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Ducks Unlimited Curtis Lake Enhancement Project Begins
Another project made possible by the Outdoor Heritage Fund.

Ducks Unlimited Curtis Lake Enhancement Project

Ducks Unlimited

MARSHALL, Minn. –-(Ammoland.com)- Ducks Unlimited began enhancement of another shallow lake project funded in part by the Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council.

The early warm weather melted snow and allowed crews get started on the Curtis Lake project near Marshall.

“To complete construction of this shallow lake project by summer, our contractor needed to mobilize the required heavy equipment, steel structure materials and rock riprap before the spring roadway load restrictions were posted,” said Brad Karel, DU construction manager.

Karel and contractor Chad Monson Excavating of Willmar began working in early March on Curtis Lake to install a sheet pile water control structure designed by DU.

“After a brief shutdown for the spring runoff, we will be able to resume work as soon as site conditions dry and improve,” Karel said.

Another large water control structure and a fish barrier will go in when construction resumes. This and other large and complex DU shallow lake enhancement projects create and sustain Minnesota jobs that benefit local economies.

The new water control structures will allow the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources field staff to actively manage water levels in Curtis Lake. Temporary water level draw downs simulate natural periodic drought conditions that will rejuvenate the basin’s aquatic ecology and optimize wildlife habitat in the lake, as well as improve hunting opportunities. Once the lake is enhanced, it will be especially important for migrating and brood-rearing waterfowl.

Curtis Lake is a 440-acre shallow lake with an average depth of four and a half feet. During their assessment in 2006, the DNR found that aquatic plants only occurred in 10 percent of the basin. This condition was due to stagnant high water levels, poor water quality and turbid conditions. Typically, a healthy shallow lake at four feet deep would have aquatic plants occurring in 100 percent of the basin because the water is clear and sunlight can reach the lake floor. The DNR legally designated Curtis Lake for wildlife management purposes in 2006. More recently the DNR was able to finalize easements with landowners around the outlet of Curtis Lake that enabled enhancement activities to move forward and will ensure management activities persist into the future.

“This project was made possible with assistance from local landowners such as the Busack and Bode families, public support for Lake Designation and financial support from the Cottonwood Sportsmen’s Club,” said Bill Schuna, DNR’s assistant area wildlife manager in Marshall.

Schuna acknowledges the strong partnership with DU and the support of private landowners, the public and local conservation organizations.

“DU played a vital role in this project by providing wetland engineering design expertise that will give us the ability to temporarily drawdown Curtis Lake. A drawdown and fish barrier will improve critical habitat for waterfowl and prevent invasive fish such as carp from re-entering the lake. These efforts will ultimately improve water quality and clarity,” Schuna said.

Primary funding for this project was provided by Outdoor Heritage Funds and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The Cottonwood Sportsmen’s Club also provided local cost-share to the DNR for this project.

DU and the DNR’s Section of Wildlife work together to enhance shallow lake habitats throughout Minnesota. This partnership will help fulfill the shallow lake goals of both the DNR’s Duck Recovery Plan and DU’s Living Lakes Initiative, and will address the wetland habitat objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

DU has five other shallow lake enhancement projects under contract that are funded by a 2009 Outdoor Heritage Fund grant, including Jennie Lake in Douglas County, Ash Lake in Grant County, Cory Lake in Lac qui Parle County, Round Lake in Murray County and Rice Lake in Faribault County. Construction plans for Smith Lake in Wright County and Lake Christina in Douglas County will go out for bid later this year. Each project has been developed in partnership with the DNR’s Section of Wildlife.

Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

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Joseph M. Pavelko Named Pheasants Forever’s Director of Conservation Programs for Minnesota
Avid pheasant hunter, local Carver County PF member joins PF from MN Valley conservation work.

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever

Saint Paul, Minn. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever announce Joseph M. Pavelko as the organization’s new Director of Conservation Programs for Minnesota. Pavelko joins “The Habitat Organization” from the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc. and Friends of the Minnesota Valley where he served as Conservation Projects Manager since 2005.

As Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Director of Conservation Programs for Minnesota, Pavelko will work to obtain, administer and manage grants and programs that help achieve Pheasants Forever’s wildlife habitat mission in the state. This includes state Outdoor Heritage Fund grants, state Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund grants and federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants. Pavelko will also work with Minnesota’s 77 Pheasants Forever chapters and two Quail Forever chapters on statewide conservation initiatives, such as Pheasants Forever’s Build a Wildlife Area program.

“The addition of Joe’s talents builds Pheasants Forever’s capacity to deliver our wildlife habitat mission,” said Matt Holland, Senior Field Coordinator with Pheasants Forever, “With the advent of dedicated natural resource funding in Minnesota, the addition of a Director of Conservation to the Minnesota Pheasants Forever team is another step in furthering our organization’s position as a leader in habitat conservation.”

A native of Richfield, Minnesota, Pavelko spent a great deal of time in Jackson, Minnesota, at his grandparents.

“I was by no means a city kid,” he said, “I harvested my first pheasant on the grove where my grandma grew up. One time every year, Pavelko hunts the Pavelko Wildlife Management Area southwest of Jackson. The area is named in honor of Joe’s great grandfather who sold the property to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “I hunt it for nostalgia and tradition, and always seem to come away with a rooster,” Pavelko said.

An avid hunter and outdoorsman, Pavelko has been an active member of the Carver County Chapter of Pheasants Forever in recent years and has increasingly seen the value of the organization. “I enjoyed partnering with Pheasants Forever in my previous positions, and look to do even more in my new role,” he said, “What’s so important is that the work Pheasants Forever does not only benefits pheasants and our pheasant hunting tradition, but has many positive impacts on other game and non-game species and water quality. Through banquets, projects and youth events, Pheasants Forever also fosters community involvement.”

Prior to joining the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Pavelko worked for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. He earned degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Pavelko and his wife, Alicia, reside in Victoria, Minnesota.

Pavelko can be contacted at (612) 532-3800 or via email at jpavelko@pheasantsforever.org. For more information on Pheasants Forever in Minnesota, log on to www.MinnesotaPF.org.

About:
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. “The Habitat Organization” has 125,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org

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