we cannot get to because of time Joe Alexander commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources weekend is made possible by Ecolab Incorporated providing products and services for household institutional and Industrial Cleaning worldwide the time just a few seconds now before 12 noon music on the Minnesota Public Radio FM Network and Sport folio on ksjn 1330 in the Twin Cities. This is Bob Potter speaking.