Stepping Outdoors With Craig

Well some of us have been that is for sure and Minnesota is getting a bigger name in the world of bicycling.

The League of American Bicyclists has announced that Minnesota ranks as the second most bicycle-friendly state in the nation. This is a jump from the number four slot achieved in 2010 and 2011. Prior to that, Minnesota ranked fifth in 2008 and 2009.

Approximately half of Minnesotans rode a bicycle last year, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation 2011 Omnibus Transportation Survey.

"We are encouraged to see significant progress in top states like Washington, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts," said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. "But, as the scores clearly highlight, there's much work to be done in critical areas like infrastructure and funding. We look forward to working with Minnesota to improve conditions for people who bike for transportation and recreation."

Washington remains the top ranked state for the fifth year in a row, followed by Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado and Oregon. Minnesota received its ranking because of many factors, including:

Partnerships among several state agencies and local/statewide advocacy groups that are encouraging increased commuter and recreational bicycle use and leading the Safe Routes to School program.

Minnesota is recognized as the “Best Trails State” in the nation. The state features more than 600 miles of paved trails managed by the Department of Natural Resources. The DNR adds about 10 miles of paved trail to the system each year. National, regional and local governments manage thousands of additional trail miles.

Nice Ride Minnesota, the first large-scale bicycle sharing system in the nation, is expanding into St. Paul. In summer 2012, the program will have more than 1,300 bicycles and 146 kiosks in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The Mississippi River Trail bicycle route continues to grow in popularity. The MRT efficiently and cost-effectively repurposes existing roadways and trails to create a new coordinated bikeway. The MRT in Minnesota now has interactive and printable maps and is Minnesota’s first U.S. Bicycle Route and state bikeway. 

The Minnesota Department of Health’s Statewide Health Improvement Program has assisted more than 250 communities to increase access to bicycling and walking opportunities over the past two years, making the healthy choice an easy choice.

Several state agencies, including the departments of Health, Natural Resources, Transportation and Tourism invest in bicycling as an important component of Minnesota’s transportation system. Bicycle tourism also has a positive impact on Minnesota’s economy and being physically active can decrease the risk of a variety of diseases such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes, depression and certain types of cancer.

Since it is National Bike month and I have a team riding in the National Bike Challenge I brought my bike to International Falls the other day. Knowing my business there wouldn't take all afternoon, I decided to check out the Rainy Lake Bike Trail. What little information I could find out about it on the web said it was a 12 mile long bike trail. And in some places I did find a trail:

However much of the 12 miles in reported length, is more of a bike route following Highway 11 out to the Rainy Lake Visitor's Center. While it still is a very scenic place to pedal I much prefer riding on the trail where there is less traffic to be concerned about. The portion of the trail that runs between International Falls and Ranier crosses several driveways and is not all that special, except for the nice view from the bridge:

Even though it was not exactly what I was expecting to find, it is awlay great to get out and explore some new areas by bike. Enjoy your next pedal!

Well you don't have to stand in line, you can buy it right here and print it out now. Save yourself time standing in line and you can print out as many copies as want or need.

Good Luck on the Water!

This week Governor Dayton signed legislation that will increase the cost of your hunting and fishing. The bill also includes a wolf hunting season which has been more controversial then the hike in fees. You will see the increase in license fees kick in March of next year. The wolf hunting season is on track to be established this fall, and would run at the same time as deer season. A wolf license would be 30 dollars for a resident and 250 dollars for non-residents.

Adult fishing licenses would increase by $5, from $17 to $22. Small-game licenses would increase by $3, from $12.50 to $15.50. Deer hunting licenses would go to 30 dollars for the season. See a complete list of the new fees here.

You DON'T need this anymore......

A slate of new laws designed to curb the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) was approved in a recent bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature and signed by Gov. Mark Dayton.

A program requiring watercraft owners to place an AIS rules sticker on their boats is being discontinued and replaced with an online education program. Watercraft owners will no longer be required to place on their boats the rectangular, silver and black decals, which include a summary of the state's AIS laws.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began distributing the decals earlier this year and will continue to give them to interested boat owners for informational purposes only.

A new law, which goes into effect 2015, will require anyone who transports watercraft or water-related equipment with a trailer to complete an online education course. After completing the course, the person will receive a decal that must be placed on their trailer, certifying they have taken the course. People taking the course can receive extra stickers if they own or use multiple trailers for watercraft or water-related equipment.

"The black and silver decal is no longer mandatory for boaters, but it is still a good informational tool to help boaters know the AIS laws," said Luke Skinner, aquatic invasive species program supervisor. Boaters who have decals can still place them on their boats or trailers as a reminder.

He said the DNR will begin developing the online AIS course soon to implement the new decal requirement for 2015. The penalty for not displaying the decal will be a warning, not a citation.

Other new AIS laws will be instituted July 1, 2012, as a result of the new legislation:

• Civil penalties for violating the state's AIS laws will double. Fines that currently range from $50 to $250 will increase to $100 to $500, depending on the type of violation. For example, failure to remove a drain plug while transporting a watercraft will mean a $100 fine, instead of a $50 penalty. The fine for unlawfully possessing and transporting prohibited aquatic invasive species will increase from $250 to $500.
• Boat lifts, docks, swim rafts and other water-related equipment (except boats and other watercraft) that are removed from any water body may not be placed in another water body for at least 21 days. The drying out period is designed to kill any AIS that might be attached to the equipment that are high risk and difficult to clean. Two zebra mussel introductions occurred last year as a result of water equipment being sold and moved from one water body to another.
• Boat clubs, yacht clubs, marinas and other similar organizations are now considered lake-service providers, requiring permits for the clubs and staff working there to take AIS certification training.
• Portable bait containers used while fishing through the ice do not need to be drained before leaving a water body, unless the water body has been declared to have viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a virus that is deadly to fish.

The DNR was given additional authority to require mandatory inspections of water-related equipment before a person places or removes equipment into or out of a water body and to set up inspection stations at a centralized location to cover multiple lakes. The new legislation also allows the DNR to delegate this authority to local governments that have an approved inspection plan

A change in state law a couple of years ago, does allow you to fish for free, as long as you're at one of the several state parks that offer free fishing. And as you can see that includes several parks in our area, but keep in mind you do need to have a State Park Vehicle permit.

A Minnesota resident may fish in a state park without a fishing license when:

1. the body of water does not require a trout stamp.
2. fishing from shore or wading in water within the state park
3. fishing through the ice, from a boat or a float on a designated lake within a Minnesota state park

All park rules must be followed as usual, along with any rules and regulations relating to the taking of game and fish. Good Luck!

The Department of Natural Resources has extended the comment period for deer populations in several local permit areas.

DNR is revisiting population goals statewide to strike the right balance between hunter, landowner and other societal and resource interests. The entire process will take more than a year.

Assessment in the three areas on the map below will be completed and goals adjusted in time for this fall's deer hunt.

The comment period has been extended until Thursday May 10th, and you can comment online right here.

No, not time to tune your television into a well known chanel. It's time to get out and ride in the National bike Challenge. The challenge officially kicked off today at midnight, but you can still get in on the fun.

The idea is to get as many people out on bikes this summer as possible. As of this morning there were 14,163 riders in the nation, but that number has been growing throughout the day. It's FREE and easy to sign up here. You can bike by yourself or better yet get together a team. And then all summer long take your bike out, especially on those short trips. And watch those miles add up!

A couple of years ago the DNR allowed you to get your hunting and fishing licenses online, with having to pay an extra charge. (Okay you still pay a little more, but it usually less than a dollar for most licenses). The one thing I really like about this system is you can download your license right to your computer and print it out. So I keep my fishing license saved to my desktop, and then print multiple copies to keep where I need them.

One for the wallet, one for the boat, the kayak, tackle box, etc. I know I don't always fish out of my boat, nor do I always carry my wallet, but with several copies I'm sure to have my license with me.

Give it a try, it's easy to and you will avoid lines at the store where you will only get one copy. Here is the link.

All of sudden there is a lot of hype for ALL boaters (canoes, kayaks and paddle boats are included) to get their new free Aquatic Invasive Species sticker. However you are still free to tell them to stick the sticker elsewhere at least for a few boating seasons. Keep in mind you might get a warning. See below for all the details of the new sticker...

A new law that was passed in 2011 (Minnesota Statues 86B.508) requires a watercraft owner or operator to obtain and attach an aquatic invasive species rules decal to all types of watercraft prior to launching on, entering into, or operating on any waters of the state. The FREE decals are available at DNR offices, Deputy Registrar offices where licenses are sold, and large sport shops, as well from DNR Watercraft Inspectors and conservation officers.

The top part of the sticker must be placed inside the watercraft where it can be read, and shown to a conservation officer, and the bottom part refering to the drain plug goes by the winch. In the cases of boats without drain plugs, I think you can discard that portion.

If the owner does not want to stick the decal on the boat because it is an antique wooden boat or other unique boat, they may attach the decal to an object or laminate it and attach it like a luggage tag.

Now if you're not wild about sticking a new sticker on your boat, canoe, kayak you can wait. It is not until August 1st of 2014, that you can be charged with a petty misdemeanor. I'll think I'll wait to add one to my kayak. I'll get one for my boat because sometimes I need a reminder about the drain plug!! 

Of course I had to take advantage of this week's snow and take out the rock skis one more time. I headed to the Carey Lake trails and attempted to make my way down the Black Forest Trail. Well, that didn't get me very far as I soon encountered a large downed pine tree and a lot of water over the trail just beyond the tree. Now most normal people would have gone home at this point, but I headed to the Southern Lights Loop. What ensued could be best described as 65% snow skiing, 10% water skiing, 5% trail clearing, and 20% walking with long skis across leaves. Which adds up to 100% fun! While some of the trail looked like this.....

Other parts of the trail looked like this....

Not for most people, but it did feed my appitite for skiing one more, and probably one more last time for the season. Today it looks like I can get out biking.