Outdoors Notebook: Game and Fish names winners of Earth Day Patch Contest
Apr. 15—BISMARCK — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has announced the winners of its
2023 Earth Day Patch Contest
. Over 2,000 students and 116 schools entered this year's contest.
Winners in three age categories are Ella Fernandez, Fessenden Bowdon Elementary, (K-4); Brooke Livingston, Kenmare Public School (5-8); and Alex Dodgen, Minot High School Central Campus (9-12). Livingston's design was chosen as the overall winner and will be made into the 2023 Earth Day patch.
Young people and adults who participate in cleaning up public lands in North Dakota receive the 2023 patch to celebrate Earth Day and their service. Projects that qualify for the Earth Day patch include refuse pick-up on local, state or federal properties and landscaping on public property including planting trees, bushes and pollinator plants.
Earth Day this year is Saturday, April 22.
Groups participating in the service projects are encouraged to take the following precautions to ensure their safety: Keep young people away from highways, lakes and rivers and only allow older participants to pick up broken glass or sharp objects.
Participants are asked to contact Sherry Niesar at (701) 527-3714 or sniesar@nd.gov to receive a patch. — Herald staff report
BISMARCK — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is sponsoring professional development for educator workshops this summer in Fargo, Devils Lake and Dickinson.
"Using Visual Arts to Teach Life Science"
will be held June 6-7 at North Dakota State University in Fargo. The workshop will be fun and fast paced with many hands-on activities educators can use in their classrooms, discussion of classroom and curriculum integration, and identification of local resources. North Dakota resources, environment and wildlife will be emphasized. Participants will experiment with clay, water, pastel and colored pencil. No previous art experience is necessary.
"Habitats of North Dakota: A New Generation of Lessons" will be offered
June 27-28 at Lake Region State College
, Devils Lake, and
July 11-12 at Dickinson State University
, Dickinson. The North Dakota Habitats curriculum and new Habitats Lesson Plans will be used as textbooks. The course is suitable for elementary and secondary teachers, with many hands-on activities educators can use in their classrooms, discussion of classroom and curriculum integration and walking field trips, weather permitting. All supplies are provided.
For more information, contact curriculum specialist Sherry Niesar at (701) 527-3714. University graduate credit is available for the workshops. — Herald staff report
ST. PAUL — Minnesota's stream trout season opens Saturday, April 15 with quality fishing opportunities in every region of the state. Brook trout and splake fishing also open April 15 on Lake Superior and its tributary streams.
Trout anglers can find information on Minnesota's trout streams and lakes on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website at
. Anglers will find helpful learning guides and fishing tips tailored to each of Minnesota's six trout fishing regions. Anglers can also access
StreamFinder
at
mndnr.gov/fishing/trout/map.html
, which provides anglers with a description, species list, regulations and access information for trout streams throughout Minnesota, and is modeled after the DNR's popular LakeFinder tool.
Minnesota has roughly 3,800 miles of designated trout streams. Anglers fishing on designated trout waters must have a trout stamp validation in addition to an angling license. Complete trout season details are available at the DNR's
fishing page
at
. — Herald staff report
ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources encourages boat owners to renew expired watercraft registrations before this year's boating season.
Boater owners are encouraged to renew registrations
online
at
mndnr.gov/licenses/online-sales.html
or at a local deputy registrar's office rather than by mail. People renewing online can print out the confirmation page to use as their temporary permit. Boaters also may write down their temporary authorization number from the confirmation page. The registration card and expiration decals will then be mailed to the boat owner.
To renew online, visit the
DNR's online license sales page
at
mndnr.gov/licenses/online-sales.html
, click on "Get Started" and follow the prompts. To renew in person, visit a deputy registrar. Deputy registrar locations are available on the
Minnesota Department of Public Safety website
at
. People can also renew in person at the DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul. — Herald staff report
BISMARCK — North Dakota watercraft owners should note that 2023 is the first year of a new three-year registration period, the Game and Fish Department said in a reminder.
Watercraft registrations must be renewed online by visiting My Account on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's website,
. A credit card is required.
The price to register motorboats in North Dakota under 16 feet in length, and all canoes, is $18; motorboats from 16 feet to less than 20 feet in length are $36; and motorboats at least 20 feet in length are $45. Fees are prorated.
The 2023-25 watercraft registration cycle runs through Dec. 31, 2025.
New watercraft owners can attach the required documentation, such as the bill of sale or proof of taxes paid, with the online purchase, or send in the required documentation via standard mail. A 10-day temporary permit will be issued to allow for processing and delivery of registration and decals. For timely processing, Game and Fish encourages watercraft owners to submit attachments online. — Herald staff report
BISMARCK — Boaters with watercraft registered outside North Dakota must have a 2023 aquatic nuisance species sticker before operating watercraft in the state.
State law requires a $15 ANS fee for motorized watercraft not licensed in North Dakota to be paid for each calendar year, and the ANS sticker must be displayed on the watercraft.
In addition, Minnesota anglers launching boats on the North Dakota side of the Red River must have a current ANS sticker displayed on the watercraft.
The ANS sticker can only be purchased by logging into the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website at
. — Herald staff report
