"Twin Cities Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society"

From: "Rick Horton" <rgshort@uslink.net>
Date: Wed May 4, 2005
Subject: MN Grouse Update

Greetings MN Grouse Enthusiasts!

Please note, I have discontinued using the email address rgshort@cpinternet.com and will only be using rgshort@uslink.net from now on. Please make the necessary change to your address book. Rick Horton

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Grouse Population Update

One of the most frequent questions I get asked this time of year is, "What are you hearing about the drumming counts?" We all want to hear some good news about what to expect next fall, and are eagerly awaiting an indication that the grouse population has finally turned upwards. All I can say right now is, we must be patient. The DNR field staff conduct the drumming counts in April and early May and submit the data sheets are sent to Grand Rapids. Then someone has to enter the data and conduct the analysis. So it could be early June before the reports come out. I spoke with DNR grouse researcher Mike Larson today and he indicated that he had only received a dozen forms so far. You can't make predictions from a few data points. Mike said some were up, and some were down.

This has been a strange spring for the birds, too. In early April we went from winter to summer very rapidly, with a couple days approaching the 80 degree mark. Trees were leafing out, grass was growing and grouse were actively drumming. Then the jet stream shifted south and winter-like conditions settled over the state. Today was the first day in the past 7 without a snowflake. The cold normally doesn't shut down drumming activity too much, but high winds and precipitation prevent staff from being able to do counts during the drumming peak. So we expect quite a few routes will be a little late this year. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope the population swings up soon.

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National Forest Projects

The Chippewa and Superior National Forests have been busy cranking out the vegetation management projects now that they have approved the 2004 forest plans. We are not satisfied with the outcome of that 6-year process, because in the end it will result in less grouse habitat, poorer quality habitat and less forest access for hunters. As a result, we filed an appeal to the plans last year. Unfortunately there will be no decision on that appeal for some time. In the meantime the Service operates under the plans as written. Following are some current projects. As always, we encourage you, the grouse hunters, to get involved in this process. Decision-makers will not work for us if they don't hear from us.

Echo Trail Area Forest Management Project
LaCroix District Superior, National Forest
Scoping Phase of EIS preparation
Comments Due May 9

This project involves forest management on 126,050 acres of national forest all around the disjunct southwestern portion of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Environmentalists sued the Forest Service over the Big Grass project a couple years ago because they felt the Forest Service should have completed an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), not an Environmental Assessment (EA). They won. So this project includes the old Big Grass area, plus additional acreage. It will no doubt be controversial due to its proximity to the BWCAW.

In accordance with the 2004 Forest Plan (currently under appeal by RGS and other groups), this project proposes to increase red, white and jack pine; reduce aspen; and reduce unclassified (logging) roads. Aspen now makes up only 32% of the area, but it will contain less in the future as old aspen stands will be left to fall apart and convert to conifers. The project calls for 16,000 acres of clearcutting, 6,000 acres of which will be replanted and 10,000 acres of natural regeneration (likely to jack pine and spruce/fir). In addition there will be pine thinning, Timber Stand Improvement and 981 acres of "diversity planting". Diversity planting usually refers to planting conifers in aspen stands to create mixed forests.

This is the scoping phase, whereby the Forest Service is seeking public input to determine the issues that the public wants to see addressed in the EIS. We are asking that the Service consider that the project area is NEAR the BWCAW, it is not IN the BWCAW, therefore active management is not only allowable, it is necessary to balance the old forest found there. We are going to request clear data on the amount and quality of ruffed grouse and woodcock habitat before and after the project. We will remind them that while the new plan specifies movement away from traditional aspen management, that does not mean that there should be no more aspen clearcutting. Some level is necessary in order to maintain habitat for those species that need you forests.

For more information visit: http://www.superiornationalforest.org/analyses/EchoTrail.stm.
Comments can be submitted electronically to comments-eastern-superior-la-croix@fs.fed.us until May 9.

Mississippi River Vegetation Management Project
Deer River District, Chippewa National Forest
30-day public comment period on Environmental Assessment (EA)
Comments due May 13

This project involves forest management on 13,000 acres around the community of Ball Club. This is largely a pine ecosystem and management activities are designed to increase the amount of white pine, spruce/fir and northern hardwoods while reducing aspen and birch forests. It also proposes to increase young jack pine, restore native plant communities and decommission unclassified (logging) roads.

The Society provided comments on this project during the scoping phase in July 2004 wherein we asked the Service to maintain pure aspen inclusions in this landscape to provide for game habitat and vegetative diversity in an otherwise conifer-dominated landscape. We will be analyzing the EA to see the degree to which they propose to follow our advice.

For more information see http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/chippewa//plan/nepa/predecisional.htm
Comments can be submitted electronically to, comments-eastern-chippewa-deerriver@fs.fed.us by May 14.

Dunka Project
Kawishiwi District, Superior National Forest
30-day public comment period on Environmental Assessment (EA)
Comments due May 22

This project is for vegetation management on 67,181 acres of Forest Service land between Ely and Aurora. Activities include harvesting 6,260 acres of forest, planting 1,765 acres of conifer, converting 335 acres of aspen to conifer and decommissioning 20 miles of unclassified (logging) roads.

The Society did not have the opportunity to comment on the Dunka Project during the September 2004 scoping period. However, we will be analyzing this EA for the degree to which aspen habitats are maintained and managed for grouse, woodcock, deer and moose. A quick read of the EA demonstrates continued losses in habitat quantity and quality on the National Forest.

For more information visit: http://www.superiornationalforest.org/analyses/dunka.stm
Comments can be submitted electronically to comments-eastern-superior-kawishiwi@fs.fed.us until May 22.

Inga South Vegetation Management Project
Tofte District, Superior National Forest
Scoping Phase of EA preparation
Comments Due May 22

This project proposes vegetation management activities on 30,590 acres of Forest Service Land near Isabella. Proposed activities will increase red and white pine, increase young forest, reduce aspen, reduce fuels and decommission unclassified (logging) roads. Proposed activities involve clearcutting 773 acres of aspen and partial harvesting another 517 acres. However, only 285 acres of this will be regenerated to aspen, the rest will be converted to conifers.

The Society will be asking the Service to regenerate more of the aspen to type and clearly document the negative ramifications of these activities on ruffed grouse and woodcock populations.

For more information contact the District Ranger at 218-663-8060 (info is not available online).
Comments can be submitted electronically to comments-eastern-superior-tofte@fs.fed.us.

Note that all of these projects call for reductions in grouse habitat quality and quantity, as well as reduced access to the forest by logging road decommissioning and obliteration.

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RGS Gets a Three-Star Rating

The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) has been awarded a 3-star rating from Charity Navigator, a watchdog group that evaluates the efficiency of conservation groups and other non-profits in delivering "bang for your buck," then publishes ratings to help charitable donors make wise decisions. RGS scored 59.15 points in Charity Navigator's overall rating system, missing the coveted 60-point threshold, 4-star ranking by less than one point.

"Anyone who closely follows the actions and impact of the Ruffed Grouse Society knows we re-employ our monies in support of the mission," RGS executive director, Robert L. Patterson said. "Our regional staff and wildlife biologists are out there on the ground all the time, working with landowners and agencies, one-on-one and in Landowner Workshops, doing habitat, education and outreach work."

In 2003, the most recent year analyzed by Charity Navigator, RGS devoted 89.7 percent of its annual expenses directly to conservation work on behalf of ruffed grouse, woodcock and other early successional forest wildlife. Administrative expenses consumed 5.9 percent of the budget, and RGS spent 4.4 percent on fundraising. That breakdown actually earned RGS a 4-star rank in the "Organizational Efficiency" sub-category, most important to donors who want to know their money went toward its intended purpose. RGS spent $2,834,716 on conservation work in 2003, compared to $185,308 for administration, and $140,153 for fundraising.

The most recent analysis ranked RGS comparable to or higher than other national wildlife conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

"We're pleased by this ranking but are planning to do even better," Patterson said. "Another way of explaining the importance of this is to point out that nearly 90 cents of every dollar we spend goes into wildlife conservation projects out there in the woods."

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University Research Project Nearing Completion

R. J. Gutierrez, Professor and Gordon Gullion Chair in Forest Wildlife Research with the University of Minnesota's Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and his PhD candidate Guthrie Zimmerman have been working to further our understanding of the grouse cycle and refine the way we interpret drumming counts. They have used a powerful model selection paradigm to try to tease out which cycle theories explain the trends we see and which ones are just perceptions. They will be presenting their results at the 10th International Grouse Congress in Paris this summer.

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RGS Biologist Named Chair of DNR Budgetary Oversight Committee

Minnesota RGS biologist Rick Horton has been named the chairman of the MDNR's Game and Fish Fund Budgetary Oversight Committee (BOC) by Commissioner Gene Merriam. The BOC provides fiscal oversight of the $80 million generated by hunting, fishing and other environmental fees, as well as providing input on the DNR budget packages and policy recommendations to the Governor, legislature and the Department. "This appointment elevates the Society's stature in the eyes of the DNR and legislators", says Horton. "It also provides us the opportunity to work closely with the decision-makers in St. Paul". Last month Horton testified before the House Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee and later met privately with Committee Chair Dennis Ozment.

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New Habitat Projects

Following are a few of the recent habitat projects we are pursuing:
a.. 75 - 100 miles of hunter walking trail maintenance and improvements
b.. Shearing Alder for woodcock habitat improvement in the Tower area.
c.. Purchasing hand-held GPS/PDA units to help find and schedule maintenance on forest wildlife openings
d.. Partial funding of a tracked brush-mowing vehicle for DNR
e.. Work on three new Ruffed Grouse Management Areas in NE MN
f.. A portable bridge for shared use in NC MN
g.. Partial funding of student interns to perform habitat work.
h.. Forest Road reconstruction in Morph Meadows WMA
i.. Golden-winged warbler survey and habitat identification work
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