Public Input Meeting Schedule

Here is the schedule and locations for the upcoming public input meetings, all meetings run 5:30PM to 9:00 pm. Please plan to attend these very IMPORTANT MEETINGS!

March 25 DNR Central Office Cafeteria 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul

March 26 Frontenac Sportsmans Community Center 30301 Territorial Road Frontenac

March 27 Elks Club 4540 Service Drive Winona

March 31 Heintz Center (Tech. College) 1926 Collegeveiw Drive SE Rochester

April 1 Lanesboro High School Band Room 100 Kirkwood Street Lanesboro

Comments will be taken by the DNR starting March 25 and the comment period will end April 11. PLEASE, provide the DNR with input regarding the Long Range Management Plan for SE MN Trout Streams.

A reminder that you have until April 11 to submit any written comments to the DNR regarding their proposed changes. You can send them to Region 5 Headquarters in Rochester. The address is 2300 Silver Creek Road (attn: Mark Heywood). The zip code is 55906.

Could you please pass on key issues currently on the Table and/or what the flavor was at the local meetings. I unfortunately could not attend.

PS. Do you know Ed D? He and I visited, I believe your work place a month ago for a Career Day.

Jim W

The key issues were the approval of a three-tiered management plan that SEMTAG and the DNR cooperatively worked on to possibly get in place for the 2004 season. In a nutshell it will label all streams according to one of three plans (some as the current 5 fish limit, some with a protective slot, and some as catch and release). The meetings also sought input on watershed management as a viable coldwater tool, the preference of what type of habitat anglers prefer: traditional intenseive H.I. or the implementation of woody debris habitat. The meetings also discussed the issues of stocking and even some brought up issues of brook trout reintroduction in certain areas.

You can mail them and sound off in general as to where you would like to see the DNR and SEMTAG move in the future of trout management. Evertyhing and anything that you like or dislike can be brought up, however, the focal point was the three tiered management plan.

I don’t know Ed D., at least he’s not a teacher here. There were a lot of people in our building for career day – thanks for participating.