Common sense doesn’t always prevail, but it sure is nice when it does. Such was the case Monday morning, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a news release saying it would not consider lake sturgeon for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity had pressured the FWS to list lake sturgeon for federal protection, citing drastic population declines in parts of the species’ range over the past century. The FWS faced a court-ordered deadline of June 30 to decide, but announced its ruling Monday, April 22. Hats off to the agency for it ..read more

This year, fisheries personnel for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department are tagging walleye on four different lakes across the state in hopes of gaining broader insight into how anglers are utilizing these fisheries. Fisheries supervisors Scott Gangl and Dave Fryda talk about the tagging effort in this week’s “North Dakota Outdoors” webcast. ]]> ..read more

CLAY COUNTY, Minn. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has placed a livestreaming camera at The Nature Conservancy’s Bluestem Prairie Preserve in Clay County to showcase the sights and sounds of greater prairie chickens’ annual mating behavior, known as booming. To watch the livestream, go to nature.org/minnesota and click on the link under “Latest News.” At dawn, male prairie chickens venture out to a short-grass patch in the prairie known as a lek, where they perform an intricate courtship display in which they hop, strut, flap their wings, fill their vibrant orange air sacs and ..read more

This weekend will bring a nice rain for the entire region. The rain starts off Friday and continues into the weekend. Saturday will have rian shows and even a rumble of thunder possible throughout the day. Winds will also get breezy at times thanks to the low pressure system moving through the region. Temperatures will take a step back thanks to clouds and rain, as well as some cooler air from up north being pulled in by this system. Many spots will only get into the 40s and 50s, but some 70s still hang on the farther south you go. The shower chances pick up even more for Sunday. A nice s ..read more

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries crews are beginning to stock a variety of fish species in lakes statewide. Mike Anderson gives us all the details in this week’s segment of “North Dakota Outdoors.” Joining him is Jerry Weigel, a Game and Fish Department fisheries supervisor. ]]> ..read more

WEST FARGO A highlight of my early years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department as a district game warden was the variety of field-training opportunities. New wardens learn different required skills from seasoned wardens at stations literally in every corner of North Dakota. My primary training warden was Kurt Aufforth, who was stationed in Watford City at the time, and my weeks with him coincided with the paddlefish snagging season. A lot has changed since then. Kurt is retired, and I’m a biologist in West Fargo, but the interest in paddlefish continues to grow. While there’s obvious ..read more

There was palpable relief across the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River tourism sector Monday, with news that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) won’t recommend that lake sturgeon be listed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. The FWS issued a news release shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, April 22, saying a “thorough species status assessment” using the best available science led the agency to determine lake sturgeon do not require listing under the Endangered Species Act. The FWS said its 12-month finding shows ongoing management efforts, such as fish stocking, have c ..read more

LARIMORE, N.D. No immediate changes are on the horizon for bowhunting regulations in the Badlands of western North Dakota, despite concerns from some hunters about overcrowding, the Game and Fish Department says. Bill Haase, assistant wildlife chief for Game and Fish in Bismarck, gave an update on the issue Tuesday night, April 16, during the department’s spring District 4 Advisory Board meeting in Larimore. Game and Fish is mandated to hold the meetings twice a year in each of the state’s eight Advisory Board districts. District 4 covers Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh counties. I ..read more

It was the kind of afternoon filled with the promise of spring that was much too nice to spend indoors or outside doing yard work. It was the kind of afternoon best spent exploring just for the fun of it to get off the beaten path for an hour or two and see what we could see and hear what we could hear. The wind wasn’t howling for a change, so conditions were in our favor to hear what nature had to offer. A ruffed grouse drumming somewhere back in the woods, perhaps. Or the first chorus frogs of the season, a joyful noise these ears look forward to with great anticipation every spring. So ..read more

bdokken@gfherald.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays. ND Game and Fish Advisory Board The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is wrapping up its spring Advisory Board public meetings at locations across the state. Remaining meetings, at 7 p.m. local time, are as follows. April 22: District 6 (Barnes, Dickey, Foster, Griggs, Logan, LaMoure, McIntosh, Stutsman and Wells counties), American Legion, 34 First Ave. NE, LaMoure. James River Sportsman Club is host. Info: Cody Sand, Ashley, (701) 535-1071. April 23: District 5 (Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele and Traill counties), Silver Lake ..read more